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Most hated grammatical error [Merged]

13567

Comments

  • #102
    pierrot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 634 ✭✭✭pierrot


    hco wrote: »
    Does be or do be

    I do be freezing
    It does be packed

    I cry...
    Where did this even come from? People! Where?!

    comes from the present continuous form that appears only in Irish i think. Like bim or taim, i do be, to distinguish between present cont. and a more regular, daily action


  • #103
    shellyboo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,883 ✭✭✭shellyboo


    pierrot wrote: »
    comes from the present continuous form that appears only in Irish i think. Like bim or taim, i do be, to distinguish between present cont. and a more regular, daily action


    Yeah, I think so too... can't remember the proper form in Irish, but it's basically a leftover from that. Lots of little quirks like that in Hiberno English.


  • #104
    Smart Bug
    Registered Users Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭Smart Bug


    shellyboo wrote: »
    Yeah, I think so too... can't remember the proper form in Irish, but it's basically a leftover from that. Lots of little quirks like that in Hiberno English.


    You're right, so you are.


  • #105
    pierrot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 634 ✭✭✭pierrot


    How about most loved grammatical errors? I'm class, amn't I!!!


  • #106
    Tweeter
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 247 ✭✭Tweeter


    Nobody has picked up on this one yet. Using euros and cents as plurals.

    E.g. 14 euros and 23 cents when of course it should be 14 euro 23 cent.

    Drives me up the fcuking wall that one.


  • #107
    VERYinterested
    Closed Accounts Posts: 923 ✭✭✭VERYinterested


    hco wrote: »
    Does be or do be

    I do be freezing
    It does be packed

    I cry...
    Where did this even come from? People! Where?!

    I blame these guys http://www.doobiebrothers.net/

    Another pet hate is "Call in our yiz are way back" Translation: "Call in on your way back"

    People when calling out an old registration used to say H aZed J 056 instead of HZJ 056, usually a Garda on Garda Patrol. (The aZoo also springs to mind)


  • #108
    pq0n1ct4ve8zf5
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,070 ✭✭✭✭pq0n1ct4ve8zf5


    Hmmm...

    People saying "You have two choices" when they should say "You have two options"

    American spelling- using z instead of s, leaving out the u in words like colour, spelling centre center.

    This is just a Cork one I think, but when somebody uses the word "with" instead of "for"-as in "They've been together with two years/I've been here with ages!"

    Using critique as a verb.

    But my grammar can be atrocious, I say things like "I seen, I done", terrible habit cultivated because it annoyed my friend so much!


  • #109
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56,620 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    Saying 'then' instead of 'than' is a big peeve for me.

    Also, the use of the word 'An,' or should I say misuse

    As in, "It was an historic triumph," or "It was an historic day." Incorrect in both cases. The letter or word 'A' or 'a' should be used here

    An is only used before words that begin with a vowel SOUND.

    Not necessarily juST a vowel WORD, it must be before a word beginning with a vowel sound

    Also, using a lower case i as a single word. "It is i who stole the milk."
    A small i should only be used as a letter in a word; on its own it is always a capital I


  • #110
    Smart Bug
    Registered Users Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭Smart Bug


    VERYinterested wrote: »
    I blame these guys http://www.doobiebrothers.net/

    Another pet hate is "Call in our yiz are way back" Translation: "Call in on your way back"

    People when calling out an old registration used to say H aZed J 056 instead of HZJ 056, usually a Garda on Garda Patrol. (The aZoo also springs to mind)


    I really fukkin hate that aZed pronunciation thing-a-ma-jig.


  • #111
    alb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭alb


    Tweeter wrote: »
    Nobody has picked up on this one yet. Using euros and cents as plurals.

    E.g. 14 euros and 23 cents when of course it should be 14 euro 23 cent.

    Drives me up the fcuking wall that one.

