Imma. Or is it Ima? Or quite possibly I'ma.
No matter how you spell this word (if you can call it one), it boggles my mind why any intelligent, hard-working person would use it when speaking. According to the Urban Dictionary, it is the shortened version of, "I am going to." Are we really too lazy to just say those four short words?
Would you believe I saw it in writing the other day, and not just on a social media page either?
It was used in an email regarding business. You can ask anyone who knows me, I am critical on relatives and co-workers who use words that are not really a word. When I hear or see a word that really isn't a word being used, I am the first to point it out.
Irregardless: What you meant to say is regardless. Irregardless is not a word, and the next time you say it stop and think about what it means, or doesn't mean.
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This one is like nails on a chalkboard to me: There is no 'b' in supposedly. It is not "supposably."
Ready for another? When you talk with another person, you are conversing, you are not "conversating."
Now an example of a word misused in sentences. "Random." It does not mean weird, silly or otherwise. The word random means "without definite aim, direction, rule or method." I will admit I have used "random" incorrectly, and I am guessing many readers are thinking the same.
How about this phrase? "For all intensive purposes." Yes, that is incorrect. It is "For all intents and purposes."
For those of you that need their expresso in the morning, keep in mind it is espresso you are actually needing to jump start your day.
When you are telling a story and it branches off to a "whole nother" story you are really branching in to "another" story or "whole other." Choose one, but "nother" is not a word.
And lastly, if I have a question, I will "ask" you, not "axe" you.
While I am on the subject of grammar, here is a quick refresher on other commonly misused words that we need to be mindful of daily.
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They're vs. Their vs. There: One is a contraction for "they are," one refers to something owned by a group, and one refers to a place. Most of us know the difference, but we aren't double-checking what we use when writing.
Your vs. You're: The difference in these two is simply "your" means owning something and "you're" is being something.
Its and It's: "Its" is possessive and "it's" is a contraction of "it is."
Maybe I am too critical, or maybe the use of social media has made many of us lazy. What I do know is the majority of the population is very intelligent, and a gentle reminder is needed now and then to act like it and write like it.
