Random on-line grammar rant
 

Does it drive anyone else abslutely insane when people refer to a "web sight"?? I go especially nuts when I see it on a GREEK web site - kind of shoots all our scholarship claims out the window...

Proper usage:

"My hair in the morning is a terrible SIGHT. If it had its own web SITE it would be called <A HREF="http://www.badhairday.com."" TARGET=_blank>www.badhairday.com."</A>

I just needed to get that off my chest!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif

LMAO!!! i didn't know the internet could see!! do you need a web cam to go to a "web sight"???? LOL

LOL!! Well, if you think that's bad...get a load of this.....A neighbor of mine was watching Jerry Springer the other day. All of a sudden he calls out "Hey guys, you have to get in here and watch this!"
"What's the topic?" my friends and I yell back.
"It's one of those Fraternity shows." he replies.
Now, we're like that's odd...Jerry never had any topics dealing with fraternities or Greek life before. Running to the television,we hear this idiot say..."I don't see how these women can come on national t.v. to take a FRATERNITY test to find out who their baby's daddy is!" http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif

Totally different person, as he's explaining to me how his father use to always accuse him of selling drugs, says very seriously..."I don't know why... but my dad was always under the CONCEPTION that I was doing something illegal to get money."

WHAT THE FU.........?!?

My dad's friend, after returning from a funeral, tells my mom..."Even though I did REVIEW the body the other day, I decided to go to the funeral as well."


THREE WORDS.....PATERNITY, ASSUMPTION, VIEW

In the immortal words of Jerry...Where do they find these people??

[This message has been edited by Sexy Mocha (edited September 04, 2000).]

my all-time biggest grammar peeves:
(since we are having a little rant)
http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif

1) GOTTEN is not a word.
2) Neither is IRREGARDLESS
3) it is "et cetera", not "ek cetera"

When I hear these, I just cringe... although I just smile and don't say a word! Although I have to confess that even I slip a "gotten" in once in a while. Once you start listening for it, you will see -- people use it ALL the time!

I thought I was the only one who cringes everytime someone murders the English language.

Here are some of my pet peeves:
1. You do not FUNERALIZE a person, you EUGOLIZE them. Funeralize is not a word.

2. I seen is not correct, try I saw.

3. Disencourage is not a word, try discourage.

4. Words that end in ed, do not need that extra syllable to show that they are in the past tense. Ex. liked, not likeded. To be phonetically correct, the ed should actually be said as a t.

5. Where you at, Where's that at, ect. is not correct. My mom always replies with behind that preposition.

This list could go on and on. I have a BS in Speech/Communicative Disorders.

Oh MY, MY, MY. I stand corrected. Irregardless IS a word.

Main Entry: ir·re·gard·less
Pronunciation: "ir-i-'gärd-l&s
Function: adverb
Etymology: probably blend of irrespective and regardless
Date: circa 1912
nonstandard : REGARDLESS
usage Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that "there is no such word." There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

There are a lot of grammar mistakes that make me cringe, but I would have to say the worst is 'funner'. EG, sorority ABC is funner than sorority XYZ. Ahhh!! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/eek.gif

LMAO @ 'irregardless'. Why do people act like they don't know.

While we're on the subject...

Dagnabbit, CONVERSATE is NOT a word. Converse.

PACIFICALLY.... SP. SP. SP. The word is SPECIFICALLY!!

My all-time favorite. CORRECTIFY. The pimp on Springer goes:
"Now, correctify me if I'm wrong."
CORREEEEEECCTIFFFFFYYYYYYY!
Somebody wake me up!

It drives me crazy when people write really long responses with no punctuation and no ending it seems as thought the thought just rambles on endlessly with no reference to their original thought and most often looses meaning halfway down the post because the reader spends longer trying to decifer what the originator intended to say than the actual meaning and it gets really old trying to place mental punctuation within the large.... oh forget it, I forgot where I was going with this. :P

I think, to say "gotten" instead of "got" (in terms of: I have got/gotten) or "forgotten" instead of "forgot" is correct, at least in British English - that's what I learned at school. "gotten/forgotten" is a little bit older and might not be very common, but, please correct me if I am wrong, I think both forms are still valid. The same applies to different spelling of words in Britain and the US (neighbor vs. neighbour; theater vs. theatre).

