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Original poster

To actually hate people who say bought instead of brought

664 replies

GentleButter · 08/04/2024 21:41

Why?
WHY DO PEOPLE SAY BOUGHT WHEN THEY SHOULD SAY BROUGHT?
It's unbearable.
I cannot bear it when someone says it.
I'm polite, so I have to use every muscle in my throat and mouth to stop myself from screaming "But you didn't BUY it! So WHY are you saying BOUGHT????"
It happens constantly.
I was in a meeting at work. Someone said "Yes, I bought this issue up the other day" internally, I screamed "But you didn't BUY this issue, so WTF are you saying you BOUGHT it?".
This goes on and on all around me.
Worst of all, my own husband says it, which is insufferable. No amount of me correcting him will make him understand the nonsense of saying 'bought' when he should say 'brought'. And he went to private school, so he was well educated and he still can't get it right. There's no excuse.

OP posts:
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PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 11/04/2024 09:59

GentleButter · 11/04/2024 09:54

Yes, me.
But I was being silly.
I didn't mean it literally.

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Maybe lay off the sherry before your next late-night posting session, and don't be surprised when people reflect the tone and vitriol of your posts back to you.

Original poster
GentleButter · 11/04/2024 09:54

PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 11/04/2024 09:49

@GentleButter

"I don't literally hate people who say bought instead of brought."

This you?

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Yes, me.
But I was being silly.
I didn't mean it literally.

OP posts:
PlumpAndDeliciousFatcat · 11/04/2024 09:49

GentleButter · 08/04/2024 22:26

Yes.
Hate.

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@GentleButter

"I don't literally hate people who say bought instead of brought."

This you?

Original poster
GentleButter · 11/04/2024 09:40

ASighMadeOfStone · 11/04/2024 08:57

No.

What "upsets" me is people thinking they know things about language that they don't, starting threads meant to show how clever they are and belittling others whose English may not be perfect.

I actually rather like the fact that someone like you, so full of hatred for people who make mistakes has made so many more of them than the average MNer typing at speed would.

You'll also find that the people who do know a bit about language are descriptivists and tend to explain why errors are made, rather than "hate" the people who make them.

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I can see you're getting very upset.
I'm not trying to show how clever I am by pointing out that people say bought when they should say brought, because I don't think one needs to be clever to realise the difference. They are two different words and I don't think any cleverness is needed to understand this.
I don't literally hate people who say bought instead of brought.
Maybe it would be beneficial for you to take a break from this thread? You seem to be taking it all very seriously indeed.

OP posts:
belleager · 11/04/2024 09:21

ColleenDonaghy · 11/04/2024 07:07

"Can I get" is very normal in Ireland too, I'm not convinced it's an Americanism.

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Yes - "can / may I have" would have no direct translation in Irish because "have" isn't expressed with a straightforward verb as in English.

Think about can / may I have. It's a weird concept. Sure, you can or may have what you like, but does that have anything to do with the person in front of you? Can / may I get makes more sense.

This doesn't mean "Can / may I have" is wrong. Set phrases exist. It's one. The variation with "get" is another. There's no hierarchy between them - sounds as if English users (based in England) are just more familiar with the "have" version.

But if you don't understand that the same thing can be said, accurately, in several ways, you have much more of a problem with language than someone not sounding the r in brought.

FamBae · 11/04/2024 09:03

A hundred years into the future and we will barely be able to understand our own language, I guess it's a little like deciphering Shakespear.

ASighMadeOfStone · 11/04/2024 08:57

GentleButter · 11/04/2024 08:41

Mobile phone auto correct text errors, as explained.
I didn't proof read my posts before posting them because I was multitasking.
I'm not bothered by errors in text messages anyway. I know it's not caused by lack of knowledge, but by auto-correct on mobile phones, or people typing on their phones in a rush.
But I can see this is something that really upsets you.
We both have things that upset us!😉

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No.

What "upsets" me is people thinking they know things about language that they don't, starting threads meant to show how clever they are and belittling others whose English may not be perfect.

I actually rather like the fact that someone like you, so full of hatred for people who make mistakes has made so many more of them than the average MNer typing at speed would.

You'll also find that the people who do know a bit about language are descriptivists and tend to explain why errors are made, rather than "hate" the people who make them.

Calliopespa · 11/04/2024 08:57

Kta7 · 11/04/2024 07:34

Indeed. I don’t understand why people don’t want to make sense when they type, there’s no excuse! 😉

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I want to, but my autocorrect is quite strong-willed, and the truth is when you’ve just typed it sometimes your brain sees what it meant to say because it’s so fresh in your mind. It’s only later you can pick it up objectively.

