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Word usage - Pet peeves
- Thread starter Doberluv
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LOL Gustav. My father would say, "Sure you can. I'm sure you're physically able. Do you want to know if I will allow you to?" LOL. So, I'd correct myself and say, "May I?" And he'd say, "Sure you may."
Good to know. I'm going to be on the look-out! :rofl1:
The point of language isn't to know what you mean.
You could hold your hand over your peepee and cross your legs and someone would probably know what you meant and point you to the rest room. :lol-sign:
Good to know. I'm going to be on the look-out! :rofl1:
The point of language isn't to know what you mean.
You could hold your hand over your peepee and cross your legs and someone would probably know what you meant and point you to the rest room. :lol-sign:
LOL Grammy.
Sure is actually incorrect. If you're going to use it, it should be "surely." I don't know if it's just an American thing. Don't the English say it? "Surely you jest." LOL. "Surely, you may use my bathroom." It just sort of emphasizes the permission...like "absolutely, you may." LOL.
My mother told me that when you're in someone's house, it's bathroom. When you're in a restaraunt or other public place, it's restroom. (Now, are those suppose to be two words or "can" I hook them together as one word?) See..some of those kinds of things throw me.
Sure is actually incorrect. If you're going to use it, it should be "surely." I don't know if it's just an American thing. Don't the English say it? "Surely you jest." LOL. "Surely, you may use my bathroom." It just sort of emphasizes the permission...like "absolutely, you may." LOL.
My mother told me that when you're in someone's house, it's bathroom. When you're in a restaraunt or other public place, it's restroom. (Now, are those suppose to be two words or "can" I hook them together as one word?) See..some of those kinds of things throw me.
He walked over to the bar. "May I have a drink please," he said to the bar tender.
(He could have said, "can," since it's in quotes, but he too, needs a grammar nazi.)
He said to the bar tender does not stand alone as one sentence. It needs to part of the first part of the sentence. It's all one sentence. "He said to the bar tender" by itself is an incomplete sentence. He said to the bar tender what? What did he say to the bar tender?
Or you could write, "He said to the bar tender, "May I have a drink please?" The M is capitalized, even though it's not the first word of the sentence. It is the first word in a quote, so you capitalize it.
I agree. Although I am not perfect in my grammar and positively the worst speller, I don't see anything wrong with trying to preserve the English language. To call someone a grammar nazi for this is....well....I don't have words. :rofl1:
Oh, yes I do. This:
(He could have said, "can," since it's in quotes, but he too, needs a grammar nazi.)
He said to the bar tender does not stand alone as one sentence. It needs to part of the first part of the sentence. It's all one sentence. "He said to the bar tender" by itself is an incomplete sentence. He said to the bar tender what? What did he say to the bar tender?
Or you could write, "He said to the bar tender, "May I have a drink please?" The M is capitalized, even though it's not the first word of the sentence. It is the first word in a quote, so you capitalize it.
I agree. Although I am not perfect in my grammar and positively the worst speller, I don't see anything wrong with trying to preserve the English language. To call someone a grammar nazi for this is....well....I don't have words. :rofl1:
Oh, yes I do. This:
Horrible grammar (to the point that you cannot understand the person) is very annoying and less excusable but some of the things that are being pointed out on here are a bit......strict. I mean, for it to annoy someone that I may put a period inside a parenthesis is a bit excessive. Or to start a sentence w/ "I mean" its just a common figure of speech that a lot of people use.
Personally, I dont think perfect grammar is always necessary and a lack there of gives our everyday speech some character. Its not so "stuffy" sounding.
I am not talking about awful grammar that makes you cringe. I just mean things like not always using complete sentences, leaving out verbs, ending sentences w/ a preposition, etc. Its kind of......cute.
Like I said it needs to be something you can turn off when need be.
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I don't always use correct grammar because I don't know everything about it, and I agree that some of our every day speech, with all it's indiocincracies (see...I can't spell) make writing interesting. I am writing a book on dogs and I make a point of writing as though I were sitting in a living room with some friends. I use incomplete sentences sometimes and other technically incorrect stuff. I use words like "stuff" a lot. I WILL need an editor because there are places where I do not want it to be that way.
So, I am not stuffy, just full of stuff. I like some of the expressions too, which are probably not technically correct sometimes, like, "I'm so outta here." (and those purposeful misspellings. They're a hoot)
However, this thread is about grammar, word uses, pet peeves and peoples' view points on those things. In case someone is interested in improving their grammar, this is the place to do it, to join in and have fun and possibly learn. I thought it would be fun to see what particular grammar mistakes, over-use of some words or phrases stick out in peoples' minds. If this thread feels too stuffy or as though one is being attacked by the grammar "nazis," then there are other options for things to read on this forum. I am soooo not offended by being thought of as stuffy. It might be kinda fun to be stuffy. I need a cigar, a smoking jacket, an Oriental rug and a big, black walnut desk with gouges in it from years gone by though.
