English ruiners

There are a few mistakes we all make as English speakers (especially American English speakers) i.e. the ever-so-popular preposition at the end of a sentence, or doing "good" as opposed to doing "well". It's inevitable that our language will eventually be completely bastardized, but that doesn't make it less annoying. Please feel free to add to this list of English ruiners. :)



Ruiner #1: Instant messenger shortcuts.
If you know how to type, as you should in this technological age, there is nothing difficult about hitting a SHIFT or punctuation key every once in awhile. I understand the need to shorten a one sentence message, but unfortunately these shortcuts are creeping into other written forms of communication and the context is being lost.

Ruiner #2: Spelling words incorrectly for "flare."
Often "ch" does tend to make the same sound as a "k", but the word "school" is not spelled "skool" and should never be spelled that way. It should especially never be spelled incorrectly when you are writing about a place of education. I've been meaning to write to the owners of Cinderella's Playskool on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas for quite some time now. If you're going to spell it incorrectly, why don't you spell it "Sinderela?"

Ruiner#3: Instead of telling you what I really think...
I'll give you the "nice" version. I could just tell you what I really think of you, and get it out of the way, but instead I will use phrases like, “No offense, but…” Or perhaps the sneaky, manipulative approach to get you to see things from my point of view. I mean, don’t you agree that the world would be a better place if we could just get our feeling out in the open. You’ve gotta admit I'm right about this.

Ruiner #4: Please people. Just proof-read!
Everyone makes mistakes, but it only takes a couple of minutes. Misspelling your name at the top of a resume is unacceptable, even if Spellcheck autocorrected it for you. And, if you DO misspell your name, then THAT is your name. Just go with it. All things intended to be read by many people should be proof-read. This includes resumes, business signs, blogs, invitations, etc. etc. (I'm sure you are going through my blog right now, ready to pick out all of my mistakes, right?)

Ruiner #5: Whenever. Whatever!
"Whenever I was in high school..." means that you were in high school at least two times or it means you should go back to school and review your grammar book.

Ruiner #6: To be, or not to be.
Probably NOT to be. "Be" should usually be replaced with either "am" or "is."