What are your pet peeves re English usage?

McTag wrote:

I agree with most of that, maybe except for the "temperature" bit.

I'm shocked! McTag agrees with those pet peeves.

But I think that boils down to local usage.

Now, I'm mightily confused, McTag. Your language idiosyncrasies can be chalked up to "local usage" but others are full blown language errors, deserving ridicule. Some words come to mind to describe such behavior; I think I'll refrain from offering them.

If I'm picky today (and I'm picky every day) I could draw your attention to weather announcers on TV who talk about "cooler temperatures" or "warmer temperatures" when they really mean higher or lower temperatures.

See what I mean!

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Watch your language, folks. JTT is back.

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Merry Andrew wrote:

Watch your language, folks. JTT is back.

What you mean to say, Andrew, is "Check your facts, folks.

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I know what I meant to say, JTT. You're just guessing.

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JTT

This thread is much more fun since you joined. It is actually a pleasure to see the other side of the argument - the "usage determined" view.

Without this, we would have nothing against which to rail.

The "I could care less" usage is American. We Brits still say "I couldn't care less" and I'm happy we do.

KP

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kitchenpete wrote:

JTT

This thread is much more fun since you joined. It is actually a pleasure to see the other side of the argument - the "usage determined" view.

Without this, we would have nothing against which to rail.

The "I could care less" usage is American. We Brits still say "I couldn't care less" and I'm happy we do.

KP

Thank you, Pete. The truth is a refreshing change, isn't it?

It's not simply a usage determined view, Pete. It's scientifically determined.

On the BrE usage, the facts don't seem to completely support your contention.

Here are googled results for UK only.

about 3,920 for "I could care less".

about 9,480 for "I couldn't care less".

When I googled at '.com', I got,

238,000 English pages for "I could care less".

136,000 English pages for "I couldn't care less".

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kitchenpete wrote:

The "I could care less" usage is American. We Brits still say "I couldn't care less" and I'm happy we do.

KP

I'm an American and I say "I couldn't care less" but perhaps that is because I studied English in college.

We American's have terrible English. Laughing

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Then there is the Canadian.... I don't give a damn :-D

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Well bloody hell, JTT's back and making my brain hurt again.

I can't be bothered with some of this stuff, and some of it is verging on the rudely objectionable (what "full blown language errors, deserving of ridicule" do you mean? You normally argue from a point of view of laissez-faire) but I will confine my comment to saying

NO British person says "I could care less" unless self-consciously aping "Friends" or some current US soap. It is just not said here in that way.

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French twist on an old bug bear:

The idees of March. Actually heard that used by a radio announcer.

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I unloosed my boots. That is to say I tightened them.

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McTag wrote:

Well bloody hell, JTT's back and making my brain hurt again.

JTT: It's tough when you are forced to think before you speak, isn't it, McTag?

I can't be bothered with some of this stuff, and some of it is verging on the rudely objectionable (what "full blown language errors, deserving of ridicule" do you mean? You normally argue from a point of view of laissez-faire) but I will confine my comment to saying

NO British person says "I could care less" unless self-consciously aping "Friends" or some current US soap. It is just not said here in that way.

JTT: And what's your point, McTag? In AmE, people don't use bonnet or petrol or many of the other words that BrE uses. That doesn't make those BrE words wrong.

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i could care more...

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I should care,
I should go without sleeping.
I should care,
I should go around weeping.
But, strangely enough, I sleep well
Except for a dream or two.
But then, I count my sheep well.
Funny how sheep can put you to sleep....

zzzzz.....

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JTT wrote:

McT: NO British person says "I could care less" unless self-consciously aping "Friends" or some current US soap. It is just not said here in that way.

JTT: And what's your point, McTag? In AmE, people don't use bonnet or petrol or many of the other words that BrE uses. That doesn't make those BrE words wrong.

My point is simply, despite the number of "hits" on Google you attribute to the UK, the phrase is not used here in that way; so that's quite curious I think.

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JTT writes: "And what's your point, McTag? In AmE, people don't use bonnet or petrol or many of the other words that BrE uses. That doesn't make those BrE words wrong."

What has this got to do with the price of fish?

Petrol and Bonnet are just simply names given to things, and it is not surprising that these differ around the world.

The expression "I could care less" implies that a person does NOT find the subject in question at the bottom of his/her list of things to care about.

However, "I couldnt care less" implies that it IS at the bottom of that list.

What dont you understand?

I have never heard an English person say "I could care less", unless they are using sarcasm, and even then it is extremely rare.

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Oh, by the way JTT, when I next hear someone saying "I couldn't care less", I will put them right and use Google as my point of reference.

I will also tell everyone I know that all food should only be cooked using McDonalds and KFC recipes.

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In Australia we say "I couldn't care less." It is true that the American phrase "I could care less" is creeping in but that's the power of television and film for you.

I prefer the Australian/British usage. "I couldn't care less" simply means that I can't be bothered to begin to be worried about it. For example, "I couldn't care less who wins the Superbowl if the Rams aren't playing."
The American usage doesn't make sense to me.

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One that may have been mentioned before is the American word for the past tense of "dive", eg "He dove into the pool."

Surely, everyone knows it is diven?

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What are your pet peeves re English usage?

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