Grammar quirks

[Mental Magpie]

My current grammar pet peeve is the use of the word 'whereby', which seems to have become the word of choice for radio presenters in the UK.

Whereby means 'because of which' or 'as a result of which', but it's constantly being used as a synonym for 'in which' - so for example 'This is a situation whereby person X is doing Y...'

It drives. me. nuts. For goodness' sake, if you're determined to use a complicated word to try to sound clever, get it right!

signed,

Gyburc who shouts at the radio quite a lot. 

Along the same lines, people who use "wherefore" to mean "where"; it means "why".

[cabbageweevil]

For awhile, I'm not sure why, when referring to a king-making ceremony, the trend was to refer to the process as "coronating

"Edward Eighth soon abdicated/So George the sixth was coronated"

A line from a poem helping you to remember the order of the Kings of England/GB beginning "Willy, Willy, Harry,Ste, Harry, wingadingdingy, John, Harry three...."etc.

Have just noticed this post -- can't resist chiming in, re the splendid rhyme for remembering the order of English / British monarchs. The version I learned, avoids near its end, awkwardly contrived verbs -- very much at the expense of metre:

"Edward the Seventh and George Five,
 Then Edward 8, George 6, and Elizabeth-the-Second-who's-still-alive."

[Thipu1]

I remember the old trick for memorizing the dynasties in what is now the UK.

'No Plan Like Yours To Study History Wisely'.

Norman
Plantagenet
Lancaster
York
Tudor
Stuart
Hanover
Windsor

Hey, it works. 

[scotcat60]

Harry, wingadingdingy, John, Harry three...."etc.

I love the filters adjusting the name of Richard 1 to wingadingdingy. the poem later refers to Edward 1V and  whingadingdingy the Bad (Richard III). However, it lets the post get away with the word Willy, which in the UK means the same thing as wingadingdingy.

[Diane AKA Traska]

Harry, wingadingdingy, John, Harry three...."etc.

I love the filters adjusting the name of Richard 1 to wingadingdingy. the poem later refers to Edward 1V and  whingadingdingy the Bad (Richard III). However, it lets the post get away with the word Willy, which in the UK means the same thing as wingadingdingy.

Yeah, but at the same time I can talk about having a bum knee and the actress Fanny Brice.  It's a transoceanic thing. 

[Elfmama]

Harry, wingadingdingy, John, Harry three...."etc.

I love the filters adjusting the name of Richard 1 to wingadingdingy. the poem later refers to Edward 1V and  whingadingdingy the Bad (Richard III). However, it lets the post get away with the word Willy, which in the UK means the same thing as wingadingdingy.

It's understood here, too.  Bill Clinton was nicknamed "Slick Willy" for more reasons than one!

Also, if you google for "willy warmers" you will get some...ahem..."interesting" pictures.

[cabbageweevil]

Harry, wingadingdingy, John, Harry three...."etc.

I love the filters adjusting the name of Richard 1 to wingadingdingy. the poem later refers to Edward 1V and  whingadingdingy the Bad (Richard III). However, it lets the post get away with the word Willy, which in the UK means the same thing as wingadingdingy.

I find myself wondering how the Lionheart would have reacted to being called "wingadingdingy". One gathers that he did have a sense of humour -- maybe it would have amused him...

[Gyburc]

...totally OT - Richard I may have had a sense of humour but definitely didn't have a sense of self-preservation.

He was mortally injured while laying siege to a castle in France because he saw one of the defenders aiming a crossbow at him, and stopped to applaud the man's bravery before ducking. Result, one crossbow bolt to the shoulder and a nice infected puncture wound... 

[Mental Magpie]

I swear, if I hear one more person say "wadn't" instead of wasn't, I'm going to lose it.  Mental Boyfriend is driving me nuts with it, but it only got worse once Mental Mother got home and did it, too.

[Giggity]

S is an underappreciated consonant. For some reason, lots of people think it's weak and can't live on its own without an H next to it. Once you notice it, you will never stop noticing it. Many radio commercials in my area have this problem: shtrong, shtraight, shtand.

[jmarvellous]

S is an underappreciated consonant. For some reason, lots of people think it's weak and can't live on its own without an H next to it. Once you notice it, you will never stop noticing it. Many radio commercials in my area have this problem: shtrong, shtraight, shtand.

I have never noticed this except from someone with a clear speech difficulty. Do you mind mentioning what part of the world you're in?

[Giggity]

Houston, Texas. I listen to mostly AM radio in the car, so I don't know if (what passes for) music DJs do it too.

[jmarvellous]

Houston, Texas. I listen to mostly AM radio in the car, so I don't know if (what passes for) music DJs do it too.

Huh. I grew up listening to Houston radio (KPFT, KUHF and KTRU, really, so not AM), and I listen to public radio in Central Texas now. Guess I'll have to see if I can spot this!

[Mental Magpie]

I have definitely noticed it, but not in any specific region.

[Elfmama]

S is an underappreciated consonant. For some reason, lots of people think it's weak and can't live on its own without an H next to it. Once you notice it, you will never stop noticing it. Many radio commercials in my area have this problem: shtrong, shtraight, shtand.

I have never noticed this except from someone with a clear speech difficulty. Do you mind mentioning what part of the world you're in?

I hear it, or the substitute 'th' here in Maryland, and on professionally recorded music.  I believe that singers and other people who are recorded are taught that 's' comes across the microphone as a very sharp hiss, so they soften it to 'sh' or 'th'.