Okay, I'm not a very good "Grammar Nazi"--my spoken English is terrible and my written vocabulary isn't very consistent. But there are a few rules I've learned and two really annoy me when they're used improperly (but I will only correct them in the written word--verbally it's too difficult and you just come across as an ass because 9 times out of 10 the person thinks they've said one thing when they've really said something else--trust me, I'm that person).
The first is e.g. vs i.e.--the Oatmeal web-comic is the best place to learn the difference, though I'll give you my rule of thumb:
e.g. is used in exchange of "for example".
i.e. is use in exchange of "in other words".
The second is "and I" vs. "and me". I don't know who the idiot was who decided to teach children that proper English is "and I" in all cases, but I was surprised when a teacher in high school had to re-teach this. 'Course, I didn't learn 90% of grammar until I took Spanish. Anyway. The REAL rule is that the noun for yourself comes last always--the choice is determined by the nature of the sentence.
If you were to say "Henry and I are going to the store" that would be correct because without Henry, you would say "I am going to the store". The alternative would be you saying "Me am going to the store."
And on the flip side you would say "That toy belongs to Henry and me"--because you would never say "That toy belongs to I".
I personally normally speak improperly because I'd rather use the correct noun than place the words in the correct order. Anyway, I cringe whenever I hear an improper usage. But then I'm the girl who made a new friend in 9th grade when I gently told him that I wasn't sure that he was using words correctly in English class. His method was to use a 5 dollar word when a 1 dollar word would suffice at the expense that the sentence no longer made sense. By the end of high school he'd outgrown it and was actually a pretty smart guy.
The moral of this story? Read a lot and speak from your heart. Use words that you know and say them the way you feel comfortable. But don't use words and concepts that are foreign to you but you think will make you sound smarter. Trust me--no one has ever wondered if I was intelligent even though I can barely remember the name of the object I'm talking about. Real intelligence is more than the words coming out of your mouth--it's your ability to show that you actually know what your talking about. And realize: if you continue to try and fake your intelligence, those around you can tell and may laugh behind your back.
But also remember, saying "I don't know" is a sign of intelligence, not weakness, but only when you make an effort to learn more.
The first is e.g. vs i.e.--the Oatmeal web-comic is the best place to learn the difference, though I'll give you my rule of thumb:
e.g. is used in exchange of "for example".
i.e. is use in exchange of "in other words".
The second is "and I" vs. "and me". I don't know who the idiot was who decided to teach children that proper English is "and I" in all cases, but I was surprised when a teacher in high school had to re-teach this. 'Course, I didn't learn 90% of grammar until I took Spanish. Anyway. The REAL rule is that the noun for yourself comes last always--the choice is determined by the nature of the sentence.
If you were to say "Henry and I are going to the store" that would be correct because without Henry, you would say "I am going to the store". The alternative would be you saying "Me am going to the store."
And on the flip side you would say "That toy belongs to Henry and me"--because you would never say "That toy belongs to I".
I personally normally speak improperly because I'd rather use the correct noun than place the words in the correct order. Anyway, I cringe whenever I hear an improper usage. But then I'm the girl who made a new friend in 9th grade when I gently told him that I wasn't sure that he was using words correctly in English class. His method was to use a 5 dollar word when a 1 dollar word would suffice at the expense that the sentence no longer made sense. By the end of high school he'd outgrown it and was actually a pretty smart guy.
The moral of this story? Read a lot and speak from your heart. Use words that you know and say them the way you feel comfortable. But don't use words and concepts that are foreign to you but you think will make you sound smarter. Trust me--no one has ever wondered if I was intelligent even though I can barely remember the name of the object I'm talking about. Real intelligence is more than the words coming out of your mouth--it's your ability to show that you actually know what your talking about. And realize: if you continue to try and fake your intelligence, those around you can tell and may laugh behind your back.
But also remember, saying "I don't know" is a sign of intelligence, not weakness, but only when you make an effort to learn more.
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