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Pedants' corner

Latest irritants

44 replies

tametiger · 01/12/2011 17:44

Must get these off my chest:
People who insist on pronouncing the final 'g' in 'ing' words - as in sin-G-in-G.
The trend for turning nouns into verbs - torching, mothballing etc.
Why is everyone talking about 'anytime soon'? What's wrong with 'soon' or 'in the near future'?
Phew!

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ChaosTrulyReigns · 01/12/2011 23:23

Here here.

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timetosmile · 01/12/2011 23:26

"and the plan GOING FORWARD" as opposed to what, exactly? the retrospective plan?

Impacting (used for anything other than wisdom teetch or meteors)

men having trouble with their "prostrates"

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timetosmile · 01/12/2011 23:26

teeth, rather

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DazzleII · 01/12/2011 23:26

Norty, norty, Chaos.

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NorkyPies · 01/12/2011 23:28

Heard 'would of' for 'would have' spoken out loud recently (and on Radio 4).

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ChaosTrulyReigns · 01/12/2011 23:33

But I do actually agree.

It was a common turn of phrase wehre I worked to "diarise" something.

I left.

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tametiger · 02/12/2011 07:44

Even The Times seems to be falling to the infidel illeterati. At the weekend I saw a review which read '......the author was sat three rows behind.' What's the matter with 'was sitting' or just 'sat'? A tense evening then?

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tametiger · 02/12/2011 07:46

illiterati.

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EuphemiaInExcelsis · 03/12/2011 17:38

I don't agree with the turning nouns into verbs point - for me it's one of the beautiful things about the English language.

I love that most parts of the body can be nouns or verbs:

Head
Hand
Foot
Knee
Elbow
Neck
Mouth
Nose
Tongue
Stomach
Bum
Leg
Arm
Eye

Lovely!

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yellowraincoat · 03/12/2011 17:46

Was sat, was stood: these grate.

Would of: spoken, fine, I think it is pretty standard, no-one seriously says "she WOULD HAVE gone" do they? Elision is pretty normal in English. Written, it is an abomination though.

No problem with nouns as verbs, I love the flexibility of English.

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EuphemiaInExcelsis · 03/12/2011 17:52

My pupils drive me nuts with "We done the shopping."

They also did not believe me at all took some persuading that the plural of "you" is not "yous". [facepalm]

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yellowraincoat · 03/12/2011 18:47

Aw, I like "youse" it's so useful (youseful?). I teach English as a foreign language, and you will be gutted to know that I teach my students "youse".

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EuphemiaInExcelsis · 03/12/2011 19:16

I don't mind it in the vernacular, but they need to know it's not standard English.

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smartyparts · 03/12/2011 19:26

I disagree, yellowraincoat.

We might abbreviate say 'would've' but thankfully, few of us say 'would of'.

I went to a meeting yesterday where 2 of my colleagues said 'interpretate' several times.

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yellowraincoat · 03/12/2011 19:38

To me, 'would've' and 'would of' sound pretty much the same. Maybe it's my accent.

Of course students need to know 'youse' is not standard.

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MrsColumbo · 03/12/2011 19:42

Using 'wrote' when it should have been 'written' and 'of' instead of 'have'. Agree with the poster who complained about nouns becoming verbs - for some reason it grates when people 'action' something that they have been 'tasked' with. And when did 'finding' something become 'sourcing', as though a crack team of researchers have been sent on a quest (that they were 'tasked' with 'actioning')?
How sad am I? (No need to answer, thanks all the same!)

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thenightsky · 03/12/2011 19:44

Someone already mentioned 'impact'. As an ex-geriatric nurse, I associate that word with serious constipation and the need for enemas.

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tethersjinglebellend · 03/12/2011 19:45

This needs actioning

NNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

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thenightsky · 03/12/2011 19:47

For Free.

I am old enough to remember when things were just 'free'. When did it become fashionable to say 'for'?

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macsaid · 03/12/2011 19:50

calling knitting wool YARN ... unless you are American which is presumably what they call it in America. I know all kniting wool is not officially wool, i.e. could be a synthetic fibre but we call it wool!!!

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MrsWembley · 03/12/2011 19:52

I heard Hugh Fernley-What'shisface refer to something as 'a big ask' the other night. I screamed at the television.

I know our language evolves but really...

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MrsColumbo · 03/12/2011 19:54

Why would you do that, JingleBellEnd? Just, why? I'll action you! shakes fist at sky

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iklboo · 03/12/2011 20:26

'You was a good boy today'
'Can you itch my shoulder'
'I borrowed John that book'
'I won him at Mario Kart'

Grrrrrrr

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EuphemiaInExcelsis · 03/12/2011 22:25

"The girls veed the boys at football."
"The girls versed the boys at football."

Played will suffice, children.

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tallulah · 03/12/2011 22:30

On Cbeebies last weekend the presenter said "Give it up for ". What happened to "put your hands together for "?

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