Pet Peeves – In English and Life Generally

Hello there dear friends and readers! I’ve taken some time off posting for a little bit, what with being occupied as a new ‘mom’ and all. My baby though, has four legs, fur all over and knows exactly how to keep me busy. Even so, I do hope you’ve been using the time away to do some reading, especially from the prescribed reading list shared in the last post. My number one recommendation from that, if you haven’t already, would be “The Purpose Driven Life”, that’ll give you a fresh start with fresh eyes on how to live in this world, and lead a more fulfilling life through God's intended purpose for you. But now, let’s get into the crux of the matter; this post and what it’s about, shall we?

English is a funny language, with so many rules regarding the grammar itself, so many misconceptions and confusions; it’s difficult to keep up sometimes. Even though I too, miss the mark at times, I’ve decided to put together a short list of those misuses (that personally, I find annoying too) and attempt to clear them up as best as I could/can; and not only that, but I’ve also decided to do a list on some pet peeves in life generally too, whether on certain social etiquette, or like I said, generally. But hey, I can’t give everything away in one post, and so I decided (yes, I’ve been making a lot of ‘decisions’ :D) to go half and half—the first half (5) will cover some common misuses/confusions in the English Language, and of course, the second half will take you down the path of everything in between. And with that, let’s get started:

1. Your vs. You’re – This is a very common one that persons get mixed up quite often. First of all, let us recall that “your” is possessive and is used to express some form of ownership, whilst “you’re” is merely a contraction of “you” and “are”; basically whenever you see a word with an apostrophe between letters (‘), it’s always very likely a combination of two words (with the exception of the 's to show ownership). Let’s look at an example of these in a sentence: “Hi Mary, that's a nice skirt you’re wearing today, it compliments your frame very well.”

2. There, Their, They’re – These too, are often confused by many, either mistakenly or just simply out of ignorance, so let’s break it down. The first on the list, “there” has quite a number of uses, but we’ll discuss the main one here, which is for or to indicate position or place/placement in a literal as well as, abstract sense. “Their” on the other hand, is a pronoun which is often used to show possession and has to do with belongings, relation to/association with things made or done by others, whether people or animals. “They’re” however, as the last of the trio, is a contraction of they and are and means just that, they are; you’ll also recall, that a word with an apostrophe between it, is generally a contraction of two words. Now, let’s see if we can look at an example of these in a sentence: “There is much confusion with the usage of words in the English Language, but once their forms and uses are understood and practiced, they’re easier to master.”

3. Break vs. brake – Yep, believe it or not, these two do get misused a lot too, but that’s the thing with homophones (words sounding the same but have different meanings) right? Let’s look into them then, shall we? “Break” can be used in almost any situation; from things falling apart, indicating time off, the start of a billiards game, or the violation of something. “Brake” however, refers mainly to the stopping or slowing down of motion especially with vehicles or other machinery. Simply put, if you’re talking about anything other than the halting of machinery/vehicles (to brake up), then the word you’re looking for is “break”. Now, let’s use them in a sentence: “I need a break from my car, everyday there’s a new issue, and today the brake gave out.”

4. A lot vs. alot – This is one I see very often, sadly. There’s only one thing to know with this and that is, “alot” is NOT a word, I am unsure when the misconception came about with it, but please, the word[s] is “a lot”, two words. So, if you’ve been one of those persons writing “alot”, please try not to do that again. What you’re looking for, is “a lot”. You’re welcome.

5. Apart vs. a part – Now, this is another mix up I see more often than I’d like, and it’s really quite simple; there’s one way in particular to remember the difference between these two and once you’ve learned it, I guarantee you’ll never get them wrong again. The most basic thing is to know that they are opposites in every sense of the word—one means together, while the others means separate from—this also means, their meanings in relation to the words themselves are also opposites. “Apart” (one word, joined together) means separate from, while “a part” (two words, acting as one) means an inclusion. The lesson here? When the word is joined, it means separate, and when the word is separated, it means together. Now let’s look at an example in a sentence: “Apart from the loud neighbour across the fence, the community is quiet, and is one I’d love to be a part of.”

6. Hearing people in Jamaica say “ocean view” – Now, this one I am most tired and most annoyed of hearing. Unless you’re referring to a room category in a resort or some sort, I hate to break it to you but, you do not have an “ocean view” in Jamaica, and that’s simply because it is a Caribbean island surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. There is absolutely nowhere on the island that anyone can stand and have a view of any “ocean”. My dear friends, in literal and geographical terms, when you are in Jamaica, the only view you have is of the “sea”, that beautiful turquoise, majestic Caribbean Sea. Thank you very much.

7. Seeing the toothpaste tube squeezed anywhere except from the bottom – Listen, something about the tube being squeezed from all over just rubs me the wrong way. Hello, somebody? The tube is supposed to be squeezed from bottom up, that’s just it. And fun fact, as it gets used up, you can also just roll the bottom up for an easier squeeze as well; if you want it to be even more efficient, try securing the rolled bottom with a clip of some sort, too. You’re welcome. And besides, it’s easier on the eyes that way, too. Just saying.

8. Stockings being worn with open-toed shoes/sandals – This is another big one that I see many females do when I go out, or even posted on social media. Proper dress code etiquette dictates that once the shoe/sandals (heels especially) is ‘open’, meaning the toes are exposed; they aren’t to be worn with stockings/socks. The purpose of an open-toed, is to show those beautiful toes off, stockings/socks on the other hand, are to be kept covered— but hey, if that style tickles your fancy, then go right ahead and do you.

9. Hearing people talk loudly on the phone in public – Plain and simple, it’s not cute and far from being classy. When in public spaces, in transit or wherever it may be, if you are unable to speak softly/quietly on the phone for the person on the other end to still hear clearly, it would be best to advise that you’ll return the call when you’re in a more private setting. For your safety and own good, keep your personal life off the streets and away from unwanted ears, and please, even worse, do not put your caller on speaker phone. It’s a conversation for the both of you, not for the entire town/room. If for any reason, you do need to put your caller on speaker phone, proper telephone etiquette would have you advising/asking first, if this is okay with them- it's also more respectful.

10. Seeing the paper towel dispenser handle left wet in the restroom – Simply unhygienic and lack of consideration for the next person, is what I call this when I see it. Listen, after the hands are washed, they’re dried with the paper towel; some persons roll the towel off first before getting their hands wet so no need to touch the handle again, but for those who roll after the wash, would it really hurt just to clean/dry the surface back off? Let’s try to be more considerate for the person coming in next, yeah? Besides, no one wants to touch that wet surface. We can definitely do better than that.

And that’s how I wrap up today’s post; I hope there were some good take away from this. Do you have any pet peeves you’d like to share? Leave a comment and we can discuss (mark you, I am still trying to figure out how to see and make those comments visible, but drop a line just the same, I'm sure I’ll see it, as soon as I figure this out :D). With that, thank you for reading and until next time, be kind, be humble, spread love everywhere you go, and of course, big up yuhself!

:D