hello and welcome to wednesday.
my ear is still plugged up! the left one. i tried lots of home remedies but nothing seems to help. if someone can come over to my house with a drill, please head over immediately. i miss hearing.
i worked a full day today! okay, i worked six hours.. but that is a whole lot more than monday and tuesday combined, so i am counting it as a whole day.
even though i can’t taste, i have made sure to eat like a responsible adult. chocolate peanut butter banana protein shake and bran flakes for breakfast, homemade chicken noodle soup with akmak crackers for lunch, and ten million things as after work snacks. honeycrisp apple with peanut butter, a rice cake with strawberry cream cheese, a whole bunch of the apple almond cinnamon trail mix i made yesterday, a few hunks of sprouted baguette with cottage cheese, and two popsicles. balanced snacking at its best, right? right.
dinner was super flavorful. this was my attempt to actually taste something, and i must say i did taste a hint of flavor in the meal. maybe my tongue is coming around. that’s more than i can say for my left ear, i suppose. i made crock pot kung pao chicken. it was a shorter crock pot recipe, not one of those all-dayers, so i actually put it together after work and it was ready right around 8 o’clock AKA our dinnertime.
[pinit]
makes 4 generous servings
adapted from danica’s recipe
ingredients:
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced into 1″ cubes
- 3 T sherry cooking wine
- 3 T oyster sauce
- 3 T ketchup
- 3 T low sodium soy sauce
- 1.5 T mirin
- 1/2 T chili pepper sauce (sriracha) – or more if you like spicy
- one 8 oz can pineapple tidbits with juice
- 1 T corn starch dissolved in 2 T water
- 1/4 c – 3/4 c chicken broth *if needed, see directions
- 1.5 – 2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower florets, chopped
- ~15 baby carrots, chopped
- 5 stalks of celery, chopped
- one 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
- brown rice or quinoa for serving
- cashews (roasted, salted, & chopped) for garnish (optional)
directions:
- whisk together sherry, oyster sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, mirin, and chili pepper sauce.
- add chicken and stir to coat.
- pour chicken and sauce into crock pot. add can of pineapple with juice.
- cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours until chicken is almost completely cooked through. cook time may vary depending on how small your chicken is diced and your crock pot’s temperature.
- add corn starch to crock pot and stir well.
- add vegetables and water chestnuts to crock pot and stir so sauce coats everything well.
- here is where you will add the chicken broth. depending on your veggies-to-sauce ratio, you may want a little more liquid in the pot. i added about 1/2 cup because we like it saucy.. the amount you add is up to you.
- cook for an additional 20-30 minutes on high until vegetables are crisp tender.
- serve over rice or quinoa and garnish with cashews, if desired.
this was a really quick and easy dish to make after work. the chicken cooked while i was at the gym. i’m trying to take it easy over here, being sick and all, but when i sit at a desk all day i really just need to move in SOME way. i did a light shoulder workout and 20 minutes on the elliptical. when i got home from my mellow gym session i added the veggies, cooked the quinoa, and in less than a half hour it was time to eat!
i calculated the nutritional information based on the recipe making four servings and did not include the rice/quinoa or cashews in the calculations. here are the stats for the chicken, sauce, & veggies only:
if you add 1/2 oz cashews and 1/2 cup quinoa to the dish like i did, the stats will be this:
pretty great stats no matter how you decide to eat it.
i am thinking i need some more arctic zero cookies and cream for dessert. or more popsicles. or both.
so! about the title.
i was trying to type the word “guarantee” today and had to backspace more than twice. it is just one of those words that, no matter how many times i write or type it, i just can’t get right the first time! this had me thinking about all the common errors i see when reading things online every day.
these common errors tend to get under my skin a bit because i am a weirdo like that, but i will be the first to admit that i make common errors in my writing all the time! heck, there are probably a lot of errors in this very post. i am no exception and i am sure some of my writing has gotten under your skin sometime or another. in fact, for the first 20 some odd years of my life, i thought “tongue” was spelled “tounge”. yep. fact. what’s wrong with me? also, i write in all lowercase, and i know this bothers people. they tell me.
so, in the name of all things nerdy, i thought i would list ten of the most common errors i see that really just make me cringe. remember, this is all in fun, and i said before that i often make my own grammar and spelling errors.. so read this with a light heart.. mmmk?
