FR Grammar Pet Peeves (Shameless Vanity)

My Fertile Mind | 12/30/08 | Your Uncle Miltie

[ladyjane]

Obama also misuses words. A few weeks ago he was talking about some problem and used the word enormity. He really meant large. How he was ever accepted at Harvard I’ll never know.

[ApplegateRanch]

My pronouncement is that it comes from the inconsistency of English pronunciation, as evidenced by choose and chose, as opposed to loose and lose.

[rhema]

I believe it was "Her and Me is..."

A grammatical three-fer? I'm underwhelmed impressed.

[Laur]

lol. It does. And not a good ring, either.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Can you use the words "methinks" and "doth" in a sentence?

Well, DON'T!

[Turret Gunner A20]

Words have meanings and the meaning of the word feel is very different from the meaning of the word think.

No solution for that one. Over half the people in this country would be precluded from giving their opinions. It takes a brain to think, and, the recent election clearly proved over half of the voting population to be totally devoid of that vital organ.

[Laur]

I had to write it down,as I told my husband I’d never remember anything this off the wall. The worst thing, though, is that a TV reporter said it. Not once, but twice. I am going to write to the station to ask where they found this reporter.

[TChris]

How he was ever accepted at Harvard I’ll never know.

Oh, I'd bet you can figure it out. :-)

There's a reason why The One has had all of his records sealed or destroyed. And it's not because he humbly wanted to avoid showing off all the amazing work he did.

[getarope]

Affect & effect. I can’t take it when people reverse these words in conversation!

1. Obama’s decisions will affect all Americans

2. The effect of Obama in the White House will be
catastrophic.

[rhema]

Obama also misuses words. A few weeks ago he was talking about some problem and used the word enormity. He really meant large. How he was ever accepted at Harvard I’ll never know.

Well, Harvard did invite Al Franken (a Harvard grad) to give the 2002 Class Day address.

Included in his oration: I want to take this moment to congratulate today's Ivy Orators, Taii Bullock and Jeremy Bronson, on your very funny remarks. You're terrific. Where are you? Taii? (APPLAUSE) I was, ironically, the Ivy Orator twenty-nine years ago. And I'm afraid I used the "f" word quite a few times in my speech. It was 1973. And a couple weeks later I received a note through the class marshal's office from an outraged parent, saying, "We came to watch you graduate from college, not from kindergarten." I've always felt kinda bad about that, and I was hoping to be invited back so that I could apologize.

Sic transit Harvard.

[Straight Vermonter]

Grrr, that one is the worst!

[Pagey]

I’ll tell you what bothers me most: On TV and on the radio,I hear people say “Should have WENT”, instead of “Should Have GONE”. Those darned Football Player turned Commentators have me yelling at the TV every weekend when they use it. Arrrrggghhhh!

[ApplegateRanch]

I could care less, too; but, it's too much work to force my self to an imaginary state of negative caring.

I*√-1 = -|I²| where I = 1/∞ level of caring.

It is extremely hard to achieve that level of negative caring; indeed, it is imposible for most people, without special training in meta-emotive techniques.

It is much easier to merely maintain a state of ordinary state of inability of not being able to care less, even though it is theoretically possible to do so.

[Allegra]

But, can we please use apostrophes for possessives and not use apostrophes for plurals?

Thank you!

That is one of my biggest pet peeves.

[TChris]

"Affect" is nearly always a verb; "effect" is nearly always a noun.

Students should learn the parts of speech thoroughly.

[djf]

Lol!

There ya go!

[do the dhue]

Hey, don’t blame me for bad grammar. I went to a public school system.

[Allegra]

Let’s lose the loose when lose is called for.

Yes, and I never want to hear another "speach" again.

[Dianna]

Was the poster implying that the contractions for "would have" and "could have" were improper?

No, your original post made the point that instead of writing "should of" people should write "should've".

Because you stopped there, we thought maybe you didn't realize that "should of" is improper all by itself.

[ApplegateRanch]

I*√-1 = -|I²| where I = 1/∞ level of caring

Ack! I didn't write it right!

(I*√-1)²= -|I²| where I = 1/∞ level of caring

When writing gibberish, one must write it correctly, or it will not make sense.