To invite the grammar and language pedants to share their pet peeves?

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AIBU to feel annoyed when I see people say Slither instead of sliver? It was even in a book I read recently. A slither of cake. No! That makes no sense, unless the cake’s been trodden into the carpet!

Also see: step foot in instead of set foot in

There’s plenty of others but those will do for now.

It would be better to say "I had spoken to him six days earlier" rather than use the word "before", because "before" really sounds like it needs something adding to it eg "I had spoken to him six days before he died" or "...six days before he left".

Maybe "beforehand" would be acceptable. 😜😆

Is "having said that...." acceptable to you?

I was in the middle of a complicated technical discussion with an IT salesperson in John Lewis today when they commented on something using 'fewer' instead of 'less' correctly. I was so delighted and gobsmacked that I missed the point of what they were saying. 😂

And while I'm on here, 'per se'.

'Per se' is correct. It's 'per say' that's wrong.

Which reminds me - 'persue', which is then autocorrected to 'peruse'.

And 'pour' for 'pore'. As in 'they poured over the document'. Makes me envisage a very soggy document.

It’s slightly more acceptable than the two l mentioned.

It depends how it's used. 'As such' is another one. When used incorrectly they both leave me thinking 'wait a minute, what exactly are you referring back to?'

"I am a teacher; as such [a thing - namely, a 'teacher'], I mold young minds."
As opposed to, "The exams were administered later than planned; as such [As what, exactly?], the report cards will be delayed."

It's 'pursue' not 'persue' so it's not that surprising that autocorrect changes it.

Astonished, surely? I feel very uncomfortable about a fellow pedant using 'gobsmacked.'

@marshmallowfinder gobsmacked conveys that I was stopped in my tracks (or at least in my train of thought) in a way that purely astonished doesn't.

I love the word gobsmacked!

English is a rich language, let's use it 😊

Off to hospital for a scan yesterday. Didn't have to wait long. Telescreen in waiting area 'please wait for your name to appear'. OK. At the bottom of the screen "You are sat in waiting area A". Grrrrr.

No a cake as it gets hard when stale.

Biscuits get soft

On the theme of plurals, is it crocuses or croci?

(as in octopus / octopi)?

Coup de grâce is not pronounced "coo de grar". Bugs the living daylights out of me.

This isn't incorrect but it makes me ponder and irritates me a little. I listen to far too much radio, fairly consistent background here. Every so often, a consumer affairs adviser will show up and aggrieved shoppers queue with complaints. All of them will have lost the ability to use the words 'buy' and 'bought'. Every faulty item will have been 'purchased'. How is this? I don't hear the word in everyday life, I dont think it's ever been said to me in general conversation and I doubt I've used it myself. What's going on with that? Is it just 'posh phone speak'? It's definitely a thing.

Annoyingly, either is correct, I believe. (I am sure St. Susie explained).

English forms plurals by adding an "s". so if you are speaking English it's crocuses. Latin forms plurals by changing the ending depending on how the word is used (subject, object etc). The nominative plural for crocus thus becomes "croci". So if you are using "crocus" as a loanword, or a bit poncy "croci" is correct.

"Octopus" is Greek, so the plural is "octopodes". Only if finding someone who can speak Latin is rare, finding someone who can speak ancient Greek is rarer. So generally you are better off sticking to using the English forms that Almighty God theirself gave us. Although, they being said, I find "-ses" sound slightly clunky and prefer the "-i" ending. "locus"->"loci" for example.

I can get irrationally annoyed with "pre-order", myself. You used to be able to reserve things.

Just read on another thread "London is a hot pot of different cultures".

Mental image of a large cauldron full of Londoners, topped with sliced potatoes

Love octopodes!!

Rogue apostrophes. My first name ends in an S, I get a lot o people throwing one in before it. Drives me potty.

Myself used incorrectly. It makes you look and sound stupid.

I completely agree. Working class girl here, grew up in a council house, though never really felt I fitted in.
I missed a lot of school due to illness so I know there are a few rules I don't know. But, those I know im quite aggressive about. In my head 😅.
Please correct as appropriate.

You're on the wrong thread.

Are they? I dated an ex soldier a few years ago. Met a couple of his army friends. They said they were Special Forces, but not SAS.

There's the SBS for a start.