Each. Other. (final post, #15)

     Just when I am convinced that one grammar error bothers me the most, I discover another that ticks me off even more than the previous one I rant about.  This error rubs me the wrong way that I will in fact correct someone on a social network for it because I cannot, I repeat, can NOT stand this mistake.

It's simple and easy to learn. Are you ready?

Are you sure you're ready to hear it?

Okay, here it goes: Each other is two words.

Bam. that's it.  Not eachother.

Each. Other.  This one is easy to remember, just like a lot is two words, so is each other.

The naked "this"

     Most often this occurs when students are writing essays in which they want to explain a quote, fact or simply a statement.
For example, "Making the mistake of the naked 'this' is very common but easily fixed." This means that you can easily learn the reason why it's wrong so you won't make the mistake again."
     In the above example, the word "this" stands on its own and although the writer may think it is quite obvious that "this" refers to the quote stated before, you can not just assume that reader knows this fact. In order to fix this simple mistake, all you have to do is add a noun in after the "this" so it is no longer "naked," or standing on its own.
    So, it would be better written as,
"Making the mistake of the naked 'this' is very common but easily fixed." This quote means that you can easily learn the reason why it's wrong so you won't make the mistake again."
     Now that the noun "quote" has been added, the word "this" has a noun to modify whereas it was standing on its own before, which isn't grammatically correct.

a lot

     This is probably the grammar mistake that I see most often. There isn't much to it, except that a lot is two words. Everyone seems to write it as one word, and I'm not sure why this is.  The only reason why I can think that this happens is because then you say "a lot," it's said fast as one word, so many people think it is just one word. 

Alot is not a word.

Semicolons

Why use a semicolon? I so often see semicolons used where they aren't supposed to be used, and I see them not used when they should be. The point of a semicolon is to join two independent clauses.

The rule is, that if the two clauses can stand alone, it's okay to use a semicolon.

NEVER use a semicolon with a conjunction. A conjunction is a word that combines two independent clauses (for, and, yet, but, so, nor, or).  Since a semicolon and a conjunction most often have this same function, it's not necessary or grammatically correct to use both in a sentence.

To make it easier, my high school teachers taught me that it's most appropriate to use a semicolon when you have two contradicting clauses. This way, the contrast between the two clauses can be seen better since they are in the same sentence.

Sand-Which

     Did you know that the word sandwich is not a compound word of the words sand and which?
A compound word combines two words that can stand alone as words, into one big word!
     Examples are, boardwalk, lifetime, grandmother. These words can be broken up into two words that can stand alone with their own meaning.
BUT, the word sandwich is not a compound word! It only has one H in it, contrary to popular belief. Many times I've seen people spell it as sandwhich, as though it is a compound word.
     This hits home for me (no pun intended) because my hometown is actually named Sandwich, and I know it is spelled like the food, so it helps me remember the correct spelling for the word.

Dunkin' Donuts has ruined it all.

     I am blaming Dunkin' Donuts for the fact that people incessantly spell the word doughnut as donut, which is incorrect. Yes, it is easier to write it this way, but I really believe that people just don't know that it's spelled as doughnut. They have no idea that Dunkin' Donuts just spells it that way for slang.
     What sparked my need to write about this is because I saw it spelled as donut  two times on Twitter today.  Twitter and Facebook are the forums that I usually see all of the grammatical errors that bother me so much.
     It's not that I'm some type of a snob, because I know that's how a lot of people see people like me who get annoyed about grammar mistakes. I will not correct someone on Facebook in public about a spelling mistake (unless I'm in a really bad mood and I dislike the person.) I just really think that how you present yourself on these public forums is really important, especially as you grow older. That's why this blog is what I needed.  Somewhere to blow off my steam when I get mad thagt people can't speak or write correctly.
     So back to doughnuts.  In conclusion, I think the popular coffee chain really ruined it for the world and now no one knows how to spell the actual word! That's my theory.

Coulda Woulda Shoulda

Okay so this post is different because I'm addressing an error in speaking. So often I hear people say "I should of gone too." This is not proper English, no matter how convinced you are that it is right, it's not. The proper way to say it is should've.

Why?
Because the word is a contraction, as I've written about before. It joins together the words should and have. So don't say should and of.  And it's definitely not shoulda (sometimes I say this I'll admit.) The same goes for would've and could've. They are all contractions with the word have.