Hello all,
My girlfriend and I are at odds over plain old English.
She considers me to be an “English snob”.
I am hoping someone will share an opinion on the matter!
Here is our latest argument:
My girlfriend describing her mom’s similar English habits:
“”My mom is terrible too, she “pluralizes” everything!”
I thought it was amusing that she made “plural” plural..
I suggested:
“My Mom makes everything plural”
Oh and I just cannot get her to stop saying: “me and my mom, me and my dad” etc etc..
Arrgh. It is becoming very annoying. Am I alone on this?
Careful, there! Personal relationships should trump language peeves.
(And "pluralizes" isn't plural, it's a verb inflection.)
Hi, Kevin. Pointing out people's language errors, by direct criticism or indirect mocking, openly or privately, is impolite and should not be done. The only exceptions are classrooms, parents/young children, or when someone asks to be corrected, in pursuit of improving language proficiency. If your girlfriend is calling you an English snob, I assume that she hasn't asked you to be her English coach? 🙂
Think of it this way: There are some things that your girlfriend can do better than you can, right? How would you feel if she constantly criticized you about those things? Would you take her unsolicited criticisms as a sign of affection and feel inspired to improve in order to satisfy her, or would you feel put down and resentful?
Hello forum members,
I sincerely thank you. I really appreciate your feedback. You have helped make clear the error of my ways.
"samaphore", you are absolutely right, it is impolite, and no she did not ask me to be her vocal coach. It seems I let my personal interest in language get out of hand. 
Honestly, I think I should take my desire to discuss language rules back to the classroom (or here) where it belongs.
Also, thanks "dilettante"; I learned something new about verb inflection, it was embarrassing to get that wrong.
I really needed to hear this.
Great responses; I have learned from you folks. I too get irritated when people make grammatical mistakes. I tend to look at it as a reflection of your education, upbringing and sometimes, even perceived potential.
I just wish people would be a little more open to self improvement. There is no getting around it - how you present yourself can be very important.