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  • #31
    your/you're
    lose/loose
    there/their/they're
    principle/principal

    I cannot believe how many people do not know how to use those words correctly.

    And "a lot" is two words!
    I question my sanity every day. Sometimes it answers.

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    • #32
      All of the above.
      "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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      • #33
        Quoth Eireann View Post
        Improper use of apostrophes.
        In addition to your examples, the apostrophe also indicates possession and can be used with either the singular or the plural form.

        Panacea's= belongs to Panacea.

        Panaceas= more than one Panacea [plural form of Panacea]

        Panaceas'= belongs to more than one Panacea or to a group of Panaceas.

        Strunk and White's Elements of Style was required reading for me in my BA program in History. I still own my copy; it is the best book on writing I have ever read.
        They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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        • #34
          Quoth firecat88 View Post
          1) People who use the word 'literally' when they mean 'figuratively'.
          I used to think that 'literally' meant 'figuratively' because I'd only heard it misused.
          The High Priest is an Illusion!

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          • #35
            I hate all of the above listed...lose/loose being my number one hate. I'm soooo sick of people saying "I don't want to loose that thing".....GAHHHHHH. I also hate when people don't call things by their correct names...taters being an example.

            But another one I hate that I see/hear all the time ...in JOURNALISM! is when they say "this movie/book/whatever is entitled blah blah blah" The correct usage, which I learned in journalism class, is "this movie is titled blah" Entitled means something completely different, as in entitlement whore
            https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
            Great YouTube channel check it out!

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            • #36
              Quoth Eireann View Post
              "Sherbert" instead of the proper word, sherbet.

              Bet bet bet bet bet. NOT bert. Bet. Sure, Burt. No.

              Sherbet. Sherbet. Sherbet.
              I'd be willing to bet the mispronunciation came first (though I've never found any etymological evidence of it) since the word was originally Arabic before it entered English. It shares the same roots with words like Syrup and Shrub (which all com from Arabic) and are all types of drinks. Since it is rare for English to not repeat consonant sounds the insert happens since our brains just want to put it in there even though it's not there.

              Interestingly enough the OED and many many other dictionaries list the -bert ending as an acceptable alternative spelling.
              Last edited by Chanlin; 01-31-2012, 07:20 PM.

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              • #37
                Quoth telecom_goddess View Post
                I hate all of the above listed...lose/loose being my number one hate. I'm soooo sick of people saying "I don't want to loose that thing".....GAHHHHHH. I also hate when people don't call things by their correct names...taters being an example. But another one I hate that I see/hear all the time ...in JOURNALISM! is when they say "this movie/book/whatever is entitled blah blah blah" The correct usage, which I learned in journalism class, is "this movie is titled blah" Entitled means something completely different, as in entitlement whore
                The lose/loose thing drives me nuts. And as for entitled books: maybe they want to be put on a higher shelf than all the other books?
                "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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                • #38
                  Mine comes from WoW - when you are looking to build a group, you are looking for a Rogue not a Rouge. I'm sure you would look lovely in blusher but it won't help you take down that boss.
                  As soon as I start thinking
                  That I'm sensible and sane
                  The Random Hedgehog comes along
                  And fiddles with my Brain
                  (from card I got)

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                  • #39
                    Much to my surprise, it is "just deserts", NOT "just desserts". In other words, you are getting what you deserve. I discovered that one a few years ago, and just happened to think of it now.

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                    • #40
                      Around here, we have the tools who insist on ending every sentence with "you know what I'm sayin'?" No asshole, I *don't* know what you're saying. You sound like you have marbles in your mouth. Oh, and quit calling the city "Picksburg" while you're at it. Mainly, because the city's name is "Pittsburgh." Do you see a fucking C or K in it?

                      What can I say...other than I went to a Catholic grade school, and proper spelling and speech was drilled into us.
                      Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines. --Enzo Ferrari

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                      • #41
                        Quoth Food Lady View Post
                        The lose/loose thing drives me nuts. And as for entitled books: maybe they want to be put on a higher shelf than all the other books?
                        I hadn't thought of that!

                        Speaking of pronunciations it drives me crazy when someone calls a picture a "pitcher". Yes there are pitchers to hold liquids...but pictures are what go in frames, on the wall etc.

                        Or when jewelry gets pronounced "joolery" or nuclear is pronounced "nukular"
                        https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
                        Great YouTube channel check it out!

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                        • #42
                          To slow or stop a car, one steps on the brakes, not the "breaks." If I was "breaking hard" during an accident, it would mean multiple fractures!

                          Those who... overuse... ellipses... or... substitute them... for punctuation...

                          Someone has already mentioned the delightful "Nome-zayn?"

                          "Seriously" and "really" used as expletives. I'd rather hear the f-bomb. (see below)

                          The overuse of the f-bomb. (I include myself, here.) It shows such a lack of creativity, and such a lack of class. We can do better. DIAF has a lot more punch than FOAD.

                          If you can't be bothered to use capitalization or punctuation when you write, please please please please (you should be picturing the Godfather of Soul*) double space between your sentences. That way the rest of us have some chance of understanding it.

                          *[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgyotG1mtN4"]
                          I don’t have enough middle fingers to show you how I feel about you.
                          - Twitter, via Boredpanda.com, via Youtube

                          Right. Well. When you manage to pull the concussed deer of your intellect away from the oncoming headlights of life let me know. - Grave keeper

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                          • #43
                            Quoth MoonCat View Post
                            Our friends had a beautiful orange/white cat named....Bert. Short for....Sherbert. Arrgh.
                            To be fair, when it comes to NAMES, there is no correct or incorrect, as you can name something or someone whatever the hell you want to. Which is why two of my nieces have very novel spellings of their names.

                            That being said, it was only very recently (a few years ago) that I realized that the ice cream-like dessert in question was NOT spelled with two r's. This despite my very first job, at the age of 16, being in an ice cream parlor, where we sold loads of sherbet.

                            You'd think I might have noticed....

                            Quoth Eireann View Post
                            Much to my surprise, it is "just deserts", NOT "just desserts". In other words, you are getting what you deserve. I discovered that one a few years ago, and just happened to think of it now.
                            Are you sure about this? Because honestly, that makes no sense. "Just deserts" with only one s would be pronounced differently, and would make it sound like you were talking about an arid climate (as in where I'm from), rather than the way we all pronounce it, as in a tasty dish following a meal.

                            I don't get it.

                            Quoth paxillated View Post
                            The overuse of the f-bomb.
                            FUCK AN A!

                            Sorry, couldn't resist!

                            "The Customer Is Always Right...But The Bartender Decides Who Is
                            Still A Customer."

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                            • #44
                              Quoth Jester View Post
                              Are you sure about this? Because honestly, that makes no sense. "Just deserts" with only one s would be pronounced differently, and would make it sound like you were talking about an arid climate (as in where I'm from), rather than the way we all pronounce it, as in a tasty dish following a meal.

                              I don't get it.
                              I was curious about this too, so I did a little research. Turns out "desert" has multiple meanings; it can mean an arid climate, as you were describing, but it can also mean "deserving." Thus, "Just Deserts" means "justly deserving (a reward or punishment)" or, in other words, a reward or punishment that someone deserves based on their actions. When used in this context, "deserts" is pronounced the same as "desserts."

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                              • #45
                                I worked with a woman who didn't know the difference between "when" and "whenever." For example, she'd say something like, "Whenever I was born..." Really? You were born more than once?

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