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Words that people commonly use incorrectly ...

Hi Trishpmc,

But I grew up in New York County in New York City (better known as Manhattan). No one I know grew up "on" New York County but they could have grown up on Manhattan Island. If island is a modifier of Manhattan, why is county not a modifier of New York in this example?

If I remember correctly, both sentences would diagram the same.

I say this only because I was learned dat gud english pretty dang gud in der school i was learned in. Dem nones was tough as nales.

John
 
X-ring said:
I always get a mental image of dancing whatnots when I hear "that doesn't jive".

Of all the times I've heard the intended expression to mean that something isn't in agreement, I've heard the correct usage (i.e. it doesn't jibe) maybe 1-5% of the time.
Click to expand...

Also nautically related ... taking a different "tact" rather than taking a different "tack".
 
A notice once came home from school in which the teacher said she was trying to "peak the children's interest in reading."

We were already working at home to pique my son's interest in reading.

I tried to think of a tactful way to let her know, but then I decided it might be best to let it go. :)
 
How about double usage of the word that?

Example-It makes perfect sense that that poster is blue.

Oh brother! It drives me crazy.
 
No Parking -- You Got A Problem With That ?

OK, how come the parking authorities put up signs saying . . .

NO PARKING
VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED
AT OWNER'S EXPENSE ​


. . . when they could just as easily put up signs saying . . .

NO PARKING
VEHICLES WILL BE TOWED
AT VIOLATORS' EXPENSE​

. . . that are lots less ambiguous ?

Too simple, I suppose.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



 
AwayWeGo said:
OK, how come the parking authorities put up signs saying . . .

NO PARKING
VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED
AT OWNER'S EXPENSE​


. . . when they could just as easily put up signs saying . . .

NO PARKING
VEHICLES WILL BE TOWED
AT VIOLATORS' EXPENSE​
Click to expand...

I like the sign I saw one time that read:

WARNING!!
Trespassers will be violated.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Alan,

The original sign is actually correct. Once a car is towed, it can only be released to th eowner who pays the fees/fines. So if the violator is a friend or relative, you pay the authorities to get it back as owner, violator may or may not be the one who pays.

John
 
Who Knew ?

johnmfaeth said:
Hi Alan,

The original sign is actually correct. Once a car is towed, it can only be released to th eowner who pays the fees/fines. So if the violator is a friend or relative, you pay the authorities to get it back as owner, violator may or may not be the one who pays.

John
Click to expand...
Well, OK.

I just thought they always phoned for hook trucks to come tow away the cars & trucks & vans -- you know, the vehicles.

Who knew they rounded up the actual perps & hauled the violators away in chains? (Not that they don't deserve it.)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 
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isisdave said:
"Jealousy" and "envy": the former is unreasonable attachment to what you have, the latter a desire for something belonging to another. But commonly we hear "jealous" used in place of "envious."
Click to expand...

This is how I understood the words jealous, envy and covet:

Jealousy is not wanting to share that which belongs to oneself. This is why the Bible describes God as a jealous God. He does not want to share his people with false gods. Envy refers to the attitude one has towards someone who has something you want. Coveting is your attitude towards something or someone you want that rightfully belongs to another. You envy someone who has something you covet.

However, when I looked these words up in the dictionary, it appears that the definitions are not even distinct in the dictionary any more.

Perhaps someone else has mentioned these already, but

Principal vs. Principle
Immanent vs. Imminent

I am still not sure what "I feel ya" is supposed to mean. The persons who say this aren't even touching me at the time. ;)
 
congradulations, instead of congratulations


My all time favorite is : aks, instead of ask
 
It has become quite common to use "literally" instead of "figuratively." Newscasters misuse the word regularly. :)
 
Kel said:
It's Realtor not Realator.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is a strange way people pronounce my current profession. :)

Realtor is always capitalized as well.
 
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Giving directions as on a map

This used to drive my cooperating English teacher crazy 35 years ago. We lived in Red Deer for work purposes but I went home to Edmonton on the weekends. Edmonton is north of Red Deer. I would say "I'm going up to Edmonton this weekend" and she would constantly correct me "You are going to Edmonton. There is no up or down when giving directions." Today when I mark essays I often think of her because I am constantly correcting "cuz" instead of "because". It drives me crazy because it is so pervasive in my students' speech as I'm sure my idiom was then. The more things change....:)
 
Guilty Pleasures Of Mispronunciation.

Chimbley -- as in, On Christmas Eve, St. Nicholas comes down the chimbley.

Unfortunately (for me) The Chief Of Staff doesn't like me to say it that way. She also hates the expression higgledy-piggledy, so I don't say that either. She has a good friend equally put off by the perfectly useful word mishmash, so we also don't say that -- just being considerate.

Now that I'm old & cranky, however, I get semi-bugged at hearing people pronounce certain words certain ways. Comptroller, for example, is pronounced the same as controller. Folks pronouncing it COMP-troller just want to make sure people realize they know how it's spelled. Same goes for people who pronounce often as off-ten.

If that's how it's to be, why stop at often ?

Listen could be pronounced liss-ten, soften as sof-ten, glisten as gliss-ten, etc.

If often is to be off-ten, then let's have some consistency.

And what's all this baloney about an historic event ? Is that some famous happening that we can look up in an history book? Give me a break, folks -- aspirate that H .

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
I don't know if this quite fits with the topic but I hate it when Realtors put in their ads for a house "This one won't last long". Who would want a house that won't last long? Will it collapse before it even sells? I suppose they mean it will sell quickly or won't stay on the market for long, but why not say that?
 
tlwmkw said:
I don't know if this quite fits with the topic but I hate it when Realtors put in their ads for a house "This one won't last long". Who would want a house that won't last long? Will it collapse before it even sells? I suppose they mean it will sell quickly or won't stay on the market for long, but why not say that?
Click to expand...

You are right but it doesn't matter to me as I don't pay any attention to what most Realtors say.
 
spirits said:
she would constantly correct me "You are going to Edmonton. There is no up or down when giving directions."
Click to expand...

Interesting, given how often we see/hear this used ... did she provide some recognized authority (e.g. Fowler's) to support her assertion?

I think the use of up/down can be quite useful from a teaching point of view - e.g. a resident of Windsor, Ontario driving UP to Detroit to see the Red Wings play hockey. ;)
 
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Uptown, Downtown, Crosstown, Etc.

spirits said:
There is no up or down when giving directions.
Click to expand...
What about over ? (E.g., "I'm going over to Edmonton this weekend." )



-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 
An "old" adage

Very rarely do we hear/see the word adage used correctly on its own, rather than preceded with the redundant adjective, old.
 
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