TJ - fire road is easier to say than 'forestry road'. That's why I use it.

"More that" rather than "more than". It seems to have crept in over the last decade. Is it an Americanism? Makes me grimace every time I see it 😕

1980's instead of 1980s

I read an undergrad essay the other day which referenced the 1984 Minor's strike - annoying, but pretty funny imagining one child trying to resist Thatcher's union breaking.

molgrips - its easier to eat with fingers than cutlery but it doesn't make it right.

You need to all go out and ride your bikes or get laid (or both).

edit: TJ - I take your point but as mountain biking orginated in the USA then you can appreciate why it's an accepted term.

Aye, and where I'm from, they ARE fire breaks which became adopted as roads. So I am allowed to say that.

And moaning about Americanisms is a bit rich from the nation that refers to "semi-detached" houses. Save us... It's half a house. If anything it's "semi-attached".

people using less instead of fewer - is the one i'm usually vocal about

but when people fall fowl of RAS syndrome, or tautology or pleonasm I just tend to cringe

molgrips - its easier to eat with fingers than cutlery but it doesn't make it right

It's not.

And you're just being a buttplug now. Stoppit.

And you're just being a buttplug now.

I think you will find that is a butt plug but 'LOL' nonetheless.
😆

oink - Member
people using less instead of fewer - is the one i'm usually vocal about

but when people fall fowl...

Foul. Fowl has feathers.

I read an undergrad essay the other day which referenced the 1984 Minor's strike

Fantastic.

but when people fall fowl of RAS syndrome, or tautology or pleonasm I just tend to cringe

Fall [i]foul.[/i]

Mostly, I adore pleonasms, I think they're opportunities for some comedy gold. "I'll be back in just a brief minute" - well, that's alright then, so long as it's not one of those long minutes, they take forever.

i dont care about spelling or written words so much, I spend so much time writing code that has to be perfect that i liek to not concentrate so much when i'm just typing out shite like this (especially in an informal environment) - if it sounds/looks similar to what it is and people get the gist it doesnt matter to me - it can also be re-read so you can make sure what was written, was meant. with the spoken word, that isnt available, so accuracy is more important

ac·ro·nym? ?
[ak-ruh-nim]
–noun
1.
a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words, as Wac from Women's army Corps, OPEC from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or loran from long-range navigation.

American Psychological Association (APA):
acronym. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acronym
Chicago Manual Style (CMS):
acronym. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acronym <(accessed: March 25, 2011).
Modern Language Association (MLA):
"acronym." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 25 Mar. 2011. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acronym>.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):
Dictionary.com, "acronym," in Dictionary.com Unabridged. Source location: Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acronym. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: March 25, 2011.

In Glaswegian it is "san[b]g[/b]widgies", which I quite like the ring of.

Oops! Split infinitive I think. "...Of which I quite like the ring" more correct, perhaps?

People that use 'spot' instead of 'point'

i.e. 1spot25 instead of 1point25

REALLY annoys me!!!!!!

Dibbs > we're discussing English, there's little relevance in citing American reference texts.

people that use 'spot' instead of 'point'

i.e. 1spot25 instead of 1point25

REALLY annoys me!!!!!!

I've heard, on more than one occasion, a URL being read out as "aitch tee tee pee double-dot..."

people who dont start setneces with capitals use apostrafees orcheck there speeling

v annoyin

Right! Here is my chance....

When people write the word 'loose' when they really mean 'lose'.
That really effing annoys me.
Does it make me a 'looser'*? Maybe in the eyes of some, but I don't care because at least I am literate. They are not.

*played for laughs

I'm useless with punctuation, grammar and use of commas, semi-colons, etc. If I notice other people's mistakes I don't mind, not everyone paid attention in class.

What does annoy me is when you read a professional piece and notice mistakes.

I do love it when (predominantly) men on the internet get all hissy about the apparent failings of others in their communication, especially when they get overwrought by "Americanisms".

As if somehow the middlebrow has the monopoly on language, its development and use.

When people write the word 'loose' when they really mean 'lose'.

+1 to that.

I do love it when (predominantly) men on the internet get all hissy about the apparent failings of others in their communication, especially when they get overwrought by "Americanisms".

If that's directed at me, I point out Americanisms by way of making conversation, I certainly don't get 'hissy' about it. I suppose I consider it a different language, so saying "that's an Americanism" is akin to saying "that's from Latin" and so on. My comment to Dibbs wasn't saying that American English is "wrong," just that it's not appropriate to use American sources as guides for British English.

"acronym". The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1991), Oxford University Press. p. 12: "a word, usu[ally] pronounced as such, formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. Ernie, laser, Nato)".

Is that "English" enough for you?