1. using “of” instead of “have”: could of, should of, would of SHOULD BE could have, should have, would have.
i get why this happens.. people are taking the contraction “should’ve” and turning it into “should of”.. but think a minute about what you are trying to say before you type of. you clearly mean HAVE.
2. correctly using an apostrophe in “it’s”.
this one is tricky since when we usually want to show possession, we use an apostrophe. example: “this is janetha’s blog.” however, when using the word “it” in a possessive context, you leave out the apostrophe. example: “the blog is known for its grammatical errors.”
the right time to use an apostrophe is when you are using it as a contraction for “it is” or “it has”. example: “it’s the most ridiculous blog.” or “it’s been a great day.”
got it? good.
3. “a lot” is not one word.
just… NO. sure, you say the words “a” and “lot” together often, but that does not make them one word. you don’t lump “a” and “little” into alittle, so please don’t type alot.
4. work out vs workout.
you went to work out. it was a stellar workout. there is a difference. take note.
5. the term “as per usual”–it is either “as usual” or “per usual”.. pick one.
if you say both.. it’s like saying “as as usual”. it’s redundant. just pick one or the other, not both.
6. one and the same, not one in the same.
this isn’t one i read too often, but it happens. an easy mistake to make since it’s not a very common saying. anyway, it’s one and the same.. not IN.
7. who’s vs. whose
another pesky contraction. lots of times i read the word “who’s” where “whose” should be written. if you are using “who’s”, simply replace the words “who is” in there (since it is a contraction) and see if it makes any sense. example: “whose blog is your favorite?” <–in that sentence, “who’s” makes no sense, because it would be saying: “who is blog is your favorite?” see? nonsense.
8. the many misspellings of definitely.
spell it with me now: D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y. not definately, definitley, or any other slaughtered spelling of the word.
9. saying unthaw when you really mean defrost or thaw.
i think i hear this said more than see it written, but every time it makes me laugh. if you are unthawing something, then you would essentially be freezing it. right? right. think about it.
10. couldn’t leave this off the list: using the wrong kind of your/you’re.
it’s safe to say this is the most misused word out there. maybe people are just to lazy to type “you’re” out and so they type “your”… but it makes me stabby every time i see it used wrong. actually, on one of mine and marshall’s first dates, we made a bet. every time one of us used the wrong form of your/you’re, we owed the other person something. pretty sure he owed me a beer and i owed him a dollar.. my how times change. anyway, PLEASE check yourself on this one. it’s not a hard one to get right like some of the others!
so, there’s my list of ten. but wait.. here are a couple more fun, nerdy things!
- if you think your spelling skills are top notch, go check out this 27-question spelling test to see how you rank! it was fun. promise.
- if you want a laugh, be sure to check out the oatmeal’s many grammar-geared posts. they rule.
anyway, that’s enough bitching and moaning for now.
oh, before i forget, check out the beanitos giveaway on the blend blog! they are one of our swag bag sponsors. blend is ONE MONTH FROM TODAY! squeal! can’t wait to hang with you all!
talk to you guys later!
Q~
what’s one common spelling or grammatical error that gets under your skin?
xo. janetha g.
Next Comments →
eck it out. Made me giggle since the whole point was people misspelling the word.
work out versus workout gets me every time. I have no idea how to use it. I mean, I do, you explained it right, but I still can’t seem to use it right.
I agree! I am still confused on the difference!! haha I clearly don’t write it correctly.
