Let’s Be Clear Now. First, spelling is important. If you’re a author, or getting paid to write a book, I’m going to have higher expectations for you. I expect you to know how to spell basic words. I’ll provide a list.
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I am bored, because there is nothing to do. I am never board, because that would be physically impossible. Nor would it make sense. However, I could be boarding someone, boarded, or be boarding up a room. You might have played the game “light as a feather, stiff as a board” as a child. Notice you’re stiff AS a board. Not a board. Or if you were, maybe all those demonic mumblings and rumblings were true… 😛 . You offer someone congratulations. Or shorten it with “congrats.” Never in your life should you say (or write) “congrads.” It not only makes me think of the word “gonads,” but also know that you’re wrong. . Don’t be racist. (Ok so that isn’t a word you need to learn how to spell, but seriously. Don’t be ignorant. I’m going to think you’re a fool, and generally not a really great person.) |
Please know the difference between “too” and “to.” I have an opinion too. I am going to post this pondering and share it. Got that?
I know I mess up sometimes. I know my grammar is abysmal. Seriously. I don’t know grammar in any of the three languages in which I had to study/ do intensive grammar exercises. I also have dangling participles, prepositions, or whatever the hell else. I also had a mortifying experience where I typo’d the number of letters in the alphabet. I grew up with two alphabets as it were, one with 37 components, and one with 26. I pretty much learned to two concurrently, but it still doesn’t excuse me for saying the English alphabet has 27 characters. Don’t worry, I was seriously mocked. I can now look at it wryly, but I was really upset and mortified at the time. Er, also I obviously love sentence fragments. Oftentimes I post the way I speak. I assure you, I’m vastly entertaining. 
| There is a difference between the words “there” “they’re” and “their.” Learn it, love it. (And please don’t even mix tier in with those words.) . “Ain’t” isn’t a word. “A lot” is two different words. . You passed the ball. You passed the street. You did not pasted the house. You did not past the street. You may go past something, but you did not past it. You may have pasted the two sheets of paper together, as in you took paste (glue) and adhered two separate items together. However, you did not glue yourself to [the house]. Thanks. . I will allow the use of “kneeled” – although I generally prefer “knelt.” The same goes with “leaped” and “leapt” though this is more open. “He leaped after the ball” is fine. |
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Personally, I *hate* the excessive use of “I’ll not” in erotic romances. I actually get angry. Yes I do. I think the next time I hear someone, in real life, use the phrase naturally, I’ll give them a dollar. Honest – I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say “I’ll not” in real life. Ever. (Obviously, this precludes all future internet usage because I’ll know, or at least think you saw this post. And notice I don’t dislike the use of “I’ll” – I don’t like “I’ll not.”)
Do a quick study between the words “affect” and “effect.” I realize that at times they honestly are properly interchangeable. Nevertheless, I’m willing to say an equal amount of the time … they are not.
Do your research. If you’re going to wax poetic or brilliant about say, Classical mythology? I’m going to need you to get it right. Might I suggest Bullfinch’s Mythology? If I recall correctly, it’s a pretty accurate translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Please, unless you’re writing in vernacular (and while you’re at it- try to limit that), do not drop the “g” from the end of your words. If that is how you speak formally… *sigh*
Don’t make plural words… plural. Freshmen is more than one freshman. “Freshmans” is you about to get slapped. The same goes for mices. Geeses. However, use of “indices” is not only allowed, it is encouraged.
If you tell me we don’t all know the difference between “whine” and “wine” I might cry.
“While” and “wile” are different. A heroine might seduce the hero with her wiles. She might also wile away the time, waiting for him. However, this might take awhile. [Also, apparently “stay for awhile” is strictly verboten. While we’re waiting for said hero, let’s look to something else.)
Clever, and cleaver, are two vastly different words. For example, I might hope that someone thinks this is a clever post. I would also pray that no one take a cleaver to me for writing it.
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You’re going to a website. It is a site. Like a building location. Websight would… be some strange sort of psychic ability tied to the internet that nobody has yet discovered. Or mentioned. However, if you’re going to quote something from a book, you are citing it. If you get a traffic ticket, generally that is a citation. . You have a stake in a company. You grill a steak. Capiche? . You might bare your thoughts to the world. Then you would bear the burden of everyone knowing them. You would not bear yourself, unless you’re secretly a paranormal, ursine shifter. |
And guess what? It’s “you’re welcome.” As in, “you are welcome.” “Your welcome” would be… what you got when your friends greeted you at the door once you arrived at the party. Because that was a welcome, and it belonged to you. You responding to someone thanking you should have “you’re.”
