to be wonder why people say 'in regards to'

[Finallyspring]

1. It's not correct: should be 'regarding' or 'in regard to'
   
2. It's like something out of a 1950s business letter. It doesn't sound clever or more formal. Nobody has ever SPOKEN like that. Just sounds really odd.
   

Use 'about' instead
eg. I'm worried ABOUT my MIL

[Finallyspring]

Of course 'about' is too casual for a business letter. I'm talking about MN posts in which people saying 'in regards to' or any other variation on that word. It's wrong because it's too formal.

'with regard to' is more commonly used in Brtish English 'in regard to' in American English.

LRD this isn't to do with grammar but collocation. That is, some prepositions go together with some other words for no good reason, just common usage. This usuage can and does change all the time. I'm actually not a pedant because I have no problem with language changing. If lots of people start using 'in regards to' then that is what will be 'correct'; that's how language works.

My main issue is when someone uses a phrase randomly because it sounds more serious, when the situation doesn't demand serious vocabulary.

Anyway, I'll off to pedants corner now. becausei'mworthit can go back to Police Officers' Corner

[LRDTheFeministNutcase]

finally - not a grammarian, but as far as I know prepositions are governed by arcane rules from Latin (which has cases, so propositions are included with nouns). I think it's nuts, but it's not random I think. Maybe someone else will know?

I should be in pedants' corner.

[kaid100]

I think it's fine in something formal like a letter, but it would sound odd if a mate said it. People say things with different levels of formality depending on who they are talking to and where they are (compare talking to a doctor in a surgery, and talking to your mate about the same thing round her house, for example).

[Finallyspring]

I do know about this stuff (certificates on request)

There really aren't fixed rules about prepositions when used in collocations. It's just what usually goes together with what, what there's no REASON for it.

Prepositions of place, direction etc. are different.

Really am going off now. Bye

[LRDTheFeministNutcase]

Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be rude!

Thanks for explaining.

[LRDTheFeministNutcase]

I read your OP as a query rather than laying down the law ... that's why I said 'someone else may know', btw.

[OTheHugeManatee]

It's probably because the Latin in re meaning 'in the matter of' used to be in common usage, and people have assumed it's short for 'in regards to'.

[LRDTheFeministNutcase]

I like false etymologies.

[ZZZenAgain]

I don't understand. You object to what you see as an incorrectly written phrase or you object to the use of the phrase anyway - as inappropriate for an internet forum?

I think YABU either way

[BecauseImWorthIt]

I'm loving the idea of have a Police Officer's Corner

But I was making a serious point. Why did you post this in AIBU? There's so much of this happening recently and I don't understand why people do it.

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Or even having ...