Love the “ten common errors”! I couldn’t agree more. I also love the Freudian slip on your spelling of “definitely”. Because I’m 10 years old like that. And naughty words make me laugh… :-).
Haha. That is what I get for publishing before proofreading (it is easier to proofread on the blog than in the HTML) so thank you! I caught that and laughed. Wait.. what word is naughty? I love naughty.
Haha my eyes went straight to the “tit” in “Defintitely”.
wow, I’m burying my head in shame as I’m sure I committed all of these on my blog. I don’t knew who learned me English. :/
Write their with you sister! ;)
I haven’t tried it, but I’ve heard that a garlic clove in the ear can help for infections. Not sure if that is what you have. Feel better soon!
?I think it is just plugged due to the bronchitis crap.. but garlic in the ear is interesting.. and stinky.. thanks! Googling.
I think I’ve heard that, but plus oil.. I was always a afraid of trying it
Totally pinning this…it sounds delicious and the more crock pot recipes the better!
Affect vs effect. Omgggg.
When people say “I could care less” instead of “I couldn’t care less”.
Like oh, that’s nice…you COULD care less.
Ha, yes! That’s an irritating one.
I hate the incorrect use of “there” “their” and “they’re”. Drived me bonkers. Also, you “lose” weight so your pants can be “loose”. Too many say “I want to loose weight”… There are others but those two are only ones that pop to my mind right now.
I am guilty of alot – a lot!
Have you held your nose and blown really hard to pop your ear?
The recipe looks great – as usual or per usual, lol
That’s the first thing I tried!
Anyways. Folks, there is no ‘s’ at the end. It’s anyway. Bugs me way more than it should.
Good one. I am guilty of this for sure! But I try to catch myself.
I want to try this recipe stat!!
So I was a book editor before I moved to Utah, and I couldn’t agree more! I ALWAYS have a hard time spelling definitely and thoroughbred (why I needed to know how to spell thoroughbred is a long story haha). I mean no one is perfect and if you think you are you have bigger issues, but at least make an effort! There is someone at work who keeps missusing “outreach” as a verb. Drives. Me. Nuts. Someone should start taking bets as to how long I can go without saying something…
The Husband and I just got in a heated debate about thaw vs unthaw. I googled it – apparently we are both right {I saw thaw, he says unthaw}, at least according to the link he used. I argue that its all in how you use it. You don’t want to cook the unthawed meat {meaning frozen meat} but you take meat out of the fridge to thaw it.
English is confusing…and I hate math. The two reasons I am not a educator!
Well if you don’t want to cook unthawed meat, that makes sense! Since it means it is still frozen.
I don’t even know how you’d use “per usual.” is that a saying?
My peeve is when people use “try and” instead of “try to” as in “I’m going to try and go to the store.” You read/hear it all the time, and it drives me nuts. Try can’t really hang out there all by itself. You can try something but if “and” follows try then it doesn’t really make sense.
Might just be me.
Feel better. I’m on Day Two, and I’m going back to work tomorrow. They might just send me home again but at least I made an attempt.
Yep you just use it instead of “as usual”. Like.. “Per usual, I made a protein shake after my workout.”
DUDE. Never thought of the try and one. I say try and all the time. Guilty.
I hope you feel better, too!
Because I always abbreviate ridiculous.. I type rediculous and then kick myself. I always try to be mindful.. I know I’ve made all these mistakes at one point
oooh.. LOOSE and LOSE! saw that just now on a blog and had to come back to comment! hah
YES! Lose/loose drives me NUTS. How the heck hard is it?!
I used to get more irritated or more like no way she didn’t just write THAT?!…when I first started reading blogs.
Either I’ve been dumbed down or lowered my expectations or something because grammatical errors and misspellings don’t even bother me. LOL
Couldn’t care less vs. could care less
And in a general sense, “adapted from” <– loaded statement on that. Ahem. And what it all means.
