Grammar Peeves

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

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?

Hmmm. I thought one would be far more likely to mis-pronounce it "Pissburgh."

[Eireann]

Maggie got there ahead of me - yes, it is as she said. "Desert", in this context, is pronounced as "deserve", only without the final "ve".

Oh, and one that I just HATE:

"I'm, like, ..."

This is only appropriate when you are comparing yourself to someone or something else.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Was just skimming the last 5 pages so I don't know if anyone's mentioned this: People who use "whom" because they clearly think it makes them sound smart...they almost invariably use it wrong.

[MoonCat]

Using the word "repeat" with the word "again." As in, "please repeat that again." Arrghhh.....

If you repeat something, you are by definition saying it again.

Also, I hate when people say "3 AM in the morning...." Well, DUH, there's no 3 AM in the afternoon or the evening, is there??

[MaggieTheCat]

Oh, and one that I just HATE:

"I'm, like, ..."

This is only appropriate when you are comparing yourself to someone or something else.

I will admit to being guilty of this. I probably use "like" way more than is appropriate when I'm actually speaking. I don't think it's quite valley-girl level, but it's probably still inappropriate.

[ArcticChicken]

"PIN number" hate hate hate hate hate

[firecat88]

Was just skimming the last 5 pages so I don't know if anyone's mentioned this: People who use "whom" because they clearly think it makes them sound smart...they almost invariably use it wrong.

Don't forget the people who use 'wherefore' to try to sound smart, but ultimately end up using it wrong. I've seen it happen, and it's annoying. For the last fracking time, people, wherefore =/= where.

[BrenDAnn]

"PIN number" hate hate hate hate hate

On a related and equally aggravating note: ATM machine. Why? Automatic teller machine machine? It doesn't make sense!

Don't forget the people who use 'wherefore' to try to sound smart, but ultimately end up using it wrong. I've seen it happen, and it's annoying. For the last fracking time, people, wherefore =/= where.

You're right. Wherefore actually means why, if I recall my Shakespearean language correctly. When Juliet said, "Wherefore art thou Romeo?" she was not asking where he was. She was lamenting over WHY he had to be a Montague. She was lamenting the fact that he was from the one family that her family hated more than any other. So yeas, firecat88, I agree with you. Whoever uses wherefore as where needs to stop. Now.

[Eireann]

"I have a friend of mine..."

Oh, really? You don't have a friend who really belongs to someone else?

And MoonCat, the song "Moonlight Shadow" commits that error. "4 a.m. in the morning..." I want to write to Mike Oldfield and point it out, but I'm sure many other people have done it already.

[Ree]

Also, people who (see what I did there? not "people that...") think that when referring to yourself and another person, you ALWAYS use "and I." Not true in every situation. To know whether to use "I" or "me", take out the other person's name and see how it sounds:

Jane and I are going to go to the store. That's correct, because if you took out Jane, you'd say "I am going to go to the store."

Along with that one, misuse of the words "myself" and "yourself".

There is nothing wrong with saying "me" and "you".

I don't know where this trend started, but it's really out of hand. When someone uses a "self" pronoun where a simple pronoun is called for, it is almost always because he mistakenly thinks the reflexive form sounds more intelligent or classy. It doesn't.

I hear interviews on TV with supposedly intelligent people and they will say something like, "...between the committee and myself..." instead of just saying, "...between the committee and me..."

My boss uses it all the time.
"If you have any questions about this new sales promo, see Mary or myself."
"I have cut back the schedule so that the only people here to close will be John and yourself."

He wouldn't say, "See myself about this," or "Yourself will be closing."

I will hear someone ask, "How are you?" and the answer will be, "I'm fine, and yourself?"
You wouldn't ask, "How are yourself?" which is pretty much what the person is asking in reply.

"Myself" is a reflexive pronoun, as are "himself", "herself", "yourself", "itself", "ourselves", and "themselves".
That means it is used when the subject and object of the sentence are the same.

"I prefer coffee, myself."
"I did it for myself."

[Cookie]

Just thought of another one. The use of "There's" when it should be "There are" because what you're dealing with it plural.

Examples:

There's some oranges. = wrong
There are some oranges. = right

You wouldn't say "There is some oranges."

[Food Lady]

You wouldn't say, "There is some oranges."

Some people would....

[Ree]

Some people would....

I laughed right out loud at that.
It struck me as funny. (I work with people who say that, actually.)

[Food Lady]

Hee--that was the point of it.

[FormerCallingCardRep]

One I hear a lot and gets to me all the time is MSDS Sheets.