Word abuses 9

[SantaMufasa]

(I have tried to find a previous thread that dealt with word abuses, but I cannot locate it. If you can locate it, please let me know, and I'll add to that one, then I'll delete this thread.)

[ul][li]The painful sentence I heard just now on the Noon News was, "Be sure to get the vaccinizations for your children."[/li]

[li]At McDonald's, I ordered two breakfasts. The cashier called back the order, "Two Big Breakfasses."[/li]

[li]I also dislike the misuse of the plurals for instance, incidence and incident:

The two arson incidences occurred within an hour of each other.

[/li][/ul]

Do you have other incidences of word abuse?

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[KornGeek]

johnherman,

When enumerating points, I prefer to use "A" for the first point and "2" for the second point. For a third point, I like to use a lowercase "d", but when it's verbal, most people don't realize that it's lowercase. (A fourth point would probably be a Roman numeral V.) Mostly I do it to see if people are listening, and also as a nod to the TV show Mad About You where one of the characters did that frequently.

 

[SantaMufasa]

A fourth point would probably be a Roman numeral V.

I prefer using "IV" for fourth points. <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

 

[strongm]

Funnily. Don't care if it's in the dictionary, hate it.

And how would you say "funnily enough, funnily is in the dictionary"?

 

[2ffat]

And how would you say "funnily enough, funnily is in the dictionary"?

"Oddly enough, funnily is in the dictionary."


James P. Cottingham
I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!

 

[2ffat]

Oh, sorry. I just realized that was a rhetorical question. ;-)


James P. Cottingham
I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!

 

[maybeimaleo]

Now to be serious:

Whoever persuaded this country that to "lose" is spelled l-o-o-s-e should be moidered!

 

[SantaMufasa]

Whoever persuaded this country that to "lose" is spelled l-o-o-s-e should be moidered!

Reminds me of the French government's development of the Lautrec Bomb: It doesn't damage property or people...it just makes you Tou-louse. <grin>

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[mscallisto]

Then there's Pragmatic, relating to matters of fact or practical, but it's actually a cheap washing machine made in Prague the capital of the Czech Republic.

Sam

 

[johnherman]

If you're not sure whether it's a word abuse or not, aks someone.

====================================
Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side because there is more manure there - original.

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> If you're not sure whether it's a word abuse or not, aks someone.
That's one way to cut straight to the heart of the matter.

--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something. - Plato

 

[SantaMufasa]

If you're not sure whether it's a word abuse or not, aks someone.

This is one of my all-time pet peeves.

After an Oracle class I was teaching, a student came up to me and the following conversation occurred:

Student: Dave, can I aks you a question?

I: Yes, but first, can I ask you a couple of questions?

Student: Sure.

I: What do you wear over your face at a Halloween party?

Student: A mask.

I: What does T-A-S-K spell?

Student: Task.

I: What does A-S-K spell?

Student: Aks.

At that point, I gave up and let him "aks" me his question.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
“People may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

 

[mscallisto]

When listening to TV news I frequently hear someone say:
"I seen that"
"We seen some guy ..."
"He seen the guy too"
"They said they seen him too"

Whatever happened to "have seen" or "saw" ???

Just asking.

Sam

 

[snuv]

I've just seen "configurated" in a piece of software -- Gaah -- have they no shame?

Talking of TV news...
It really annoys me when they say "See you tomorrow..." or similar. No they won't. I might see them or, for the picky, an image of them but they won't see me.


"If it could have gone wrong earlier and it didn't, it ultimately would have been beneficial for it to have." : Murphy's Ultimate Corollary

 

[MakeItSo]

I've just seen "configurated" in a piece of software -- Gaah -- have they no shame?

This was most certainly written by a German.
Common error with us writing English...

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” (Kofi Annan)
Oppose SOPA, PIPA, ACTA; measures to curb freedom of information under whatever name whatsoever.

 

[MakeItSo]

By the way: when did "awhile" become an acceptable alternative for "a while"?
I've read this so often recently and even found an entry in MW??
I can't help but cringe for a while whenever I read this.

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” (Kofi Annan)
Oppose SOPA, PIPA, ACTA; measures to curb freedom of information under whatever name whatsoever.

 

[CajunCenturion]

Another common word abuse is replacing an infinitive with a conjunction.
Wrong: I'm going to try and go to the store today.
Right: I'm going to try to go to the store today.

--------------
Good Luck
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read
FAQ181-2886
Wise men speak because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something. - Plato

 

[djj55]

I have finally broken the habit of using "alot". Now I have to break up awhile.

djj
The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23) - I need someone to lead me!

 

[strongm]

>awhile

Depends if you are using it as an adverb or a noun ...

 

[MakeItSo]

This seems to clarify it sufficiently:

Quick rules:

A while is a noun meaning "a short spell." It has been a while since I met with Tom.
Awhile is an adverb meaning "for a short spell." Use it to modify verbs. Let's wait awhile. After school, I needed to sleep awhile.
When there is a preposition, use a while. (A noun can be the object of a preposition, but an adverb can't be.) Let's sit down and talk for a while. We spoke a while ago.


Try this:

When in doubt, try replacing awhile with another adverb, such as "slowly" or "happily." If the substitute adverb sounds fine, then use awhile. If not, use a while.
Let's wait quietly. (It works.) >> Let's wait awhile.
Let's wait for quietly. (It doesn't work.) >> Let's wait for a while.

Source:

http://snarkygrammarguide.blogspot.de/2010/09/while-vs-awhile-learn-difference.html

Still see it abused alot. Uh, "a lot".

“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” (Kofi Annan)
Oppose SOPA, PIPA, ACTA; measures to curb freedom of information under whatever name whatsoever.

 

[guitarzan]

Configurated" reminds me of another which drives me crazy: "conversate