One that really gets me is “then” and “than.” I am going to post this pondering. I am then going to be upset if I find mistakes because I will feel stupid. However, I might still find that more preferable than not having this posted at all. 🙂 I try to use examples when teaching my kids too. Hee. (Er – let me also add that when I say “my kids” I mean the 4th and 5th grade at risk inner city kids I teach once a week. 😉 That’s how I get my street cred.)
If you offer me a giant check, I am going to accept it. I will never except it, because… well frankly I don’t know how that would work. Not that I really understand commercial paper anyway – but hey – it doesn’t seem like our bankers do either! Yay!
Pour, pore, and poor is a grouping I wouldn’t have even though needed to be mentioned, but a friend brought it up and I realize that I have seen it misused. I am poor. I have pores. I will pour water, down the drain, much like the government.
Now, I will say I don’t mean typos. Like “hvae,” or “wil lsay” those are clearly whoops of the keyboard. I’ll let “tose” slide too.
When someone is here, standing next to me, I can hear them if they whisper. Someone will never be hear by me. However, said person might be heard.
I’m taking a break. While going to the store on said break, I might have to brake for a red light. Or a stop sign. I will never have a brake, other than in some sort of vehicle.
| All of these are merely things I’ve noticed. It’s a mere pondering. It’s not a mare, that’s for sure, because I haven’t seen a horse online for a while now. . “I could care less” makes my skin shrivel. This was a suggestion provided by a friend – and I wish I could record him. He has the most scathing tone – it’s quite a set down when he slams you. You likely could care less. You should be saying, “I couldn’t care less.” (Assuming you’re trying to say you don’t care- which is when the phrase, both properly and mistakenly is used.) . Proceeded and preceded are different words. . Right and rite are also different. I’m right handed. I have a right to do certain things under the law. Some of those rights allow me to perform rites, if I so choose. . Also, beat, and beet. I honestly didn’t believe this one. Was incredulous. But it came from a friend who works for the prosecutor. I guess the mistake is commonplace. |
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There. I’m done. I’m sure a missed a few that will make me go “O_O” but I think this is a pretty comprehensive list.
Oh wait –“tail” and “tale,” are different. Very much so. Though someone constantly telling tales, especially about people, might have a tail to go with that forked tongue…
*wild applause*
I love this. I love YOU, Lime. 😀
OMG, I laughed so hard when I read this that my bf asked me what I was laughing at. I read books for publishers and for review sites, and these things drive me WILD sometimes. I’ve read one book where the author used the wrong name for the character. It was quite funny. One where the same page was on page one and page 161 word for word. You would think that they would have someone read/review/proof their work before they send it in for the entire would to see. 🙂
Thanks for making me smile, feel less retentive, and educating the world.
Tami
dove/dived drives me nuts (dived is correct…a dove is a bird that tastes really good fried)
and so does sneaked/snuck (sneaked is correct)
I think authors need some major lessons on comma use. OMG.
Lol. Great post. I’m anal about grammar and orthograph in my own language and while my English is nowhere near is good (especially not the grammar part…yikes) I’m also very annoyed when I see erroneous uses of words I DO know. The they’re / their / there is one. It’s / its is another. It’s time to go. I’m not going to buy a Kindle because its price is ridiculously high. It baffles me every time I see that mistake because I learned the difference between the two words when I was 10 in second-language classes, so it has to be a very basic English rule.
Not going to say anything about mices or geeses though. My French brain has to be reminded every time that in English there can be plural words that don’t take an s at the end. I’m sure I’ve written childrens quite a few times. And we won’t even talk about adjectives. 😀
JenB- haha thanks! Love ya too! 😉 You mentioning the other words amuses me too. Although, unlike you, I allow “dove” and “snuck.” E.g. “I dove for the remote when I saw my sister reaching for it.” And “I snuck into the bathroom to scare the approaching brat.” I would however, feel the same way you do if someone said “doved” or “snucked.” (You’ll also notice I have no idea when the hell to use commas. I think I get it right about 75% of the time… maybe.)
Tami – Yay! Glad I could amuse 🙂 I’m terrified there’s some glaring error in this post but… eh. That’s how it goes, right? 😛 I once had a textbook, where pages were superimposed. I mean how did that ever go through?!
