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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be such a pedant?

75 replies

Lincolnfield · 04/02/2020 21:00

This modern craze for using ‘of’ instead of ‘have’ drives me nuts - so we have ‘I should of’, ‘I would of’ - it’s ‘should HAVE!’ It’s not hard.

The other thing that has me throwing things at the TV is bloody Alexander Armstrong. For somebody who was privately educated and went to Cambridge university, his mastery of basic English is dreadful. I sometimes catch the end of his pointless quiz show - yes, it is absolutely pointless- and he always signs of by saying ‘It’s goodbye from Richard’(and Richard dutifully says goodbye ) and follows that with ‘And it’s goodbye from me. Goodbye.’

He doesn’t have to say goodbye twice! Just ‘it’s goodbye from me’ will suffice.

I know, I have too much time on my hands.........

OP posts:
TulipCat · 04/02/2020 22:01

Ooh yes @ShirleyPhallus I can't stand inappropriate use of "myself".

MandalaYogaTapestry · 04/02/2020 22:03

I see people talking about nudity all the time. I mean "bare with me" of course. Or "can't bare this". Well, if you can't bare this, then certainly stay clothed!

Ellisandra · 04/02/2020 22:03

@MikeUniformMike I think there’s a perfectly good excuse for it. The contraction of have to ‘ve is I’m sure the source point for ‘of’ being used.

I don’t do it, I’m not keen on it - but I see exactly where it comes from.

Sunflower20 · 04/02/2020 22:03

Writing 'of' instead of 'have' drives me up the wall too, it's dumb AF. I have to stop reading immediately.

MintyMabel · 04/02/2020 22:05

This modern craze for using ‘of’ instead of ‘have’ drives me nuts - so we have ‘I should of’, ‘I would of’ - it’s ‘should HAVE!’ It’s not hard.

It’s not a modern craze. We had a history teacher school us on it in every lesson, that was 35 years ago.

SirGawain · 04/02/2020 22:05

Never heard of [an] ellipsis at the age of 40
Shocking!
(Well not really!)

WizzyBee · 04/02/2020 22:06

I've always thought the 'goodbye from me and goodbye from him' thing is a take off of the Two Ronnies (showing my age!)

The your/you're thing drives me nuts but it is so common I have to think twice myself when writing your/you're.

Loose for lose is another one...grrr

And, I am becoming increasingly irritated how everything has to be a 'conversation'. Can't we have discussions any more??

Also when people 'watch back' a video or film. You just frigging watch it!

MikeUniformMike · 04/02/2020 22:14

@Ellisandra, I've heard people say " could of" (ncl. Corrie's Steve McD). It doesn't sound the same as "could've".

I suspect that some people do not think about what they are saying. Whatever your accent is, could of or I of makes no sense at all.

MikeUniformMike · 04/02/2020 22:15

There, their, they're.

BlankTimes · 05/02/2020 00:39

Using of instead of have is very common. I've recently seen 'to not of' in use on a forum, 'Was I wrong to not of let him do that?'

Original poster
Lincolnfield · 05/02/2020 05:41

Oh! The other one I hate is 'guys!' Everyone is called a 'guy' these days. If you go out for meal with friends or family, the waiter will say, 'What can I get you guys.'

The 'of' thing that I started with is bad enough when people say it but it's becoming more and more commonplace for people to write it down. I see it here on MN much more frequently - usually written by somebody moaning about the standards in their children's school!

OP posts:
PhilCornwall1 · 05/02/2020 06:02

@Lincolnfield I'm with you on the "of" and "guys"

Where did this "of" malarkey come from. I see people of late 30s and 40s doing it at work. I did ask one and she explained it as "could've expands to could of" .... hmmm ok!!

We have a manager at work who starts all her emails "guys". Don't know why, but it grips my shit. Just looks unprofessional.

PhilCornwall1 · 05/02/2020 06:04

I've always thought the 'goodbye from me and goodbye from him' thing is a take off of the Two Ronnies (showing my age!)

Me too, any time I hear it, I always think of them. They were quality.

MiniGuinness · 05/02/2020 06:15

Aluminum was the first spelling/pronunciation. Maybe fact check if you want to take this pedantry seriously.

Original poster
Lincolnfield · 05/02/2020 06:19

@PhilCornwall1

I understand the ‘Two Ronnies’ connection, but AA could simply say ‘And it’s goodbye from me.’ That’s it. There’s no need for the superfluous ‘Goodbye’ as well.

The two Ronnies were comedians and extremely skilful at what they did but Pointless is not comedy - although, akin with all the other mindless quiz shows, it frequently descends into pure farce - so he has no need for his inanity. My problem is probably that I cannot stand Alexander Armstrong! 😂😂

OP posts:
Greenpolkadot · 05/02/2020 06:20

Completely agree with 'of /have'
Seen it on mn frequently. It's not like a slip of the tongue. Posters actually have to write it.

Auridon4life · 05/02/2020 06:22

And it's a good night from me

BlackCatSleeping · 05/02/2020 06:27

How about "It's goodbye from Richard and myself"?

It's like nails down a chalkboard.

SimonJT · 05/02/2020 06:27

Why are you watching something you don’t like?

I also attended Cambridge, going to cambridge doesn’t mean you have perfect English, I just managed to achieve a B at GCSE and didn’t take an English A-level.

In a scientific sense aluminum is correct, as is sulfur etc.

Original poster
Lincolnfield · 05/02/2020 06:32

@MiniGuinness To be entirely accurate, the element was, first of all named ‘alumium’ in 1807 and then revised to ‘aluminum’ before the scientific community, by and large adopted aluminium. I remember learning about this in science classes at school.

The early confusion was principally due to Sir Humphrey Davy’s poor spelling - there are examples in the National Coal Mining Museum. However, we can forgive him for that, given that he famously went on to invent the Davy lamp thus saving countless miners’ lives.

OP posts:
Original poster
Lincolnfield · 05/02/2020 06:34

@SimonJT

I explained that I don’t watch Pointless but, as I’m so unwell just now and the TV was on, I was actually waiting to watch the BBC news. My misfortune was catching the end of the inane programme!

OP posts:
movingdilemma1234 · 05/02/2020 06:35

His instead of he's, see this often on MN

In speech, Nothink and Somethink and 'Can I get' instead of 'May I have'

Prepenultimate · 05/02/2020 06:41

Agree with the of/ have thing. It's insidious. I think people pick it up because of the way they hear it spoken . Then they see it written wrongly so many times, it starts to creep into the unconscious and they don't even register that it's an error.
If you can learn the correct spelling of words just by constantly seeing them in your reading, then you must also pick up the incorrect spelling if you see it all the time. People read so much more on social media where you are likely to see the error, than they read quality, proof-read writing.
Not at all bothered by the double Goodbye. Goodbye.

MintySpud · 05/02/2020 06:42

I can't abide Pointless as "Richard" is such a twat (why give yourself airs when you are reading the answers that a researcher has written down for you? Same for Paxman on University Challenge).

But it kills me to learn that they have nicked one of The Two Ronnies' most famous catchphrases. What a dull, slow-paced little show. It's quizzing for people whose brain cells have lost the will to go on.

Lifeonmars77 · 05/02/2020 06:44

YANBU! This really winds me up too. Almost as much as using the wrong your/you're and there/their/they're.

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