Funny (sort of) Word Mix-Ups and other Abuses of the English Language

[pjrose]

Disclaimer: this is not intended to insult or pick on any TUGgers who may commit occasional typos, misspellings, etc. Let's not criticize each other here, ok?

I keep seeing more and more abuses of the English language - in headlines, on Facebook, in online comments, etc. I thought it'd be fun to list the ones I can remember from the last day or two, and see what others have to add.

A headline tonight about Penn State's new coach says that Penn State is ushering in a new area.....

In a comment about two adults who committed an inappropriate act in public, with their child present, someone wrote that the poor child must be dramatized

In another comment, about someone who did something rather stupid, a commenter wrote that the person should have complicated the results before doing it.

 

[laurac260]

Well I don't think this necessarily what you had in mind PJ, but I recently saw this advertisement on the sign at the local IGA:

chicken
breast
milk
$2.99 gal​

Now I have no idea if this is a good price or not, but I do wonder how they milk those chickens.

 

[shagnut]

That's funny. Why don't you take a picture and send it into Jay. shaggy

 

[Fern Modena]

And the sign on the gas station with an attached diner, on a highway out in the middle of nowhere?

"Eat Here and Get Gas"​

 

[scrapngen]

We were on a "power hike" and the girl leading the walk was talking about the beautiful tulip trees in HI that unfortunately, are not native and seem to take over wherever they are. They came from Africa and are an "evasive" species. Another woman and I started wondering how the trees managed this. Did they hide behind other trees when people got too near?

 

[sdbrier]

PJ; You hit the nail on the head. This is a pet peave of mine. I had no idea I paid so much attention in my English classes. Grammar, in todays facebook society, is woeful at best. Now, I'll be brief and add just the one that grates on me the most at present.

Impact being substituted incorrectly, when the person actually means affect.
:annoyed:

I hear it from the learned media all the time. It just drives me crazy, like fingers on a chalkboard. If anybody still remembers chalkboards!:hysterical:

Royal Haciendas in 33 days. :whoopie:

 

[laurac260]

PJ; You hit the nail on the head. This is a pet peave of mine. I had no idea I paid so much attention in my English classes. Grammar, in todays facebook society, is woeful at best. Now, I'll be brief and add just the one that grates on me the most at present.

Impact being substituted incorrectly, when the person actually means affect.
:annoyed:

I hear it from the learned media all the time. It just drives me crazy, like fingers on a chalkboard. If anybody still remembers chalkboards!:hysterical:

Royal Haciendas in 33 days. :whoopie:

Interesting, however, what exactly is a "peave"? I guess if we are going to critique "grammar in today's Facebook society", we should use our spell checker first?

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

If you hear someone say they are going to "rayz" a dam, does that mean the dam will be larger or smaller?

 

[laurac260]

If you hear someone say they are going to "rayz" a dam, does that mean the dam will be larger or smaller?

I think it means they are going to use their shrink rayz, so it would be smaller, right?

 

[easyrider]

I don't have a strong feeling about the word " awkward" but it just seems awkward to write it.

 

[pjrose]

It's not just English classes; it's probably not even primarily English classes. It's the environment, the parents' grammar, friends' grammar, AND whether people read. With enough reading, people can absorb how words LOOK, and that way know that the correct word is "probably" not "probly" or "prolly," just for one example.

With reading, people will see the correct usage and spelling of "to," "two," and "too," and "their," "there," and "they're," but without reading, with just spoken language, the words sound alike, and there's no way to know what they should look like. My students often write that a particular project is "bias" - think about it, we don't usually pronounce the "ed" in "biased", so it SOUNDS like "bias." I've had some write "biast." Why not? If they don't read, they don't know what the word LOOKS LIKE, and even those who might hear the "ed" could easily hear it as "t".

A few English classes on each particular word or group of words and memorizing for some quizzes probably isn't enough to do the trick. Reading is so important - and I don't mean reading on Facebook .

 

[pjrose]

Interesting, however, what exactly is a "peave"? I guess if we are going to critique "grammar in today's Facebook society", we should use our spell checker first?

Disclaimer: this is not intended to insult or pick on any TUGgers who may commit occasional typos, misspellings, etc. Let's not criticize each other here, ok?

. . .

I love(?) the "evasive" species and "axed" (below) is a great example too !

 

[Helene4]

Grew up in Connecticut and moved to Long Island where people "axed" each other a question. I guess the rules for murder are different one state away.

 

[pjrose]

Helene - I wonder if some who pronounce Long Island "Lawngilund" also spell it that way

When the Royal Islander was still pre-construction, our salesperson told us of the "Royal IceLander" - I wondered a bit at such a "cold" name for a resort inin Cancun, till I realized as a non-native-English-speaker (Did I hyphenate that correctly?) he was simply pronouncing the "s".

 

[hdmass]

In my hometown small newspaper I saw someone mention getting something out of the draw (drawer with a NE accent).

