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What are your pet peeves re English usage?

Forums: English, Grammar, Abusage, Pet Peeves, English Usage
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Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 02:20 pm
Larding with other languages is acceptable if you have a l-o-n-g cigarette holder and considerable personal charm.

Of course, jeering at pretentious prose is a 12-month sport.
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lexi199
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 03:30 pm
my pet peev is grammar.
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lexi199
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 03:32 pm
my pet peev is grammar.
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Asphodel
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 04:23 pm
Pet Peev
One of my pet peeves involves consistently spelling "does" as "dose".

I am, of course, referring to one person in particular who just does not know how it is spelled. Every single instance she has used this word, it was always spelled "dose", so I suspect it is not a typo.

Shocked

I do not know how she graduated from high school, if she cannot even spell "does" correctly.
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Idaho
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 04:57 pm
For Free. Drives me insane, particularly since it's used in nearly every commercial on the radio and television. Things may be free, or free of charge, but NOT for free!
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 08:52 pm
Idaho, even worse ia "free gift." You hear it all the time. "Call now and receive a free gift." I'm not aware that there are any other kinds of gifts.
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Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Mon 10 Jan, 2005 09:58 pm
Merry Andrew--

What about gifts with strings attached? As I remember the Trojan Horse didn't have a pay-up-front price tag.
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Tue 11 Jan, 2005 08:42 pm
Noddy -- even the Trojan horse was "free" in the sense that no actual payment was demanded. If we assume that some gifts are not actually "free" in an absolute sense, then all those advertisers are obviously bleepin' liars. We all know that those "free gifts" are actually just come-ons to induce one to buy something.

No, a "gift" is, by definition, "free."
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Noddy24
 
  1  
Reply Wed 12 Jan, 2005 09:15 am
Merry Andrew--

Okay. No free gifts. No free lunch.
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Idaho
 
  1  
Reply Wed 12 Jan, 2005 04:23 pm
How about, like, using the word "like" in all sorts of, like, obnoxious ways to, like, render yourself, like, completely incomprehensible, like, you know?
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Wed 12 Jan, 2005 08:30 pm
Knowhatchasayin', Idaho.
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McTag
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 01:11 am
I agree.

Also, "Know what I mean?

It's the same in conversation as

...if you catch my drift/ meaning
...Do you follow me?
...Do you understand?

Which is fair enough, but sometimes is very overused.
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smorgs
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 01:13 am
To be honest with you...
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McTag
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 01:19 am
smorgs wrote:
To be honest with you...


Yeah, like, this means "When I speak I'm not usually honest with you, but this time I'll make an exception"
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smorgs
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 01:22 am
McTag, I'm working in Didsbury Jobcentre for the next two weeks. My old building (Baskerville House) is closing! Start of the cull of Civil Servents...It'll probably be in the MEN tonight. Crying or Very sad
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McTag
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 01:29 am
Hounded out of Baskerville House, well I never.

Commiserations Sarah. Still, Didsbury has its compensations, especially in springtime, should you still be there then. Best wishes...
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smorgs
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 01:37 am
To be honest with you McTag...there's a brilliant deli round the corner, Pizza Express and a cash machine...what more could a girl want?

Oh and no-ones threatened to 'kick my f***in' head in' yet...I quite miss it! Very Happy
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Merry Andrew
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 04:25 am
Another of my pet peeves (I'm grouchy this morning) is the prevalent use of redundancies. Free gift has already been mentioned. Two others:

personal opinion -- well, of course it's your personal opinion; whose else's would it be?

false pretenses -- what other kinds of pretenses are there?
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Clary
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 06:37 am
Good, I like those tautologies. Free gift is like those menu extravaganzas saying 'generously topped with whipped bullshit' - what's generous about it when you know you are paying through the nose anyway?
I'm busy being grouchy about CONtribute and inTEGral, where I much prefer conTRIBute and INtegral.
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McTag
 
  1  
Reply Thu 13 Jan, 2005 07:06 am
Yeah, I hear you, sister. I try to avoid eating anything which is described in a restaurant as being "drizzled with" anything.
And what about JUS?
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