    Actually the euro/cent plural issue is a bit hairy:

    "The European Commission Directorate-General for Translation's English Style Guide (A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission) states: "Like ‘pound’, ‘dollar’ or any other currency name in English, the word ‘euro’ is written in lower case with no initial capital and, where appropriate, takes the plural ‘s’ (as does ‘cent’): This book costs ten euros and fifty cents"

    from
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_issues_concerning_the_euro


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  • #112
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56,620 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    I always pronounce Z as Zed. I don't think that is in any way incorrect; just a persons choice
    as to how to pronounce!

    What about this one but:

    Tremendous; how is it that some folks see a J in this word and pronounce
    it tree men jus?

    Or the word Specific; when folks drop the S, it then is pronounced
    Pecific?


  • #113
    hullaballoo
    Administrators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,750 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭hullaballoo


    stovelid wrote: »
    Do you mean when it's used as a conjunct? I always thought it was OK:

    The cat, however, is an interesting animal.

    However; the cat is an interesting animal.

    I've picked up the habit of mostly using an Oxford comma before conjunctions, probably because of work. I always thought it was a matter of preference/locale, rather than incorrect grammar?
    It's an irony that people don't seem to have picked up on the fact that I was being super-pedantic about grammatical small-fries. I picked it up last year in college when we had a couple of classes devoted solely to the most irrelevant but very common grammatical 'errors'. I generally try to stick to whatever rules I can remember but sometimes habit gets the better of me.

    Personally, other people making mistakes doesn't bother me that much: once I can understand what they're saying (or trying to say), I don't mind. It really bugs me when I make blindingly obvious mistakes.

    There's also a rule on the internet (and probably elsewhere) that where you correct someone else's spelling or grammar, your post is bound to contain spelling and/or grammar errors.


  • #114
    shellyboo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,883 ✭✭✭shellyboo


    Tweeter wrote: »
    Nobody has picked up on this one yet. Using euros and cents as plurals.

    E.g. 14 euros and 23 cents when of course it should be 14 euro 23 cent.

    Drives me up the fcuking wall that one.
    alb wrote: »
    Actually the euro/cent plural issue is a bit hairy:

    "The European Commission Directorate-General for Translation's English Style Guide (A handbook for authors and translators in the European Commission) states: "Like ‘pound’, ‘dollar’ or any other currency name in English, the word ‘euro’ is written in lower case with no initial capital and, where appropriate, takes the plural ‘s’ (as does ‘cent’): This book costs ten euros and fifty cents"

    from
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_issues_concerning_the_euro

    The misuse of 'euros' bugs me, but by the same token, it baffles me why someone would INSERT an irregular plural into a language in this day and effing age. People have enough trouble learning English without the EU trying to confuse us all for the sake of uniformity across Europe.
    VERYinterested wrote: »
    I
    Another pet hate is "Call in our yiz are way back" Translation: "Call in on your way back"

    I'd always thought that was 'yisser', as in the possessive of the colloquial collective pronoun 'yis'... so, you (plural) = yis; your (plural) = yisser.

    I know it's still not proper English, but it makes some vague sense, even though it is slang! Something similar in ye/ye're.


  • #115
    pierrot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 634 ✭✭✭pierrot


    alb wrote: »
    Actually the euro/cent plural issue is a bit hairy:

    I know, I rarely have plural Euro anymore!


  • #116
    MIN2511
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,398 ✭✭✭MIN2511


    I hate when people say 'nut' or 'O' instead of ZERO!!!!!!


  • #117
    shellyboo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,883 ✭✭✭shellyboo


    hullaballú wrote: »
    There's also a rule on the internet (and probably elsewhere) that where you correct someone else's spelling or grammar, your post is bound to contain spelling and/or grammar errors.


    Murphy's Law :D


  • #118
    alb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭alb


    It's not a plain old grammatical error but the one that really drives me mad is the "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less".

    "I could care less" makes no sense in the context it is used. It broke my heart when Toby in the West Wing used it :( he was supposed to be a speech writer for the president ffs!

