Post your examples of bad grammar here. Make sure to explain why they are not so good.
UPDATE: So far, nobody who has posted has gotten credit because they haven’t explained what is wrong (you don’t have to know all the fancy grammar terms like dangling modifier, you can just explain what is wrong). BE EXPLICIT in your explanation.
See you on Tuesday!
Bad grammar: The team played really good today.
Correct grammar: The team played really well today. / The team played a really good game today.
Garrett replied on November 10th, 2010:
Okay, but why was the bad one incorrect? Or why is the correct one right?
josephhumpherys replied on November 11th, 2010:
The reason it is bad grammar is because it is incorrect to use good as an adverb after an action word like played. Well is the proper adverb to use after an action word.
hnhardle replied on November 16th, 2010:
and it just sounds better!
Bad grammar: it is important to put a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence.
Good grammar: It is important to put a capital letter at the beginning of every sentence.
Garrett replied on November 11th, 2010:
Be explicit in what is bad. You do not need to give the good example.
Sam replied on November 11th, 2010:
The bad grammar example is so because the sentence did not start with a capital letter.
Bad Grammar: i really shouda studied harder for my biology test
Good Grammar: I really should have studied harder for my biology test.
The bad grammar example was bad because it used the slang term “shoulda” it also did not start with a capital or end with a period.
Bad Grammar: Git ‘er done!
This is bad grammer because “get” is spelled wrong, and what does ‘er mean anyway?
natalie.lynne replied on November 11th, 2010:
Nick, the phrase Git ‘er done is slang for saying get her done… Therefor, ‘er means her.
josephhumpherys replied on November 11th, 2010:
Even if ‘er means her, what the crap does “get her done” mean? Haha, just another dumb english slang phrase that doesnt make any sense.
natalie.lynne replied on November 12th, 2010:
I believe when Larry The Cable Guy first started saying that it was a sexual term. From my understanding ‘er can now mean anything you want to get done. At least that is how my Uncles use the term. They can be talking about anything from work to eating Grandma’s mystery jello & still the phrase stays… Git ‘er done. ha ha
shannon_aders replied on November 22nd, 2010:
I really hate that phrase! When people say it they just sound stupid.
So I found this example of bad grammar on a website, adapted it a bit to make it even worse, but am thinking with well explained corrections it should still qualify for our assignment, let me know if it doesn’t please.
Bad Grammar Example: if you love someone set them free
So there are quite a few things wrong with this group of words (it’s not really a sentence yet). First is that there is no punctuation or capitalization anywhere in the sentence. Every sentence must at minimum begin with a capital letter and end with a period. As this sentence also has a cause and effect type relationship between the first and second parts it needs a comma. The comma lets the reader know that the ending of the sentence is dependent on the beginning to make since and the beginning is incomplete without the ending. The final thing I noticed wrong with this sentence is that “someone” is a singular word and “them” is a plural word. In order to make the sentence more correct “someone” either needs to be changed to “them” or another plural type word or “them” needs to be changed to “him” or “her” (basically a singular word). So the
Corrected Sentence should Read: If you love someone, set her(or him) free.
Sam replied on November 18th, 2010:
Thank your for your insight.
George said, “George is getting upset.”
-George referred to himself in third person. He should of said, “I’m getting upset.”
Scott Bassett replied on November 16th, 2010:
He should “have” said
(if we’re being argumentative about grammar haha)
Garrett replied on November 29th, 2010:
That’s not bad grammar – just weird.
I was in a car reck. The word reck actually means to have concern. The correct spelling of the word in this sentence is wreck which means the ruin or destruction of anything.
Cesar replied on November 15th, 2010:
it is different when you say it that when you write it. Good to know.
Scott Bassett replied on November 16th, 2010:
I didn’t know the word “reck” was a word, in fact my Firefox spell checker highlights it as incorrect, even though it is a word. So much for putting all of my trust into an internet browser haha.
Its really bad weather outside today.
Improper use of the word its. “It’s” is the contraction for “It is” while the word “its” is used a possessive tense, as in “That bear you found, its mine.”
Where are you at?
That is bad grammar because you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition, as well as the fact that “at” is not necessary for the sentence to make sense.
