Top 5 Grammatical Pet Peeves

Because I've worked as a trainer, I have probably witnessed the most brutal abuse to the English language speakers can commit. I haven't talked to George W. Bush yet, but you know what I mean.  Anyhow, I've decided to make a list of the things people say that make me want to hand them a grammar book.

1. With regards

Always. ALWAYS. When I worked at a call center, there was never a class that I did not correct trainees for saying this. It shouldn't be "with regards". It should either be "with regard to", "in regard to", or "as regards".  Stop with the extra 's', this isn't Parseltongue.

2. Cope up with

I think people confuse this with "catch up with", as in "I can't catch up with you"  so they end up using it in the same context. However, "cope" is only used with "with". So you don't "cope up with", you just "cope with" it. Capish?

3. Lose VS Loose

I have seen one too many quotes end up becoming unintentionally funny because of a mistake with these two words. Let's review. Lose with the single 'o' is a verb, the one with 'oo' is an adjective. So technically, you can't "loose" things or people. Unless you're talking about an entirely different thing that isn't exactly appropriate in this situation. When in doubt, Google it. If you're going to post an FB status or tweet, what's the harm in opening another browser and checking if that statement is going to make you look like a moron? A little effort goes a long way.

4. Pluralization of Mass Nouns

I almost fell out of my seat once when I heard a trainer say "Don't use jargons." I mean, really, how did you get hired? The problem with being a Filipino speaker is that you can't get pluralization out of your system. We tend to just add the rough equivalent of "mga" to anything when we feel like it. Furnitures, grammars, stuffs, advices, FEEDBACKS. Here's a tip. Try adding a number directly before that word and see if it makes you cringe (i.e. three furnitures, five advices). If the answer is yes, then remove the number and the 's' along with it. It will make me love you a little more.

5. Did + Past tense of the verb

"Did you bought that bag na from Louis Vuitton?" "Yah, I so love it kaya."

Maybe you should have spent all of that money to buy a new brain instead. I don't understand why people find it difficult to use the base form. It's not called a BASE form for nothing, you know. Did/Do/Does + the base form of the verb. C'mon people, you're always complaining about how hard English is but you actually make it harder. Say it with me now, "Did you BUY that bag from Louis Vuitton?" Now, didn't that sound less annoying? Well, the answer is no, but at least you're grammatically correct.