Is any of this really that annoying? Really?

If that's directed at me

Not specifically, no.

s that "English" enough for you?

Absolutely (-:

Is any of this really that annoying? Really?

"Annoying" is probably the wrong word. Irritating? Frustrating?

Not specifically, no.

Fair do's.

"Different tact" has an irrationally massive effect on me.

Fair do's.

The word "no" being used as a question tag. OK in Spanish, not OK in English!

Affect / effect is another. Two wildly different words that I've never, ever had a problem with confusing, or even known that anyone else did, up until the Internet

I'll put my hand up to that one. I struggle with these.

[url= http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/page/affecteffect ]OED simplify it like this[/url]:
[b]affect[/b] is [i]"to influence or make a difference to"[/i],
[b]effect[/b] is [i]"to bring something about as a result"[/i].

which are fairly similar definitions.

And then you get into all the other definitions:

[i]affect[/i] v.
have an effect on; make a difference to
touch the feelings of; move emotionally
pretend to have or feel (something)
use, wear, or assume (something) pretentiously or so as to make an impression on others
emotion or desire as influencing behaviour.

[i]effect[/i] v.
cause (something) to happen; bring about

[i]effect[/i] n.
a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause
an impression produced in the mind of a person
the lighting, sound, or scenery used in a play, film, or broadcast
personal belongings

In effect, you may effectively affect affection for effect. To the effect that I am affected. But that effect does not affect my effects.

I think.

I got lost on the first page,as I think I grow potatoes,but according to saxonrider I cultivate or nurture them.Where did the language go wrong?
Ian

I got lost on the first page,as I think I grow potatoes,but according to saxonrider I cultivate or nurture them.Where did the language go wrong?

Your problem is, you're stuck in a rut.

In effect, you may effectively affect affection for effect. To the effect that I am affected. But that effect does not affect my effects.

*applauds*

The word "no" being used as a question tag. OK in Spanish, not OK in English!

It's ok in some situations, n'est-ce pas?

Cougar,I'm not convinced by your comma in that sentence.
Ian

It's ok in some situations, n'est-ce pas?

When?

I suspect that the rate of change of English usage,and hence grammar,is catching you out.Just because you don't like a usage or construction,doesn't mean it's wrong.The great strength of English as a language is its flexibility,and this includes the ability to absorb not only vocabulary,but also structure.Moan on,it amuses the rest of us greatly.
Ian

I suspect that the rate of change of English usage,and hence grammar,is catching you out.Just because you don't like a usage or construction,doesn't mean it's wrong.The great strength of English as a language is its flexibility,and this includes the ability to absorb not only vocabulary,but also structure.Moan on,it amuses the rest of us greatly.

And a great excuse when the grammar isn't used correctly, no?

Si ,mon brave.
Ian

Grammarians seem to have lost sight of the essential function of language,which AFAAIK is to clearly transmit information between people.If this is successfully managed by using "foreign" usage,then as long as the transmission of information is successful,who cares.
Ian
P.S. Just because you don't like it,doesn't make it wrong,and I'm still growing potatoes,like the rest of the normal people.

You are Dr Zamenhof and I claim my 5,00€!

My pet hate is the use of disinterested when the word should be uninterested, disinterested means unbiased, not swayed by outside influences.

Grammarians seem to have lost sight of the essential function of language,which AFAAIK is to clearly transmit information between people.

And but like I defiantly agree, but you must except you can gleam some pacific example's hear were they're claritys lost, no?

Crikey, Mastiles, opened a can of worms here! I have found myself correcting random people when they say "them" when they should correctly say "those" and "can I get a ..." instead of "please may I have". Nooo...please no!

I absolutely love using "what" instead of "that" to wind people up.

My biggest day to day bugbear is the number of people who've been through education, even to degree level, and can't express themselves in a concise and clear manner.

The second one is the misuse of "percent" when the speaker actually means "percentage points". If you can't get that one right, don't even bother trying to produce or interpret statistics.

Can we have thee and thou returned to their proper usage please?

In Glaswegian it is "sangwidgies", which I quite like the ring of.

Oops! Split infinitive I think. "...Of which I quite like the ring" more correct, perhaps?

My pet hate is the use of disinterested when the word should be uninterested, disinterested means unbiased, not swayed by outside influences.

[b]disinterested[/b] [i]adjective[/i]
[list][*][b]1. [/b]not influenced by considerations of personal advantage:
[i]a banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice[/i][/*]
[*][b]2. [/b][u]having or feeling no interest in something; uninterested[/u]:
[i]her father was so disinterested in her progress that he only visited the school once[/i][/*][/list]

-- http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_gb0231200

Can we have thee and thou returned to their proper usage please?