    Someone has written about it here. There's a related issue with "cheap at twice the price" turning into "Cheap at half the price".

    The really horrible thing is that if enough people get something wrong for long enough it is likely to become accepted. Language is always changing, so just wait for the day when your favourite error is officially part of the language :)


  • #119
    RubyXI
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,596 ✭✭✭RubyXI


    I got it off her

    instead of

    I got it from her.


  • #120
    ShooterSF
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,824 ✭✭✭ShooterSF


    Haven't read the whole topic (there has to be an acronym for that) but whats with people using "teh" is it on purpose?


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  • #121
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56,620 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    What about Bertie and his, "All is I'll say."


  • #122
    Smart Bug
    Registered Users Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭Smart Bug


    shellyboo wrote: »
    Murphy's Law :D


    Muphry's Law:

    "if you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written"


  • #123
    Sam Vimes
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    Alarums wrote: »
    "Loose" instead of "lose". The amount of people who make that mistake is astonishing.

    A friend of mine who is also on boards does this all the time. And what's worse is I've told him he's got it wrong and even taken the piss out of him for it but he continues to do it. I should be allowed to kill people

    Edit: I know you're not supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction so don't bother pointing it out :P


  • #124
    stovelid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,252 ✭✭✭✭stovelid


    hullaballú wrote: »
    However; the cat is an interesting animal.

    Or:

    I don't like dogs, however I like cats.

    I misunderstood you, sorry.

    hullaballú wrote: »

    Personally, other people making mistakes doesn't bother me that much: once I can understand what they're saying (or trying to say), I don't mind. It really bugs me when I make blindingly obvious mistakes.

    Agreed. Text-speak irritates me, but if I can understand somebody, I don't really point out errors unless I'm trying to wind them up. I obviously make my own too, especially when posting quickly.


  • #125
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56,620 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    Mislead instead of misled; "He mislead the police," no, "He misled the police."


  • #126
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,011 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    Tweeter wrote: »
    Nobody has picked up on this one yet. Using euros and cents as plurals.

    E.g. 14 euros and 23 cents when of course it should be 14 euro 23 cent.

    Drives me up the fcuking wall that one.
    I always say "euros" and "cents". It's a little protest. I will not allow the EU to decide on my pronunciation.

    I also use "kph" instead of the (IMO) retarded looking "km/h". It's another little protest which has been brought to my attention several times on motoring related forums.


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  • #127
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,011 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    "We played them last month and 'bet' them". :(


  • #128
    shellyboo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,883 ✭✭✭shellyboo


    Sam Vimes wrote: »
    Edit: I know you're not supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction so don't bother pointing it out :P


    This is the thing though... there's a difference between contravening some of the prescriptive grammatical "rules" and not being able to use effing punctuation or the English language properly. (You obviously can!)

    In college, I was taught that anything a native English speaker says is 'grammatical' in language terms, even if it's not in the Queen's English and conforming to arbitrary rules like the Oxford comma and 'don't start a sentence with a preposition'.

    Good spelling, punctuation and grammar are there to aid understanding - so basically, I couldn't give a monkey's which word you start a sentence with (oh no! Split infinitive!) as long as I can understand it.

    That's why niggles such as it's/its and they're/their/there annoy us so much, because they trip us up in the midst of a sentence and you have to go back and decipher them... whereas you'd never notice in a million years if there was an Oxford comma missing because it makes not one damn bit of difference to the meaning of the sentence.

    Whee, rant! I heart this thread.


  • #129
    VERYinterested
    Closed Accounts Posts: 923 ✭✭✭VERYinterested


    walshb wrote: »
    I always pronounce Z as Zed. I don't think that is in any way incorrect; just a persons choice
    as to how to pronounce!

    We were annoyed at people putting an A before Zed, H aZed J...