Here's one that drives my daughter absolutely nutso. I do it on purpose, just to irritate her.:rofl1: She wrote me some examples, so it's straight from the horses (Emily's) mouth, actually, fingers.
politicians suck anymore, the news is full of depressing stuff anymore, anymore i don't care for that soup, etc... i would say politicians suck these days, ... i don't care for that soup anymore (okay at end of sentence)....
I CAN HARDLY STAND WRITING THE EXAMPLES, HAHA!
(I, Carrie, would say politicians suck these days too.)
So, I am not stuffy, just full of stuff. I like some of the expressions too, which are probably not technically correct sometimes, like, "I'm so outta here." (and those purposeful misspellings. They're a hoot)
However, this thread is about grammar, word uses, pet peeves and peoples' view points on those things. In case someone is interested in improving their grammar, this is the place to do it, to join in and have fun and possibly learn. I thought it would be fun to see what particular grammar mistakes, over-use of some words or phrases stick out in peoples' minds. If this thread feels too stuffy or as though one is being attacked by the grammar "nazis," then there are other options for things to read on this forum. I am soooo not offended by being thought of as stuffy. It might be kinda fun to be stuffy. I need a cigar, a smoking jacket, an Oriental rug and a big, black walnut desk with gouges in it from years gone by though.
Here's one that drives my daughter absolutely nutso. I do it on purpose, just to irritate her.:rofl1: She wrote me some examples, so it's straight from the horses (Emily's) mouth, actually, fingers.
politicians suck anymore, the news is full of depressing stuff anymore, anymore i don't care for that soup, etc... i would say politicians suck these days, ... i don't care for that soup anymore (okay at end of sentence)....
I CAN HARDLY STAND WRITING THE EXAMPLES, HAHA!
(I, Carrie, would say politicians suck these days too.)
I don't always use correct grammar because I don't know everything about it, and I agree that some of our every day speech, with all it's indiocincracies (see...I can't spell) make writing interesting. I am writing a book on dogs and I make a point of writing as though I were sitting in a living room with some friends. I use incomplete sentences sometimes and other technically incorrect stuff. I use words like "stuff" a lot. I WILL need an editor because there are places where I do not want it to be that way.
So, I am not stuffy, just full of stuff. I like some of the expressions too, which are probably not technically correct sometimes, like, "I'm so outta here." (and those purposeful misspellings. They're a hoot)
However, this thread is about grammar, word uses, pet peeves and peoples' view points on those things. In case someone is interested in improving their grammar, this is the place to do it, to join in and have fun and possibly learn. I thought it would be fun to see what particular grammar mistakes, over-use of some words or phrases stick out in peoples' minds. If this thread feels too stuffy or as though one is being attacked by the grammar "nazis," then there are other options for things to read on this forum. I am soooo not offended by being thought of as stuffy. It might be kinda fun to be stuffy. I need a cigar, a smoking jacket, an Oriental rug and a big, black walnut desk with gouges in it from years gone by though.
Here's one that drives my daughter absolutely nutso. I do it on purpose, just to irritate her.:rofl1: She wrote me some examples, so it's straight from the horses (Emily's) mouth, actually, fingers.
politicians suck anymore, the news is full of depressing stuff anymore, anymore i don't care for that soup, etc... i would say politicians suck these days, ... i don't care for that soup anymore (okay at end of sentence)....
I CAN HARDLY STAND WRITING THE EXAMPLES, HAHA!
(I, Carrie, would say politicians suck these days too.)
So, I am not stuffy, just full of stuff. I like some of the expressions too, which are probably not technically correct sometimes, like, "I'm so outta here." (and those purposeful misspellings. They're a hoot)
However, this thread is about grammar, word uses, pet peeves and peoples' view points on those things. In case someone is interested in improving their grammar, this is the place to do it, to join in and have fun and possibly learn. I thought it would be fun to see what particular grammar mistakes, over-use of some words or phrases stick out in peoples' minds. If this thread feels too stuffy or as though one is being attacked by the grammar "nazis," then there are other options for things to read on this forum. I am soooo not offended by being thought of as stuffy. It might be kinda fun to be stuffy. I need a cigar, a smoking jacket, an Oriental rug and a big, black walnut desk with gouges in it from years gone by though.
Here's one that drives my daughter absolutely nutso. I do it on purpose, just to irritate her.:rofl1: She wrote me some examples, so it's straight from the horses (Emily's) mouth, actually, fingers.
politicians suck anymore, the news is full of depressing stuff anymore, anymore i don't care for that soup, etc... i would say politicians suck these days, ... i don't care for that soup anymore (okay at end of sentence)....
I CAN HARDLY STAND WRITING THE EXAMPLES, HAHA!
(I, Carrie, would say politicians suck these days too.)
I was also commenting that I am surprised about some of the strict things that annoy people. Some of the things that peeve people seemed a little specific to me. I understand how really obvious mistakes can be annoying but some things seemed a little "nit-picky". I am not offended, just surprised.
I wasn't referring to you an any way about perfect grammar sounding stuffy. The only thing that was meant as a direct reply to you was when I said that I dont think people expect others to dumb themselves down. I dont think it offends anyone when other people use good grammar, just when they constantly correct others, which, you dont do so I dont think you were offending anyone. And I know it sounded sarcastic when i said "if you want to use perfect grammar all the time thats terrific" but i actually didnt mean it to be. I was trying to say there is nothing wrong w/ aspiring to have really good grammar and using it even in an informal setting but I do think its acceptable not to (always use good grammar).
