Match.com has brought out my inner grammar nazi. I've always been frustrated by bad grammar, but getting 15-20 poorly written emails per day is too much for my patient little brain to handle.
However, my biggest pet peeve is actually turning into a handy little way of weeding out potential dates. I can understand an occasional autocorrect or typo, but if you don't take the time to type two more keystrokes and turn "u" into "you" --- then it's just not happening between us.
"Your" vs. "you're" is, and will probably always be, a top contender. "Their" and "there" comes in second with "lose" and "loose" at a close third.
Boys, if you don't take any other piece of {online dating} advice, take this one:
Proper grammar will get you out of the trash bin and, if you're really lucky, a reply.
See? All that schooling wasn't a waste. Now if you'd just put it to use...
-- Miss *Match*ed
Hello Miss Matched!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog through your tweets. And as a man, I find it nice to hear that my effort to use proper spelling can actually make my message stand out from the crowd!
However, I wonder how bad it is to use "loose" instead of "lose", or vice versa. Isn't this a case of American English versus British English?
Hello and welcome! I'm glad you're following my crazy adventures! :) And yes, men like you definitely stand out when you use proper grammar -- I know I'm not the first woman to say so. You've got an edge up on the other men, haha.
ReplyDeleteHmm, aren't the British definitions for "loose" and "lose" two different things (like they are, here in America)? People tend to misspell and swap the words out, and when read in context, it doesn't make sense.
When something's "loose," it's not tight. And when you "lose" something, it's lost. :) Right? Or does Britain have a completely different take on it that I'm unaware of?
Let's not forget "It's" and "Its."
ReplyDeleteGranted I'm not involved in the online world of online dating, but still use a general grammar test for friends. It takes a killer personality to overcome these issues. :)
Ah! Yes! "It's" and "its" is a biggie. The list just keeps growing! :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello, Miss Matched!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you follow my blog; I returned the favor (or favour, if you prefer British English :-) )
I agree that, when used as an adjective or adverb, the proper spelling is "loose".
When used as a verb, I'm not sure if we "lose" things or "loose" them; my money is on the first.
Personally, I'm already glad when people don't "luse" things!