'The word pedants' top 10 | It's specific, not Pacific...' blog discussion.

Barter

beebuzz168 wrote: »

I hear this so often now that I'd started to think i was wrong in calling it a drawer!!

Not to mention our old friend Chester Draws.

KimYeovil

damncat wrote: »

In adverts, an impossible percentage of people agreed the product was superior; 79% of people....and at the bottom it says (in tiny letters) 106 people surveyed. Where are all these half people? Another was, in the olden days, "Cats prefer Whiskas" To what, exactly?

OK, these are not quite the same as miss-used words - and I have bee waging a campaign against all of the above examples for years!

What does "where are all these half people" mean? That makes no sense.

What is wrong with sampling? People moaning about samples is one of my hates. "Oooh you didn't ask everyone so your results are meaningless!" Pah. Edit: Oh, I think I see what you are getting at. That is not what you meant. But do you really think ASA should insist on advertisers being forced to find a way to fit an infinite string of decimal places in to adverts?

There is a significant problem with surveys - but it is more with the 'of those who expressed a preference' codicil. That would mean many valid responses are excluded from a count.

Jezaroo

Phrases don't bug me nearly as much as the incorrect use of:
There, they're and their, or to, too and two. But my biggest pet hate by far is; your and you're - arrrrgh!! My ex-wife got a mug with a kitten on it as a present, on it, it said "Your Purrfect". Your purrfect what?
I blame Americans.

andyfras_2

When did Thank You become one word?

I see this a lot on the forum I moderate.

BOBVICK

ScarletBea wrote: »

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you. To decimate is to reduce drastically, not just 10%, it's not linked to the 'decimal system'.

The word decimate means exactly what Scarlet said. To reduce by 10ths. Look it up, its meaning has military connotations.

BOBVICK

Seems to be a regional thing, but I hate it when people pronounce Millions with a y sound like Millyions.

And what's with this business of saying "I axed you"? Don't you mean asked? And while we are on the subject, why do some people just randomly add the words 'is it' at the end of each sentence. This is so annoying.

KimYeovil

BOBVICK wrote: »

Hate to disagree

There's a bugbear there. <slight pause to check my 'the*r*s'> People claiming they hate to when clearly they love to.

Paul_Brown

It irritates me that quantum leap is used to suggest significant progress where as it is an near infamtesimally small increment.

JoeMcDarby

US verbs such as "appeal the judgement" - am I the only one to cringe when UK reporters increasingly drop the "against"?

diggerjb

Please can we have a national campaign to stop the use of 'myself' when asking someone else to contact you or ask you a question. The correct ending to your email/letter etc should be
'If you require any further information please contact me' or similar, not the regularly and incorrectly used form '...don't hesitate to contact myself'.
It is not possible for another person to do or say anything to myself as only I can do that... or am I talking to myself? The worst culprits, in my experience, are the teachers at my child's school. It does not make you sound more refined but simply shows your lack of education. Stop it, please!!!