Scream into the pillow of this thread and avoid scorn on others...

[tethersend]

Pedant's refuge: I have to get it out, but not on the threads themselves as I'll get ripped to shreds it's not polite. It's safe here.

Pier pressure

What gems have made your teeth itch in silent rage?

Ah, the misplaced apostrophe...I have, more than once, had one put in my name instead of a hypen! I know there are names with an apostrophe, but it would usually come after one or two letters (e.g. D'Eath) whereas I am quite clearly spelling out a double barrelled surname. For crying out loud, you morons, look at what you're writing: Jones'Bloggs ISN'T a name!

How's this for a clumsy sentence?

"Thanks for the time this afternoon, Here is my contact details for any future pricing you mite need, I have set up an online discount band so you get cheaper pricing then normal to win business back to xxxx, I have sent some login details to you so if you can log on and make sure its working fine that will be great."

How many mistakes? It's from the account manager at a computer supplies company.

I hope I don't have any mites and if I do, I'm sure they're not interested in prices of computer parts.

Oooh, KFW, did you think I was a lawyer?

I'm a teacher.

Moosy, that is such a dreadful 'paragraph'. I think I'd have to print it out, put my red pen through it and send it back asking if they'd like a proof-reader.

I hope you won't be buying anything from them on principle?

thankyou and loose (for lose)

"me too" was (supposedly) commonest comment from users of AOL in days gone by, and unfortunately it tends to make some look down on anyone using AOL as their ISP, or using e-mail of [email protected]

(Sorry, for any AOL users, but you might wonder if you get odd comments, or perhaps worse, no response at all if your e-mail address is known.)

Moosy - I'm staggered that the account manager remembered to use a capital "I" and ended with a full stop!

'STATESIDE'

Aaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhhh!

WTF???

Do they mean IN THE STATES????

My teeth have gone funny.

oooh oooh oooh I've got one from today at Techniquest in Cardiff

on a guitar string exhibit 'press the pedal and see the AFFECT it has on the vibration'

RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH

Pueri - I feel your pain, that's just people not knowing how to spell/write and it's a grammatical error.

but..........

STATESIDE

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

NG - surely "me too" is just a contraction of "that happened to me too", in which case it would be grammatically correct, no?

It is grammatically correct, but someone earlier posted about it, and while correct, if you were looking around the discussion boards 10+ years ago and saw dozens of "me too" (with no other information) you'd understand how it has an irritation factor all of its own...

Now you see some message boards have a way to signal a "thank you" [with a counter] for a post/poster (just to avoid lots of extra posts passing on nothing but "thanks, that was useful" type comments).

Re Stateside, I think it's a shortened form of the "Domestic United States" which used to be used.

There are various delivery or phone rates, which are only eligible for the states between Canada and Mexico, ie excluding Hawaii and Alaska.

Also excluding Puerto Rico, which for some situations is considered "on a par" with the actual States of the USA.

'Stateside'
The problem with this one is that is is an Americanism - have a look
here www.yourdictionary.com/stateside
... what do you think US pedants rail against????

I have just seen "If the ball was on the other foot"

Our builder has left a board outside our house to advertise himself (fine...)

Block Paving
Driveways
Patio's

Why does he think patio is the one that needs an apostrophe?
Anyway I have been out and peeled it off, so it now says

Block Paving
Driveways
Patio s

Please avert your eyes if you are of a nervous disposition.

I give you 'eyesaw'

You see, some of these have merit in themselves; an eyesaw, though a malapropism, is very expressive.

I rather like it

Maybe he thinks Patios would be confused with Patois??

Of course...Builder's Patois.
Or it that Builders' Patois?

oops...

at eyesaw

Just popped in to breathe (heavily) and feel safe for a bit.

MN is awash with 'looses', 'should ofs' and 'yours' (for 'you're) today and I am starting to hyperventilate.

Don't mind me, I'll just be sitting in the corner, quietly rocking.

'eyesaw' - ouch!

'shoe-in' is the current pet hate in our house (2 editors = double the pedantry - oh yes, it's fun, fun, fun in daisy's house)

recently seen though can't remember where

opinions will be sort

Also once asked a web designer to uodate things on the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now maybe she hadn't heard of it, maybe it was a typo (though 'n' and 'd' are not close on the keyboard)but we were overjoyed at work to see
'The Edinburgh Fridge Festival' on our website.

Bu my particular PITA is why have peole decided that the part participle of 'to text' is ' text' as in

'I text my mum last night'

Can it not follow the regular rule of English and become 'texted'. if not, why not? I know there are many iregular past participles, but where was the collective decision for this one? I'm sticking to texted until I hear otherwise.

(grammar - good; typing skills - less good)

I love the 'Edinburgh Fridge Festival' .