Grammar quirks

[Slartibartfast]

Here's a great verbing for ya:

http://www.dow.com/solutionism/index.htm

[LadyJaneinMD]

In my own defense, though, I did use zombie as a verb once.  I work in a place where a lot of people stagger in at very early hours.  There's no other way to describe them but 'you should see the numbers of people who zombie across the parking lot at 5am!'

That is a perfect description. I love it.

I don't mind people converting nouns into verbs or verbs into adjectives as long as it has a purpose. In your case, "zombie" perfectly conveys the idea. Sure, you could say "you should see the numbers of people who cross the parking lot like zombies at 5am" but it is a much clunkier sentence.

Thank you!!  My friend called it 'elegant and descriptive'.   

[Redneck Gravy]

Here's a great verbing for ya:

http://www.dow.com/solutionism/index.htm

I don't even know what to say ...

[Elfmama]

I've seen most of my particular grammar peeves here, but  the one that makes me go and want to is "I seen."  It shows up waaaaay too often on the evening news, when they interview people. "I seen the guys run outa the bank and start shooting." 

[violinp]

I've seen most of my particular grammar peeves here, but  the one that makes me go and want to is "I seen."  It shows up waaaaay too often on the evening news, when they interview people. "I seen the guys run outa the bank and start shooting." 

"I (done) seed" is worse...*shudder*

[Editeer]

In my own defense, though, I did use zombie as a verb once.  I work in a place where a lot of people stagger in at very early hours.  There's no other way to describe them but 'you should see the numbers of people who zombie across the parking lot at 5am!'

"Zombie across the parking lot" gives me a very clear image of people (dressed like zombies) doing a funky, moonwalk type of dance.   

[BeneWoman]

A pet peeve of mine is "drug" when used as the past tense of drag.

[Mental Magpie]

I hate when people say "I'm going to try and X.". No, you're going to try to X.  Technically, you could try something and do something else, but we all know that's not what you're saying.

[kkl123]

I mourn the loss of the adjectival past participle.  Now I see "can food" instead of "canned food" regularly in grocery stores, and even in one local library, "unshelf books" instead of "unshelved books".

And please don't get me going on "eksetera" or "ect" instead of "et cetera" and "etc".

[EmmaJ.]

I mourn the loss of the adjectival past participle.  Now I see "can food" instead of "canned food" regularly in grocery stores, and even in one local library, "unshelf books" instead of "unshelved books".

And please don't get me going on "eksetera" or "ect" instead of "et cetera" and "etc".

Don't forget 'ice tea' instead of 'iced tea'.

[jaxsue]

Hunnert, cousint, and acrosst.

Also, 'chimbly' and 'liberry'.

Also, I have known people who do not have a 'snack'.  They have a 'smack'.

Kill me now.

[starry diadem]

A pet peeve of mine is "drug" when used as the past tense of drag.

I hate this, but is it legitimate US vs UK practice?   We do handle verbs differently - it's common in the UK to have 'leant', 'learnt', 'spelt', 'dreamt' etc, as the past tense of those verbs, although the 'leaned', 'learned', 'spelled' and 'dreamed' forms are gaining ground.

The one that really has my teeth grinding is the use of 'shined' as the past tense of shine.  In the UK at least, it's 'shone'.

[jaxsue]

A pet peeve of mine is "drug" when used as the past tense of drag.

That one bothers me a lot, too. 

[jaxsue]

So many of my language pet peeves have been mentioned already. One has not, so here it is: lightening vs. lightning. That streak of light in the sky during a big storm is lightning, not lightening!

[Oh Joy]

I've been trying to break myself of the customary phrasing (at least around here) of referring to the weather in terms of 'it's supposed* to...' when I mean 'it's forecasted to...' because it's not really supposed to do anything!

* And I want full credit for not using 'suppose' in this thread despite the temptation to irk others who are as irritated by that error as I am!