10 more signs that you might be a word nerd

Does ‘irregardless’ drive you up a wall? What about the misuse of ‘less’ versus ‘fewer’? They’re even more signs you’re a word nerd.

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At the end of the post, I asked PR Daily readers to share their word nerd giveaways. Here are a few of those responses:

• “I love to find typos in books/articles/pamphlets, not because I love that they’re there, but more so because it’s a weird dim-witted victory for me. Strange, I know. Nerd alert for sure!”

• “My latest pet peeve? The rampant and egregious misuse of ‘fewer’ or ‘less.’ Thank the Gods that my local Wegman’s (and Trader Joe’s) gets it right: 10 items or FEWER. Singular or plural; it’s that simple. Fewer coins, less money. Spread the word, my fellow word geeks!”

• “I don’t have any style guides on my desk, but have three or four of them bookmarked in my browser. Does that count?”

• “I work with a PR colleague who consistently says irregardless. Arggghhhh! And I know I’m a word nerd because I edit the grammar on digital road signs. My favorite—’Don’t dink and drive.'”

• “The use of ‘they’ as a singular pronoun makes you cringe. (Yes, Virginia, there really is a better way.)”

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