Ok, this isn't 'writing' stuff, but one thing I do that drives me crazy is the word 'for'. Ok, I'm from West Virginia, so I have just a hint of any accent. When I say the word 'for' it comes out 'fer' if I'm talking fast. I can't stand it, and I constantly correct myself. I also hate being made fun of for regional dialect such as 'POP'. OK people, around here we say 'pop' when talking about soft drinks, I don't make fun of other people for saying 'soda' so get over it! That's one of my pet peeves, I can't stand when people make fun of me for the way I talk. As long as we are on grammar, we all make mistakes. But here are a few that drive me crazy.

you're, not your. (someone pointed this one out earlier--drives me crazy too)

a lot, not alot (it's two words!)

BADLY NOT BAD (ex. "I feel so bad" is WRONG!!!! It's "I feel so BADLY") That is the one that REALLY drives me crazy.

thatgirl - thank you! although I would never USE "irregardless" (holding tight to my personal opinion that it is just not as correct as "regardless"), I am so glad to have a point of reference - because I will now refrain from correcting anyone!!!!


mgdzkm433 - GIRL, I am with you!!!! I will not make fun of your "pop" if you do not make fun of my "Coke". YES, in Texas we call ALL pop or soda "Coke" - regardless of the brand name (I didn't do that on purpose, honest http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif)... as in "I'm going into the 7-11 for a coke, do you want one?" "Yeah, bring me a Sprite."

Also, can I just say for the record.... (and PLEASE back me up on this if you are from the South)...

I CANNOT and WILL NOT give up my "y'all". I may have been a National Merit Scholar and an English major, but "y'all" is here to stay, IMHO. It is just more practical! Every language on the planet - except English - has a proper word to indicate the collective "you". It is just LOGICAL. Why else would they say "youse guys" and "you all" and everything else all over the country? it makes SENSE to have a term that reflects the second-person pronoun of a group.

and that's my 57 cents...

This might wander a little bit . . .

Thank you for the clarification on irregardless. I had used it previously but stopped when I was corrected.

Proper use of good and well is a pet peeve of mine. Contrary to popular opinion the words are not interchangeable! I wince when I hear them used improperly.

IT is curious that there doesn't seem to be a second person pronoun that is plural and all inclusive of a group. I tend to use the word "everyone". "Listen up everyone!"

Some of the other improper uses of words that people are mentioning I have never heard used that way. Makes me wonder what parts of the country we all come from http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif


James

tsk, tsk, tsk, you all get really uptight about this grammar thing, huh? I taught English and don't care as much as ya'll do (hee hee). Being a linguistics major has really freed me from obsession with prescriptive grammar, though I never cared too much to begin with.

Language changes. Things that we consider correct now were incorrect at some point and vice versa. And language will continue to change, so there is really no point fighting it.

Let it go. Move on. Breathe.

One other Greek-related grammar faux pas that makes me cuckoo.....

I would like to know what in the world people think they are saying when they refer to a "perspective member."

If you mean a PROSPECTIVE member, say so. If you don't know the difference, it's called a dictionary...look into it.

I had to look at my screen name for a second there. 33girl, you had me wondering if I had gone and spelt my name wrong. LOL

mwedzi,

I don't think there's anything wrong with people expressing their opinion over things that drive them crazy. We all have pet peeves, this just happens to be one of ours. It's healthy for people to express their feelings on paper, on the computer, outloud, through music, through physical activity, etc etc. I think it's good that people are expressing thier rants and raves here on a message board than out there attacking the people who wear on their nerves. It's much more unhealthy for the body and mind to bottle up frustration. So let people get out their ranting without making them feel bad for complying to a natural urge that all animals have.

[This message has been edited by mgdzkm433 (edited September 14, 2000).]

moderator, certainly people have a right to complain and it does release stress. but the best way to get through it is to not stress over it at all. really, of all the things in the world to worry about, it seemed so trivial. but hey, to each his own.

oh, and about my not making people feel bad, I'm doing nothing worse than those who judge others based on how they speak. as an anthro major (undergrad) and a current grad student in linguistics, that's the part that really upsets me. there is no objective value on language, what is right or wrong. language is what people speak and use. period. putting class assignments, judgements of intellectual ability, or even judgements about one form of the language being "better" than any other is just wrong in my opinion.

but as I said and as you pointed out, everyone has the right to express their opinion and I was just expressing mine. If others feel bad because I expressed my opinion, then they just do. but before that, they must think how others feel when their language forms are mocked.

mwedzi,

As I stated in my first post, we all make mistakes. The English language is one of the harderst to learn--at least that's what all my english teachers in the past have told me.

"there is no objective value on language, what is right or wrong. language is what people speak and use. period."