I've seen adopted from, adopted it from, adapted it from (but don't change a single thing)…I'm sure you've seen it all too!
Hahah I LOVE this post- poor grammar is one of biggest pet peeves so thanks for taking the words right outta my head! Another one which drives me bonkers is the misuse of “their” and “there”. Also since we’re on the topic of grammar, did you know that there actually is a word “irregardless?” Contrary to popular belief “It’s the only word where attaching the “ir-” prefix to the root word has the exact same meaning as the root word.”
I didn’t know this! Always thought it wasn’t a word.
“i’m at a lost” when it should be “i’m at a loss”
or when people use the word “too” incorrectly.
and “then” vs “than”.
using “cause” as an abbreviation for “because”.
all of these make me “literally” want to pull my hair out ;) that link was so funny! and i did the spelling test – not terrible, i missed 4, but i thought i got them all correct! i’m sure i’m guilty of grammar stuff sometimes, but the ones that i listed – NEVER because i hate them so much when i see them!
I love this post!
Recently I’ve heard actors saying someone was “casted” in a film. It’s “cast”, not “casted”. Drives me nuts…
This made me think of “text” and “texted”… I usually say “I text my mom.” while others say “I texted my mom.” Not sure which is right, though.
In that context (if you did it in the past tense), “texted” is definitely right. My husband does that with “pet” – he says he “pet” the cat (in the past), whereas “petted” is correct. :)
I think the problem is that technically, “text” is a noun. I’m not sure if it has been added to the dictionary as a verb. So maybe ultimately to be completely correct you have to say you sent a text. But I say “texted”:)
Good point, Ellen!
Haha, great post. That chicken looks delish. Hope your ear feels better, earache is so miserable.
This post was also making me think of the oatmeal (love that site) and I was about to mention it in my comment when I realised you had. Great minds! Have you ever checked out a site called ‘hyperbloe and a half’? It’s oatmeal-esque and has some good grammar and spelling posts.
Can I ask, is there a reason you don’t use capital letters? Because obviously you’ve just written a post on common errors you dislike and you clearly aren’t doing this by accident (and are aware how and why to capitalise letters!) so I am just curious as to why you don’t.
Really enjoying folowing your blog :) xxx
I honestly don’t have a good answer for this. I like the look of all lowercase letters for some reason. When I started my (personal) blog in 2007, I typed in all lowercase and did the same when starting this blog. I never thought it would grow into something people actually READ, so I never worried about capitalization and just typed the way I preferred. Now that a lot of people read it, I do get plenty of comments about the lack of capitalization, but it is how I type. I am not going to all of a sudden change, I like typing in all lowercase. See? Not a good answer…
A good answer for me! Well done for getting a personal blog that’s now so read by so many people. Your lower case letters are a nice testimony to this progression. Thank you for your answer! xxx
Commas…bad usage, over usage…I vomit every time. Then again, I sometimes get paid to edit so as a result, I’m constantly editing.
‘Alas’ being used to make the subsequent sentence positive (alas, I ran out of oatmeal) and ‘could care less’ instead of ‘couldn’t care less.’ I become rather stabby whenever I see either and I am likely to unsubscribe from any blog that does it.
My grammar is far from perfect though. My spelling is okay, but I also thank the good Lord for spellcheckers! I used to spell ‘village’ as ‘villiage’ for the first 18 years of my life – how’s that for embarrassing.
Oh, and thanks ever so much for your response to my questions about LiveFit phase 3 – I’ll try to see if I can get away with doing other exercises for active rest periods, but I’ll have to check with the gym that it doesn’t contravene their safety regulations (they have a list a mile long…)
xxx
My pet peeve is when people say “too as well”. I worked with a guy who would be like ” Oh yeah, they were talking about that on the news this morning too as well” or “I think I’ll get a cup of coffee too as well.” Ever since then I notice that other people say it too and it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me now.