Simply move to Yorkshire.

Tha knows it

Adding the last word of an acronym into a sentence ie The GMT time is

People that don't know what an acronym is. 🙄

People that don't know when to use i.e. and when to use e.g. 🙄

Redundant "it" there,TJ

People that don't know when to use i.e. and when to use e.g.

e.g. means 'for example

i.e. means 'that is to say'

Very different meanings.

e.g. means 'for example
i.e. means 'that is to say'

Yep remember it as, ie-xplain and eg-sample.

Use of the word horrorshow, or even worse, horror show, to mean something bad or unpleasant.

It makes the user look stupid, as the original meaning is the complete opposite.
Anyone who uses Nadsat without being able to prove ownership of the book in question should be whipped in the street.

The use of swap out by anyone but an American should be dealt with in the same manner.

Rusty Spanner - Member

Use of the word horrorshow, or even worse, horror show, to mean something bad or unpleasant.

It makes the user look stupid, as the original meaning is the complete opposite.

Clockwork Orange was hardly the first place the term was used. Are you really assuming that they're trying to use nadsat, rather than using it as a simple description? That does strike me as ironic- complaining that their correct use of the real english language contradicts its use in a made up language which in turn was a corruption of russian.

Unless this was a joke of course

People, especially those in the media, who incorrectly pronounce 'privacy' and/or 'controversy'. I'm not even sure why they pronounce them wrong, is it to appease the Americans?

People who misuse the words surreal, pedant(ry) or pedantic,who from their usage of the word obviously have no idea of what the correct definition is.

Is "horrorshow" from clockwork orange not used to describe something they liked?

TandemJeremy - Member
Is "horrorshow" from clockwork orange not used to describe something they liked?

Yes, but they liked some pretty awful stuff to be fair.

And Tucker, I always thought that the stress in the word 'controversy' could go on either the first or second syllable.

Just as an aside, my wife is a speech therapist and she never tries to stop patients from using colloquialisms, or using local words / pronunciations.

"acronym". The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (1991), Oxford University Press. p. 12: "a word, usu[ally] pronounced as such, formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g. Ernie, laser, Nato)".

Is that "English" enough for you?

Yes, and it supports what I originally pointed out, that 'GMT' is not an acronym, but an initialism. STRICTLY speaking of course... 😉

Surely GMT is an acronym?

You are thinking of abbreviation.

Northwind, bet you can't find a pre ACO usage of horrorshow. 🙂
Willing to be proved wrong though - might have been a corruption used by returning soldiers or by people adapting it from the speech of Russian immigrants.

And no I'm not joking, it really annoys me!

Surely GMT is an acronym?

You are thinking of abbreviation.

No - see the definition on Wikipedia that I linked to earlier! I'm being overly pedantic for this thread only, but strictly speaking an acronym would be RADAR, SCUBA, PIN etc. and an initialism would be GMT, HTML etc. They are both abbreviations.

That said people often tend to call any abbreviation 'acronym'.

Wouldn't know where to start looking tbh, though I don't know why you'd doubt that the term might be used to describe, well, horror shows. A lot more plausible than the idea that everyone who uses the term differently is trying to do a reference to Clockwork Orange and getting it wrong. It's just a totally different use.

Usage, signage, utalise - usually ustalised in the wrong context.

At least once a day I have to correct "PC's".

I think you'll find that [i]PC's[/i] can be considered correct as the apostrophe is used in this context to indicate the C as an abbreviation for computer.

Happy to help 😀

Regarding Tron's reference to percent, a few years ago the government claimed that they had only increased national insurance by 1% as it went from 10% to 11%.
I make that an increase of 10%.

There was also a government radio advertising campaign about mis sold pensions or something, which warned that "Some people may have been cheated out of up to £10 000 or more".
That sentence alone contains up to three or more misleading statements.

And Tucker, I always thought that the stress in the word 'controversy' could go on either the first or second syllable.

Interesting. I was always taught first only. And a quick Google turns [url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8305645/The-conTROversy-over-changing-pronunciations.html ]this up.[/url]

Might be an age thing? I'm 46.

I'm being overly pedantic for this thread only, but strictly speaking an acronym would be RADAR, SCUBA, PIN etc. and an initialism would be GMT, HTML etc.

That's not being pedantic. Words that made up of initials already have a name as you've correctly pointed out, the [i]whole point[/i] about acronyms is that they form a pronounceable word.

I think you'll find that PC's can be considered correct as the apostrophe is used in this context to indicate the C as an abbreviation for computer.

IIRC, it's also permissible when the absence of the apostrophe would make the resulting word confusing. PC's would be borderline here perhaps.