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Irritating English errors
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Irritating English errors |
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ESP Member Elite
since 2000-01-25
Posts 2556Floating gently on a cloud.... |
What are yours? My biggest at the moment is when people write "your" when they mean "you're"...I know it's only an apostrophe and an e missing but they are completely different!!!!!!! Hehehehe sometimes it does irk me though *checks back into the local mental institute* I'd love to hear what peeves you people on the English front? Luv, Liz xxx "Gorge the honey from life, and live through the stomach aches knowing they will pass..." ~Liz Pinard 2003~ |
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a_hollowman Junior Member
since 2003-05-30
Posts 30Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
The type of mistake I most despise is seeing Canadians who cannot write in Canadian. For those of you who don't understand what I mean, and to those who thought we all just speak english, here's what I mean. First of all, Canadians don't speak American, nor do Americans speak Canadian. Canadians follow the British vocabulary, yet have particular pronunciations of certain words. In British for example, garage is pronounced garage (rhymes with carriage), with a different accentuation on the syllables. In Canadian (Ca.), there are quite a few things different from American (Am.), here are a few examples. 1) khaki, in Am., it is khaki, as in the child term for um... feces. In Ca., it is pronounced as one would say car-key. Alas , technically the opposite of a silent 'r' for those movie-goers amongst you. 2)lieutenant, in Am., it is lieutenant, you all know this one, but in Ca., it is pronounced left-tenant, and you can ask any Canadian registered in the Army for that one. So there you have it, just two examples of our cultural differences, but there are many, many more out there, such as most ords with a suffix 'or', like color or armor. In Canadian, it is spelled colour, or armour, or neighbour. And it bothers me to see people who aren't aware of these meaningless things. Weird huh? Sigh* Regardless, I finish with a little literary conundrum for your friends. See if they can explain why laughter doesn't sound so happy with 's' in front of it. -- a_hollowman [This message has been edited by a_hollowman (06-10-2003 01:50 PM).] |
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JP Senior Member
since 1999-05-25
Posts 1343Loomis, CA |
Simple grammatical faux pas I guess: There instead of their Your instead of you're are instead of our I guess I'm all about possession... Yesterday is ash, tomorrow is smoke; only today does the fire burn. |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Alright instead of ALL RIGHT Alot instead of A LOT...  |
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Jamie Member Elite
since 2000-06-26
Posts 3168Blue Heaven |
I wish we in the USA hadn't lost our "u"s. Colour just seems so much more--- errr colourful than color. |
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Not A Poet Member Elite
since 1999-11-03
Posts 3885Oklahoma, USA |
I guess one of the things that irritates me most, because it comes from people who certainly should know better, is the television news casters who can't seem to maintain consistent tense even for the length of a single sentence. For example "John Doe CAME home from work, TAKES a gun and SHOT his wife, details at 10:00" Just makes me want to "slap them up side the head." Ok, I came back with a second. I thought someone already covered it. Statements of the form, "Mother gave it to my brother and I." Seems so easy to get it right. I suppose we were so trained as little ones to not say "My brother and me accepted it from Mother." I know I have seen that mentioned somewhere here recently but couldn't find it. Pete Never express yourself more clearly than you can think - Niels Bohr [This message has been edited by Not A Poet (06-22-2003 10:24 PM).] |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
This. Also, sayings like these: "I didn't say nothing about that" "None are..." When words are corrupted and used very opposite their root meaning. Here are some words/meanings I think should be restored: Madam (my dame), gay (bright, lively), nymph (young woman), fond (foolish), nice (foolish), buxom (submissive), shrewd (shrewed) arrive (come to the rivage) [This message has been edited by Essorant (07-19-2003 02:26 AM).] |
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Jamie Member Elite
since 2000-06-26
Posts 3168Blue Heaven |
"I could care less" when what they should be saying is "I could not care less". just one of many --lol There is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar. |
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perseph1ne Junior Member
since 2003-07-09
Posts 16IL |
