What's the word?



{ Hilariousness courtesy of Mental Floss }

I had a very interesting conversation at work last week.  We started talking about pet peeves, specifically those that relate to grammar.  It all began when someone vented about the use of "touch basis".

Now for context, you should know that I can't diagram a sentence to save my life.  Nor can I recite the list of prepositions.  In fact, I never even took grammar. Of the 11 schools I attended before I was 18, not one of them managed to teach it to me.  { Or, more accurately, I made the shift from 6th to 7th grade when the former school taught it in 7th and the latter taught it in 6th.  Score! }

So here, as a public service announcement, are the top offenders we came up with in the category of misused idioms, expressions and just plain ol' words.  I learned a few new ones; perhaps you will, too.

Touch Base

• The one that started it all.  It's a baseball analogy, folks.  So, it's not "touch basis."

Supposed To

• The "d" belongs there.  "Suppose to" is incorrect.

Used To

• Ditto the above. It isn't "use to."  Unless you're writing directions for a pair of scissors, in which case you could say "use to cut things." : )

Toward

• There is no "s" at the end of the word.  It isn't "towards."  Who knew?

Anyway

• Also has no "s" at the end. "Anyways" is technically incorrect.

Couldn't Care Less

• Be sure to make it negative. { It isn't "I could care less" because that would mean it were possible for you to care less, thus leaving us in some strange double negative-like situation.  It's supposed to mean that you care as little as humanly possible.  And now my brain hurts. }

Chest Of Drawers

• Not "chester drawers." I heard this one a lot when we first moved to Georgia!

Intents And Purposes

• Not "intensive purposes."  Unless, of course, your purposes are really intense.  In which case... we have bigger problems than poor grammar.

Done vs. Finished

• This one is my mom's favorite.  As she taught her third graders, "Turkeys are done.  People are finished."

What others do you see/hear most often?  Enlighten us!