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

Schaken not Schirred Mr Bond....

It's a minefield Mollygo

hollysteers

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

No she’s not. It’s ’heart rending’.

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

‘Didn’t ought’.

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

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

'Reticent' when 'reluctant' is meant. (Similarly, 'reticence' vs 'reluctance').

“Happy belated birthday” instead of “Belated Happy Birthday” really irritates me on social media! It’s your greeting that’s late, not the actual birthday!!

When people say brought instead of bought something.

Devorgilla

Fewer v less. Even newsreaders get it wrong.

I don’t think very many people understand why it should be one or the other. TBH I think I only fully realised while I was teaching EFL - ‘countable’ and ‘uncountable’ nouns.

So, less flour but fewer eggs.
Less snow, but fewer snowballs.
Less water, but fewer leaks.
Less carbs, but fewer cakes!

‘

Marbelous

When people say brought instead of bought something.

I don't know the difference.
I think I've had it explained to me on here before, and I still don't know.

I'm happy to be corrected politely.

Hi MissAdventure

If you brought something, you transported something with you (brought your purse / phone), or were accompanied by someone (brought my friend).

If you bought something, you purchased it (bought a purse / phone).

By jove, I think I've got it!
Thank you.
So, i bought something from the shop, and brought it home?

MissAdventure

By jove, I think I've got it!
Thank you.
So, i bought something from the shop, and brought it home?

Yes, exactly that 🙂

Well, thank you kindly.

petra

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

👀

The repetition of the word number when talking about your PIN. The N stands for number so we have a PIN not a PIN number.

I’ve just had to switch Radio 2 off for a few minutes! That annoying song “Defying gravity” came on and it irritates me greatly as GRAVITY is sung as GRAVIDY. Why can’t gravity with a T in the middle be sung or spoken as it’s meant to?! A real pet hate of mine! And it’s not just gravity - a lot of words with a T in the middle are pronounced this way. I’m quite a tolerant person, but some things just grate on me!!

Re: the northern accent thing, and I could be completely wrong, but having a Yorkshire accent myself I’ve always thought the I/she /he were is not actually were but rather wor’ ie. a northern version of ‘was’. So our accents may be blunt but our grammar perfect

This may be taking pedantry too far

Greenfinch

The repetition of the word number when talking about your PIN. The N stands for number so we have a PIN not a PIN number.

Like being asked for the nearest ATM machine!

honeyrose

I’ve just had to switch Radio 2 off for a few minutes! That annoying song “Defying gravity” came on and it irritates me greatly as GRAVITY is sung as GRAVIDY. Why can’t gravity with a T in the middle be sung or spoken as it’s meant to?! A real pet hate of mine! And it’s not just gravity - a lot of words with a T in the middle are pronounced this way. I’m quite a tolerant person, but some things just grate on me!!

Apologies - I’ve gone a bit off piste there! The topic was slightly different to what I was replying to!

Sadly....I agree with many of these. Also people's spelling on line and even in notices. A few years back, near where I lift, at some traffic lights was placed large notice informing us that coffee was available just 'a few meters away'. I have a gas meter and an electricity meter, but this really confused me.
Just had someone on Facebook telling us about a happening on wensday.

Another 'underestimated ' used wrongly yesterday. A reporter on TV saying the "the shock of Anne Widdecombe's murder cannot be underestimated". It cannot be overestimated, that's for sure, it was truly shocking.

‘There is’ with a plural.
I know it’s everywhere, but it still irritates me. And I don’t mind admitting that I silently judge people who do it.