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Helene - I wonder if some who pronounce Long Island "Lawngilund" also spell it that way

When the Royal Islander was still pre-construction, our salesperson told us of the "Royal IceLander" - I wondered a bit at such a "cold" name for a resort inin Cancun, till I realized as a non-native-English-speaker (Did I hyphenate that correctly?) he was simply pronouncing the "s".

In Spanish the letter "s" is always pronounced and in Mexican Spanish, anyway, will always be a hissing "s". In addition, the Spanish and English words have the same root, (English = "isle" or "island"; Spanish = "isla"), so because the words are cognates a native Spanish speaker will tend to "Latinize" the pronunciation by including the "s". It can be particularly tricky for Spanish speakers to override the spelled word because in Spanish spelling and pronunciation are very closely linked - there are almost no exceptions to the spelling and pronunciation rules.

It's a bit the obverse of when we norteamericanos order "hway-vos" rancheros in a Mexican restaurant.

 

[KarenLK]

Slurring...I live between Buflo and Nigra Falls.

 

[pjrose]

Slurring...I live between Buflo and Nigra Falls.

I think I'd spell it "Niygra".....your spelling could have a problematic pronunciation.

And when you go to Buflo, do you shuffle?

 

[scrapngen]

I think I'd spell it "Niygra".....your spelling could have a problematic pronunciation.

And when you go to Buflo, do you shuffle?

Don't tap-dance around the subject, PJ, I thought we were addressing the incorrect use of words, not spelling or pronunciation - that's a whole 'nuther topic for discussion...

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Using "compliment" instead of "complement".

"Having extensive experience in communications, Jason compliments our existing human resources staff."

So I guess that a key part of Jason's job is to go around telling everyone in human resources what fine work they're doing.

 

[Mel]

A few English classes on each particular word or group of words and memorizing for some quizzes probably isn't enough to do the trick. Reading is so important - and I don't mean reading on Facebook .

I agree 100%, and see this with my own daughters.

16YO is a fairly regular reader, and has a decent vocabulary. She's taking Latin 3 this year, and remarked how much she has learned about the English language this year in her Latin class. There is so much about grammar that they no longer teach (though I don't know if they didn't teach it when I was younger, or I just didn't pay attention, because I remember the same reaction regarding verb tenses when taking HS Spanish).

13Yo is not a big reader. She is very bright, and scores in the highest category on each part of the state tests, but I suspect she might be dyslexic - they won't test her because they don't believe she has difficulty reading, though she claims she does. Her spelling is terrible, and she hates when her younger sister uses "big words."

9YO - to call her an avid reader would be an understatement. She is always reading. She flew through all 7 Harry Potter books last year in 3rd grade - 4 months to read the entire series twice. She raids our book shelves, and has been through most of our "Heralds of Valdemar" series by Mercedes Lackey. She picks most of her books (with assistance) from the adult section at the library, skipping over the Teen section which doesn't interest her, and is "too easy." Not only does she understand the words she reads through context, but she turns around and uses them properly. She has a hard time understanding why 13YO is frustrated by her vocabulary, and tells her to only use words she learned in 2nd grade (assuming they might be "4th grade words.")

Did I get the punctuation right, with the quotation marks and parenthesis?

The one that bothers me most is probably "Aks" for ask. Some of the others I'm used to because I grew up in Boston but spent summers in Maine. I remember my aunt taking us to the store to get "shots" and puting them away in the "draw."

 

[MuranoJo]

Especially on a timeshare board, writing 'accomodations' instead of 'accommodations.'

For a while in a past job when I had to correct our ad agencies, I was known as the 'Hyphen Queen.' For instance, '3rd grade games' most certainly should be '3rd-grade games.'

That said, I've been known to press the 'submit reply' button, come back the next day, and see where I've left out a letter or some other goofy mistake.

Bottom line, I'm not sure too many notice or even care in this age, though it still bugs me. I work with folks who have very high levels of education who can't spell or write a complete sentence, and I'm sure they're paid very well.

 

[K&PFitz]

We have a builder in our area who builds custom homes. Unfortunately, he named his company "Customary Homes." We joke that if you want a special, unique home, call someone else, but if you want the ordinary house, call him for the usual and customary.

 

[isisdave]

I've been pouring over this thread for my favorite blooper, but I finally had to provide it myself.

 

[puppymommo]

Quote: 13Yo is not a big reader. She is very bright, and scores in the highest category on each part of the state tests, but I suspect she might be dyslexic - they won't test her because they don't believe she has difficulty reading, though she claims she does. Her spelling is terrible, and she hates when her younger sister uses "big words."


It is definitely possible to be "twice exceptional" ie, gifted and have a learning disability. Most schools won't test a student for learning disablities if he/she is working at or above grade level. It is really sad. Those students who are doing very well with hidden learning disabilities, could be absolutely exceptional (and less frustrated) if their difficulties were addressed.