Confession: I’m no grammarian.  And I’m no grammar police.

Seriously, I corrected someone once, and it was at that point that I realized that nobody likes their grammar corrected right there on the spot.  Nobody.

But there are certain things that, when I hear them, I want to correct them.  In the moment, I tell myself, “Don’t be a nerd.  Don’t be that guy.  It’s not worth it.”  So indulge me, for just a minute.  Maybe you’ve heard some of these.  Maybe you’ve uttered them.

Misspoken words & phrases

  • It may be the fastest way to get your caffeine, but it’s not expresso. It’s espresso.
  • The phrase isn’t “flush out an idea.” It’s “flesh out an idea.”  Unless, of course, it’s a bad idea…and you can flush those down the tube.
  • Feeling trapped?  You’ll never be able to “exscape,” because that’s not a word. However, you may be able to “escape.”
  • “I could care less.” Yes, you probably could.  And you’d probably get to where you “couldn’t care less.”
  • You can’t walk “acrossed” the parking lot. You walk “across” it.  Or you have “crossed” it.
  • There is no such thing as a Chester drawer. Many companies produce “chest of drawers,” though.
  • “For all intents and purposes,” you should never say, “For all intensive purposes,” unless you’re trying to illustrate a point of what not to say.
  • Supposedly never, ever has a “b” in it (ala, “supposebly”).
  • The word nuclear only has one “u.” It never has two.  Even if you’re my 7th grade science teacher (seriously, she said “nucular” every single time)
  • You can be  doing “especially” well, or offering “exceptional” service, but it’s just not possible to be “exspecially” happy about things.
  • Ever said “a-whole-nother”? All you’re doing is splitting “another” apart by adding an entire word in the middle.  Don’t do it.  Don’t make “a-whole-nother” word like that.

What phrases bother you?

Are you the “grammar” police?  Say it ain’t so!