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

Mrs_Arcanum

Niksan wrote: »

Don't think I've heard arks before, sure this isn't the upper class arsk?

Think they mean the Caribbean version "axe".

Flyboy152

paul1664 wrote: »

I want to scream when I hear (usually Americans):

"I could care less about ....."

when it should be

"I could'nt care less ...."

If you could care less then it obviously isn't something to be that bothered over.

Idiots.

This is one of my bugbears, when replying to message boards on IMDB. When the error is pointed out, they don't seem to understand why it makes no sense.

ScarletBea

Thanks for clarifying me on the origins of the word 'decimate'.
I had my doubts and searched on the Cambridge dictionary earlier this afternoon, which didn't have that definition.
Now moving to Oxford, hehe, and the OED gives the following definition:

"verb
[with object]
1 kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of:
the inhabitants of the country had been decimated
drastically reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something):
public transport has been decimated
2 historical kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a punishment for the whole group.

Usage
Historically, the meaning of the word decimate is‘ kill one in every ten of (a group of people)’. This sense has been more or less totally superseded by the later, more general sense ‘kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of’, as in the virus has decimated the population. Some traditionalists argue that this is incorrect, but it is clear that it is now part of standard English"

http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0209890#m_en_gb0209890

I had honestly never heard it used for the second meaning, as they also mention, and that's why this whole thing started.

jackieblack

ShaneUK wrote: »

One of my hates is "stationary" and "stationery". The silly thing is, it is easy to get it right.

Stationary - a as in the arrival of a train
Stationery - e as in envelopes

What bugged me more though was on a recent trip to ASDA, they had a stationary aisle - so I am guessing that the stock wasn't going to move very far!! (Ironically, it was spelt incorrectly in two places, and even after making someone aware, only one of the two (the one sticking out of the shelf) was amended. The huge one over the aisle - to this day - is still incorrect 3 months on.

Others - advise / advice (I admit though - I do struggle on this one myself!)
to / too / two
their / they're / there

On the subject of supermarket signs ......

"10 items or less" :mad:

soco1

Your & you're.
There, their and they're.
Accept & except - not very commonly confused but I have seen it a couple of times.
I get very annoyed when I see the wrong spelling of any of those.

Arks instead of ask is another pet hate along with 'innit tho' which seems to be at the end of every sentence in some circles these days.

I also hate the 'can I do xyz....' I had a brilliant English teacher who's favourite put down if someone said 'can I go to the toilet?' was 'you can but may you'. The first time I heard it I had no idea what she was talking about but I soon learnt! Having said that saying 'can' instead of 'may' seems to be ingrained in everyday language these days so I think it's just something I may have to accept.

God I must be getting old!

Flyboy152

jackieblack wrote: »

On the subject of supermarket signs ......

"10 items or less" :mad:

I mention this on another thread, earlier. Last year, our village fair had a stall called, "Jennies Jewlry" All the signs, letterheads and business cards were marked with the same title. The saddest thing in all of that is, the printer and sign-writer must have known, surely.

Luggworm

No.6 "I'll learn you how to do it" is actually "I'll larn you how to do it". Larn is used in the suffolk dialect, it comes from an old English word that shares the same origin as the modern german lehren - to teach*. IMHO it's a great shame that it's use is dying out along with many other dialects.

*Source: Sloightly on th' Huh, by Charlie Haylock ISBN 185306877-2

kurgon

I detest the adoption of the word 'powers' on every BBC Sport headline. 'Ennis powers to victory'.....England power past Italy'......Vettel powers to F1 triumph' etc etc.
Do they drink poweraid first?

Keith_Partington

I hate it when folk say "your great" when they should say "you're great"! Whatever happened to the lovely apostrophe?

tgroom57

This (below) is what bugs me: when inexcusable grammar, in this case punctuation, is used to mislead the public.

'The scientists behind the research believe milk from herds of genetically modified cows could provide an alternative to human breast milk and formula milk for babies, which is often criticised as being an inferior substitute.' from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/geneticmodification/8423536/Genetically-modified-cows-produce-human-milk.html