Top 7 annoying grammar mistakes on Facebook

Oh, how I wish I could do this to Facebook. Image from Flickr.

The Internet has done countless wonderful things for humankind. However, it has also served to highlight people’s lack of regard for the written word, specifically when it comes to grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Most days I feel I must not waste time being annoyed by the countless errors I’m subjected to as I read through my friends’ status updates on Facebook, but sometimes it is just too much to bear. If you want to make the day just a little better for your cousins, your grammar-loving friends, your mom and especially me, avoid these common Facebook mistakes.   You can learn to avoid these mistakes without needing cash loans for tutors.

1. Misusing “your”

For some reason this word seems to be misused more often than it is used correctly. If you are using the contracted form of “you are,” the word is “you’re,” with an apostrophe and everything. Take the extra two seconds to think about what you are writing and get it right. You double check your information before you submit a personal loan application, right? Your is possessive, as in “your Facebook status.”

2. Apostrophe usage

Many people have decided that using apostrophes is unnecessary when posting message for all the world to see on Facebook. This can result in unclear communication and, more importantly, annoying me. When you’re using a contraction or making a word possessive, go ahead and use apostrophes. It will make your pinky feel useful.

3. Capitalization

I admit, I often neglect capitalizing when I am talking to friends on instant messenger. However, that’s because many times a lag in the conversation can make it confusing. When it comes to a Facebook status message, don’t be in such a hurry. Capitalize things, especially when referring to yourself as “I.”

4. Using homophones incorrectly

Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. People use “past” when they mean “passed,” “then” instead of “than,” “to” instead of “too,” etc. This bothers me mostly because I think that if writers were to think for a split second, they’d know the correct form to use.

5. Totally random punctuation

People use punctuation on Facebook that doesn’t actually exist or have a function in the English language. For instance, I have a friend who often uses “..” instead of an ellipsis (…) or a period. Why? I understand that commas and hyphens and semicolons and such are way too much to ask for, but at least stick to real punctuation. Calm down on the exclamation point usage while you’re at it.

6. Copy/paste statuses

This is not a specific mistake so much as an instance in which mistakes are more annoying. I am not a fan of the “copy and paste this to your status” trend, and it bothers me even more when I see the same mistake over and over. If you do copy and paste one of those viral status messages, go ahead and fix mistakes in it. You can do it. It’s as easy as getting online cash loans.

7. Quiz titles

I have actually seen grammatical mistakes in quiz titles that were about grammar. I don’t know who writes these quizzes, but for heaven’s sake, if you are writing a title on something that will be passed around and inevitably end up in my news feed, please get get it right. It is annoying enough to have my news feed clogged with announcements about the ridiculous quizzes my acquaintances are taking; at least don’t force me to read even more grammatical mistakes than I already have to.