  • #130
    jobucks
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 801 ✭✭✭jobucks


    Honey-ec wrote: »
    Come back next month for their stationary sale...

    quote]


    Or Stationery or Stationry.... agghhhhhh


  • #131
    Smart Bug
    Registered Users Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭Smart Bug


    VERYinterested wrote: »
    We were annoyed at people putting an A before Zed, H aZed J...


    Aye, thar be the sooth. (I may have contracted piratitis unbeknownst to myself)

    Think of it - spell something out in your head using aZed (forgive the un-intentional rhyme there). It sounds fucking bizarre. Be-eye-aZed-a-arrrr-arrrr-ee.


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  • #132
    Alun
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21,487 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »
    I also use "kph" instead of the (IMO) retarded looking "km/h". It's another little protest which has been brought to my attention several times on motoring related forums.
    :D By me probably. I think that kph is the retarded form, since there's no such unit as the "k".


  • #133
    Turd Ferguson
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 4,193 ✭✭✭Turd Ferguson


    stovelid wrote: »
    I don't like dogs, however I like cats.


    I like turtles.


  • #134
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    All of them friends, all of them.

    Nothing roots out the chav or the skanger quicker than grammar.

    One can dodge duck and dive many things, one can gain qualifications and such, one can drive the top of the range models,but ,at the end of the day,grammar will out you.

    Thank God for that.


  • #135
    mandysmithers
    Closed Accounts Posts: 231 ✭✭mandysmithers


    I hate when people use "I" wrongly at the end of a sentence.

    eg. "I bought a drink for John & I."

    It should be "I bought a drink for John & me" - you wouldn't say "I bought a drink for I."

    It's usually people who think their grammar is perfect who say that, and it wrecks my ****ing head!!! :mad:

    And the whole 'could of' and 'should of' thing...when did that mistake come into popular speech? I don't ever remember that mistake being made while I was in school. A lot of people on here have said that they remember their teacher going over the correct usage of they/there/their -same here - but I don't ever remember a teacher explaining 'should of/have' to us.


  • #136
    hullaballoo
    Administrators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 18,750 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭hullaballoo


    mandysmithers wrote: »
    I hate when people use "I" wrongly at the end of a sentence.

    eg. "I bought a drink for John & I."

    It should be "I bought a drink for John & me" - you wouldn't say "I bought a drink for I."

    It's usually people who think their grammar is perfect who say that, and it wrecks my ****ing head!!! :mad:

    And the whole 'could of' and 'should of' thing...when did that mistake come into popular speech? I don't ever remember that mistake being made while I was in school. A lot of people on here have said that they remember their teacher going over the correct usage of they/there/their -same here - but I don't ever remember a teacher explaining 'should of/have' to us.
    You deserve to be put out by something so insignificant if you're miserly enough only to buy one drink between you and John.


  • #137
    mandysmithers
    Closed Accounts Posts: 231 ✭✭mandysmithers


    hullaballú wrote: »
    You deserve to be put out by something so insignificant if you're miserly enough only to buy one drink between you and John.

    This whole thread is about being put out by insignificant things!


    And I got two straws...so it was fine. :D


  • #138
    Terry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,061 ✭✭✭✭Terry


    Kold wrote: »
    I hate when 'an' is used before a word starting with a hard H.
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58077357
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58064421
    :pac:

    shellyboo wrote: »
    OMG, the very people that always make me have to look it up! Effing Noffla. Decide which one you're going to use!!
    Not the Americanisation.
    Alun wrote: »
    :D By me probably. I think that kph is the retarded form, since there's no such unit as the "k".
    Potassium?
    FlutterinBantam wrote: »
    All of them friends, all of them.

    Nothing roots out the chav or the skanger quicker than grammar.

    One can dodge duck and dive many things, one can gain qualifications and such, one can drive the top of the range models,but ,at the end of the day,grammar will out you.

    Thank God for that.
    :pac:


  • #139
    Mara Orange Stork
    Posts: 0 CMod ✭✭✭✭ Mara Orange Stork


    mandysmithers wrote: »
    I hate when people use "I" wrongly at the end of a sentence.

    eg. "I bought a drink for John & I."

