WHEN a person makes a grammatical mistake it’s tempting to correct them, to help them learn and make yourself feel clever. But should you? Read our guide.
‘You’re’ and ‘your’
This one is so obvious that anyone getting it wrong probably has bigger problems than spelling. However it’s still fucking annoying so go ahead and correct them, even if it makes you the twat.
‘Less’ versus ‘fewer’
Tricky. When did you last see the phrase ‘Answer in 25 words or fewer’? Also a popular gripe among absolute twats who love criticising BBC newsreaders for saying ‘less’. Probably best to let this one go.
‘It’s’ and ‘its’
It’s easy to fuck this up through simple carelessness, and statistically you will have done so. Let he who is without sin make the first grammar correction. However, persistent misuse shows the offender is a lazy bastard who won’t just look it up once and for all, so go ahead.
‘Peaked’ when they mean ‘piqued’
Slightly grey area. It’s clearly wrong and thus annoying, but comes across as nitpicking. Also you don’t want to ‘pique’ anyone’s interest in giving you a punch in the face for being an arsehole grammar pedant.
‘Emigrated’ and ‘immigrated’
People who get this wrong are often blathering on about why we should leave the EU but they should be able to live in Spain hassle-free. Go ahead and make them look like a dunce.