One of my English major friends loved to use the "I could care less" line, but she used it differently. She'd use it correctly (or close to correctly) in a sentence to make her point. Basically she used could as it is defined (to be able to do something). "I could care less, but I couldn't care more." "I could care less, but then I'd fail the course." I always thought it was funny. My pet peeve is not so much people's bad grammer, but my computer's grammer. Specifically, Word and its often frustrating grammer check.  Perseph1ne "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." -- Rudyard Kipling [This message has been edited by perseph1ne (07-24-2003 03:10 AM).] |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
More loathly samples: "Thusly..." "that is the bestst way" "did you get your guys's meal yet?" "yes, I seen that chick" "some-one left their car lights on" "It is ma'am, not madam" "Whom is the author?" "herebytowhereeversomuchforemoreoverforthwithinsom uchnotwithstandingasafforetonotthematterwardment ionedtheretoupon this is the policy" [This message has been edited by Essorant (07-26-2003 12:10 AM).] |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
 ...There, their, and they're... |
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Jamie Member Elite
since 2000-06-26
Posts 3168Blue Heaven |
here hear heh JThere is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar. |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
Irregardless! |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
One more: the way the dictionary spells "four" without a "u" in "fortnight" being a contraction from "fourteennight." What gives them dictionarians the right?! Don't they use spellcheck???? [This message has been edited by Essorant (07-30-2003 02:38 PM).] |
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Susan Caldwell Member Rara Avis
since 2002-12-27
Posts 8348Florida |
I have a lot of people in my life with very little formal education. For instance, my sister dropped out of school in the 8/9th grade because of illness....Not only do I not care if someone has their spelling/grammer correct, I know I mess up from time to time and I have approx. 18 yrs of formal education...There are so many other things to get peeved about in my opinion... Susan C. |
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SCREAMIN Member
since 2003-04-28
Posts 51US, Tx |
The bird flies with it's wings. The baby is crying, its hungry. 'Its' is used when showing ownership, and 'it's' is used when putting the words 'it is' together. A common mistake that I find ALL THE TIME. Such tears in a time of need, is not a reasonable term of sanity. It is but a reasonable term of human imperfection. Normal is what you make it. |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
When grammar-pedants try to make it a grammatical rule to or not to use towards instead of toward; farther instead of further; instead of instead of in stead of, a stead of, a-stead of, or astead of; at unawares atstead of unawares; declare tostead of declear; defile onstead of defoul; invisible in stead of unvisible, from hence, thence or whence instead of hence, thence, whence; ecstasy instead of extasy; I shall stead in of shall I; or any other little arbitrary trifles try to impose and turn into universal laws...!! [This message has been edited by Essorant (08-21-2003 03:32 AM).] |
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gemjop Member Elite
since 2002-11-18
Posts 2587Pencilveinia, USA |
I'm with jamie on the colour/color and could care less/ could not care less. Colour just looks nicer. to me anyway. and the could care less, i've seen people do that on here a lot? to me, its saying the opposite of what they think theyre saying. but then, I am one annoying grammatical error. I make mistakes all the time. I can never spell recieve? did i spell it right? doubt it. don't capitalise my i's, and so on. forgive me? xxx Instant karma's gonna get you. |
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playing.with.crayons Member
since 2006-01-02
Posts 362Neverland |
Someone frightened me the other day by saying "youse" is wending its way into the English Language. Please, no. [This message has been edited by playing.with.crayons (06-15-2009 07:17 AM).] |
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Alison 
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy! |
People who write "loose" instead of "lose" |
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moonbeam
since 2005-12-24
Posts 2356 |
The insertion of "like" into every other line "for free" arrggg |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Myself and her went shopping...  |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Nanners, I have NEVER heard anyone say myself and her went shopping, although I suppose anything can be said in a town like Foulmouth!  |
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moonbeam
since 2005-12-24
Posts 2356 |
quote: Gawd, like, I soooo agree Nan - I hate dat shopping. |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Deer must be feeling better.. |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
A horror at the restaurant: Waitress: "How is your guys's meal?" |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