People who don’t know the difference between there, their, and they’re!!! Oh and people who say bought when they actually mean brought and vice versa. Those are probably the two that really get under my skin…going to go check out that spelling test now to see if I ace it! Cheers to sexy grammar :)
I got 15/27….#fail…so confusing when you see all the different spelling next to one another! Really makes you second guess yourself
I admit, I am a grammer snob!! Even though half the time, I’m probably wrong myself most of the time, I still get irked on others common mistakes. One of my biggest, using the word “ain’t”…this is NOT a word and should be entirely eliminated from the english language.
When people type “rediculous” instead of “ridiculous.” Drives me bananas. Haha. I don’t know why, and I know it’s pronounced like “rediculous” but to me, that spelling LOOKS ridiculous.
I got 19 right on the quiz. I mostly screwed up the British English v. American English questions, haha. Sigh. (In my defense, I majored in math. Grammar and spelling aren’t my strong points…)
Hmmm…I’m not sure which is correct, but I use “ageing” and I see people use “aging” a lot! (Not “alot”). When I see “aging”, I sort of pronounce it “agg-ing” in my head and keep thinking that ‘ageing’ should be the correct one! I should probably go and check :P
Ha! I’ve never heard anyone say “unthaw” before but that is a good one!!!
Good vs. well gets under my skin. I get so frustrated when someone says “I’m doing good”!!
I commit this one all the time. My niece has corrected me before.. she is ten. She has also corrected me on bad vs. badly.
Actually, it’s not wrong to say “I’m doing good.” Here’s why, courtesy of Grammar Girl: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/good-versus-well.aspx (Warning: it’s grammar-geekalicious.)
I’ll stop now. :)
Correction, as I misread/interpreted the original complaint a bit… It’s not wrong to say “I am good” in response to “How are you?”
Whether or not it’s cool to say “I am doing good” is probably context dependent. Are you donating to charity? Volunteering at the soup kitchen? Then yep, “doing good.” Otherwise, “well” is right. Sorry about my confusion. :)
for me it’s vacuum….always want to put 2 c’s!
Haha interesting. I totally get these wrong, often. Sorry!
No need to say you are sorry! We all make mistakes. If we didn’t, it would be weird.
Yes yes yes! I’ll admit to making the occasional typo, but this stuff drive me insane.
I have an incredibly hard time spelling “occasionally”.
What drives me crazy is when people use the word literally when they mean figuratively. You did not literally have a heart attack when you saw your bank account or whatever. I mean, unless you did, but I’m thinking with a bunch of bloggers in their 20s-30s, the odds are unlikely.
Ahhhh thanks for posting these grammar errors! I know that I do some of them without thinking on FB / blog / etc. even though I know when I see them they make my skin crawl.
The worst is YOUR / YOU’RE. Seriously. How do you not get that??
Also — I’ve got a Kung Pao recipe scheduled for Saturday, but this one sounds better. Mine kind of sucked.
I am terrible with grammar. I will be the first one to admit it. However, the whole you’re vs. your thing…that drives me nuts. That king pao chicken? YUM! I bet that cleared you up a bit. I still feel like poop too
clearly a lot of people agree with you! so funny!
maybe someone already said this but you wrote
first 20 some off years of my life, i thought …
and i think it should be SOME ODD which also debatable
http://www.englishforums.com/English/ExpressionSomeOdd/kpljl/post.htm
all in fun… have a great day!
No, that was definitely my Mars Edit autocorrecting to “off”–I must have typed “odf” and it corrected it to “off” instead of “odd”–it is DEFINITELY “some odd”, not “some off”!
Hahaha – I love/hate when I find grammatical errors in things that I am reading!
I’m sure you have seen this, but on the off chance you have not, you must.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
I was just about to post this for her too! Cracks me up every time!
I definitely get peeved when I read something on blogs, or facebook, or anywhere & the spelling is so blatantly wrong. That’s why we have spell check! Reminds me of Hyperbole & a Half’s post on the ALOT monster too!
