Like it or not, the way we speak and write says a great deal about the way others perceive us. Misspellings, poor grammar and misused punctuation are easy targets for members of the press and general public to use against us happy gun folk. We have a tough enough argument trying to convince the general public and the media that we’re responsible, intelligent citizens. So why give them more ammo in the form of bad grammar and spelling?
Sometimes we can chalk up a typo or two to posting too quickly. It happens. But in a great number of cases, I think some people don’t understand some of the seemingly tiny, but important, rules of good written communication. So in an effort to help some of us catch up, I’ve put together this list of common errors I see on this and other forums every day.
I’m sure I’ll get a few “grammar police” pushback comments, but I’m not interested in hearing from the stubborn or the indignant. I’m just trying to help our cause. If you’re offended by me pointing out the rules of good grammar and spelling, or if you’re the type to fire back an “it was close enough…you knew what I meant,” understand that the corollary to that logic is like saying “what’s it matter if I use .308 ammo in my .30-06…it’s close enough!” It isn’t.
Apostrophes (not Apostrophe’s) - An apostrophe is used to show possession, NOT when talking about two or more of something. CORRECT: That gun’s (the trigger of the gun) trigger is crisp and light. INCORRECT: I brought three gun’s (more than one gun) with me today. If you’re talking about more than one of something, just add an s, and leave the apostrophe out of it.
Me vs. I – Maybe this one is indicative of the way many in our society think these days with their “me first” attitudes, but “ME” never begins a sentence. I hear it all the time, and it makes me cringe. CORRECT: John and I are gonna shoot his AR-15 tomorrow. INCORRECT: Me and John are gonna shoot his AR-15 tomorrow. You wouldn’t say “Me is gonna shoot tomorrow,” would you? You’d say I. So say I when you’re including another person, and say their name first. Me belongs AFTER the verb…never before it.
Her vs. She, Him vs. He – Same problem here. I hear so many people botch this one, and it’s just plain wrong. Her and Him don’t do things; people do things WITH Her and Him. CORRECT: She and I bought new carry ammo this morning. INCORRECT: Her and I (or Him and I) bought new carry ammo this morning. Grammar like this makes the person sound like they dropped out of school after 3rd grade.
Run-on Sentences – we’re all busy we have jobs families yards to work on god knows nobodys perfect but please use periods and commas and capital letters this lets people know where to stop reading its hard to understand what you’re saying when I have no idea when you’ve changed thoughts ad a few mispeled words into this mess and people will discount most of what you say because theyll probably think your dumb
Misspelled Words – Yes, I understand we’re not all spelling-bee champions. But come on. If you’re older than fifteen, there’s no excuse for misspelling every other word. Especially in an era of spell-checking software. Like it or not, people will judge your intelligence based on how you spell: If you muff every other word, people will naturally assign a lower value to your opinions and comments. And as gun owners, we all want to sound like we know what we’re talking about, right? Slow down and re-read what you’ve written before punching the “submit” button. Another 20 seconds won’t kill you, and you might catch some mistakes that could, in the eyes of anyone reading your post, bump your credibility a few notches higher. Always a good thing.
Commas – I don’t want to get into the tangled web of proper comma usage since there are more rules about commas than there are grains of powder in a round of .50 BMG, but one major gaffe I see pretty often is the random comma in the middle of a sentence. CORRECT: Bill and I met for breakfast this morning before hitting the gun show. INCORRECT: Bill and I, met for breakfast, this morning before hitting the gun show. Commas separate thoughts and give the reader time to pause. If you wouldn’t pause when speaking, don’t pause when writing.
Should have, would have, could have – This is the proper way to say this, not “would of, could of, should of”. I see this a lot. And it’s wrong.
If anyone has anything to add, step up. If you want to flame me now, I don’t mind. Just make sure you spell-check it.
Sometimes we can chalk up a typo or two to posting too quickly. It happens. But in a great number of cases, I think some people don’t understand some of the seemingly tiny, but important, rules of good written communication. So in an effort to help some of us catch up, I’ve put together this list of common errors I see on this and other forums every day.
I’m sure I’ll get a few “grammar police” pushback comments, but I’m not interested in hearing from the stubborn or the indignant. I’m just trying to help our cause. If you’re offended by me pointing out the rules of good grammar and spelling, or if you’re the type to fire back an “it was close enough…you knew what I meant,” understand that the corollary to that logic is like saying “what’s it matter if I use .308 ammo in my .30-06…it’s close enough!” It isn’t.
Apostrophes (not Apostrophe’s) - An apostrophe is used to show possession, NOT when talking about two or more of something. CORRECT: That gun’s (the trigger of the gun) trigger is crisp and light. INCORRECT: I brought three gun’s (more than one gun) with me today. If you’re talking about more than one of something, just add an s, and leave the apostrophe out of it.
Me vs. I – Maybe this one is indicative of the way many in our society think these days with their “me first” attitudes, but “ME” never begins a sentence. I hear it all the time, and it makes me cringe. CORRECT: John and I are gonna shoot his AR-15 tomorrow. INCORRECT: Me and John are gonna shoot his AR-15 tomorrow. You wouldn’t say “Me is gonna shoot tomorrow,” would you? You’d say I. So say I when you’re including another person, and say their name first. Me belongs AFTER the verb…never before it.
Her vs. She, Him vs. He – Same problem here. I hear so many people botch this one, and it’s just plain wrong. Her and Him don’t do things; people do things WITH Her and Him. CORRECT: She and I bought new carry ammo this morning. INCORRECT: Her and I (or Him and I) bought new carry ammo this morning. Grammar like this makes the person sound like they dropped out of school after 3rd grade.
Run-on Sentences – we’re all busy we have jobs families yards to work on god knows nobodys perfect but please use periods and commas and capital letters this lets people know where to stop reading its hard to understand what you’re saying when I have no idea when you’ve changed thoughts ad a few mispeled words into this mess and people will discount most of what you say because theyll probably think your dumb
Misspelled Words – Yes, I understand we’re not all spelling-bee champions. But come on. If you’re older than fifteen, there’s no excuse for misspelling every other word. Especially in an era of spell-checking software. Like it or not, people will judge your intelligence based on how you spell: If you muff every other word, people will naturally assign a lower value to your opinions and comments. And as gun owners, we all want to sound like we know what we’re talking about, right? Slow down and re-read what you’ve written before punching the “submit” button. Another 20 seconds won’t kill you, and you might catch some mistakes that could, in the eyes of anyone reading your post, bump your credibility a few notches higher. Always a good thing.
Commas – I don’t want to get into the tangled web of proper comma usage since there are more rules about commas than there are grains of powder in a round of .50 BMG, but one major gaffe I see pretty often is the random comma in the middle of a sentence. CORRECT: Bill and I met for breakfast this morning before hitting the gun show. INCORRECT: Bill and I, met for breakfast, this morning before hitting the gun show. Commas separate thoughts and give the reader time to pause. If you wouldn’t pause when speaking, don’t pause when writing.
Should have, would have, could have – This is the proper way to say this, not “would of, could of, should of”. I see this a lot. And it’s wrong.
If anyone has anything to add, step up. If you want to flame me now, I don’t mind. Just make sure you spell-check it.