Now and then I have to get a little 'snarky' on here.
/'snark-ee'/ - informal adjective - 'cranky'
At the Journey Church Christmas Eve service I shared a short list of things which - after 20 years - still annoy me. Here's a slightly expanded list:
People who cut in line
Drivers who stop at roundabouts
Shoppers who take 20 items into the 6-item Express Lane
Couples who sit on the same side of the booth when there's nobody on the other side
Chronic complainers
Drivers who refuse to make a legal right turn after stopping on a red
The Chicago Bears
EMAILS SENT IN ALL CAPS
Incorrect use of apostrophe's
People who publish their personal Pet Peeve lists ...
It goes on and on. Here's another one that's relatively new to my personal list and the cause of my 'snarkiness' today -- Misuse of the word 'myself.'
Sorry, but I just have to get this off my chest. People consistently use this word when they should use the word 'I' or 'me.'
Example 1 - by a restaurant waiter: 'Myself will be with you in a minute.'
Example 2: 'My family and myself went on vacation.'
Example 3: 'It was a special day for Lynn and myself.'
Example 4: 'Please contact myself if you need something.'
In these situations, it's all I can do to keep myself's mouth shut.
I'm not sure why people are afraid to use the correct 'I' or 'me' in these situations because one or the other is almost always the right option.
'Me will be with you in a minute' works just about as well as 'Myself will be with you,' which is to say, it doesn't work at all.
'I' works instead.
'My family and I went on vacation.' Definitely.
'It was a special day for Lynn and me.' Yup.
'Please contact me if you need something.' There ya go.
I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, but I'm opening my chest to share it because I know you all care about this, too. You're probably lying (not laying) awake at nights staring at the ceiling unable to sleep because of this dilemma. I know I are ... er ... am.
It isn't lost on me right now that maybe one of your pet peeves is people who correct the grammar of others all the time. Fair enough. Still, a short lesson is in order ... 'Myself' is what is called a reflexive pronoun, meaning it refers to a subject earlier in the sentence.
Example: I'm going to treat myself to an ice cream cone.' YES! In this case, you're the object of your own action.
You can also use it to emphasize.
And be blessed.
/'snark-ee'/ - informal adjective - 'cranky'
At the Journey Church Christmas Eve service I shared a short list of things which - after 20 years - still annoy me. Here's a slightly expanded list:
People who cut in line
Drivers who stop at roundabouts
Shoppers who take 20 items into the 6-item Express Lane
Couples who sit on the same side of the booth when there's nobody on the other side
Chronic complainers
Drivers who refuse to make a legal right turn after stopping on a red
The Chicago Bears
EMAILS SENT IN ALL CAPS
Incorrect use of apostrophe's
People who publish their personal Pet Peeve lists ...
It goes on and on. Here's another one that's relatively new to my personal list and the cause of my 'snarkiness' today -- Misuse of the word 'myself.'
Sorry, but I just have to get this off my chest. People consistently use this word when they should use the word 'I' or 'me.'
Example 1 - by a restaurant waiter: 'Myself will be with you in a minute.'
Example 2: 'My family and myself went on vacation.'
Example 3: 'It was a special day for Lynn and myself.'
Example 4: 'Please contact myself if you need something.'
In these situations, it's all I can do to keep myself's mouth shut.
I'm not sure why people are afraid to use the correct 'I' or 'me' in these situations because one or the other is almost always the right option.
'Me will be with you in a minute' works just about as well as 'Myself will be with you,' which is to say, it doesn't work at all. 'I' works instead.
'My family and I went on vacation.' Definitely.
'It was a special day for Lynn and me.' Yup.
'Please contact me if you need something.' There ya go.
I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, but I'm opening my chest to share it because I know you all care about this, too. You're probably lying (not laying) awake at nights staring at the ceiling unable to sleep because of this dilemma. I know I are ... er ... am.
It isn't lost on me right now that maybe one of your pet peeves is people who correct the grammar of others all the time. Fair enough. Still, a short lesson is in order ... 'Myself' is what is called a reflexive pronoun, meaning it refers to a subject earlier in the sentence.
Example: I'm going to treat myself to an ice cream cone.' YES! In this case, you're the object of your own action.
You can also use it to emphasize.
And be blessed.
4 comments:
Funny, almost all of your pet peeves are mine also, but two jump right out at me. I work in retail and am most often scheduled to work in what we call 'smoke shop', where we sell cigarettes. Well, this is an express lane...10 items or less. It happens all too often that someone will come in line with a cart of groceries. At first, I just went with it, but by now it bugs the heck out of me! We aren't allowed to say anything or tell them it is an express line, so I have others looking at me wondering why. It is unfair to others with a couple of items, looking to get out quick. Ok, rant over.
The other is misuse of apostrophe's. I don't think I do that, but I am well aware that I never know exactly when to use a comma. Overall, I tend to use them when I would naturally pause in a sentence, if I was speaking. Or when the sentence could stand on it's own without the phrase I use (if that makes sense). Anyway, I am sure that must drive you nuts. I just know how much I hate run-on sentences. Haha...maybe I need remedial English. It has been soooo many years since school. I Google most everything else. I might very well Google that.
I won't expand to include all of my own personal pet peeves, but I will add one. People that talk on incessantly about inconsequential things. Drives me nuts and, to some extent, makes my skin crawl. I am dying to get away. They barely pause to take a breath. I mean seriously?? Who cares?? I have a member of my family who does that consistently. I find myself zoning out and barely recall a word she says. Then it does make me feel guilty, because I know there will come a day when she is gone and I will desperately long to hear her voice.
So, the Bible says patience is a virtue...God, give me more of it.
GREAT! Except your use of apostrophe's here should just be apostrophes. :)
Haha...that did make me smile. :)
Want to know the funny part? I deliberately looked at your part of the post.
"Incorrect use of apostrophe's"
I thought I was on firm footing by following your example. Shows you how much I know! lol
Post a Comment