Are you part of the grammar hit squad?

You may well be if usage gaffes and bad syntax raise your hackles

Is it impossible to keep your mouth shut, your pen capped, your frantic fingers off the keyboard when someone misues “literally”?

“She can do whatever she wants. The world is literally her oyster,” said Sarah Palin’s spokeswoman recently.

Is steam literally blowing out your ears after reading that quote?

Did those misuses of literally just ruin your day? If you answered yes, you might be a member of the grammar hit squad.

The hit squad is a motley (Editor’s note: He means “distinguished.”) group of communicators, writers and editors who notice every language error—written or spoken—and make sure everyone knows about it.

As a writer for Ragan.com, I am occasionally a hit squad victim.

If a typo appears in my copy, hit squad members in the Ragan.com audience zealously spotlight the error in the comment section. The correction usually drips with snarky condescension.

In a recent story, for instance, I wrote, “… a myriad of forums and blogs.” That phrase irked at least one reader.