Words or phrases that annoy you

Teacher2

'Box Set'. It's boxed set.
'Can I get...?' It's 'Could I have...?' Better still, 'Please could I have...?'
'With respect...' used for 'With no respect whatsoever...'
'Pacifically' for 'specifically'.
One of my DH's 'unfavourites' is the spelling 'swaths' instead of 'swathes'.
I also think naming storms, i.e. 'Storm Edna' is a piece of nonsense invented to big-up the Met office's vanity and to appease the Climate Change fanatics.
'Big-up' for 'exaggerate'! Natch.

ealingsal

Going forward.
Get - as in "Can I get a coffee?" rather than "Can I have a coffee?"
Essential - as applied by advertisers to some ephemeral fashion accessory. "Essential" is the food, water & basic living standards not enjoyed by the majority of humanity.
"Would of ..." instead of "Would have ..." - One advantage of studying a foreign language is that you acquire a grasp of grammar and how language is constructed.

I could go on ... but I won't|

pollypenny

Morpethsyl wrote: »

The thing I really dislike is the term 'other half' . As a married woman I am happy to be in a committed partnership but we are not joined at the hip and I want to be regarded as an independent person and not just half of a couple.
'Better half' .........even worse.
In full agreement with the posts on correct grammar and use of the apostrophe. My daughter Studies English Litterature at university yet still occasionally mixes up there and their. She says it doesn't matter as she gets it right 'most of the time'. A sad reflection on our education system I'm afraid.

That'll be Literature, I imagine. :cool:

Sorry. I am the worst at not proof-reading, but the irony was too good to miss.

ninnoodle

'Brexit' by the smug, self-satisfied media. Just call it British exit - Brexit sounds ridiculous.

Flyonthewall

Teacher2 wrote: »

'Box Set'. It's boxed set.

It's not though. Either is acceptable.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/box-set

It's a boxed set of media or a box with a set of media in. What's wrong with that?

Flyonthewall

The phrase that annoys me is "practice makes perfect" as I heard that so many times at college when what I was doing required a lot of drawing and I can't draw. I'd had over 20 years of practice, if I hadn't gained the ability to draw by then what made my tutors think that would suddenly change!?

It didn't change, I still can't draw lol. I don't disagree that practice can make perfect, but it's not always true.

On the same topic, I also don't like when people say "you can draw, everyone can!" OK, technically yes, but saying "I can't draw" is a common thing for people to say meaning they're really really rubbish, why be funny about it? I can't say I've really noticed people do that for other skilled things when someone says they can't do it.

tea_lover

Outwith.

It's like nails down a blackboard to me.

Silvercat38

Aargh - "I'm not being funny, but ...." WHEN YOU CLEARLY ARE BEING FUNNY! The usage of which makes me come over all stabby-stabby.


And the word 'moist'. As the OP said, it should only EVER be used in conjunction with the words 'chocolate cake'.

skea56

GeeBee38 wrote: »

I hate people who say "cheer up" "give us a smile"

One man made my life a misery every single day at work for over 10 years, every single time we crossed paths he would say "cheer up"

My husband does this regularly, usually when I am in the middle of something that does not require me to have a big Cheshire Cat grin on my face, so telling me to "crack a smile/cheer up" only results in putting me in a bad mood...which I was not in, in the first place!!

sk56

PenguinOfDeath

Flyonthewall wrote: »

The phrase that annoys me is "practice makes perfect" as I heard that so many times at college when what I was doing required a lot of drawing and I can't draw. I'd had over 20 years of practice, if I hadn't gained the ability to draw by then what made my tutors think that would suddenly change!?

At school, when learning new sports skills, we were told 'practice makes permanent'. If you continually practice something, but in the incorrect way, you're never going to be perfect at it...obvious really! Maybe the tutors should have taught you better or in a different way.

I'm with you on the drawing by the way, cant do it properly to save my life!