Mary – You’re better off than I am. Technically (hah!) English is my third language. However, as I said, I don’t know grammar in any language. I’m always afraid I’ve misused “it’s” vs “its.” Although yes, saying you’re not going to buy a kindle because it is price is too high… 🙁 you just made a sad. lol. [Well, I made the sad, but you brought it up!] I think the problem is students don’t learn now. My 4th-5th grades often write “woulda” … because that’s how some people pronounce it – that’s another big problem – and they don’t know it’s “would’ve” – which properly, would be “would have.”
I once saw an author write/in a book the word “moo” instead of “moue.” I have to admit, my opinion of the author decreased significantly. I also didn’t know if I should laugh, be mad, or cry. Especially since it was a “sexy moo.” >.< And no, I didn't miss it - it was not a paranormal where the heroine was a bovine shifter!!!
I’m shocked at some of the errors you have found! Someone was board? Egads.
Now, I’m not sure if it’s a Canadian thing but what JenB stated is not how we learned. Also, it was ‘lit the candle and hung the art’. So imagine me getting mad at authors using ‘lighted’ and ‘hanged’ (although I now love the sound of hanged).
I *think* and Lord knows I have no real clue – lit and hung are the past tense while lighted and hanged are action verbs.
And dove with a long ‘oh’ sound was also taught. He dove into the deep end. I would correct any child that said he dived into the deep end by saying ‘no, he dove into the deep end’. Saying ‘dived’ out loud sounds wrong – seeing it written I get it but I’m still not sure it’s right.
Do you think it’s a British / American / Canadian thing?
CindyS
Cindys! Hi! 🙂 And these were just errors I remembered off the top of my head :X I just know there are some glaring, commonplace ones I can’t think of. I agree with “lit” and “hung.” Also with “hanged” – that’s what we used to do to criminals. Now remember, I can NEVER be trusted when it comes to grammar, but I don’t think you can say you “hanged” the picture – unless you actually strung it up on a noose.
I usually say “dove” – say into the pool as well. But I do go with “nosedived.” Likely, they’re just personal preference. Well, that and context. Depending on what I’m saying/the placement of the word, I’ll use any one of the ones we’ve mentioned. (That are proper.)
Too funny, we hit the submit during the same minute. I came back and couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t seen your response to everyone the first time.
Actually that might be where I’ve been hearing it – Hanged by the neck (I watch way too many westerns ;))
And yep to nosedived.
That was the thing with English (don’t get me started on French cause I sucked!) there were so many exceptions to the rules. I remember an English teacher once telling us that English was harder to learn because we had so many exceptions.
CindyS
You go, girl. I’ve read all these, in published books, and winced.
I think it might be when the writer puts in a lot of errors, so the editor is snowed under with them. Electronic editing is a bit better, because the previous pass’s errors can be dealt with and cleaned up, so you can see the manuscript again, but even then there are mistakes.
Mine? “Off of.” Noooooo! It’s “off.” In speech, all bets are off because people talk like people talk, but if the person is supposed to be educated and then comes out with “off of,” the sceptic in me raises its head.
Oh yes, and there is English English and American English. When writing in the former, I’ve had “practise” “orientate” and “sceptic” corrected, but they’re all right – in English English.
It is prolly safe to say, people know without looking from ohhhhhh the first sentence this ponder isn’t from me… yes?
::ducks and runs::
Hanged is correct when you’re talking about people. A condemned murderer is hanged and a picture is hung. Well, some guys are hung, but that’s different. 😉
You know what also bugs me? Americans saying “towards”. That’s a British pronunciation.
I’m even picky about slang. Just seeing ya’ll makes me want to scream. It’s y’all. Actually, all incorrect contractions bother me. Your/you’re, their/there/they’re, were/we’re, its/it’s (oh man, that’s a BIG one for me)
Nosedived is correct. Nosedove would sound stupid! LOL
What alphabet has 37 letters?
My big one is a whole nother. Grrrrrr. I hate that one! And Valentimes. And supposubly. Uh oh, I’d better stop before I get on a roll….
CindyS – YES! Learning the alphabet, learning to read, speaking English isn’t that difficult compared to say, a tonal language. However, many experts agree that English is the most difficult because it’s so damn complicated. All those rules and exceptions and idioms.