My question is now, how can we teach english if there is no right or wrong way to speak or write?

"of all the things in the world to worry about, it seemed so trivial. but hey, to each his own."

Yes, maybe it is trivial. Some people get upset because their spouse squirts the toothpast from the middle instead of from the bottom. Some people can't stand to see someone without their shoe laces tied. Some people get road rage, some people care too much about how the look. Some people have to wear name brand clothes and wouldn't dare be seen around a clearance rack. We are ALL trivial. Here's an example of just one of the trivial things that drives me crazy. My boyfriend REFUSES to put his toiletries in a drawer or cabnit. He MUST keep them all in this black tavel bag. If you put them in the cabnit, he goes nuts. I absolutely HATE that darn bag. Every morning I go in the bathroom I see that bag, some mornings I'm ok with it, some days I just want to throw it out the window. I suppose the bag is his trivial thing too, I tried to put the stuff in a cabnit and he went nuts. Does he get mad because I curse the bag? No. He doesn't care. And if this grammar rant is so trivial, doesn't that mean that it's trivial for you to even care we do it?


"tsk, tsk, tsk, you all get really uptight about this grammar thing, huh? I taught English and don't care as much as ya'll do (hee hee)."

"but before that, they must think how others feel when their language forms are mocked."

Unless I misinterpreted, it seems you are mocking as well?

"that's the part that really upsets me. there is no objective value on language, what is right or wrong. language is what people speak and use. period."

It seems that what we are doing is YOUR pet peeve?

The reason I responded is because I don't think that we are being uptight, I think we are being human, just as you are being human.

And besides, I don't think any of us were really stessing over it, most of us were having a good laugh. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by mgdzkm433 (edited September 15, 2000).]

mgdkkm433,

I have been actually known to keep toiletries in a travel bag. Its convenient, you are ready to leave at a moments notice and know you won't forget anything.

Does he also live out of his suitcase during trips? http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by James (edited September 16, 2000).]

a couple of additional random thoughts for this post:

- If you empathize with another person, or if you regret your action.... you feel badly for them, or you feel badly about what you did.

Porcupines and cacti feel bad!

- and... while it is certainly not the "high road", I have to confess that I do judge someone based on their grammar and usage, especially re: the written word. It is definitely a subconscious thing - I would never be rude or negative or cold to someone whose language I found lacking based on my own personal standard... but I do subconsciously assume that they have less education or less intelligence.

This might be wrong... and as I said, it isn't a conscious decision... but I believe that we all choose how we represent ourselves, and that one doesn't have to be Emily Post or Albert Einstein to speak or write in an effective way.

James,

ACTUALLY. . . he doesn't travel much, and when he does, even if it's for a night he HAS to unpack his suit case and put things neatly in drawers--except the toiletry bag. He tells me how handy it is to have everything in that bag (I just bought him a new one that hangs off the hook on the door because he has a habit of always leaving it on the toilet seat--drives me crazy).

There are many things I have to say, but I will restrain myself http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif The distinction I was making was that I was saying that what is "right" is what people speak. If it were not real life English and people didn't use it, no one would have to say "don't say that." In all reality, people have spoken their respective languages around the world perfectly well without being taught (in the sense you mean it) it at all.

So that we don't bother anyone else, if you have other questions, email me. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif


[This message has been edited by mwedzi (edited September 19, 2000).]

Don't forget the ever-present:
"What had happened was..."

I know this post is sorta old, but I got to respond. A lady came into my office to complain. She kept sating "I'm so flustrated!" I told her she is either frustrated or flustered, she had to pick one, not both

My personal favorite is:


specific/pacific


When will people ever learn?

http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif


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We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.

Aesop c550 BC

[This message has been edited by MIDWESTDIVA (edited October 06, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by MIDWESTDIVA (edited October 06, 2000).]

Here! Here! to all the posts so far.
And while we're at it, when it comes to Debit Cards, you pay with Interac, not Interact.

I was speaking to a customer that kept saying his account was supposed to get accredited. Ugh! I wanted to scream -- A Credit--two separate words.

okay, this is in re: CutiePie's comment here and is not relevant to grammar.

You call it Interact.
But... in Texas no-one would know what you were talking about. When you need cash, you go to the pulse machine, or you go pulse, as in...
"We'll meet y'all at the club at ten-thirty, Lisa needs to run by 7-11 and pulse."

This is a totally normal phrase to hear in Texas.

But... when I was in San Francisco and, not thinking, asked if we could stop by a pulse machine, my friends thought I was asking about the blood-pressure-checker in the back of the Eckerd's (or Walgreen's) that you play with while waiting for your prescription!!!

