Usage & Grammar Pet Peeves

I hate when people separate their auxiliary verbs from their main verbs, especially by using adverbs.

It's bad enough with primary helping verbs, but when it's done with modal helping verbs it really makes me want to crack some skulls.

while we're here, let's clarify:

-ize vs -ise... when and where?

  On 3/25/2011 at 6:27 PM, verticalhold said:

while we're here, let's clarify:

 

-ize vs -ise... when and where?

depends on your Yankiness / Britness

if your american use always "ize" if your british who nows there languages is way fucked up

"I went to the pub last night and had a few light ales"

"Is it?"

What the fuck? Why do people seem to like saying 'is it?' to fucking everything.

They can all fuck right off!

  On 3/25/2011 at 6:07 PM, scones to die for said:

I hate when people separate their auxiliary verbs from their main verbs, especially by using adverbs.

 

It's bad enough with primary helping verbs, but when it's done with modal helping verbs it really makes me want to crack some skulls.

Do you possibly have some examples? I'm not sure I completely get all the terminology.

You don't need to completely blitz the subject--I can go about googling it--but a few sample sentences ought to more or less get me on the right track.

Thanks.

  On 3/25/2011 at 9:48 PM, inteeliguntdesign said:

  On 3/25/2011 at 6:07 PM, scones to die for said:

I hate when people separate their auxiliary verbs from their main verbs, especially by using adverbs.

 

It's bad enough with primary helping verbs, but when it's done with modal helping verbs it really makes me want to crack some skulls.

 

Do you possibly have some examples? I'm not sure I completely get all the terminology.

 

You don't need to completely blitz the subject--I can go about googling it--but a few sample sentences ought to more or less get me on the right track.

 

Thanks.

I was being facetious. I don't really care about grammar.

Anyway, an example:

"Obviously I have seen that movie." [Correct]

"I have obviously seen that movie." [incorrect]

I learned in a sociolinguistics course that this once made parents cringe as much as hearing the word "ain't," but later it became common practice and eventually acceptable. They showed some old 1950s grammar film about it.

The linguistics course was using it as an example of how language and grammatical rules constantly change over time. What's wrong today might be correct tomorrow.

Heh, thanks anyway. Learning about style, and how to make sentences more direct/clear, is always cool.

I read that in Victorian times flowery exposition was favoured. These days, though, getting to the action as soon as possible is preferred. Apparently this is due to the introduction of films: people are waiting for the action in books now, too.

When people say "your guyses" instead of just "your" when addressing multiple people. (If it were to be added it would only be "your guys'", one syllable, none of these "ses" bullshit. Fuck.)

When people use "pretentious" to describe any art or music they don't get. This word gets thrown around way too much.

  On 3/25/2011 at 11:04 PM, Zephyr_Nova said:

When people say "your guyses" instead of just "your" when addressing multiple people. (If it were to be added it would only be "your guys'", one syllable, none of these "ses" bullshit. Fuck.)

 

When people use "pretentious" to describe any art or music they don't get. This word gets thrown around way too much.

Same with the word "hipster." Hipster is essentially synonymous with being young. It's a derogatory label that you can attach to anything a young person does.

Here's another one:

more then

  On 3/25/2011 at 11:30 PM, wake said:

  On 3/25/2011 at 11:04 PM, Zephyr_Nova said:

When people say "your guyses" instead of just "your" when addressing multiple people. (If it were to be added it would only be "your guys'", one syllable, none of these "ses" bullshit. Fuck.)

 

When people use "pretentious" to describe any art or music they don't get. This word gets thrown around way too much.

 

Same with the word "hipster." Hipster is essentially synonymous with being young. It's a derogatory label that you can attach to anything a young person does.

 

Here's another one:

more then

Spoken like a true fucking hipster.

I had already braced myself for that one.

  On 3/25/2011 at 6:36 PM, ezkerraldean said:

  On 3/25/2011 at 6:27 PM, verticalhold said:

while we're here, let's clarify:

 

-ize vs -ise... when and where?

depends on your Yankiness / Britness

i'm american, but i still do the "-ise". even in words where it might not even be an alternate option (does it apply to EVERY ize/ise word?). i can't really help it, i do it on accident

  On 3/25/2011 at 10:49 PM, scones to die for said:

  On 3/25/2011 at 9:48 PM, inteeliguntdesign said:

  On 3/25/2011 at 6:07 PM, scones to die for said:

I hate when people separate their auxiliary verbs from their main verbs, especially by using adverbs.

