Say what?

Two things make me crazy:

1. When people use "was" in past tense instead of 'were"
2. When poeple say, "you take and" -- for example, some contractor on This Old House is talking about how to do insulation and says, "You take and direct the nozzel into the the area..."

Also, my mother uses the term "nobles oblige" in a derogatory way - she says, "He has a real nobles oblige attitude" (like he's a snob), when in fact it refers to the obligation the rich have to the poor & is really a good thing. Should I correct her?

:)

And, sorry, when people refer to California as "Cali" -- sorry, drives me nuts!!!!



Edited by newbiedoo 2005-09-05 11:49 PM

One of my pet peeves - the acronym add on
For example - the "ATM machine" - aka the Automated Teller Machine machine?
or the "GST tax" - aka the Goods and Service Tax tax?
bah!

You mean like PIN number?  Arggggggg!

The confusion people have with lose and loose.....drives me batty.

fustrated and orientated

1. PIN number (or VIN number)
2. Confusion between "their" and "they're" or "your" and "you're" (learn how to spell!)
3. Triathlon coming out as "Triath-a-lon"
4. Nuclear coming out as "Nook-you-ler"
5. The CNN reporter who said "George Bush was listening intensely"....er, "intently"
6. "I could care less"
7. "I" before "E" except after "C"...or when it's an "A" like "neighbor" and "weigh"
8. The Brit who lived next door to me and said "Al-you-min-ee-yum"


There are more but irregardless...it bugs the crap out of me too!



Edited by max 2005-09-06 8:48 AM

Christ...being an editor of the paper at my college, you wouldn't believe the writing I get from freshmen. I wonder how they got into college. I can understand violations of AP style, but some basic poor grammar and usage. And when in doubt, CHECK YOUR STYLEBOOK! Example...collide, crash, struck, hit all have different uses and meanings.

My big one is your, you're...there, their, they're...its and it's

In high school I CRINGED every time a girl said, "I'm going to get my hair did." or "I got my hair did last night."

High school? I wouldn't let my 3 year old say that without being corrected. 

Funny Max mentioned the Brit pronunciation of aluminum. I can't imagine the threads a few of the limeys would fill up talking about how we've ruined the "Queen's English".

For all you tech geeks... "It needs a new NIC card." (Network Interfarce Card Card)

Double negatives.

Axing a question.

bts

Edited by Brett 2005-09-06 1:03 PM

My ex-in laws add a syllable to mushrooms as in "mush-a-roons" (they change the m to an n to boot!) and then drop a syllable on hamburger so they might ask me, "Do you want some mush-a-roons on your hamburg?"

I just smiled and said, "yes, please."

This user's post has been ignored.

Pet peeve. It is NOT "Going to hell in a hand cart" it is "Going to hell in a hand car" one of those cars you push yourself on when you ride down railroad tracks. You are pushing yourself to hell. Get it?? Bugs me nuts.

My oldest son had the best word subsitutions.

it was "Queer" for "squirral" (we lived in downtown Chicago at the time, in a mostly gay neighborhood, we explained that one a lot), and "element" for "elephant"

Edited by nliedel 2005-09-06 2:15 PM

When my mil is hungry, she fixes herself a 'samich'. Hell, my 4 year old can say sandwich.

Max, but that's how they spell it:  aluminium.  Also "platinium". 

And why do you Americans say "laboratory" as "lab-o-to-ry"?

I have a friend who has a very old, obviously non-technaology savvy father, who always asks her to "xerox me one of them frozen burritos."

Can we conversate about how to orientate yourself on the bike.  If anybody has some knowledge on the subject, maybe they can commentate.

I've actually had "professionals" say "Can I axe you a question?"

Along these lines my MIL, who is known to stop by unexpectedly, (usually while we're eating)
will say "hearty appetitie" Ohhh does that kill me!

A bunch of stuck up snobs!! I'm teached enuf to undermine the intellctual profalaxic of my benevolence! You Feel!

When people use any of the phrases from my signature below. I know YOU said it because it came out of YOUR mouth (or fingertips as the case may be).

You folks need to come to the sea islands and let the gullah/geechee man teach you how to speak.
I love southernisms but a couple of my favorites was a neighbor whose mother suffered a "blood clock to de brain" and when a southern gal speaks of "cleaning up the flo" you never know if she waxed the kitchen or put on a pad. hehe

Ha! My 7th grade English teacher would mark us down on our essays if we used any phrase like, "In my opinion" or "I think", etc. for that exact reason.

Perhaps, though, we use those phrases on these boards to diferentiate when we are opining and when we are stating some sort of fact that we read elsewhere but can't quite quote.  What do you think? 

on the contrary, my business law professor DRILLED it into us to always begin sentences with, "In my opinion..." He said that it's either fact or opinion and we should differentiate.

I'd drive you CRAZY, Chuckie, because I say it a lot. But it's a way of tempering a potentially harsh statement. For example, "IMO, you're prices are too high." or "IMO, that is an ugly tie."

And it's a FACT that I misspelled your in that last post!
ha