AE9766 · 11/04/2024 08:56

GentleButter · 11/04/2024 08:41

Mobile phone auto correct text errors, as explained.
I didn't proof read my posts before posting them because I was multitasking.
I'm not bothered by errors in text messages anyway. I know it's not caused by lack of knowledge, but by auto-correct on mobile phones, or people typing on their phones in a rush.
But I can see this is something that really upsets you.
We both have things that upset us!😉

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But if you know your phone has autocorrected something incorrectly why don't you correct it yourself before you hit post or send? It's just laziness.

I'm not pretending my grammar is perfect and I'm sure I make mistakes too, but my pet peeve is people writing a question without putting a question mark at the end of the sentence. I see it all the time on here. Why do people do this? Do people really not know that a question mark is needed?

Original poster
GentleButter · 11/04/2024 08:53

MummaMummaJumma · 10/04/2024 21:58

OP, it’s very extreme to say you ‘hate people’ who say ‘bought’ instead of ‘brought’. Do you genuinely hate your Husband? Or do you ‘hate it’ when people say bought instead of brought? Big difference.

You’ve received a lot of backlash on your thread because you have presented yourself as a pedant, when actually you share the same struggles with SPaG. You possibly would have received a warmer reception if you had have owned a few of your own flaws, instead of excusing them.

I personally would not correct other peoples SPaG if I were not willing to be corrected on my own. When posters have pointed it out to you, you’ve been dismissive.

We are all entitled to feel irritated by the way others say and spell words (I could not care less personally), however you’ve been rude and have mocked those explaining why they struggle. Well, you did in the former part of this thread, you haven’t said much since you’ve been picked up on your mistakes. Now do you see what happens when posters are mocked for their SPaG? They withdraw from conversations for fear of being judged. Exactly as you have done here!

FYI, I haven’t proofed my post, I don’t really care. Pedants’, you may correct as you see fit 😉

I'm still here.
I find it really amusing that because I didn't post anything yesterday afternoon/early evening you assumed I'd retreated from the thread after being picked up on errors caused by my mobile phone. That really is funny to think of! I'd need to have a terrible lack of resilience to do that. I was actually enjoying a lovely day out with my family and our friends, so I wasn't looking at my phone!
Are you aware that people sometimes put their phone away and don't look at it for entire parts of the day? Usually it's because they've got other things to be getting on with.
But now I'm back on mumsnet, with a cup of tea in bed, enjoying reading through the 25 pages of comments from posters. I see the majority either agree with me or cite their own examples of things they hate to hear people say!
Enjoy your day! 😊

OP posts:
SOxon · 11/04/2024 08:43

StMarieforme · 10/04/2024 19:26

Yes that's the misuse I hear, not the other way around way round!

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When we lived briefly near Nottingham, we heard this regularly - brought for bought, now wondering whether the OP has in fact transposed the two offending words, particularly as many pp have also remarked.

Original poster
GentleButter · 11/04/2024 08:41

ASighMadeOfStone · 10/04/2024 19:53

I don't normally do this, but tbh, when someone has been so horrible and smug and, frankly, demeaning about other people's English, you'd think their own would be pretty damn perfect.

Instead we've got basic spelling mistakes, a seeming lack of any knowledge about punctuation and, on another thread (yes, I searched, so shoot me) a "did used"

I'd say that instead of channelling all that "hate" into bought/brought an elementary English language textbook would work wonders.

And looking up Dunning-Kruger syndrome while she's at it.

Mobile phone auto correct text errors, as explained.
I didn't proof read my posts before posting them because I was multitasking.
I'm not bothered by errors in text messages anyway. I know it's not caused by lack of knowledge, but by auto-correct on mobile phones, or people typing on their phones in a rush.
But I can see this is something that really upsets you.
We both have things that upset us!😉

OP posts:
TinselSniffer · 11/04/2024 08:39

TinselSniffer
I HATE this!

Unbelievably, Richard Osman and his co host Marina Hyde do it when reading the sponsored ads on their podcast The Rest is Entertainment - 'This episode is bought to you by...'! They're both intelligent writers, I don't understand it at all.

Ah - I think that is the same regional accent that renders broadcast as bordcarst. I never noticed the missing r early on in it until someone pointed it out. It’s a weird one as they presumably don’t pronounce broad as bord, but it is just a regional variation I think.

@Jovacknockowitch aah, now I can relax about it if that is the case - regional accents and variations don't annoy me in the same way. Although I am surprised that Marina has any regional accent, she is very plummy and well spoken otherwise!

