Grr Grr grr

‘Yous’ for the plural of ‘You’ seems to be in use a lot.

My DS-in-L when hosting one of her (delicious) family dinners always asks "Now, what would people like". I find the use of "people" a bit odd, impersonal even

Oh, and..."are you with me?"

I'm afraid that my pet peeve is "Are You Alright?" instead of Can I help you? I'm sure that sales staff aren't interested in my health. (Probably not too interested in helping me either). When did this change? I really do find this annoying. Anyone else?

Amber I would go further -'May I help you?' That implies that they would like to 'Can I' implies they are not certain that they are able to.

A friend of mine, married for x number of years, hates it when she is asked if she has a ' partner' Her usual reply is " No, I don't do dancing'. She then says ' But I do have a husband' Some might find that old fashioned of her, but she is proud of being married.

I heartily agree with all previous posters.
The one I rant about the most is the past continuous
I was sitting on the floor or I sat on the floor NOT I was sat on the floor.
I was standing on the floor or I stood on the floor NOT I was stood on the floor.
I was running on the floor or I ran on the floor NOT I was ran on the floor.
We never hear the latter but it demonstrates the principle.
Was stood and was sat can be heard a hundred times a day on tv. Appalling.
Rant over. Merry Christmas Gransnetters x

agree Peardrop50. was sat...was stood...are passive forms, so imply that the action was done TO you BY someone else....the baby was sat on the chair (perhaps by mother)...I was stood on the ladder (e.g. by my dad).

I have many pet 'misuse of language' peeves but top of my list is ....
would/should/could/wouldn't etc. followed by 'of' instead of 'have'. To say it colloquially is one thing, to write it is another and many on here and mumsnet do it. If all children had two years of Latin lessons ( I had seven!) then they may begin to understand all the different parts of speech and tenses of verbs and how to use our wonderful language correctly.

Also, I hate 'gonna' instead of 'going to' and 'get off of the/my ..' instead of 'get off from ' or just 'get off'!

Lastly, 'play park', it's just the park!

All of the above, but isn't yourself, himself, etc. colloquial usage in Ireland? Or just used by lazy scriptwriters to identify characters as Irish?

Just to add to Nonnie's post - I often hear the phrase "Do you need any help?"

I have to stop myself from saying - no, just b****r off and let me browse in peace!!

I think we would all be happier in pedants corner!?

On this topic my wife's pet hate is the usual "Can I help you?" phrase as mentioned earlier - her preferred response (^but she bites her lip so as not to utter the words^) would be "No, I'm fine - how are you?"

Like it grumppa

I'm sure there's joke about opening the front door and as you open it the visitor asks "Are you in?"

Sorry - got the bit between me teeth now.

It's the overuse of adjectives - especially on News broadcasts that really gets to me, whether it's a deluge of rain, which becomes a "sudden deluge", or the use of an inappropriate word like "barrelling" down the hillside. (You don't hear that on "Ski Sunday do you!?)

I'm with you quizqueen - the understanding of the different parts of speech, or the use of tense in a sentence, and the clutter of inappropriate adjectives and adverbs lessens the understanding for the reader - or listener.

I wonder how/if these are still in the english language curriculum in schools today. (Yes, have discussed with my GS and GD, as they have gone through the system, but I'm still none the wiser about how this is taught.)

I was rather put off by a young dentist recently who kept saying, ‘I fink.’ Double Grr......

I agree with you, quizqueen about 'get off of'. There are many examples of unnecessary (IMO) extra words being added, as in 'meet with', or even 'meet up with'. What is wrong with just 'meet'?

When did 'riding' become 'horse riding' and 'skating' become 'ice skating'? If you ride a bike you are cycling, and if you are roller skating, you specify that.

On another tack, why do people talk about 'the floor' when it is outside and is therefore 'the ground'?

When I was at school we were taught that a word with a vowel had "an" preceding it...IE. an apple ... an elephant. Now it is just "a" ... " do you want a apple "? it just doesn't seem right to me because of the way we were taught .

Yes, I dislike when giving a food order, being asked “....and for yourself?”. Another pet irritant is the phrase ‘two times’. Instead of ‘twice’. I think twice is going the way of the obsolete ‘thrice ‘.

Let's use thrice, and twice, as much as possible!

“....and for yourself?”.

"....and for you?" sounds a bit blunt. Maybe 'yourself' came in when waiting staff stopped saying Sir or Madam.

Just heard on television. ' you have to do it perfect' No, you do it perfectly or it has to be perfect.

Grannyparker
Do ee be Cornish me 'andsome'

Well me myself I would like you yourself you to speak proper English grammar. Haha . Wonder what that outcome would be at the restaurant. My DH would say shhh they'll spit in your food .