Lynne – Eee I’m guilty of “off of.” For example, I’ll say, Get that off of me!!!. Sceptic I’m not used to. Though practise I’d know was English-English. And… orientate is also (American) English. No idea why someone would correct that here. They = FAIL. 😛
Sybil – LOL LOL LOL You’re guilty of that!?!?!? Oh noes!
JenB -Oops. I use toward/towards interchangeably, I think. (Not that I have an accurate analysis of my speech…). See, I was always told – yes by Southerners! – that “all y’all” was plural. And that “y’all” = singular. Even though “y’all” = you + all. Either way after spending some time/speaking with a number of people from the South I had a short period where I said “y’all” – but before I was so against it. Because it didn’t make sense.
Lori – You jest!! As for the first, yes I’ve seen it. *cry* “A whole other” or “another”? Meh! But “Valentimes?” Really and truly? That’s a bigger sad than the one I/Mary made! As well as “supposubly.” I’ve heard that one, not seen that one though. Ugh – and yes. I don’t think I’ll ever post on problems with *speech.* It’d be painful.
AMEN!!!
Nothing ruins the mood of a story like poor grammar and spelling!
In my former life as a college student, I worked as an editorial assistant at the college magazine. One of my jobs was to proof-read the articles, and now, almost 15 years later, I still read with an eye looking for errors. Maybe I notice the errors more easily because of that?
Hmm….an idea for my dream job…proof-reading romance novels! (Yea, me and probably everyone else who reads this blog too!)
Georganna – Oooo fancy! I think we’re all (or should be) trained to recognize mistakes. I know I see them better in print. And that I easily miss my own. Sad.
Heh – my dream job is the same, but I have the unreasonable stipulation of requiring the novels I have to edit to be good.
Towards is pretty widely accepted in the US. Doesn’t mean it’s right though. 😛
“Whole ‘nother” is one I’ll say out loud in certain crowds (rednecks!!), but I’d never write it. Bleh. I might talk like a hick when I’m with friends, but I know better than to write like one or even speak like one in a formal setting.
Y’all is just another word for me. It’s part of my everyday speech. But I only use it to mean “you all”. I’d never say y’all if I were only addressing one person. Then it’s just “you”.
That brings up another thing–subjunctive mood. “If I was…” drives me nuts. “If I were…” is correct.
Another one for me is “as if”. That is soooo wrong. It’s “as though”.
Acceptance doesn’t equal correctness.
No I would just never care enough to put together a whole rant about proper usage when I can’t be arsed to use it myself ::bats eyes::
Really I read far too many ARC’s to ever know what is fixed in editing or not… if it is a final and I notice it I might say something but seriously, we call it sybilish for a reason so this post amuses me greatly.
Carry on… 🙂
JenB – lol. I’ll correct myself on the “was/were” thing. “Real good” got me a lot. But I see it ALL THE DAMN TIME in books. Honestly – it’s just… I think I got over it about a year ago, after fuming for a few. So… I’ll just throw this one out there. “I DRIVE REAL GOOD!!!.” Ack I have to force myself not to delete that.
Sybil, the answer is “yes.” And then the rest 😛 And I wrote it because I do follow it 😛 I’m also talking about final copies. I don’t let ARC mistakes bother me too much – I assume/hope it’ll get fixed in editing. … That and I haven’t read that many ARCs.
I “would of” laughed at this post, except it resonates too deeply with me. I can tolerate things in dialogue, “whole ‘nother” being one–and notice the apostrophe there–that I don’t in narrative. “Woulda, shoulda, gonna” don’t bug me in dialogue, but “should of” certainly would.
The “could are less” thing drives me batshit crazy, too.
As for lit/lighted, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a ballroom somewhere where the candles were all alit, rather than alight or ablaze. I kept imagining winged candles touching down on tables and sconces to peck at innocent party-goers.
Another one that makes me want to tear my hair out is perpetrate/perpetuate. One does NOT perpetuate a crime, unless one does so in perpetuity. Grr…
I live in Texas. We do lots of stuff real good down here, y’know. LOLOL But yeah, that bugs me too.
I also hate passive voice when it’s not absolutely necessary (hint: it’s rarely necessary). “A good time was had by all” INFURIATES me. Makes me see red.
I only apply this stuff to formal speech/writing though. I don’t care how people talk with their friends. (much)
Kirsten – Heh. I don’t…. no. No, to the “whole ‘nother” for me. Even with the apostrophe. I’m pretty sure I always say the “vee” in “should’ve” et al. [Unfortunately when speaking quickly it can sound like “should of” which is why students write that, I suppose.]
