I almost never address the issue of grammar because, sure as shootin’, I’ll make a handful of mistakes right here in front of you. But irregardless I’m feeling cranky so I’m going to list seven of my top cringeworthy examples of grammar and word use mistakes.
Irregardless— need I say more? Regardless is the word. Irregardless is fingernails on a blackboard.
Confusing Your and You’re— Is this the most common grammar mistake in written communication? I have to hold myself back from correcting those responsible for the signs that say, Your in for a Treat! or Turn You’re Engine Off Before You Pump Gas. 
The Plural Apostrophe— Why is it that people feel the need to separate the singular version of a word from the plural? Every fruit stand in Central California seems to sell orange’s and artichoke’s and avocado’s. Can they charge more by throwing in an errant apostrophe?
The Self Conundrum— Since when did we start using myself in place of me or I? I have a feeling that people are so confused as to when to use I and me that they feel the safest route is to substitute myself. *buzzer* Nice try. The -self words (myself, herself, themselves, itself, etc.) are used in only two instances– to emphasize, like, “I picked out the color myself.” Or to refer back to the subject, as in “She spends hours preening herself.”
Nauseous or Nauseated?— I hear this way too often, especially by YouTube vloggers. “I’m especially nauseous today.” Oops! That does not mean what they think it means. It means they are especially sickening. If you are sick, you are nauseated. Sick vs. sickening.
Upgrading words— when simple seems too simple. I wish people would use the perfect little word instead of turning simple into simplistic or use to utilize or even orient to orientate.
Malapropisms— I saw this clever little piece on Facebook this week. I hear many a person get oh-so-close to the word but miss it by a mile.
Okay, your turn. Name a couple (or more) of your pet grammar gaffes or word use mistakes.
Post Book Release Blues
Nauseated and nauseous! And I am a bit confused that the meaning has been changed recently. What??? Grammar is not an easy skill for me and each of your pet peeves is something that I learned slowly after much painful critique, ha!
He enticed me to encite,
and didn’t use the starting ‘i’,
so I didn’t get it, quite,
though I really sought to try
to see exactly what he meant
by this inspired prose,
but I was baffled and so went
to hold my literary nose.
I guess he might have used spell-check,
but thought that he was right,
and shrugged to say well, what the heck,
that’s just the way I write,
but that’s not the way I need
to enjoy that which I read.
Y’all don’t have time to read my list of common word usage mistakes. One of those pet peeves occurs when people use “less” when they should use “fewer.” If you make fewer mistakes (because they are countable), your editors will have less of a struggle.
Bible reference mistakes are my pet peeves. It is “Revelation” not “Revelations.” Another Bible mistake is referring to one Psalm in the plural like Psalms 1. The collection is “Psalms.” Individual Psalms are “Psalm.”
And I have to add that it’s not “fruits of the Spirit” but rather “fruit of the Spirit.”
Love this, Wendy. Since when did we start using myself …? Must be since I FOUND MYSELF going or doing or being.
Blessings
Karen
Would of. Could of. Should of.
It’s have, people. Would have. Could have. Should have. 😊
Oh my word. Errors find me in every published book, and don’t get me started on what I find in self-published novels, even those written by established, traditionally-published authors. Also, my husband works in advertising, and you would not believe the copy his clients submit for their ads.
A couple of our pet peeves:
1. “Siblings” in a historical novel: Despite its Old English origins, the term was not broadly used until the late 20th century.
2. Use of ordinals: Just because you might think it or speak it doesn’t mean you have to add “st”, “nd,” “th,” or “rd” to a cardinal number in print. “The meeting is May 4th,” for example, makes us cringe. “The meeting is May 4.” Done.
3. “Its” (possessive) or “It’s” (It is). Figure it out, people!
I will step down from my soapbox now. Thank you.
I’ve been seeing the word me used when it is supposed to be I. Did that change? It has been cropping up in traditionally published books, not just Indie books. Are they letting it slide because they think it’s part of the character’s dialect?