What are your pet peeves re English usage?

Well phooey, friend JTT, and Pinker to me is like a red rag to a bull. A pox on your Pinker, a murrain on his verbiose hide.

I think if it can be said simply, that's how it should be said.

Gosh I've just contradicted myself.

Anyway,"hit" is better than "impact" in that case, imho.

McTag wrote:

Gosh I've just contradicted myself.

Anyway,"hit" is better than "impact" in that case, imho.

Enheart, McT. Impact problemmed me too, but I sicked of uphilling it. Besides, I think it nuances differently than hit. But that's just me twocentsing.

Enheart, McT. Impact problemmed me too, but I sicked of uphilling it. Besides, I think it nuances differently than hit. But that's just me twocentsing.

Valpower wrote:

Enheart, McT. Impact problemmed me too, but I sicked of uphilling it. Besides, I think it nuances differently than hit. But that's just me twocentsing.

Yay! Valpowered to a T!

Americans are fond of this kind of construction, Brits less so, I think.

[quote="McTag]Americans are fond of this kind of construction, Brits less so, I think.

some people are so pretentious

Well phooey, friend JTT, and Pinker to me is like a red rag to a bull. A pox on your Pinker, a murrain on his verbiose hide.

I think if it can be said simply, that's how it should be said.

Gosh I've just contradicted myself.

Anyway,"hit" is better than "impact" in that case, imho.

Quote:

Well phooey, friend JTT, and Pinker to me is like a red rag to a bull. A pox on your Pinker, a murrain on his verbiose hide.

I think if it can be said simply, that's how it should be said.

Gosh I've just contradicted myself.

Anyway,"hit" is better than "impact" in that case, imho.

I'm sorry. I know I'm late with this (I'm having to catch up with the thread again) but it made me laugh. McTag, you're a funny guy. I like that about you.

Virago

One of my favorite journalism professor's pet peeves has always stuck with me is the oxymoron, "centered around" <instead of "centered on">.

AHD:
USAGE NOTE: Traditionally, the verb center may be freely used with the prepositions on, upon, in, or at; but some language critics have denounced its use with around as illogical or physically impossible. But the fact that writers persist in using this phrase in sentences such as The discussion centered around the need for curriculum reform, a sentence that 71 percent of the Usage Panel accepts, suggests that many people perceive center around to best represent the true nature of what they are trying to say.

Indeed, in an example like A storm of controversy centered around the king, the only appropriate choice seems to be around. Still, if one wishes to avoid the phrase center around, the phrase revolve around is available as an option. Since center can represent various relations involving having, finding, or turning about a center, the choice of a preposition depends on what is intended.

There is ample evidence for usages with each preposition listed above. The Panel accepts all of these uses except the one with at. Seventy-seven percent reject the sentence The company has been centered at Atlanta for the last five years. See Usage Note at equal.

http://www.bartleby.com/61/70/E0187000.html

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

M-W online:
usage The intransitive verb center is most commonly used with the prepositions in, on, at, and around. At appears to be favored in mathematical contexts; the others are found in a broad range of contexts.

Center around, a standard idiom, has often been objected to as illogical. The logic on which the objections are based is irrelevant, since center around is an idiom and idioms have their own logic.

Center on is currently more common in edited prose, and revolve around and similar verbs are available if you want to avoid center around.

On a point of style. It seems that many writers who pride themselves on their English have only one style: didactic. Surely a good writer will temper the style to the context, the wind of superiority to the shorn lamb of human relations?