grammar pet peeves.

Quote:

Originally posted by jaysurfer

It really annoys me how Americans use English but decided at some point along the way that they knew best and would change words to suit them like words that should have an S and use a Z instead...

Like when choosing a language in PC programs and you have a choice of English (UK) or English (US).... there is only one English!!!

If you're going to speak English then speak it correctly!

First off, this has nothing to do with grammar. It's called language evolution. We even have a separate dictionary called the American English dictionary. If you don't like it don't buy our computers or software. Secondly you spoke of spelling differences and then complained of speaking differently. The words that are spelled differently all have the same phonetics so technically they sound the same when pronounced. And really, how can you complain how we speak. Have you even been to the UK? I went over there a few years back and couldn't understand half of the shit coming out of peoples mouths. It's like every morning they jam a handful of peanut butter in their mouths and talk like that all day. I felt like I needed an interpreter just to understand. Then I got drunk, and it was like the fog of war had lifted and I was kind of finally able to understand.

Quote:

Originally posted by Tarquin

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Plead in this case, does not mean to "beg and plead." Therefore, "pled" is the incorrect term.

It's like "Highlighting."

"He highlit that sentence in his book." - No. He "highlighted" that sentence in his book.

He will plead guilty. He has pleaded guilty. He will highlight my book. He has highlighted my book.

"Pleaded" is the correct past-tense for "he pleaded guilty."

Hanged is also correct. People are hanged. Items are hung. Last night when that man died, it wasn't because he hung himself, it was because he hanged himself.

"Pleaded and hanged" in these cases is being used properly. Both of these are grammatically correct.

1 point for Tarqin.

Pleaded and hanged are correct.

(Although I've seen it argued that 'pled' is also correct, likely because idiots have so often incorrectly used "pled" that it's become acceptable - sort of like the nonsensical "I could care less." )

http://www.cjr.org/resources/lc/pleadguilty.php

Thanks, Eric.

Quote:

Originally posted by ogrepuppy

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Bzzzzt. It is a contraction.

[ Link ]

Actually, no. It's not. "Sayin'" isn't a contraction.

In fact, it's not even a real word.

Just because something is shortened with an apostrophe doesn't mean it's a contraction, nor does it make it a real word.

"Ain't" is a good example, where until a few years ago, it wasn't even a word, much less a contraction. Even now it has only entered the English lexicon begrudgingly.

Sayin' ain't a contraction. Shit man, it ain't even a word.

Holy crap this is a lot of grammar talk for a pron website...

While I tend to be a bit persnickety about language, I also try to remind myself of this from time to time:

[youtube]J7E-aoXLZGY[/youtube]

Quote:

Originally posted by EricLindros

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1 point for Tarqin.

[ Link ]

Haha that was my exact thought after reading those posts. Way to go, Tarquin. :P


My biggest pet peeve is when people use "good" and "well" incorrectly.

I also hate when people say "Yea, i seen that movie." You either "saw that movie" or you "have seen that movie"

The whole new world of texting lingo really bothers me, too. I don't want to open a text message to see, "Yo, C, wats^ I cn meet w u in 10 n then idk, maybe we cn like chill or sumthin lol" ...IN ENGLISH, PLEASE!

"lol" really does bother me. If you are actually laughing out loud, and would like to express that, then why not just type "haha"'

...
Lastly,

too, to, two
their, they're, there



and El, I'm with you on "I could care less" Is it really that difficult to put the extra "n't" on the end of "could" so that what you are saying actually makes sense?

now, I do not follow all of the rules of sentence structure when writing on blogs and in text messages and such, which may bother some? And I don't mind when others don't follow all of the proper rules, however I think it is easy to determine between people who know the rules and omit some from time to time in the proper context and people who simply do not know the rules, and/or find it easier to not use them...

Quote:

Originally posted by cog

[ Image ]

well, there's one right there; You convince OF, you persuade TO.

Quote:

Originally posted by EricLindros

"I could care less."

Irritating as hell.

Quote:

Originally posted by FamilyGuy

Holy crap this is a lot of grammar talk for a pron website...

True, but we can look at the porn anytime we want.

When we get the chance to slam our fellow human beings for being idiots, well that doesn't happen every day . . . oh, wait . . . never mind.

The misuse of "less" and "fewer" also bothers me from time to time.

Fewer is used with counting nouns, less with mass nouns (with a few exceptions)

Im hearing a lot of people over here saying 'anythink' and 'somethink'.

Fucking annoying!

Quote:

Originally posted by 3holein1

Demodad68, don't you mean "you" rather than ya?

Yes I meant "you" but I put "ya" on purpose

Quote:

Originally posted by ramsann

one of mine is when people say 'pix'. or when they say.. "i seen." NO. you SAW. lol!

what is your biggest grammar pet peeve?

Not capitalizing the start of a sentence.
Seriously though, this thread would be a moot point if everyone went to a Catholic School as a kid like...me...and learned the Palmer Method and diagramming sentences. 36" of hardwood across the hand and backside has a way to instilling the proper virtues of grammar in young minds.

i don't capitalize anything. and i don't care.

Quote:

Originally posted by rower41

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Not capitalizing the start of a sentence.
Seriously though, this thread would be a moot point if everyone went to a Catholic School as a kid like...me...and learned the Palmer Method and diagramming sentences. 36" of hardwood across the hand and backside has a way to instilling the proper virtues of grammar in young minds.

Didn't work for me, I couldn't diagram a sentence if I were to be threatened with not having sex again in my entire life...

Or if someone put a gun to my head

Quote:

Originally posted by ramsann

i don't capitalize anything. and i don't care.

and maybe not punctuate properly. as long as you get your message across, who cares??? not everyone is a grammar standout. doesn't mean they don't have something to say.

Az

Did you guys know that there's a grammatical error in the US Constitution?



Art. I, sec. 10, of the U.S. Constitution: "No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection laws"

Quote:

Originally posted by EricLindros

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1 point for Tarqin.

Pleaded and hanged are correct.

(Although I've seen it argued that 'pled' is also correct, likely because idiots have so often incorrectly used "pled" that it's become acceptable - sort of like the nonsensical "I could care less." )

[ Link ]

Dont agree at all. 20 years ago they taught what I wrote. Not any longer. You see major newspapers use pleaded. I cornered an English teacher and she agreed with my conjugation. Few people do though. So you are correct in the sense that language drives dictionaries, dictionaries dont drive language.

So it will likely soon be taught that pleaded is the correct past tense of plead. It is not. A 'hung' jury. He was hung. Not he was hanged. The term 'hung jury' is old and stuck b/c its a legal term. However writers say hanged. It was hung up. Not it was hanged up.

Not ending a sentence with a preposition is a bit of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.

( one of my fave variations of a line often mistakenly credited to Winston Churchill)

Now, where was I at?

Quote:

Originally posted by mal

Improper conjugation which even major newspapers now use.

"He pleaded guilty" NO its 'he pled guilty'.

No shit!!! I see that all the time and think "Where did these people learn to write?"

(if Tarquin is right, just throw me on the short bus) ... and whilst I'm mentioning the great Winston Churchill, remember................ American English is a helluva lot better than German!