Joshua replied on November 16th, 2010:
Oops, I think I say that. I will have to be more careful in the future.
Joshua replied on November 16th, 2010:
Actually I think what I say is:
Where you at? That is quite possibly worse.
Sam replied on November 18th, 2010:
That is funny and good to know. I remember reading a book that at first when I read the word “Shadap” I was not clear on it then I read it out loud and I and it was like a lightning bolt and I understood what he was really saying.
I have a hard time with the differences between “affect” and “effect”. and words that are like that. examples:
1. The drug did not affect the disease.
In this case “Affect” is usually a verb meaning “to influence
2. The drug has many adverse side effects.
In this case “Effect” is usually a noun meaning “result”.
Kilei replied on November 15th, 2010:
Affect and effect always seem to trip me up too.
LCarlton replied on November 15th, 2010:
I remember guitar effects like distortion and delay because they change the way it sounds. Just something that has always help me keep it straight
Bad grammar: Me and Jerry went to the star trek convention as Cpt. Kirk and Spock.
Good grammar: Jerry and I wish we had a better social life.
I used this example because I have problems with it in my normal speech.
Austin B replied on November 15th, 2010:
You’ll probably want to explain why it is bad other than because you sometimes use it in normal speech.
Garrett replied on November 29th, 2010:
Yep. Only half credit for this.
Bad: I went to the park the baseball game and then to the party.
Good: I went to the park, baseball game, and then to the party.
The first example represents bad grammar because it is a list of three or more, and therefore needs commas after each item (as seen in the second example).
Bad: I’d much rather be sleeping then be in class.
Good. I’d much rather be sleeping than being in class.
“Then” is used when one dealing with time of some sort or sequences, where as “than” is used to compare things. A good tip I read on a grammar website is to practice actually pronouncing the words differently until they become different in your head and regular speech. At that point you can usually separate out the words enough in your mind to make it easy to use in writing.
Scott Bassett replied on November 16th, 2010:
I don’t know how to edit my post, but to make sure I do the assignment here, the reason the first one is incorrect is because I’ve used the word then instead of than, I’m comparing the two things sleeping and being in class which would need the word “than”. If I were to say First I’ll be sleeping “then” I’m going to class, it would be a correct use of the word “then”.
Sam replied on November 18th, 2010:
That sounds like a good website. What is that site?
I like learning about spaghettification in astronomy.
There is actually nothing wrong with that one. I just thought that was a funny word, it is a real word, but the spell checker on the blog marks it as wrong.
There is much to be happy about in this life; sometimes I eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
It is wrong because using the semicolon here is linking unrelated clauses. The correct use of the semicolon links related clauses.
Sam replied on November 18th, 2010:
Spaghettification is a funny word. There are a lot of funny words but none of them are coming to mind.
Bad Example: While searching for a good place to get a unicorn burger, i traveled to Seattle, Washington, London, England, and Provo, Utah.
Good Example: While searching for a good place to get a unicorn burger, I traveled to Seattle, Washington; London, England; and Provo, Utah.
The first example is bad because the over use of commas makes the sentence confusing and hard to read. Using a semicolon to separate the comma groups makes it understandable. I’ve experienced this when listing dates.
Russell replied on December 10th, 2010:
This makes sense. Thanks for posting it. Of course, the ‘i’ used in the bad example is incorrect as well.
Bad Example: We run a set up program to setup a process.
The uses of both set up and setup are both wrong here. They should be the other way around in the example above.
Set up – is a verb phrase that denotes the act of putting something together.
Setup – is the noun that represents the result or arrangement of what is put together.
Kilei replied on November 16th, 2010:
I don’t know that I ever really realized before that both set up and setup were words with their own meanings. I don’t think I have used setup before, but now think maybe I should have a few times.
Sam replied on November 18th, 2010:
Thanks for putting this example. I like your insight to this Set up or a setup. Did I use it right? Is that bad grammar?
There cat ran away.
“there” should be “their” wrong use of the word.
hnhardle replied on November 16th, 2010:
they are referring to “their” cat so it needs to be possessive, “there” is referring to a place.