Aha. Hahaha. AHAHAHA. Candles all alit? See? It’s… oh. When people try to use words that sound “smart” or “fancy” and they don’t know what the word means. Or even the word. Like the “sexy moo” I mentioned. Le sigh.
And perpetrate/perpetuate made me giggle. That criminal would be in a loooooot of trouble!
JenB – :X You’re going to make me scared to talk to you! I’m guilty of writing in passive voice. Because dammit, sometimes you just need it for flow. And you’ve managed to avoid it for five pages, so that should be good enough! Sometimes people use it to be snotty (or, mistakenly believe they’re erudite). 😛 E.g. your “good time” example.
LOL…I told you I’m just picky about formal stuff. I don’t correct people on everyday speech. 😛 Hello, I’m TEXAN! My people were raised on farms. LOL
First, let me say that I love Freakazoid more than I can explain! I think it’s the hair. *shifty eyes* And Schoolhouse Rock? Oh so very awesome! Yay!!
I so agree with everything you said. Jeez. But I mostly don’t blame the author…I blame the copy editor or whatever. Yes, the author should know better but someone else is paid to look specifically at that sort of thing, right? *sigh*
My pet peeves are more grammar-ish. Especially the using of “I” vs “me”. Grrrr. When a character says “Do you want to go to the mall with Mary and I?”, I want to do someone bodily harm.
C2 – OMG…I see this one on photo labels all the time – “Lisa and I” or “This is a picture of the family and I”
Makes me want to SCREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!
Jen – Isn’t it awful?! I cringe every single time – and it’s everywhere! Books, TV, radio, conversations with friends. >.< Blargh!
Yes, it is awful! Which reminds me of another one: “aweful”
“Awsome” is bad too, but not as common.
All I can say is, I can “bearly” contain my “throws” of passion about this topic.
Well,yeah, awsome is just wrong. Everyone knows it’s spelled awsum!! 😀
This is fantastic. Like you, one of my least favorite little errors is “your welcome” rather than “you’re welcome” which seems to be one of the most common in my world. Thank you for pointing it out, perhaps now I won’t see it as often? Then again, probably not….
How about “piqued interest”? That’s the correct spelling. I often see peeked, peaked, picked, and pricked, but hardly ever the correct spelling.
JenB- LOL. Isn’t the phrase “it is I” correct? Please don’t scream :X (I’m hoping I remembered… it’s like the one thing I learned in Eng 11 AP). And stoop! Haha – or keep going. “Aweful?” What’s awful is that I’ve seen that. A lot! And I think “awsome” is worse. >.<
Gah. PEAKED INTEREST? I’m… really sad. I think the word “pique” is messed up a lot in general. Urgh. HAHAHHA. I’m pretty sure I’ve read a heroine/female character who was “peeked” at the hero and stormed off.
c2 – “REAL GOOD AND I” 😛 True – those seem to be prevalent problems in books
Mickey – Glad you like it! And sadly… probably not. I’m small beans!
*snickers* you word maven, you!
**pointing excitedly at JenB’s last “piqued interest” comment** That one I know!!!! :-DD Finally. Almost all of the other examples brought by posters were stuff I would have made mistakes about and every time I was slouching a little bit more in my chair. The Me/ I issue has me puzzled every time and most of the time I look at both pronouns, try to envision the sentence with each of them to see which one “sounds” better (or should it be “best”?? ), then admit I haven’t got a clue and randomly pick one and hope I’m right. Regarding “you’re welcome” – I’ve seen “your welcome” so often that I had seriously started thinking maybe that was actually the correct form. Thanks for setting me straight. I need to buy a grammar book one of these days.
By the way, I know someone mentionned English being hard to learn because there are so many exceptions to the rules… but OMG, believe this French girl, you have nothing to complain about when it comes to grammar exceptions. I still know by heart lists of exceptions to manymajor rules because they were drilled into me in elementary school. I’ve always been told English was a quick language to learn because the basics were so easy to pick up. I tend to believe it given the way it has spread all over the world. Although I would be curious to know how English sounds to people from languages with a completely different structure – Asian languages, for instance.
dd03 – lol thanks!
