by LaxRef on Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:52 pm
Sorry to jump in late here. The "loose vs. lose" one really drives me nuts, because it is ubiquitous on the internet. Many of the others mentioned (it's vs. its, etc.) also grate.
Buy one I haven't seen mentioned is the very large percentage of people who can't tell the difference between an adjective and an adverb:
"We played good!" vs. "We played well!"
"We drove to the game quick" vs. "We drove to the game quickly."
and so on. The "good vs. well" problem is the biggest one: if you're modifying a noun, use "good"; if you're modifying a verb, use "well."
And, yes, English is a living language, but that doesn't mean you can flout (not flaunt!) the rules.
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-LaxRef