There are some commonly misused items of English that make me cringe. Physically and emotionally. No one's perfect, but I do strive to eliminate apostrophe abuse, use of "utilize" when "use" will do, and that favorite of people who are terrified of the word "me": the unnecessary reflexive.
But some constructions, especially when paired with snarky comments, leave me rolling on the floor laughing. Figuratively, ROTFL, actually.
The Gallery of Misused Quotation Marks has left me with tears streaming down my face. There is now a "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks, I see! The fun continues! Not to mention a book!
It's only natural: misusing quotation marks leads to apostrophe abuse. It's such a simple rule: never use an apostrophe to pluralize anything, even if that anything ends in a vowel.
And then there's "me." The mighty little objective cousin of "I" that terrifies people so much, they think must be avoided in polite company. It physically HURTS me when someone says, "Please contact myself about this issue." Look, Bud, I can talk to myself; you can talk to yourself; it's physically impossible to for you to talk to myself.
Ah, English, you are a complicated friend.
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