    It should be "I bought a drink for John & me" - you wouldn't say "I bought a drink for I."

    It's usually people who think their grammar is perfect who say that, and it wrecks my ****ing head!!! :mad:

    And the whole 'could of' and 'should of' thing...when did that mistake come into popular speech? I don't ever remember that mistake being made while I was in school. A lot of people on here have said that they remember their teacher going over the correct usage of they/there/their -same here - but I don't ever remember a teacher explaining 'should of/have' to us.

    I'm half tempted to take up English teaching so I can drill that one into students' heads. Oh, and the been/being mistake. It's seriously p* me off at this stage - being lazy about pronouncing the "g" at the end of "being" is one thing, I do it myself, but converting it into a totally different word when writing ("been") is quite another.
    :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

    edit: oh wait no, should I say "been lazy about..." ?? ¬.¬


  • #140
    stovelid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,252 ✭✭✭✭stovelid


    Turd Ferguson wrote: »
    I like turtles.

    In a roman bath-house sense?


  • #141
    walshb
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 56,620 ✭✭✭✭walshb


    This example is probably a bit too pedantic, but using it's when you are writing
    about ones possessions; as in, it's coat, it's house etc

    It should be, its coat, its house

    The whole misuse and non-existence of apostrophes bugs me


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  • #142
    Kold
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,778 ✭✭✭✭Kold


    Terry wrote: »
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58077357
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=58064421
    :pac:
    Kold wrote:
    They aren't errors. They're memes. Learn to meme.

    Har >_< http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=an%20hero

    But well played nonetheless :pac:


  • #143
    mikemac
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19,986 ✭✭✭✭mikemac


    euros instead of euro
    Now say it in your best Moore St hawkers accent!

    It's not incorrect but I don't understand mpg.
    We buy fuel by the litre, well most of us are adjusted to kilometres. And nobody buys fuel by the gallon but it's used
    Stupid me, but I don't know how many litres in a gallon and then a US gallon is different again
    But it'll be here for another few decades


  • #144
    Smart Bug
    Registered Users Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭Smart Bug


    micmclo wrote: »
    euros instead of euro

    Now say it in your best Moore St hawkers accent!


    Strawbrerries!! 2 for 4 yew-ro-is!!


  • #145
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    walshb wrote: »
    This example is probably a bit too pedantic, but using it's when you are writing
    about ones possessions; as in, it's coat, it's house etc

    It should be, its coat, its house

    The whole misuse and non-existence of apostrophes bugs me


    examples ??


  • #146
    pierrot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 634 ✭✭✭pierrot


    10 tomato's for a pound


  • #147
    FlutterinBantam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,575 ✭✭✭✭FlutterinBantam


    That's a plural not a possessive


  • #148
    pierrot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 634 ✭✭✭pierrot


    actually i prefer 10 tomatoe's for a pound. I've seen various incarnations of the tomato shambles in different butcher shops


  • #149
    ronnie3585
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,675 ✭✭✭ronnie3585


    I can't stand the so called 'soft t', i.e. when people pronounce Saturday 'Saherday' or Natalie 'Nahalie'. One of the weathermen on RTE always does it, grinds my gears!


  • #150
    ChocolateSauce
    Registered Users Posts: 2,892 ✭✭✭ChocolateSauce


    I hate when people use "presently" when they should say "currently".

    Like, "I'm presently in the hospital". Presently means "in the near future", like "I'll be in the hospital presently".

    Grr....:mad::mad::mad: Even my LC English teacher got this wrong.


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  • #151
    pierrot
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 634 ✭✭✭pierrot


    ChocolateSauce wrote: »
    I hate when people use "presently" when they should say "currently".

    Like, "I'm presently in the hospital". Presently means "in the near future", like "I'll be in the hospital presently".

    Grr....:mad::mad::mad: Even my LC English teacher got this wrong.

    I love it, another one to look out for.


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