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I like to bring this post out every year or so because people are still not listening! One of my major grammar gripes, the one that originally inspired me to write this post, is the use of the word “workout” as a verb. I see it all the time. “I am going to go workout now.” “This is why I love to workout.” “I feel so good after I workout.” Wrong! Read on.
“Workout” is Not a Verb (and Other Grammar Gripes)
I read a lot of blogs and other online publications. Most bloggers and many internet writers were not English majors. It is not a requirement to blog, which is a good thing because I am certainly not an English major myself. That doesn’t mean I don’t love the English language, though. It does mean that I have my share of grammar gripes.
Sidenote: Yes, I’m sharing this in the Runners’ Roundup this week because the most recent grammar mistakes I’ve seen were made by running bloggers and Instagrammers.
I am not the grammar police. I am sure that real grammar Nazis will find many mistakes in my own writing. I do my best, research when necessary, and I know that I still miss a lot. So if you find mistakes and need to correct them in the comments (I know I’m asking for it taking on this topic), please do it with humor and love. Thank you.
But I, like many who have a fair handle on the English language, am sometimes pissed off annoyed by the continual misuse of some of the basics of spelling and grammar by people who should know better. Basics, as in those grammar rules we learned in third grade.
My Grammar Gripes
So in the interest of my peace of mind, here are a few of the mistakes that bother me the most common errors. Again, I’m not an English pro so I’m not going to go into depth about the usage of each word, just give a little explanation and example.
There, Their, They’re
There: It is not here, it is there.
Their: It belongs to them. It is their house.
They’re: They are. They’re learning to write.
To, Too
To: There are a lot of ways to use “to.” It is a versatile preposition. It can mean until, toward, reaching as far as, and many other things. Be nice to me. I’m going to the store. She is great at anything she puts her mind to. I’d love to go to Europe.
Too: Additionally, excessive, very, or extremely. I want to go to the store too. You are too much. That fire is too hot.
Your, You’re
Your: It belongs to you. Let’s take your car.
You’re: You are. You’re starting to get this now.
I, Me, Myself
Misusing “I” and “me” is very common and it shouldn’t be because it’s not that difficult to understand. Most people remember (from third grade), that the other person’s name comes first at the beginning of a sentence in which “I” is appropriate, “Carol and I are going to the movies.”
Where it seems to get confusing is when the phrase occurs at the end of the sentence, “Mike went to the movies with Carol and me.” Many writers mistakenly use “I” instead and that is incorrect. Here’s an easy way to remember: Say the sentence without the other person’s name. You wouldn’t say, “Mike went to the movies with I” would you? It just sounds wrong.
As for myself, use it only when “I” and “me” don’t sound right. I’ll keep that bit of information to myself. I went to the movies by myself. You wouldn’t say “Carol and myself are going to the movies.” It just sounds awkward.
It’s, Its
It’s: This is a contraction meaning it is. It’s not difficult to understand.
Its: The possessive form of it. Every dog has its day. This can be confusing, because possesive nouns use an apostrophe. Just remember that “its” is the possessive of the neuter pronoun: his, hers, its.
Loose, Lose
Loose: Use this if your clothes are not tight, if the lions at the zoo escaped, or you’re gathering your change to turn in. These pants are really loose. The big cats are loose!
Lose: This means that you lost something, whether it is the game, your keys, weight, or a bet.
“Workout” is NOT a Verb!
I’m sure it is because I read a lot of health and fitness blogs, but this mistake is so common that I see it several times a day. I even began to doubt myself. Perhaps workout is a verb? So, of course, I Googled it. My mind was eased and I learned a lot more than I needed about how to determine if a word is a verb or not.
Basically, because you can’t conjugate it, it cannot be a verb. While you can say “I workout” and “you workout,” you cannot say “he workouts.” There is also a problem with past tense. You wouldn’t say “I workouted yesterday” (that, by the way, was hard to even write).
You have to say, “he works out” or “I worked out yesterday.” You’ll find a lot more detail and explanation why workout is not a verb here, but the bottom line is, workout is a noun, not a verb. Though it is occasionally an adjective, as in “my workout routine,” where it modifies the noun “routine,” but let’s not confuse things here.
So, you may have done your workout yesterday, but today you are going to work out. Conclusion: Workout is a noun.
Well, I don’t know if this helped you, but I sure feel better! What are your grammar gripes? And, as I stated above, hit me with my mistakes. Gently, if you please.
Updated from a post written in April 2015 because not everybody is paying attention yet!
And Now It’s Time for the Runners’ Roundup!
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Inspire Me Monday with Janet
Tuesday Topics with Kim and Zenaida
The Runners’ Roundup with Deborah, Lisa, Jenn, Laura, and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim
Fit Five Friday with Darlene, Michelle, Renee, Jenn, and Zenaida
Ultimate Coffee Date with Deborah and Coco
Thanks for this, Debbie!
Although I grew up speaking English at home, I went to school in Switzerland, so I grew up with the German Grammar Nazis.
For blogging, I use Grammarly, which has often saved me. I’m sure quite a few mistakes still make it to the final post, though. Thanks for the hints!!
I use Grammarly too. It helps a lot. Sometimes when I refresh an old post I’m amazed at how many mistakes it finds!
It doesn’t bother me too much when I see occasional grammar mistakes online. I feel like especially with Instagram typing on phones and autocorrect can make it difficult. But in blog posts I try to use proper grammar, although I’m sure it doesn’t always happen!
Yeah, I give a little more leeway when I know people are typing on their phone. it just t takes a second to read what you wrote.
It’s texting and social networking sites. And that darn auto correct.
No one proofreads anymore.
Auto-correct is a pain but it’s easy to read through really quickly to make sure there aren’t any mistakes. Or does that just sound like the old woman I am? 🙂
I am an English teacher and seeing workout used as a verb never bothered me. That’s the least of my worries seeing what other words people use these days…lol
But yes, when I see constant Grammar mistakes on bigger web sites and well known blogs, I do tend to cringe just a little and think “How did they make it this far?”……lol
But then again, I do need to give credit to the all mighty auto correct for “fixing” all those words that don’t need fixed. I see it even did it to me as I was typing this comment. Have a great week!
But I’ll bet you reread your comment and found that error, right? Proofreading is king!
Yes people make these common grammatical mistakes often. Workout does not bother me as much as the others
I’m not sure why “workout” bothers me so much. Maybe because it’s not just a proofreading oversight, it’s not knowing some basic grammar.
Hahahaha! I love this. And I have a few, myself! The loose/lose one absolutely makes me rage.
Yes, loose/lose (and your/you’re) drive me a little nuts.