So is it Interact in the rest of the world?

Up here in Wisconsin we go to Tyme machines for our instant cash... so "I'm going to be late...I have to stop by the tyme machine" is totally normal, but it has gotten some strange looks when I'm traveling http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

whisper whisper "See that chick walking out? She was looking for a time machine!!!"

Here in PA, we MAC (money access center). Some people say ATM, but not as a verb.

"I have to MAC before we go eat."

Not to be confused of course with the ever-popular mack-daddy...

hmmmm...i feel so shamed...

see what had happened was....me and my fren was about to go cross the skreet to the

Speaking of language peeves -

The other day I was listening to my 13 year old cousin talking to a friend. He was using words like: "ack", "uh", "um", "errrr" "prolly". He probably would have said "lol" if it sounded right. This got me to thinking whether chat-talk will affect real-talk before long.

Also, my favorite is still Clinton's: "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is."

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"It's a long long road, it's a big big world, we are wise wise women, we are giggling girls." ~Ani DiFranco~

Ok, here in WV we call it an OWL. as in "I need to stop by the OWL before we head to the club." OR we call it an ATM. When I went to college (in WV, but the people I was with were from Maryland) my roomies thought I was crazy when I said, "hey I need to go to the ATM/OWL" They all called it a MAC machine.

I did a search (yea me! http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif) I decided that this was the proper thread to place an article from my local newspaper. I thought of GC as I was reading it earlier.

Monday, June 18, 2001
Readers relate discouraging words


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We axed, youse answered: Like, what common words just drive ya up the wall?


By Mike Pulfer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Attention, students. Welcome to remedial English 101, where you will learn about the words and phrases that drive local people loco.

“As of yet,” for instance.

It's “driving me crazy,” fumes Hyde Park's Jesse K. Ware, who complains about repeated violations on Cincinnati television weather reports.

Or “irregardless,” “a non-word used by people to impress others without realizing they sound stupid,” rants Chuck Bingman, Blue Ash.

And then there's “Seen” for “saw”. “Arrrgggghhhh!” writes Peggy Campbell, Green Township, who compares it to fingernails scraping a blackboard. “Now that bothers me.”

There are more. Almost 100 readers responded when the Enquirer published a story in May about words ruled out by editors at nationally distributed magazines and asked for personal “favorites.”

Most of the respondents cited spoken words and phrases; some complained about written abuses.

In some cases, they disagreed on why the word or its application was wrong. “Irregardless,” for example, was attacked for being redundant and double-negative as well as for not being a word. (It isn't.)

“I'm not a teacher, but I know bad English when I done hear it,” quips Steve Weintraub of Loveland. His gripe: people who disdain helping verbs in comments like, “My car needs cleaned.”

Other words that showed up in multiple faxes, e-mails and letters, included “absolutely” for “yes,” “axed” for “asked,” “re-al-a-tor” for “realtor,” “Please?” for “What?” and “No problem” for “OK.”

Sometimes bad language can set people on edge more quickly than bad driving.

For a sensitive soul, a strategically uttered “youse guys,” for instance, is tantamount to swiping his parking spot at the grocery. A sentence with more than six “likes” is like cutting him off at the exit ramp.

In the company of linguistic perfectionists, bodies cringe when language is butchered. Blood boils.

“Irregardless absolutely makes my hair stand on end,” writes Linda Hayes, a commercial real estate specialist who lives in Reading. “I cannot count the times I've heard professionals — doctors, accountants, lawyers, people with advanced degrees use this incorrect adverbial anomaly ... trying to sound intelligent, just sounding more stoopid.”

“At the ages of 70, (my wife and I) feel (being) addressed as "you guys' by young waiters is disrespectful,” says Gary Crumrine of Springdale. “My wife, obviously of female gender, is not a guy at any age.”

Even sloppier variations (“you-uns,” “youse guys”) got additional complaints.

It's “Rude. Rude,” complains Jane Schilling, Cold Spring.

Misused and misplaced pronouns also were targeted.

“The word that bothers me most is “at” when used at the end of a sentence,” said Joy Johnson, College Hill. “It really, really irks me.”

“I work in a local garden center, and the expression that just drives us all up a wall is "Where's the mulch at?' ” says Wayne Beckwith, landscape designer, Denny McKeown's Bloomin' Garden Center, Blue Ash.