1. The oatmeal grammar guides ARE awesome.
2. Editing for AP style is a BIG part of my job – you showed a lot of these – definitely drives me CRAZY.
3. I’m bad about ‘as per usual’; I don’t know why!
4. Love this post, and am going to make your recipe!!
Let me know if you like it!
Whenever I write about the grammar things that bother me, I always eff up something within that post. It happens EVERY TIME. Ditto to your whole damn list. To/too. That/who (who in reference to people, that in reference to things/objects…ex: The man that walked across the street is handsome. SHOULD be “The man who…”)We talk about all of this all the time at work because we’re copywriters. The latest nuisance: using both easy and simple to describe something.
Loose used as lose is my biggest pet peeve. I get irked by a lot of them, though.
1. My husband is deaf in his right ear (except for terribly loud tinnitus) after having a benign (but grapefruit-sized) tumor removed along with his middle and inner ear… I can only imagine how tough it is and hope you get your left ear’s hearing back soon!
2. That recipe looks awesome, can’t wait to try it! thanks. :)
3. Great list of common errors, people really need to read it and learn it! (I got 26 out of 27 on the quiz, btw. Yay! I’m a copy editor so I am actually sad that I got one wrong!)
Wow, that is amazing! Good job!
Why, thanks. :D
Oh oh oh!!!! I thought of ANOTHER one! Alright versus all right. Alright isn’t even a word.
I think alright should be a word. And according to sources, it’s gaining a footing towards acceptance as a real word. To me, “all right” and “alright” have different connotations.
Very true! I think it’s on its way to being a real word, too.
Oh shoot, there’s another thing. Nothing is “very” true. It’s either true or it’s not. OK, I am finished now!
Oh my that chicken looks tasty!!
My biggest pet peeve is you’re, your and of course their, there, they’re.
I know those are common ones. Also when people say “roon” instead of ru-in. That’s just a personal obsessive one though. Hah.
Wow – I thought I had pretty decent spelling skills, but that test gave me a 67%! Guess I’ve been relying on iphone auto-correct for far too long….
We knew a guy who always said the phrase “all intensive purposes” INSTEAD of “all intents & purposes.” Haha. I’d say the ones that get on my nerves the most are “your/you’re” and “their/there/they’re”….middle school grammar, people….
I live in the South and HATE when people type “ya’ll”. For some reason it happens all the time. It’s a contraction for “you all”, people! The apostrophe should be after the “y”!!!!
these are a few that make me cringe when I read/hear them:
supposably
all intensive purposes
a whole nother
I could care less (really? then by all means, go ahead and care less.)
Love this! I had a pretty strict grammar teacher (came from college professor to high school teacher & kept the same standards) and all of these would drive him up the wall! I learned a lot from him. Your “work out vs. workout” brings to mind though his extreme distaste for the word. “You’re going to work out? Work out what?!?!”
Another one that bothers me is healthful vs. healthy. Good: I have a healthy body
Bad: This apple is so healthy!
Oh my gosh, I didn’t ever think of this one! I commit the healthy/healthful one daily, I am sure. So what about the term “healthy recipe”? You see it every day.. “This recipe is healthy.” Should it be “This recipe is healthful”?
I saw on a craigslist ad (I am apt hunting) someone captioned the picture of a room as “SMOL ROOM.” WHAT?!?! I’ve never seen anyone mess up the word small before.
We use the word “sash” a lot in our industry, and one of my installers ALWAYS spells it “shash”.. EVERY time. Oy.
I have the same issue with guarantee. Also – weird vs wierd. Don’t know why, took me 10 years to nail that one down. WEIRD, right? :-)
As a weight loss blogger the thing that kills me the most is lose vs. loose.
“I want to loose some weight”
Noooo!
difference between workout and work out noted. i was always confused on what the difference was.
and that spelling test was difficult. i only managed 20 out of 27.
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