Mary – Awe, I’m not trying to make people feel bad or anything – just… to let people know they shouldn’t make such mistakes in the future! Grammar, I’m … oh, the word is hopeless. As for learning English – it’s simple, to a point. Simple to “learn” and speak it – but getting it right – therein lies the problem. (And pronunciation is definitely difficult, considering certain sounds.) Luckily for… the rest of the world, too many Americans don’t know how to speak, or write properly either >.< And as I've said, I'm in the same boat. I like to think I'm better off, but I DEFINITELY wouldn't bet a large sum of money on myself when it comes to grammar. And for everyone - a friend in the "suggestions" conversation just sent me this: http://www.orble.com/images/i-could-care-less.JPG 😀 I thought it was too fitting to pass up.
What bugs the everloving crap out of me from a writer is “loose” for lose. Even worse is “chose” for choose. It’s like the chose people actually know lose is pronounced looz, and then conclude that pronunciation must also apply to chose/choose, WHICH IT DOESN’T. Gah!
And I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen peaked and peeked where they clearly meant piqued.
And these things are totally contagious! I once watched a Maury Povich where one of the guests misused the word “pensive”, and no less than four other people on the show misused that word after he did, following his example. Made me want to smash something with a meat hammer.
Kirsten – I have seen the “loose” vs” lose” mistake. I will also say that sometimes I have to stop and think – or I’ll mistype and have to go back.
You example of “pensive” makes me giggle though. I… don’t know why people … ugh. In college a friend said “I have an epiphany – you, me, and [her] should go drinking.” Sadly he misused “epiphany” for “idea” – but it wasn’t even that. Just… a statement, really. >.< But I let that slide, feeling that he had many other, more important issues to deal with.
c2s – I realize, I don’t think I addressed this. JOY to Freakazoid and Schoolhouse Rock! And for the people you mention… 😛 I blame ’em all. I mean, I’m always talking about sharing the love… why not share the hate too? 😉 [Ok, only it’s not hate, ok?!]
What about breath/breathe?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read “I couldn’t breath” in e-books.
Mary – Your English is better than that of most native speakers. 😀 Spelling and usage might stump you (non-native speakers in general) sometimes, but you have a better handle on basic grammar rules than many native speakers because you learned the rules first, then the language.
Besides, I think most of us have made at least a few of the mistakes on this list. The real problem is when they show up over and over in professionally edited documents. “I couldn’t breath” and “Ellen took a picture of Adam and I” should never make it through final edits. (Okay, I know that ten is supposedly the magic number of editing because some errors will always make it through, but still… lol)
Oh, and I think Spanish is one of the easiest [Latin-based] languages for an English speaker to learn on a basic conversational level. Simple spelling/pronunciation, nearly identical alphabet, simple grammar rules, and relatively few exceptions. Italian too, for the most part. French and Portuguese–not so much. Oy.
Oops…forgot to answer Lime’s question. Yes, “It is I” is correct. It is I, it is he, it is she, etc.
Oh, another one…”He doesn’t like lima beans as much as me” (oh really? he likes you better than he likes lima beans? LOL)
And I luuuuuurrrve to make fun of dangling participles and misplaced modifiers. “Gazing at me sweetly, his hand caressed my face.” Holy crap! RUN!!!!!! Disembodied parts are awesome too: “Six pairs of eyes turned on me.” EEEEEEEK!
OMG, someone please stop me.
OMG – I ran across a version my pet peeve in the book I was reading last night. Grrr. It was something like “….going shopping with Mary and she.” Yikes!
It made me giggle at the time, though, because of all this discussion. :o)
And, yes Lime, the love and blame must be shared by many. Perhaps starting with confused/confusing grammar teachers. Heh.
Jen – lol no don’t stop! Tell your friends! I think this discussion is really fun 😀
c2 – er… she?! Really? Oh… gawd. Let’s… oh teachers 🙁 At the school where I “teach” a number of the teachers make mistakes – in emails etc – so maybe not in the classroom? But I heard one teacher screaming at her students, using “ain’t” and double negatives, and it was awful. She also sounded so scary I wanted to run in and save her kids. 🙁
Great pondering. Lime. I get all of these errors, and more, not only in books I read, but every day in the depositions I take of everyday, average Joes who can speak correctly to save their lives — and I have to take it down that way and leave it that way in the transcript! Talk about being driven crazy.
Another one that bothers me is who/that. Who is to refer to people; that is to refer to objects.
But, hate to tell you, Lime, ain’t is in my dictionary and more than likely in yours too! I live in the western United States. It’s definitely a word! Ask all the cowboys at my local rodeo! Well, the cowgirls too.