Sigh I can see how that post sounded rude but it wanst meant that way. Communicating via text can be so frustrating sometimes. If you look back i even participated in naming some things that annoy me.
I didn't take your post to be rude at all. No worries. I guess I was also trying to explain what I meant too. It IS hard via Internet. LOL.
My daughter and I enjoy words and grammar a lot, how things can be said that are a kick in the pants, how better to describe something, funny ways of putting things. And how often, incorrect grammar can throw the meaning clear off. She is a very good writer and has a fabulous vocabulary.
There's a book called Anguished English: An athology of accidental assaults upon the English language. and I don't think there's a soul out there, who, if they read it, won't have tears streaming down their faces, with all their muscles convulsing. It is the most hilarious thing I think I've ever read. It shows real newspaper headlines, funny signs posted around America, (Eat here and get gas) misplaced modifiers, which are hilarious (A calf was born to a farmer with two heads) (did the calf have two heads or the farmer?) LOL...and other writings. It's excruciatingly funny and I recommend it to anyone who gets a kick out of this stuff.
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~tjw/humor/Anguished_English.txt
I love reading books that are well written and some of the old masters of the classics are beautiful. The better command of the language, the more expressive and beautiful it is. I belong to a writers' forum and we have exercises which are a lot of fun. There are published authors there who will critique others' work. I love being corrected because I love learning. I wrote a short piece and was told that I used an unnecessary adjective because the thing I was describing already was automatically described. I was writing about a rock that was encrusted with barnacles. I think I called it a rough rock, encrusted with barnacles. And a more experienced writer told me that I didn't need "rough" because the barnacles already let the reader know it was rough. So, I like being corrected. That was a good thing to know.
On here, I don't write very carefully. It's fast, it's to get things like how to teach a dog something out there fast or whatever. I don't care about making my writing eloquent or correct. There are spelling errors, grammatical errors, poor sentences, including run on sentences (which I'm terrible about..very hard to read) etc. But I work much harder when I'm writing my book.
My daughter and I enjoy words and grammar a lot, how things can be said that are a kick in the pants, how better to describe something, funny ways of putting things. And how often, incorrect grammar can throw the meaning clear off. She is a very good writer and has a fabulous vocabulary.
There's a book called Anguished English: An athology of accidental assaults upon the English language. and I don't think there's a soul out there, who, if they read it, won't have tears streaming down their faces, with all their muscles convulsing. It is the most hilarious thing I think I've ever read. It shows real newspaper headlines, funny signs posted around America, (Eat here and get gas) misplaced modifiers, which are hilarious (A calf was born to a farmer with two heads) (did the calf have two heads or the farmer?) LOL...and other writings. It's excruciatingly funny and I recommend it to anyone who gets a kick out of this stuff.
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~tjw/humor/Anguished_English.txt
I love reading books that are well written and some of the old masters of the classics are beautiful. The better command of the language, the more expressive and beautiful it is. I belong to a writers' forum and we have exercises which are a lot of fun. There are published authors there who will critique others' work. I love being corrected because I love learning. I wrote a short piece and was told that I used an unnecessary adjective because the thing I was describing already was automatically described. I was writing about a rock that was encrusted with barnacles. I think I called it a rough rock, encrusted with barnacles. And a more experienced writer told me that I didn't need "rough" because the barnacles already let the reader know it was rough. So, I like being corrected. That was a good thing to know.
On here, I don't write very carefully. It's fast, it's to get things like how to teach a dog something out there fast or whatever. I don't care about making my writing eloquent or correct. There are spelling errors, grammatical errors, poor sentences, including run on sentences (which I'm terrible about..very hard to read) etc. But I work much harder when I'm writing my book.
I noticed that too PM. It's the miserable educational system in this country. (another government run entity. They don't run anything well)
Fran, I know what you mean. My ex is from Czech Republic and he speaks with better grammar than most Americans. His writing though, is not so good. He spells like he hears things and he doesn't even hear things quite right sometimes. But it's funny. He use to say things that just plain cracked me up. He was giving directions to someone and he said, "After you turn left, you go the hill up." (instead of to up hill, since I guess they put the verb last in most cases)? And then one time, after a little too much wine the night before, he woke up with a bad, bad head ache, felt just awful and said, "U-h-h-h-h..a-h-h-h-h.....I have such an over-hang." :rofl1:
Fran, I know what you mean. My ex is from Czech Republic and he speaks with better grammar than most Americans. His writing though, is not so good. He spells like he hears things and he doesn't even hear things quite right sometimes. But it's funny. He use to say things that just plain cracked me up. He was giving directions to someone and he said, "After you turn left, you go the hill up." (instead of to up hill, since I guess they put the verb last in most cases)? And then one time, after a little too much wine the night before, he woke up with a bad, bad head ache, felt just awful and said, "U-h-h-h-h..a-h-h-h-h.....I have such an over-hang." :rofl1: