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

michaelsutherland

Here's one I'm guilty of - "I need to itch my back" rather than "I need to scratch my back". Even worse I'm a Literacy tutor!

BettySpofkins

lmuk2k wrote: »

"Can I have a coffee please?" is now pretty rare.

Probably for the best, since "May I have..." would actually be correct.

NIgail

I think it's a N.Ireland thing but when waiting to be served anywhere your asked "Are you getting?" I cringe every time!

ghostmadlittlemiss

Admittedly, some people just don't know any better but you do have to be careful before you judge someone for how they speak (or type). When I was very little, I had a lisp and couldn't pronounce 'sp' sounds at all. I used to call 'Spot, the dog' 'Stot, the dog' and once dragged my grandma all over the local market looking for a 'stud' (why I wanted a spud at the age of 4 or 5, I'll never know...:D). It took me years of saying 's-pacific' before I could pronounce 'specific' properly.

Also, I speak with a relatively broad Yorkshire accent, which waxes and wanes depending on the accent of the person I'm speaking to and the social situation I'm in. Most people's accents aren't that flexible but mine was self-taught after years of bullying for sounding 'posh'. Which had the double effect of making me embarrassed when I say anything vaguely intelligent, so I tend to use words like 'like' out of fear of further abuse for being 'a swot'. Six years have passed since I left that school but old habits die hard. So what I'm trying to say is, think before you judge people because it's doubtful that you know the full story.
Kayleigh
PS Any grammatical mistakes above, I genuinely don't know about. I've triple-checked and I can't see any.

BettySpofkins

Tupperware_Queen wrote: »

It has become accepted that decimate means something other than it in fact does.

If that's true, then you've just proven that the word has a perfectly valid new meaning, whether you like it or not. Language isn't something handed down fully-formed and perfect by God and corrupted by humans, it's something humans have developed in order to communicate. It continues to develop.

Words mean whatever we use them to mean, that's the point of them.

montsie

"To" instead of "too" as in... "me too",grammer instead of grammar and definately instead of definitely.
Ooooo it makes me feel all itchy.

Reaper

Made up words are my pet hate. Americans are mostly guilty here but it seems to be creeping into the UK too. Of all of them "To Burglarize" is the worst.

e.g. "We have a burglarization problem in the town."
instead of
"We have a burglary problem in the town."

OliveOyl_2

BettySpofkins wrote: »

If that's true, then you've just proven that the word has a perfectly valid new meaning, whether you like it or not. Language isn't something handed down fully-formed and perfect by God and corrupted by humans, it's something humans have developed in order to communicate. It continues to develop.

Words mean whatever we use them to mean, that's the point of them.

Not a word as such, but I'm peeved by the expression "The exception that proves the rule"
Originally Prove was to test, as in proving the yeast when dough is left to rise. So the exception tests the rule, and if it is found wanting - it ISN'T a rule!
So now according to this expression, every rule HAS to have an exception or it isn't a rule. (confuse smilie here please) Drives me nuts, but I try not to get too worked up about it as I'd look so petty :rotfl:

KimYeovil

BettySpofkins wrote: »

Probably for the best, since "May I have..." would actually be correct.

Already called in post #31. Do keep up.

(And many would question your unnecessary 'actually'. )

KimYeovil

ghostmadlittlemiss wrote: »

PS Any grammatical mistakes above, I genuinely don't know about. I've triple-checked and I can't see any.

No quotes are necessary around 'Spot the dog'.
You have used a comma spuriously several times.