to shudder when I hear DS1's teacher speak

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I've been to see DS1's yr5 teacher this afternoon and had a generally good meeting.

I have no problem at all with her as a teacher and DS1 is thriving in her class, but her spoken grammar is dreadful.

TBH, DS1 is never going to have perfect Queen's English, having the parents he does and living where we do, but this is from a teacher. I'm more than capable of dropping in an "ain't" or dropping an "H", but do speak properly (enough) in a professional situation.

She doesn't seem able to keep her speach in check. She has a particular problem with done instead if did and during our short meeting used it several times. e.g "DS1 done well in Science today." "The whole class done Maths yesterday afternoon"

AIBU?

I'm sorry Habbibu, I meant in a mathematical context. For example: 'What is 6 less than 8?' should be '6 fewer than 8'. That reminds me though, it really annoys me when people don't know the difference between i.e. and e.g. as they are completely different from eachother.

ScotlandR - I don't believe I said anything about accents, did I? It's the grammar that's being criticised - 'you done', 'you was' etc.

Oh, ok, I was second-guessing myself there.

Something else that drives me mad is that local people - including teachers - talk about what they did "on" the weekend! I was born in Essex but still managed to learn to say "at" the weekend ...

Less than/more than in a mathematical context is on comercially available schemes of work which schools buy into, I know this for a fact, so that's just great isn't it?.

Ain't it just!!! I also hate it when people use more than one exclamation mark!!!!!!! So unneccessary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what do you all think of "My hair needs washed", "decisions made outwith the meeting" or "I'm coming at 3, amn't I?"

Nifty, dh has recently started saying 'on the weekend...'. God knows where he picked it up from, but it has to be one of the most irritating habits he has developed. He says 'f' for 'th' too.

'My hair needs washed' is a very Scottish phrase ime. Rather than just being shit English!

Oxford Dictionaries online

'Less' or 'fewer'?
People often don?t know when to use less and when to use fewer in a sentence. Here?s how to get it right.

Use fewer if you?re referring to people or things in the plural (e.g. houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children). For example:

People these days are buying fewer newspapers.
Fewer students are opting to study science-related subjects.
Fewer than thirty children each year develop the disease.

Use less when you?re referring to something that can?t be counted or doesn?t have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain). For example:

It?s a better job but they pay you less money.
People want to spend less time in traffic jams.
Ironically, when I?m on tour, I listen to less music.

Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time, e.g.:

His weight fell from 18 stone to less than 12.
Their marriage lasted less than two years.
Heath Square is less than four miles away from Dublin city centre

Oh, this took off!

There are times when I don't like he accent (yes it's Estuary English)but long ago accepted I'm gonna have to live with that. DS2 signed all his Christmas cards "Luf from .."

I've also had to accept that many of my DC's friends and their parents speak with poor grammar, which again I accept, indeed I like my DCs mixing with "all sorts".

Teachers though are educators, presumably educated and role models.DCs are supposed to follow their example.

There's nothing I can do about it though is there? TBH I doubt changing schools would help. She's not the only one in the school and other school locally will, I think, have the same issue. The head's spoken English involves "pacific examples".

I once saw a sign outside a deli which read :

Samwiche's.
Buffie's.
Ect.

It took a lot of will power not to mark the damned thing.

Katie Price left school at 16 according to Wikipedia.

Suprisingly, Jodie Marsh attended an independent school, and her family is apparently 'wealthy'. So why did she turn out to be an orange chav, I wonder?

I am totally with Lynne Truss in that situation, Catnao - in favour of a balaclava and some spray paint in the middle of the night.

Ooooh, Feenie, I can develop my OCD even further with that!

Argh. Don't bring Lynn Truss into this. Or I'll drink Goblin's cupboard dry.

Is that my post-binge face?

Isn't less the opposite of more though. We say "more or less" as in being "back to normal" for example. I always think fewer means a bit less but not alot less. As in there are "fewer birds this year" as oppososed to "there are alot less birds this year".

I really hate the way everyone says "good" when you ask how they are. Don't know why it's not as right as "fine" or "well". Can anyone tell me because I have no come back except to say "we are not American, dear"

Thanks Feenie!

No, because you can count individual birds, so it's not less - in that context, less refers to things that can't be counted, like, say, sugar, so you say "there's less sugar in that jar" or "there are fewer grains of sugar in that jar", because you could (theoretically) count the grains of sugar.

Or, what Feenie said.

My mum was never shy about correcting our speech. My friends used to think she was scary because she'd happily correct them too and I have to confess some of it has rubbed off on me.

"Will you borrow them to me" and "Will you learn me that" are commonly used where I grew up and drive me crazy. There are perfectly good words like lend and teach but this seems to have passed some by.

Back to the OP, YANBU

You are welcome.

[Twitch]

Awww, justmorethan, I'm going to have to say it, I'm sorry - 'a lot' has to be two words, just has to be!

Children are always saying to me, "Can I go for a toilet?"

Please may I have some of that gin, if there's any left?

And whenever my OH (non-native speaker) talks about "I've seen that happen more times" I will always reply more times than what