When it comes to local dialect, “I do not like “Please?” for “Please repeat yourself,” says Michelle Brooker, Montgomery. “Sorry, Cincinnatians. It sounds too Midwestern and demanding ... Have some class.”

“It is irritating,” chimes Jeni Wheeler, Amelia.

“As the mother of four teen-agers, I can tell you the words that put hair on my chest,” writes Chris Lemmon, *******. “My bad.”

For more on teen talk, there's this from Dixie White, Mason:

“Like, I thought that like Valley Girl talk was like a thing of the like past ... Do you like realize that like some people still like use too many likes in a like sentence? Like me?”

“One expression that bothers me is when a plane almost collides with another plane, and they say it was a near miss,” ponders Mary R. Backus, College Hill. “It seems to me that it was a real miss or it would have crashed.”

“The phrase "thinking outside the box' has got to be as redundant as ink pen or round-trip ticket to and from ...” says Judy Kuhn, a retired Walnut Hills High School teacher who lives in Pleasant Run. “Just what is the box?”

Whatever the box is, Mary Wernke, Sayler Park, was outside it when she called our attention to “Proper names that I've heard or seen enough of to last me for the next three lifetimes: O.J., JonBenet, Kennedy, Diana, Survivor, Beanie Babies, Millionaire.”

Way outside the box were Marjorie Roberts, Mount Carmel, who complained that the Enquirer uses hyphens in lieu of dashes, and Joan Dieckmann, Western Hills, who said, “It really bothers me when people use the letter "o' for the number 0.”

Louis J. Trauth III of Edgewood, is annoyed by the use of “co-ed” as a noun. “It implies that young women cannot be expected to be serious students,” he writes.

Kathy Jaeger of Wilder is bothered by people who utter “vomick” for “vomit” and “zink” for “sink”.

“It irks me to hear people say "I could care less,' ” says Julie Pierce, an on-air personality at WAKW Radio (93.3 FM). “What they mean is I could not care less.”

Phyllis R. Dietz, College Hill, agrees. “ "Couldn't care less' clearly shows one has totally run out of patience and no longer cares at all.”

Twisted meanings were a pet peeve for Tom McDonough of West Chester, who complained about promotions that offer “free gifts.”

“So what other kind of gift is there?” he asks.

Gail Stegemeyer of Loveland challenges the frequent and familiar “How are you?”

“Most people who ask aren't really interested in a response,” she contends.

And just “When did everything that needs to be dealt with become an "issue?' ” asks Anne Wessinger, Miami Township, Clermont County, who says grammar is important. “I went to a parochial school where you got your knuckles rapped if your subjects and verbs didn't agree.”

One reader complained about a lack of language.

Too often, says Linda Loomis of Norwood you go to a retail store or restaurant, “hand over your money and there is complete silence from the employee. No acknowledgement whatsoever.”

Some said they would prefer silence to some of the following.

“Ya know,” “used primarily by athletes and ... people who phone in to talk radio,” says Joel L. Newberg, Hamilton Township, Warren County. “There should be a $100 fine assessed ... every time a professional athlete lets go with a "ya know.' The money could be donated to (a high school) English department.”

“The phrase "How ya doing?' should be stricken from everyone's vocabulary,” says Kurt Hultquist, Elmwood Place.

And the same for “screw,” “referring to anything besides a sharp pointed fastener,” says Mary Alice Ellis, Sardinia.

“ "What's up?' should be used only by teen-agers to greet other teen-agers,” proclaims Michelle Brooker, Montgomery. “I'm sick of it.”

“ "Arguably,' usually used by sportswriters, usually in situations where there is no argument,” says Hank Wagner, Union Township, Clermont County.

“One of the most overused and annoying buzzwords for me is “whatever,' ” says Eugene Embry, Hartwell.

“One of the ones that bug me most is “should of went,' ” says Ann Lukey, Indian Hill.

There were other gripes.

“I become totally annoyed when someone uses the verb "goes' in place of says,” says Doug Poe, Williamsburg, an English teacher at Goshen High School.

Ditto from Donna Kemper, Pleasant Ridge, who says, “ "Basically' has been overused and abused.”

“I think the word "ain't' is sometimes more offensive than the f-word,” says Pamela Staat, Batesville. “I could just scream when it is used.”

“It drives me nuts when someone begins a sentence with “Well, actually',” says Vickie Graves, Eastgate.

“ "No problem' seems to indicate that the person will perform a service only as long as it's no problem for him/her to have done so,” says Jerry Day, Loveland.

