I keep two pet peeves, both bestowed on me by Sister Irene, my sixth-grade English teacher. I have tried giving one pet up, but then the other peeve gets lonely. Since they are well-fed by the Pittsburgh locals, it's no great burden to keep them both.

• First peeve: Folks who refer to themselves in the second person. Not to be confused with the occasional odd duck who speaks of herself in the third person, the second-person speaker assumes that I will respond as she does, given the same stimulus.

A recent example from public radio: "I love the music. It makes you feel alive!"

Now, how would she know that? Maybe the music makes me feel all dead and creepy inside; one never knows. (I wouldn't say, "You never know" because that's presumptuous; maybe you do know.)

• Second peeve: The improper use of pronouns. Example: "Betty will talk with him and I."

Sounds OK to many folks. But if we remove "him and," it becomes "Betty will talk with I." That's not working for me.

For some reason, many people don't like to use the word "me" in conversation. But sometimes it's appropriate.

God bless Sister Irene, wherever you are. You've made me grammatically neurotic, and likely beyond hope for repair. (Or should that be "of repair?" There's never a nun around when you need one. Or when I need one, I should say!)

-- CECELIA PETERSON, Cranberry

The use of "hone in" instead of the correct "home in" has been an annoyance to me for a long, long time.

Many the talking TV head who has been guilty of said error: "The state Legislature is honing in on a solution to the funding problem." It is homing in on a solution!

The word "honing" refers to sharpening or refining ("He honed his blade to a fine edge"). "Homing" refers to "closing in on" or "aiming at" something. The name "homing pigeon" is an old and accurate use of the word.

So home in on honing your word usage, TV folks!

-- DENIS BEDEL, Ross

I have two points of concern:

1) The improper use of the verb bring.

It is one of the most "nefarious" lazyisms in American English.

Bring is intended to describe an action that moves in the direction of the speaker: Bring me the book.

But bring has become a substitute for the word take. Take describes an action that moves away from the speaker: Take the book to Aunt Sue.

Saying "Bring the book to Aunt Sue" is inaccurate and sounds ugly.

(A simple way to remember proper usage is: We bring things from there to here. And we take things from here to there.)

2) The lack of commas in our sentences.

Strings of words and phrases collide with and fall over each other in books, magazines, and newspapers. Consequently, readers must read and reread paragraphs in order to make sense of them. Commas belong in sentences for a reason. That reason is clarity. I can still hear my grammar professor yelling, "People, use commas!"

-- CAROL J. MOESSINGER, Crafton

If a meteorologist wishes to tell us about the winter weather in the region, he will often begin by stating that the "weather outside" is frigid.

Well, where would the listener expect to find "the weather"? Inside?

-- DANIEL O'KEEFE, Monroeville

What is going on with people in the local media adding the letter "H" to "STR-" words?

I cringe when I hear "SHtreet" for street, "SHtrip District" for Strip District, "ArmsHtrong County" for Armstrong County, "consHtruction" for construction. Etc.

I've been aware of it creeping into vernacular use, too. Maybe I'm not alone in noticing it?

-- DONNA NARTKER, Jefferson Hills