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What words annoy you when used wrong or people don't know the meaning of?

(233 Posts)
CrazyUSA Tue 07-Jul-26 17:35:06

For example your instead of you're.

petra Fri 10-Jul-26 14:45:11

I wonder how many members are reading this thread wondering if it’s worth posting anymore knowing that the grammar police are watching.

glasses Fri 10-Jul-26 14:30:19

Internment instead of interment for burial.
Prostrate instead of prostate for male body part.
Wemberly for Wembley.

Indiebee Fri 10-Jul-26 14:16:49

‘Didn’t ought’.

madeleine45 Thu 09-Jul-26 16:49:21

almost or nearly "unique" . It is either unique or not!

Witzend Thu 09-Jul-26 16:18:11

hollysteers

My friend finds sad things “heart rendering”. I’m starting to think she’s correct?

No she’s not. It’s ’heart rending’.

sodapop Thu 09-Jul-26 14:53:36

It's a minefield Mollygo

keepcalmandcavachon Thu 09-Jul-26 13:44:26

Schaken not Schirred Mr Bond....

Mollygo Thu 09-Jul-26 13:07:03

Witzend

Fighting an already lost battle, I know, but ‘schedule’ pronounced ‘skedule’. 🤬

I do usually say shedule for schedule, but I do say skeme for scheme and pronounce school the usual way.

Witzend Thu 09-Jul-26 13:04:44

Fighting an already lost battle, I know, but ‘schedule’ pronounced ‘skedule’. 🤬

sodapop Thu 09-Jul-26 12:54:43

Agree greyduster I am a Yorkshire lass too and there is a world of difference between dialect and misusage ( is that a word?)
Given your name greciangirl I thought you would understand that.
Nowt so queer as folk.

keepcalmandcavachon Thu 09-Jul-26 11:00:14

Thankyou Hollysteers, I do believe Shakespere never penned his name the same way twicegrin

Fartooold Thu 09-Jul-26 10:56:38

Greyduster

While my own use of the English language has been deemed to be pretty near faultless (dives behind the sofa, having donned a tin hat) I don’t feel it’s my place to criticise the way anyone else makes use of the language. That we communicate is the important thing, surely?

Greyduster you speak my language. Living with three with Down Syndrome my standards have dropped to understand what they say is a positive!
I’m behind the sofa with you!

hollysteers Thu 09-Jul-26 10:43:46

keepcalmandcavachon

GoldenAge

What really irks me is when 'professionals' fail on simple grammar rules and the real bugbear is when a therapist of whatever kind writes things like "I practice in a holistic way" instead of "I practise in a holistic way". At school I was taught that in words like practice - practise, advice - advise, licence - license - the noun of the pair was written with a c and the verb of the pair was written with an s - and the easy way to learn this was to think that c+ n, and s + v and that c came before s in the alphabet, and n came before v.

My English grammar mistress who of course must now be long-since dead would be delighted to know that I'm passing her rules on all those years later!

I know so very little about grammatical rules and it honestly is a sadness to me. I was out of school at 15 and although reading is one of the biggest joys to me, I find studying very hard.
I've no proper idea or concept of how to research, catagorise or evaluate info and would love to have learnt how to do this along with grammar, spelling ect.
I feel very lacking when I read these threads.

If reading is one of your biggest joys keepcalm, you have probably picked up the correct ways naturally along the way. It’s people who don’t read who usually make the howlers.

Anyway I wouldn’t worry or take this thread seriously ( considering the OP’s clumsy title…), many famous authors couldn’t spell and would have their works of genius corrected by editors before they were fit to face the world.

hollysteers Thu 09-Jul-26 10:30:50

My friend finds sad things “heart rendering”. I’m starting to think she’s correct?

givemeaminute Thu 09-Jul-26 10:15:58

All of them .

Grannybags Thu 09-Jul-26 10:11:28

Nanny27

Poppyjo

Bit of rain. Should be drop. Spot or shower lol 😆

Why can't it be a bit of rain? I'm all for good grammar but a bit means a little bit, a little amount and can apply to just about anything.

I was brought up never to say bit if I was talking about anything liquid

My Mum would go mad when cooking presenters would add a bit of milk instead of a drop!

Mamie792 Thu 09-Jul-26 09:53:25

Bit of rain - this is a direct link to the Vikings who influenced language where they landed. Hence “a bit soup” or “a bit rain”is/was used, especially in the North East.
Greciangirl - perhaps you are the lazy one as you “cringe” at the way Northerners speak. Please don’t show your ignorance about half of England - language is communication and in this world we need that, not superior and condescending comments. Incidentally which neck of the woods do you hail from ?

Nanny27 Thu 09-Jul-26 09:16:35

Poppyjo

Bit of rain. Should be drop. Spot or shower lol 😆

Why can't it be a bit of rain? I'm all for good grammar but a bit means a little bit, a little amount and can apply to just about anything.

GrannyBeek Thu 09-Jul-26 08:09:45

Most of the above!
Currently, it’s the use of “been” instead of “being” in both speech and writing.
Oh, and the missing “that” in many sentences (e.g. the house Jack built).

watermeadow Thu 09-Jul-26 07:56:30

I can’t bear people like Amol Rajah saying Ay instead of Uh for the indefinite article. ‘I had ay sandwich and ay coffee’
And another one, the recent spread of Shtudent, shtudy etc.

Greyduster Thu 09-Jul-26 07:08:50

singingnutty

Well, Greciangirl I took my eye off this thread a few hours ago and just saw your comments about northern accents. I don't know what your accent is, but perhaps someone might not like the way you talk. However, seeing as they don't know what your accent is it's good that they can't make comments!

I agree. I am from Yorkshire and I speak the King’s English, but I cherish the small eccentricities of the Northern -and any other - dialect. What a dull world it would be if we all spoke the in the same way.

Poppyjo Thu 09-Jul-26 04:08:03

Bit of rain. Should be drop. Spot or shower lol 😆

DrWatson Thu 09-Jul-26 03:04:55

Bluebelle, the OP did ask, and as you've aid, it's "wrongly used".
My partner goes potty if a newsreader (or other presenter) says "comprised of".

Sueinkent Wed 08-Jul-26 22:48:10

“Less people” rather than fewer people.

Duvetdiva Wed 08-Jul-26 22:40:33

Myself