Sandy – Heh, a lot of people can’t speak to save their lives, you’re right – it’s worse when teachers are the culprits, in my mind.
And all of you mean that lamp in the corner isn’t a who?!?! 😉
Lastly… you made the biggest sad of all, Sandy 🙁 as of 2009/according to a quick online check, yes, “ain’t” has been put in the dictionary. I could cry.
LOL, sorry to burst your bubble. Ain’t has actually been around for quite some time, just not as readily accepted as most contractions. I don’t remember when it was finally entered in the dictionary as a “real” word, but even that’s been a while now.
And that brings to mind another bothersome problem: awhile/a while; apiece/ a piece; apart/a part and the like. ACK!
And if you think the way we speak is atrocious, wait until you ever see yourself on paper! Even the most educated ends up looking terrible on paper. Taking experts’ depositions can be quite challenging sometimes. I imagine even I would look bad going from the spoken to the written word, despite the fact I’m so aware of grammar and punctuation because of my job. And that’s all not due just to inflection of voice, it’s the way we all speak in society nowadays. Just doesn’t translate onto paper well at all! Trust me.
Sandy – I know what you’re saying, but I beg to disagree – common usage doesn’t necessarily make it right – such as I wrote earlier “I drive real good.” >.< Also, I tend to use online dictionaries 😀 Guess I missed when "ain't" was put in print. I tend to write the way I speak - it's something a number of people have pointed out to me 😛 I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but haha, at least I feel relatively safe if ever I have to be deposed! (Heh - so generally errors I make in my writing, show up in my speech! I've always said I don't know grammar.) :X
Well, according to my 1989 Webster’s here at my desk, ain’t was in print at least 20 years ago! So depending on your age, I guess you could have missed it. LOL! I do remember when it came about, tho.
Another problem area that came to me as I’m sitting here editing a deposition — “Over 200 cases.” Wrong!!! It’s more than 200 cases. The cow jumped over the moon. Numbers are always more than or less than. That one really bothers me.
And I wasn’t talking about you writing something yourself. I’m talking about someone being deposed, recorded, whatever and having themselves put on paper when they’re speaking naturally. That’s very different than you saying you write the way you speak. Very, very different. I can guarantee you you will not recognize yourself if you see yourself on paper the way I do it! No ifs, ands, or buts about that one.
Sandy – Fascinating! :X Maybe it’s because “ain’t” was removed from educational/school dictionaries! I hope I remember to check my kids’ dictionary next week… Does your dictionary say “nonstandard”? I’m going to have to file “ain’t” in the same category as “irregardless.” Both are bastardizations of the English language. 😛 I’ve always used “amn’t” instead of “ain’t” -which will tell you how rarely I use it.
Heh “over X number” is used a lot. I wonder how that one came about.
I don’t know – I almost wish I could record myself/be deposed in everyday life now – because …. I do write exactly the way I speak. Naturally. And… I wouldn’t say being deposed is “natural.” If not in a court room then you’re generally sitting in some meeting room/office, with a bunch of lawyers sitting around, right? Kind of like the lie-detector test effect.
LOL, maybe it’s logistics, because ain’t doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Especially when it comes from a sexy, bronc-ridin’ cowboy!
Over X number and under X number is used constantly. I’m always yelling at the television when I hear it in commercials!
No, being deposed is not natural, but it doesn’t take one long to get into the “everyday conversation” mode once the proceeding begins. Deponents begin to speak to the attorney questioning them as if they were standing on a street corner just chatting. Very few follow the admonitions given at the beginning and start to chat normally. That’s where things begin to go wrong for the paper translation, no matter who you are. I’ve been doing this for 23 years now, and not once has it been anything other than what I’ve described, even for, as I said earlier, the most educated of persons, doctors, other lawyers, chemists, no matter the vocation. It happens to everyone.
Sandy – I was a transcriptionist in insurance claims and litigation for a while. I had to type the documents statements exactly as I heard them. I got a kick out of it. People do say some crazy stuff. 🙂
Amount and number really get me. Drives me nuts when I hear someone talking about an amount of people. Ugh!
LOL, Jen, and they sounded like they were having a conversation with a friend, interrupting and saying whatever came to mind, right? People don’t think when it comes to things like that. And that’s what get us into trouble when we’re excited, nervous, or pissed off!