Grammar quirks

[lady_disdain]

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'.

It can be correct in a few constructions, I believe. For example, "I shined the silver before the guests arrived".

[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'.

It can be correct in a few constructions, I believe. For example, "I shined the silver before the guests arrived".

I'd never shine silver - I'd polish it!  Another transatlantic difference, I think. 

[Redneck Gravy]

I saw this last night on an American English professor's blog:

...to all my critiques out there...

Please, please...critics are people, they critique others   

this set my hair ablaze agghhh

[jmarvellous]

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'.

It can be correct in a few constructions, I believe. For example, "I shined the silver before the guests arrived".

I'd never shine silver - I'd polish it!  Another transatlantic difference, I think.

I've only really seen people in the U.S. say "polished" for silver, too.

[Yvaine]

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'.

It can be correct in a few constructions, I believe. For example, "I shined the silver before the guests arrived".

I'd never shine silver - I'd polish it!  Another transatlantic difference, I think.

I've only really seen people in the U.S. say "polished" for silver, too.

I've just realize I use "shined" with a direct object and "shone" without. (I'm in the US.)

I shined my shoes.
The sun shone all day.

[Editeer]

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".

Yes! Yes! The "handicap" parking space and the "ice" tea! Arggh!

Another one I see a lot: "bran-new." Because everyone knows that nothing can be newer than bran?

[starry diadem]

Another one I see a lot: "bran-new." Because everyone knows that nothing can be newer than bran?

Well, no less an authority than Dickens used that one.

Mr and Mrs Veneering were bran-new people in a bran-new house in a
bran-new quarter of London. Everything about the Veneerings was spick
and span new. All their furniture was new, all their friends were new,
all their servants were new, their plate was new, their carriage was
new, their harness was new, their horses were new, their pictures
were new, they themselves were new, they were as newly married as was
lawfully compatible with their having a bran-new baby, and if they had
set up a great-grandfather, he would have come home in matting from the
Pantechnicon, without a scratch upon him, French polished to the crown
of his head.

Also this: http://www.monacolange.com/_blog/Brand_Matters/post/Brand_new_or_Bran_new/

[squeakers]

Another one I see a lot: "bran-new." Because everyone knows that nothing can be newer than bran?

Well, no less an authority than Dickens used that one.

Mr and Mrs Veneering were bran-new people in a bran-new house in a
bran-new quarter of London. Everything about the Veneerings was spick
and span new. All their furniture was new, all their friends were new,
all their servants were new, their plate was new, their carriage was
new, their harness was new, their horses were new, their pictures
were new, they themselves were new, they were as newly married as was
lawfully compatible with their having a bran-new baby, and if they had
set up a great-grandfather, he would have come home in matting from the
Pantechnicon, without a scratch upon him, French polished to the crown
of his head.

Also this: http://www.monacolange.com/_blog/Brand_Matters/post/Brand_new_or_Bran_new/

This one seems to be saying that "bran new" came about due to the typical laziness people have when it comes to language: http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/mailbag-friday-brand-new-or-bran-new/

[pinkyblue]

I can't stand it when people type/write "back-peddle" instead of the correct "back-pedal," as in "You can't back-peddle now - you made that nasty statement loud and clear."

You normally pedal (e.g., a bike) to move forward; if you "back-pedal," you're pedaling in reverse, or moving backward.  In the context of making a statement, you back-pedal to attempt to retract or reverse what you said previously.

If you "peddle," you're selling something.  Not the same thing!   

[pinkyblue]

Oh, and "We haven't spoke." 

"Spoken," I beg you ....   

[pinkyblue]

To be fair, I should 'fess up that I'm one of those who misused "comprise/comprised" for years (blush). 

[Mental Magpie]

Oh, and "We haven't spoke." 

"Spoken," I beg you ....   

"I haven't tooken it yet."


Also, not sure if I mentioned it yet, but "addicting" drives me up the wall.

[pinkyblue]

Sometimes, I think Facebook's greatest crime is turning a perfectly good noun, "friend," into a verb.  (Shudder.)

OK - maybe not its greatest crime. 

[White Dragon]

I confess that I sometimes run afoul if renumeration and remuneration, but I am frustrated when I do so!

[Giraffe, Esq]

{snip}
Also, not sure if I mentioned it yet, but "addicting" drives me up the wall.

In what context?  And why?