Grammar quirks

[baglady]

Predominately. It's predominantly. The former is a verb. You don't make adverbs out of verbs; you make them out of adjectives.

I'm kind of meh about verbing nouns. Since I'm a fan of saving space in writing, I like being able to say "So-and-so hosts" instead of "So-and-so is the host." However, I can't get behind the recent trend of nouning verbs: "the ask," "the reveal," "a good get."

Entitled for titled. You are entitled to your opinion about that book, but the book is titled "(Insert Title Here)."

"Between you and I." We all learned in school that "Me and John went" is wrong; it's "John and I went." But some people got the message that not only should the "I" go last, but that it should always be "I," not "me." It's easy to figure out which one to use: Recast the sentence without the "John and." "I went to the store," so "John and I went to the store." "She invited me to the party," so "She invited John and me to the party."

Then again, you have folks who avoid the whole issue by using "myself": "John and myself went ... ." I don't know if they use "myself" because they don't know whether to use "I" or "me," or if they think it sounds classier.

Principal/principle. They can both be nouns (The principal of the school is a man of principles), but principal is mainly an adjective, and principle never is.

Edited to fix misplaced punctuation.

[cabbageweevil]

Folks -- have you not heard of poetic licence?  I admit to personal prejudice here, in that Terry Wogan is one of my pet hates, and most un-favourite (if that isn't a grammatical barbarism) people on the entire globe.

Of course. Rearrangement to make the thing scan and rhyme is common enough, and there are other songs in which the grammatical infelicity doesn't grate as much - on me. It presumably would on somebody else. But surely that's what we're seeing throughout this thread: that the reaction to any 'error' ranges from 'meh' via a sharp intake of breath to the desire to run amok with an Armalite and all stages in between depending on personal experience and preference.

For sure -- things grate on us just because they do (or don't because they don't), and it doesn't and needn't make sense, and differs between different people.  My comment was "in fun".

[silvercelt]

Thought of another peeve of mine.

"Rediculous".  Ahhhhh!  There is no "e" in ridiculous! 

[Mental Magpie]

Hunnert, cousint, and acrosst.

[Thipu1]

Hunnert, cousint, and acrosst.

Also, 'chimbly' and 'liberry'.

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

[Giggity]

"Ridonkulous" makes me want to punch someone. That is just AAAAAAGGH.

[Chickadee]

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

Ah, the "chimbley & liberry" torture. Thipu, I see you have met my husband. I actually grit my teeth when he says those words!

Also, two I see frequently: counsel versus council. They don't even sound the same  .

[Slartibartfast]

Also, two I see frequently: counsel versus council. They don't even sound the same  .

I pronounce them the same - kown-sull.

[Free Range Hippy Chick]

Also, 'chimbly' and 'liberry'.

'Feb-ury' and 'Secketry'

[Mikayla]

Gone missing (or "went missing").  No, she IS or WAS missing.

"To die for!"  (Real estate agents use this a lot, and no, as much as I love fireplaces, I'm not going to sacrifice my life for one).

Under annoying word derivations, I nominate "wanna".  Orally, it doesn't sound bad, but in writing...ugh.

[pinkyblue]

I see far too many people using "incidences" when they mean "incidents."   

[Barney girl]

"Moot" which used to mean debatable but now is used to mean no longer debatable vs. "mute". http://languagerules.wordpress.com/2006/09/25/moot-point-not-mute-point/

I think this is because moot is a lost word which survives only in English phrases that use it, also known as "moot point."  This makes it similar to "For kith and kin," or the word bequeath.  When I was growing up, I always thought moot point meant a point that was no longer viable, or no longer discussed.  It was only a couple years ago I learned moot was the term for a convention or meeting in Old English, and that's when it made sense.

How many people can tell you kith and kin means, "For homeland and family," or bequeath comes from an Old English word meaning, "Too will," from be + cwedan?  Tolkien's my idol.

Come to think of it, the same afflicts English praytell.  It's from an older formation that is no longer viable, with the first part being from a word of distinct German origin, versus the later pray/prayer, like church prayer.  It was to put an emphasis on the verb, like "Praytell, why did you break that vase?"

On subject...

Misplaced commas.  I have a hard enough time parsing sentences, let's not make me think there is, indeed, a head in the road.  (What's that in the road, a head? vs. What's that in the road ahead?)

We used to have moots when I was at university. They're mock trials.  http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/law/life/mooting.aspx

[Editeer]

Well if we're talking about pronunciation:

"De-ter-i-yate" instead of "deteriorate."

There's a sports team called the Warriors in our area. The radio announcers and sportscasters unfailingly pronounce the name "Woy-ers"--rhyming with "lawyers." Arrgggh!!!

[Slartibartfast]

"i.e." and "e.g." are NOT the same thing.  Using them wrong makes you look more ignorant than not using them in the first place!

[violinp]

"i.e." and "e.g." are NOT the same thing.  Using them wrong makes you look more ignorant than not using them in the first place!

Ack! That drives me up the wall!