ASighMadeOfStone · 11/04/2024 08:29

Seymour5 · 11/04/2024 07:27

I was told upthread that ‘can I get’ isn’t an Americanism, it’s middle English. That was news to me, and presumably to others.

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Yes, it's surprising how many features of English are far far older than the "it's a creeping Americanism" trope to anything we don't use ourselves people would have us believe.

BlueBilledBeatboxingBird · 11/04/2024 08:23

I can’t recall when I last saw such an angry and unpleasant OP.

ColleenDonaghy · 11/04/2024 07:42

MoonWoman69 · 11/04/2024 07:25

It also isn't hard to check through what you have typed either. Predictive text can actually be amended, it's not breaking some sort of law to correct it. HTH.

If you're talking about MN, people are dashing off quick replies while they cook the dinner or get the kids dressed. Surely we can be forgiving of minor autocorrect issues.

Kta7 · 11/04/2024 07:34

MoonWoman69 · 11/04/2024 07:25

It also isn't hard to check through what you have typed either. Predictive text can actually be amended, it's not breaking some sort of law to correct it. HTH.

Indeed. I don’t understand why people don’t want to make sense when they type, there’s no excuse! 😉

Seymour5 · 11/04/2024 07:27

AnnieSnap · 11/04/2024 00:48

I haven’t come across that one. There are many that set my teeth on edge, but my new pet hate is British people saying and writing ‘Mom’ instead of ‘Mum’ (common on MN). This of course follows on from ‘can I get’ instead of ‘can I have’. I probably should just just give-up because it seems the we are all doomed to speak and write American English instead of the English version 🙄

I was told upthread that ‘can I get’ isn’t an Americanism, it’s middle English. That was news to me, and presumably to others.

MoonWoman69 · 11/04/2024 07:25

It also isn't hard to check through what you have typed either. Predictive text can actually be amended, it's not breaking some sort of law to correct it. HTH.

DistressedDamson · 11/04/2024 07:13

GentleButter · 11/04/2024 04:37

Oh gosh, you're so witty aren't you?
Your post reads as though you're really rather excited with yourself for picking up errors in my text.
I do, of course, know how to punctuate properly.
I'm using a mobile phone, which commonly leads to errors, as most other people realise.
If you have read the full thread, you will have seen that many posts contain errors caused by typing messages on mobile phones.
I'm talking about people who use the wrong word when they are talking.
Now do bore off.

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Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to explain, especially with such good grace.

ColleenDonaghy · 11/04/2024 07:07

ThanksItHasPockets · 11/04/2024 06:55

As has been explained about seventeen million times on MN when this comes up, ‘Mom’ is form used in the West Midlands.

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"Can I get" is very normal in Ireland too, I'm not convinced it's an Americanism.

ThanksItHasPockets · 11/04/2024 06:55

AnnieSnap · 11/04/2024 00:48

I haven’t come across that one. There are many that set my teeth on edge, but my new pet hate is British people saying and writing ‘Mom’ instead of ‘Mum’ (common on MN). This of course follows on from ‘can I get’ instead of ‘can I have’. I probably should just just give-up because it seems the we are all doomed to speak and write American English instead of the English version 🙄

As has been explained about seventeen million times on MN when this comes up, ‘Mom’ is form used in the West Midlands.

Castlerock44 · 11/04/2024 06:11

Woman and women. Why does it cause such confusion. 😡

Original poster
GentleButter · 11/04/2024 04:37

DistressedDamson · 10/04/2024 22:10

Doesn’t matter how many times the OP smugly tells us to “read the thread” (which I have done), her shocking use of punctuation (or lack thereof) still hasn’t been explained. 🤣I bloody love these threads 🤣🤣🤣

Oh gosh, you're so witty aren't you?
Your post reads as though you're really rather excited with yourself for picking up errors in my text.
I do, of course, know how to punctuate properly.
I'm using a mobile phone, which commonly leads to errors, as most other people realise.
If you have read the full thread, you will have seen that many posts contain errors caused by typing messages on mobile phones.
I'm talking about people who use the wrong word when they are talking.
Now do bore off.

OP posts:
Original poster
GentleButter · 11/04/2024 04:29

1stTimeBoyMumx · 10/04/2024 18:57

@GentleButter you’re on a very high horse for someone who can’t use ‘to’ and ‘too’ correctly 😶

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Predictive text error on mobile phone.
I very well know the difference between to and too, it's not hard.
As you will see throughout this thread, there are posts full of auto-correct/predictive text errors.
You're not clever to pick up on it, the majority of us know that mobile phones change some words, so calm yourself down.
It's completely different to the point I was making, which is when people SAY the wrong word when they are talking.

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