 

It's bad enough with primary helping verbs, but when it's done with modal helping verbs it really makes me want to crack some skulls.

 

Do you possibly have some examples? I'm not sure I completely get all the terminology.

 

You don't need to completely blitz the subject--I can go about googling it--but a few sample sentences ought to more or less get me on the right track.

 

Thanks.

I was being facetious. I don't really care about grammar.

 

Anyway, an example:

 

"Obviously I have seen that movie." [Correct]

 

"I have obviously seen that movie." [incorrect]

 

I learned in a sociolinguistics course that this once made parents cringe as much as hearing the word "ain't," but later it became common practice and eventually acceptable. They showed some old 1950s grammar film about it.

 

The linguistics course was using it as an example of how language and grammatical rules constantly change over time. What's wrong today might be correct tomorrow.

i never would've guessed in a million years the second one was wrong

  On 3/25/2011 at 10:06 AM, Gary C said:

'I can't wait 'til (add set occasion here)'.

 

Well, what are you going to do about it? Unless you've got a time-machine, you're going to have to wait.

 

Obviously, '110%' is also an annoyance. Maths doesn't work that way.

 

70% of my job is proof-reading and it all just washes over me now. I'm a correction-machine. The sign outside my favourite curry house needs an apostrophe, one day maybe I'll correct that.

 

Oh, and how does everyone feel about decades? 80's or 80s? I've started going with the latter as I think it makes more grammatical sense.

i hate "80s", it just looks weird. fuck it if it's wrong, our grammar doesn't need to be perfect

  On 3/25/2011 at 10:18 AM, Gocab said:

Interchanging of/have, it's so fucking weird.

 

Example: he could of done it.

i just now realised how often i probably do that!

  On 3/25/2011 at 10:50 AM, Coalbucket PI said:

When people say 'real' instead of 'really'; like 'I had a real nice day'...

this bothers me too

but holy hell, where are some of you picking up these words? prexactly? devo? cansarn it? what the fuck

  On 3/26/2011 at 12:44 AM, Calx Sherbet said:

but holy hell, where are some of you picking up these words? prexactly? devo? cansarn it? what the fuck

Keep your ears peeled.

i'll admit, i'll sometimes say the word "writ".

i've noticed people don't say "ain't" very often

• 
   
  
• Use of "phenomena" as if it were singular. Even some well-respected writers make this mistake, and it always distresses me, because it reinforces in the readers' minds the idea that "phenomena" is singular.
   
  
• As DFW mentioned: "utilize". I had a Computer Science professor who used this word at least 5 times per lecture, and it was very distracting.
   
  
• Use of the past perfect in cases where the simple past tense would make more sense (this might actually be part of ebonics): "Damn you smell nice. Yeah, yesterday, I had bought this new deodorant - Ask body spray." (Galifianakis, 2011) On a similar note: "had went".
   
  
• The use of "drowned" in the future tense, as in "Say it again and I swear I'll drowned you!"
   
  
• Saying "alumnist" instead of "alumnus".
   
  
• I always used to assume that "close-minded" was an incorrect, bastardized form of "closed-minded", but I just now learned that it is not.
  

  On 3/26/2011 at 1:58 AM, Gabriel said:

• The use of "drowned" in the future tense, as in "Say it again and I swear I'll drowned you!"
  

Good one!

why do you brits say "alright" as an introduction/welcome?

  On 3/26/2011 at 2:29 AM, verticalhold said:

why do you brits say "alright" as an introduction/welcome?

I think it's the equivalent to saying "sup" as a greeting.

Ron - Sup, bro?

Jim - Oh, hey! Sup!

No one ever responds to "sup" by telling the other person what they're up to.

  On 3/26/2011 at 2:50 AM, wake said:

No one ever responds to "sup" by telling the other person what they're up to.

I automatically respond with "nothing much".

  On 3/25/2011 at 10:18 AM, Gocab said:

Interchanging of/have, it's so fucking weird.

 

Example: he could of done it.

It's weird to see it written out like that, but I get why people do it since "could've" sounds essentially the same as "could of". It is remarkable how many people make that mistake when writing it out.

  On 3/26/2011 at 3:03 AM, Zephyr_Nova said:

  On 3/26/2011 at 2:50 AM, wake said:

No one ever responds to "sup" by telling the other person what they're up to.

 

I automatically respond with "nothing much".

I was being hyperbolic.

I'm sure it's been mentioned but the one that always drives me up the wall and makes me think a person is a blithering idiot even if I know he isn't is: "flush it out" instead of "flesh it out."

And I hate it when they tell me they're madly in anger with me.