I hate the word squeet. How many times have you heard someone say. "I'm hungry. Let's squeet!"? |
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rachaelfuchsberger
since 2007-02-21
Posts 609Las Vegas, NV |
Apostrophes where they don't belong. I.E. This isn't your's. That is our's. My other pet peeve about most businesses that try to accomodate the Spanish speakers here in the U.S. is that they tend to mis-conjugate their verbs. "Se habla español." should be "Se HABLAMOS español." Arana Darkwolf |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Actually, that's not true, rachel. Se habla epsanol literally means "English is spoken here". Se hablamos is bad Spanish. |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
Did you just translate espanol as "English"? |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
How about those English folk that say "poems" instead of poemata, "commas" instead of commata, "colons" instead of cola? Fie! |
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Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
Ouch! Got me there, Es! I guess my Engish is worse than I thought! btw, let's leave colons out of this....please????? |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
Jeeze, Mike, you're lucky he didn't start talking about semicolons! He's certainly sharp enough. |
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N|D|N|C|Lost-Poet Member
since 2009-07-30
Posts 360New Orleans |
Language was created for the sole purpose of communicating, written form simply a product of evolution. I personally don't believe it matters, as long as I understand the meaning then It's all fair. Also, I truly enjoy purposely misspelled words to emphasize a certain dialect or pronunciation. -LostPoet |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
I've got to go with Lost Poet here. Clear is good. Lively is good. Expressive is good. Vague, muddled, unclear, are not so good. If read widely enough, almost any piece of writing will upset somebody. Lots of folks tried to improve on Shakespeare by adding and taking parts out. If the piece of writing has enough life to it, it will thumb its nose at everybody and get away with it. If a piece of grammar or usage has enough energy and substance to it, it will remain lively in the language and will be used. If not, cola will remain a word used primarily about soft drinks and will not be used very widely to speak about the plural of the punctuation mark colon. That doesn't mean that the word is bad, it simply means that it's being forced out of circulation, and that the majority of speakers of English don't turn to it as their first choice, and that when they hear it, it sounds stilted and somehow wrong. I like the word "lanting" myself, but it's simply obsolete and a bit revolting, and folks don't even like to imagine it has anything to do with their beer. It's quite possible that the word won't be making much of a comeback in the near future. |
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Alwye
Moderator
Member Elite
since 1999-06-16
Posts 3850In the space between moments |
I agree with Bob. Language is a living, evolving being and we should treat it as such. Some words fall out of usage, and other words are invented every day that were not relevant a few years ago but are now applicable and (in my opinion) welcome. That being said, I still love that the plural of platypus is platypi.  ~*Krista Botterill*~ "Creating yourself is a spiritual act." ~ Susan Vreeland http://www.nosecondopportunity.blogspot.com |
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Earl Brinkman Senior Member
since 2010-03-03
Posts 1183Osaka, Japan |
I wish people wouldn`t use bad as an adverb. |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
What about "good," then; how do you feel about "good" as an adverb? as opposed to "fine" or "well" or "swell?" Different speakers have different funny bones in their linguistic elbows, don't they? |
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Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
He wrote the poem bad? He wrote the poem good? I think even my six year old niece would recognize that those aren't adverbial forms. |
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fractal007 Senior Member
since 2000-06-01
Posts 1958 |
Angel is spelled A-N-G-E-L. There is no such thing as an orthogonal angel, though perhaps there are some sharp or obtuse angels. Perhaps God himself would be the best person to answer that |
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oceanvu2 Senior Member
since 2007-02-24
Posts 1066Santa Monica, California, USA |
The confusion of founder and flounder when used as verbs. Ships and corporations may founder, people may flounder, and Flounders probably couldn't care less. jimbeaux |
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Alison
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy! |
Wow, jimbeaux, quietly peeked in here. I have been missing him. |
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