What words drive you crazy?

Peoples- "White peoples is stupid"

Something I saw on a bathroom wall in Bham


Ax-"Let me ax you something"

 

It grates on my nerves when a person uses the word "myself" as in:

Myself and Ralph went to town.

Myself and Ann went to the movies.

Also when myself is used instead of I as in:

Bob, Ralph and myself went out last night.

 

Most of my pet peeves involving words have to do with spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I'm not what is known as a "grammar nazi" or anything. I never get onto people about it.

I couldn't name the parts of speech and rules, but I learned it all in school well enough to use it correctly 90% of the time. (And I'm good enough at spelling to catch my own mistakes most of the time. Every once in a while I cheat and look it up or have spell check correct it for me.) And when other people don't, it bothers me a bit. Unless they have a reason they can't, such as dyslexia, I just don't see what's so hard about it.

 

In written English it gets on my nerves when folks confuse its and it's.

In written English it is annoying when folks don't seem able to distinguish among there, their and they're.

In both written and spoken English it is disconcerting for people to say something like :There's lots...

In spoken English people need to stop saying wooder.

In spoken English folks need to realize that the 't' in the word 'often' is silent. The same folks would never dream of saying soften or fasten.

It bothers me when the word 'pronunciation' is improperly pronounced as 'pronounciation.'

It irks me when certain people (and a particular BB member here) constantly uses the word 'whom' when it would be perfectly fine to simply use 'who' most of the time.

 

I remember reading somewhere that during Shakespeare's time the word 'ask' was pronounced as axe. Of course using that pronunciation now sounds very uneducated.

 

Its just laziness.

 

I'm tired of these expressions:

Back in the day...

Been there. Done that.

With respect to the latter --many haven't really been where they claim they were in their experience and they did not actually 'do' it. Many who formerly claimed they were Christians at some point and have supposedly matured since then and now falsely proclaim they know what Christianity is all about.

 

People who mistake the word "forte" (pronounced "fort") with the word "forte" (pronounced "fortay". "That's not my 'fortay'". Really, it's not your loudly?

If the "e" is silent, it means strong point. If you say the "e" like "ay", it's musical term.

Similarly, the word "cache". So many people in the military pronounce it like the word "cachet". Also, you'll hear the word "orientate" in the military a lot. You just need to say "orient".

And about often, I looked it up years ago because my family was debating it. The "t" can be silent, but does not have to be.

 

Words:
Irregardless

Phrases:
"at the end of the day"
"the <fill in famous person's name> of the world"
"reach out to <fill in name>"
"shoot you an email"

 

"Absolutely". Just say "yes".

 

I do say "often" with the "t" enunciated so you caught me off guard on that one. To further the discussion, I lifted this from the American Heritage Dictionary of English under the entry "often":

"Usage Note: The pronunciation of often with a (t) is a classic example of what is known as a spelling pronunciation. During the 1500s and 1600s, English experienced a widespread loss of certain consonant sounds within consonant clusters, as the (d) in handsome and handkerchief, the (p) in consumption and raspberry, and the (t) in chestnut and often. In this way the consonant clusters were simplified and made easier to articulate. But with the rise of public education and literacy in the 1800s, people became more aware of spelling, and sounds that had become silent were sometimes restored. This is the case with the (t) in often, which is acceptably pronounced with or without the (t). In similar words, such as soften and listen, the t has generally remained silent."

 

Let me translate this for our Canadian readers: Eh?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK19iX3L87w

:smilewinkgrin:

 

Saban.....

 

Jayhawks. Or anything relating to the University of Kansas in general.



Since Mizzou moved to the SEC, I'm finding the same averse reaction to "Gators," "Bulldogs," "Razorbacks," and even "Tigers" of the non-black and gold variety.