Common usage of words that drive me nuts.......

I believe that new words and new usage of old words, are fine. But grammar is the skeleton of the language on which the rest of it is based, and should be left intact. Phrases such as ‘between you and I’ are so obviously wrong to anyone who understand the basics.

Too few people are taught grammar: it isn’t difficult, and makes writing anything so much easier. It makes you far less likely to end up wondering if something is right or not.

It is like driving a car: if you understand the basics of what is going on under the bonnet, it makes driving easier when questions crop up. Of course you can still drive when you have no idea how it all works, but when something look dodgy you know whether to keep on driving or stop and get help.

My brother always, always retells a conversation with 'and I turned round and said' followed by 'then he turned round...' I always have an image of a room full of people spinning round and round... but he probably takes after our dad who is infamous here for always starting a sentence with 'virtually speaking' ...no idea where he got that phrase from but in my head I'm yelling 'either you are speaking or you aren't...'

when answering a question every sentence preceded with "well you know what"

I seem to be becoming inured to train station' Was 'railway' too long a word?
The spoken use of 'chairs' for 'seats' on buses seems to be seeping in.

I doubt I shall ever be happy with 'different to' or 'different than'. Neither shall I accept 'bored of'.

In the long run, however, I wonder how important it all is. Clear communication is what really matters.

Reading these posts I'm clearly a lot less of a pedant than I thought

I agree with Teetime - For me, it is when people say pacifically when they mean specifically. I'm also irritated by people saying disinterested when they mean uninterested. You hear both of these so often, even on radio and TV, that they seem to have taken over from the correct words. But hey, I suppose it's not really all that important in the scheme of things!

I've just thought of another one, that really does matter. It's when the spokesperson for some organisation, such as Volkswagen, when it has been caught out in deliberate wrongdoing, apologises for having "made a mistake." A mistake is something you didn't mean to happen!

I'm another one intensely irritated by "would of" instead of "would have". I correct my 6-y-o grandson when he says it and his reply is "But Daddy says WOULD OF". I'm not sure how I get around this one.

I have read all through this interesting thread so that I wouldn't repeat something that had already been said. Maisie D was squite correct when she said the teachers of today weren't taught the principles of grammar, also Elrel was right - the object is communication. (secret confession - found myself writing 'would of ' the other day)

A friend of mine infuriates me by constantly saying "myself" and "yourself" instead of I, me, or you: example: myself and John are going on a course; Is it for yourself?

Suduko!!!! We didn't have tv!!!

Suedoku sorry .... sue

I speak fairly quickly so my would have comes out as would've. Im sure most people mean have, just that they abbreviate it, as they do in don't and won't. Sometimes one can be overly pedantic. If asked whether I'd like a cup of tea I ought to reply ' yes, I should like one' but I'd say 'would like one'. I'm sure most of us don't stick with the first person shall/will, should/would rule even if we are aware of it. Most of us break the rules but I agree that some things can grate, especially when we hear them from news presenters and others from whom we expect ' better'. I don't say train station, but it has become part of our language. We say bus station, don't we? I also dont say driver's licence, but ditto. One of my DDs always asks to 'get' a coffee. Younger people absorb language change, which has been mentioned above along with actual incorrect grammar. I just accept that as long as we all understand each other that's what's important. But just dont let me hear "He text me". ! Subject of an earlier thread , and a particular bête noir of mine.

Bellanonna, what they mean probably is 'would have' but some people definitely say 'would of' (I heard a woman say it to her friend in a supermarket last week and had to bite my tongue!) and some also write 'would of'.

I'm not much of a pedant, but this ordering food/ coffee thing and asking 'can I get' annoys me. A couple of weeks ago we were out with DD1 and partner, and I knew she would say this to the waitress ( and she did) it makes me cringe.I long for the waitress to reply' I'm afraid not Madam,only the staff here are allowed to serve the meals'.

To my ear, could've and would've sound very different from could of and would of. I doubt they would annoy so many of us if they sounded the same

Yes Ana, I have seen it written as would of, and that is annoying.

I've heard this."can I get.... coffee,one of those"
Why?
When did that phrase start.

I agree about "Can I get a coffee etc.," The reply should be "no, customers aren't allowed behind the counter."

Most of the above (pernickety old bag!) but the examples currently annoying me most are 'enormity' used to mean 'of very large size' and 'infamous' apparently used to mean 'very famous'. Oh, and 'going forward'. And 'empathy'. I don't mind neologisms and I like dialect but I do object to using a word in a different sense from the normally understood meaning. It just leads to miscommunication.