Oops! Funny-ish Grammar Gaffes Explained

This episode of Grammar Guru is a fun one. We asked you, our friends, team members, and readers, for the words and phrases that continually trip you up. What do you always misspell or accidentally mispronounce? What word makes you question your grasp of the English language? Please enjoy a funny — but hopefully helpful — compilation of common grammar gaffes, explained.

Some of you aired your biggest pet peeves, too. We have a whole article with more of those!

Enjoy this video and scroll down for more!

HOW DO YOU SAY …

“I hate when people remove the first r from library and say lie-berry.” — Courtney

“My mom still says lie-berry instead of library. She’s a CFO.” — Melanie

“I thought it was wheel barrel instead of wheelbarrow until … today.” — Amanda

“I know that it’s ‘I couldn’t care less,’ but when I say it, ‘I could care less‘ rolls off the tongue! I have to stop myself.” — Rebecca

“I called Chick-Fil-A chick fila (like the soccer shoe) for about 10 years.” — Dan, who is not from the South

“It’s specific, not pacific, people!” — Leah

“My boss used to text in route instead of en route, and that small spelling error sent me completely over the edge.” — Marissa

“Honestly, I still almost say irregardless. But I stop myself.” — Trina, who definitely knows it’s regardless and not irregardless

“My girls and I have an ongoing battle/joke about how to pronounce gala.” — Charlotte

“I thought ad nauseam was AT nauseam for the longest time.” — Lauren

“I don’t make this mistake, but I hear day in age instead of day AND age all the time! Drives me crazy.” — Francie

“It’s quote-unquote, not quote-in-quote or quote-on-quote! I have to remind myself in real-time.” — Bill

“It irks me when people say the l in tortilla and salmon!” — Liza

“I thought it was all intensive purposes instead of all intents and purposes until about a year ago!” — Christa

“I never know how to pronounce niche.” — Madeline

“When I read the word hyperbole, I read it like hyper-bowl — Megan

THIS OR THAT?!

Similar words, different meanings. I did a whole episode on tricky word pairs that’s worth revisiting. But here are some quick explanations of a few pairs that get the best of us, and an example sentence using both words. This was a trying exercise, so don’t make fun of me.

Stationery vs. Stationary

Stationary with the a is an adjective that means still, parked, or at rest. Stationery with an e is a noun and means paper letter correspondence.

EXAMPLE: She wrote on her new stationery while peddling her stationary bike.

Affect vs. Effect

Affect is almost always a verb meaning to change or influence. Effect is almost always a noun that means outcome.

EXAMPLE: Try as we might, we cannot affect the adverse effects of smoking.

Complementary vs. Complimentary

Complementary means that two things go together. Complimentary means free or when you’re giving someone compliments.

EXAMPLE: I was complimentary of my toddler’s knowledge of complementary colors.

Pallete vs. Palate

Pallete typically refers to art and colors. Palate relates to taste and the mouth.

EXAMPLE: I was charmed by the wedding’s color palette, and my palate adored the food.

Defiantly vs. Definitely

“WHY does it happen so often!?” Hannah asks about this mix-up. People tend to type quickly and rarely go back to proof. Definitely means for sure. Defiantly means boldly opposing force. They are NOT the same.

EXAMPLE: Defiantly, we protest the very thing our bosses told us definitely would not happen.

HOW DO YOU SPELL …

After reading through dozens of responses, here are some words that make us forget the English language. When we have to spell these, we string together some letters and let autocorrect or Grammarly take the wheel. Or maybe we voice-to-text. If you experience this sensation, you are not alone. I won’t explain these, but I hope you smile at them.

• Unconscionable
• Conscience
• Judgmental (the lack of e after judg is tricky)
• Familiarity
• Scenario
• Claustrophobic
• Restaurant
• License
• Anonymous
• Convenience/Convenient
• Enterprise
• Colleague
• Accelerator
• Business
• Dachshund

Thanks for giving a hoot about grammar! Please write me with all of your grammar questions and peeves: [email protected]!

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