“Over and over, mostly on TV news broadcasts, I hear "lay' used when it should be "lie',” says Ruth R. Rosevear, Clifton. Also, “everyone often ends up with the pronoun "they' when everyone is singular.”

Aries Newton, St. Bernard, stiffens when he hears people say “I have no ideal” instead of “idea.”

Thomas Clark, President, CommuniSkills, wants to dump “words and phrases that are wordy and pompous: “at a future point in time”, “utilize and utilization,” “in the event that,” “endeavor to,” “recapitulate,” “effective immediately” and “as per your request”.

Don Weiss, Fairfield, dislikes using “done” for “finished.” “Sometimes even good newspapers, like The Cincinnati Enquirer,write like turkeys,” he says.

Speaking of the newspaper, Beverly Hahn, Lawrenceburg, complains about our use of the word “Tristate”, which “really irks me tremendously,” she says. “It shows up repeatedly in headlines and within articles and most often refers only to Southwestern Ohio and Northern Kentucky ... I do not become upset that Indiana is often not mentioned, but I do object to references to the "Tristate' when only two states are being addressed ... This really upsets me.”


Monday, June 18, 2001
Ten most frequent English errors


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By Mike Pulfer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati's Phyllis Martin, author of Word Watcher's Handbook: A Deletionary of the Most Abused and Misused Words (iUniverse, $11.95), has compiled a list of 10 frequent English errors.


• “between you and I” instead of “me”

• “it don't” instead of “it doesn't”

• “can't hardly” instead of “can hardly”

• “irregardless” instead of “regardless”

• “you was” instead of “you were”

• “somewheres” instead of “somewhere”

• “heighth” instead of “height”

• “youse” instead of “you”

• “Bruce and myself” instead of “Bruce and I”

• “alot” instead of “a lot”

“Back in school, they didn't coach you on what to take out,” she says. “Instead, it was always, "Add a word here and there.' I'd like to get rid of some of them.”

Her favorite anecdote from readers: A candidate for minister at an Alabama church couldn't help ending his sentences with “OK?” The committee conducting his review was tolerant to a point. But when the minister asked the congregation, “Shall we pray, OK?” his application was tossed.

I hope everyone enjoys it. http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif
Heidi

Sorry for the world's longest post.
Heidi

OK, similar to the "bad" and "badly" posts, here is something that drives me UP THE WALL:

Person 1: "Hi, how are you?"
Person 2: "Oh, I'm doing good."

AAACCK! It's "I'm doing WELL" or "I'm FINE." This didn't bother me before I got married, but this is my husband's main pet peeve--and now it irks me too!

I can't STAND it when I hear someone say 'youse people'! I used to be an usher at a theatre here and before a show (it was a broadway type theatre) we'd have a little meeting and this one supervisor would always say 'okay, when the doors open, I want youse people to....'. Made me NUTS. Shouldn't supervisors have to speak proper english to get hired?

The other thing I can't stand is 'i seen'. Someone mentioned that a few posts above in this thread but it's also really GRATING on my nerves to hear. My ex used to say it and it drove me nuts. 'Yesterday, when I was walking down the street, I seen an old buddy of mine'. 'I seen that movie already.' UGH http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/mad.gif .

One last thing. Anyone else who chats or posts on line a lot ever see something funny and think 'LOL' in their heads? I've had to keep myself from verbalizing it many times. It's very weird. My friend and I were shopping and she held up the UGLIEST skirt (i'm talking nasty paisley here) and she asked if I liked it. I came SO close to saying "LOL, that's the ugliest thing I've ever seen" and then realized how retarded I would sound. Anyone else have that problem?

Leslie

[This message has been edited by gphi2k (edited June 22, 2001).]

You have stumbled onto one of my pet peeves. I hate when people use the "word" SUPPOSEBLY. Makes me cringe every time!

Also, one that I am guilty of overusing but that gets some strange looks from my non-southern friends..."fixing to."

"I'm fixing to go to the store." Except it's pronounced "I'm fixinda go to the store."

[This message has been edited by Wine&Blue (edited June 22, 2001).]

one of my grammar peeves is "ect." as in "Item 1, item 2, item 3, ect." (as seen on many web sites, along with "web sight"). ec tetera?

Texas Alum

i've never heard "pulse machine" or "pulse" used. it's ATM in this part of texas.

mwedzi

"there is no objective value on language, what is right or wrong. language is what people speak and use."

cheeb the am slot chub buh the buh warez cheeb buh shoot blork spank chub spork dik d00d whork shoot. i hope that was easy to understand. :P