Does any usage error particularly grate on you?
One that makes me wince every time I hear it is the mispronunciation of the word "similar" as "simular," usually by a self-conscious speaker in a formal setting trying to enunciate.
To get this conversation started, fellow wordsmiths, please let me know some of your usage pet peeves.
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April
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April
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8 comments:
Oh, let me count the ways...
Alzheimer's pronounced all-hymers, alzz-hymers, or any other way that points out the user is too lazy to use m-w.com or a simple dictionary.
Suposably for supposedly
I ask her, instead of I asked her (Similarly, I use to and I was suppose to)
Asterick for asterisk
Crick for creek
Is that enough for one day from one person?
Irregardless.........say what? Try and find that word in the dictionary!
any of the countless ways people butcher "ambulance"--ambilance, amblance, amilance, ambuLANCE...
misuse of the words 'lie' and 'lay'-- 'I'm going to go lay down'--makes me crazy!
the misuse of "their", "they're" and "there" definitely tops my list...
that's my written pet peeve...
my spoken pet peeve is definitely the use of the words "snuck" (yes, I know it is in dictionaries - but it's only there because so many people were making the same mistake)and "drug" (in place of "dragged").
i also can't stand when people say "more better" and mispronunciation...
"foilage" instead of "foliage", etc...
ugh...
My own personal trifecta of peevish pronunciations: 'maters, 'taters, and 'skeeters. Yes, Bentonians, I hate "Tater"! All three sound like nails on a chalkboard to me when I hear them.
To this day I cannot use the word "thing" in a sentence without hearing my English professor father rail, "THING? What THING? Use a noun!" There was a time at the dinner table we had to pay him a quarter every time we slipped and said, "thing." I've often thought of instituting the same rule for teenagers for the word, "like." Inflation (in the value of a dollar and in annoyance) would make me charge $5.00 a use.
Physical year instead of fiscal year.
"Alltimers" instead of Alzheimer's
Nucular instead of nuclear ... hum ... wonder who does that?
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