This Central MN “Bad Habit” Stresses Me Out and I’m Not Alone

If you know me, you know that I have an issue with grammar, and bad grammar.  However, if something is spelled incorrectly, that isn't grammar.  That's just bad spelling.  But the speaking part... like when a sentence that you have spoken isn't grammatically correct, that actually can stress me out. Apparently, I am not alone.

I have friends who will tell me to 'stop correcting me!'.  Well, let me tell you that I don't actually correct as much as I could; it is limited.  I know it might not seem like it is, but trust me, it is limited.

I'm talking about simple things.  Things like 'I seen'.  There is no circumstance where that is correct grammar. Or the phrase 'her and her...' fill in the rest like 'her and her friends..., or 'her and her mother...' you get the idea.  It should be 'she and her...' and fill in the rest.  Or the common mistake of saying 'should of' instead of 'should have', or 'suppose to' instead of 'supposed to'.  But those last two you may not notice in a spoken word.  That usually shows up as written, and generally on social media.  Because the last two when spoken will sound like the incorrect written version.  I get it.  I'm not that crazy. But I realize that it's a little crazy.

At least I thought it was.  And as annoying as it is to me, I do also realize that it's annoying to hear that you are using incorrect grammar because yes, I do know what you mean.  I'm not an idiot.  However, that also doesn't stop the stress that it causes me to feel.

Now, I find that it is an actual thing that can be medically tracked.  I feel vindicated.

From the University of Birmingham:

“Your knowledge about your first language is largely implicit, i.e., learning your mother tongue did not require you to sit and study, and using it does not require much, if any, thought. This also means that you will find it hard to pin down what exactly is right or wrong about a sentence and, even worse, explain why that is so, especially if you’ve not had formal language training. However, accurately assessing someone’s linguistic abilities, regardless of age and physical or cognitive abilities, is important for many questions pertaining to core areas of life relating to cognition, including brain health.

So now, when people tell me to "relax" or "it's not that big of a deal" or the "stop it" I can now state that it is actually a real thing.  My brain might not process things the same way, and it actually does stress me (and some others) out.  So there.

Was my grammar correct?  Just checking.  I say that because I am absolutely not perfect, but that doesn't mean that it's any less stressful.