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Pedants' corner

"can I get?" Arghhhh

46 replies

Drizzela · 25/02/2011 12:25

Is it grammatically wrong or am I just unreasonable to cringe when I hear this?

As in; "Can I get a diet coke and a Big Mac, please?"

Surely "can I have?" or "may I have?" is correct?

OP posts:
thenightsky · 26/02/2011 00:13

Even worse than 'went' being used in place of 'said' is 'like'..... 'so I'm like get outta here, and she goes, like, nah'

unitarian · 27/02/2011 01:34

'Like' seems to go with an irritating rising cadence in teen-speak.

My chief bugbear is less for fewer.

And also 'nukular'.

NetworkGuy · 28/02/2011 12:47

Personally I dislike the 'can I get' but I was born in Sussex so it may well be regional (un-)acceptability.

I hate 'momentarily' being used for 'shortly' as in the case of an (American) air stewardess announcement:

?Fasten your seat belts as we will be landing momentarily for passenger deplaning.?

... makes me think they will be on the tarmac for about 90 seconds and will be herding people onto the emergency shutes to get them off in a hurry!

inkyfingers · 01/03/2011 19:56

I hate it when you hear 'I got it off X' about a present; meaning 'X gave it to me'. Sounds like it was wrenched off... argh

AgentProvocateur · 01/03/2011 20:42

Or, "I got it off of..." which is worse!

ScatterChasse · 14/03/2011 22:36

Oh yes AgentProvocateur, my standard response is "No, you get off a bus"

HouseOfBamboo · 14/03/2011 22:48

Hmm, hadn't made the Scottish / American connection with 'can I get' but I'd guess that's probably where it comes from. Still no excuse to use it unless you're Scottish / American though, I agree it sounds rude and irritating when people use it as an affectation.

ScatterChasse · 14/03/2011 22:51

Btw, is there anything wrong with saying 'might I have'? It's just you never hear it, whereas people do say 'could I have'.

olivertulliver · 14/03/2011 22:52

You always hear 'can I get' in the States and it's becoming increasingly common here, unfortunately.

My dcs have a sports game for the Xbox which is full of irritating Americanisms - like "where we're at' and 'exact same'. I moan about it, every time I hear it.

Housemum · 14/03/2011 23:04

It took me about 8 years to stop DH saying "could of" and "should of". I am working on "off of" without success so far. Sets my teeth on edge to type it.

NetworkGuy · 15/03/2011 07:13

SC - "is there anything wrong with saying 'might I have'?" - not in my book, indeed, a close relative often uses that expression.

Three items have come to annoy/ puzzle me in recent years...

  1. Comics or presenters (eg on BBC Radio 7) who end their piece with "I've been ..." (and yes, I know that sometimes a stage name needs to be unique, but AFAIK these are no pseudonyms but their real life names anyway, and in my view, they will still be in 5 minutes or 5 days, so why not simply say "I'm , and thanks for listening" (or some similar closing remarks).

  2. mostly from scientific people, when interviewed on radio, asked about some paper they've written and the methodology used...

Scientist / -ologist
" So, we took X thousand samples and ...."

To me, the "So, " is just unnecessary 'noise' and I've no idea why these eminent academics have adopted this odd method of answering...

  1. not one that annoys, just puzzled me...

while visiting some friends in California, Carol tells a friend on the phone "Oh yes, there's visiting with us" and goes on to say "visiting with" in other sentences.

I'm thinking of some sentence on the lines of

Carol and John are visiting Joanna with Paul

ie "with" to introduce someone other than the 'visitee'

their "with" seems to be a noise word meaning no-one in particular (or themselves, perhaps)

Anyone in America care to comment as to typical sentences where 'visiting with' could not be simply 'visiting' please, just to help assure me I didn't misunderstanding what they meant!

GORGEOUSX · 15/03/2011 11:08

Oh yes, I agree with all of you.

Another thing that irritates me, is when people say I will or we will instead of I shall or we shall. Grin (I really am getting old).

GORGEOUSX · 19/03/2011 15:45

I was out with DD1 today (aged 15) and she said,

'..... if you get what I mean'

AAAARRGGGH! I understand, yes, get, no!

KatyMac · 19/03/2011 15:49

GORGEOUSX that conversation with your 15yo happened in Liverpool in 1983; at least it did in my family Hmm

Nothing changes, everything stays the same

KatyMac · 19/03/2011 15:49

The one at 14:14 I mean

Fink · 20/03/2011 13:38

Hate all of these, I'm such a pedant!

Except pacific, I love that word...

Not when the person obviously means specific, clearly, but I do think pacific is a cool word in its own right.

bronze · 20/03/2011 13:45

Esican I think the use/used to problem is an American/British English one.
My parents teach English as a foreign language and for a long time their head of department was American. Some of the rules he insisted on were completely different to British English and I seem to remember use/used was one of the differences.

LindyHemming · 20/03/2011 20:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

clam · 20/03/2011 20:44

My best friend, who has lived in the US for abround 7 years now, has taken to saying "can I get a latte?" I'm afraid I go all cat's bum mouth and say "I think you mean "may I have?"

Butterbur · 12/04/2011 09:23

"Can I get a latte?" sounds utterly wrong to me. "Getting" implies a physical action to acquire something, whereas if you are buying a latte you are not going to get it yourself, you are going to be given it.

"Can I get a latte?" sounds as if you are asking to walk round the counter to the coffee machine and make it yourself.

ChairOfTheBored · 12/04/2011 10:10

Butterbur - thank you! I shall print this out an pin it to DH's jumper. We often have this debate. In truth he knows it's wrong too, but enjoys watching my growing rage...

I nearly spontaneously combusted on the tube platform at Kings Cross a few weeks ago, when I noticed an advert telling me 'Jack Daniels has a very unique perspective'. Does he? DOES he? DOES HE? Very unique you say, not just a little bit unique? Argh. Who are the proof readers that let that one through?

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