Let's start a blitz on bad grammar - nationwide

I totally agree with HazelB about the pronunciation of the letter 'H'. It's one of my pet hates. I get fed up with all those overused phrases such as 'at the end of the day' 'the bottom line is....' etc. When someone asks me how I am I say 'fine/very well, thank you'. So many people now reply 'I'm good'. What does that mean? You are well-behaved? Righteous? I think it may have come from the USA or Australia. Well they can have it back!!

Long live grumpy old women who recognise things like misplaced apostrophes, double negatives and split infinitives - you (actually we) are pearls beyond price!

The 3 worse offences for me are: pronouncing the letter 'aitch' as 'haitch', but then sometimes dropping the letter altogether in front of a word! Saying 'sicth' instead of 'sixth' - where did that come from?? I've never heard anyone say 'sicteenth' or 'sictieth' so why 'sicth'?, and then the one which seems to have been adopted in all walks of life - pronouncing 'th' as 'f'. This drives me insane! (Am I turning into a grumpy old woman?!!)

'I'm loving.....' when magazine editors are endorsing a favourite product. It really sets my teeth on edge and don't get me started about the misuse of apostrophes with plurals.

init! drives me to distraction,

How about waiters or shop assistants who say." See you later." This is certainly not true as, unless I return to their place of work I have no plans to meet up with them again at a later date.

People who say "To be honest" while answering a question. Should I have reason to doubt their ability to tell the truth?

I can't stand "For my Sins" it makes me cringe :-)

Have you also noticed how often, even in the quality press, they start a sentence with and or but?That is to say And and But. Something I was taught at my school was never to happen.

Ever tried counting the number of grammatical errors during a news bulletin on TV. It would amaze you how many there are.Surely we should be able to trust organisations like the BBC to get it right. They should be setting a good example but instead, they appear to be one of the worst culprits.
Another thing that they don't seem to teach in schools anymore is table manners. I hate the way so many people now can't hold a knife, fork or spoon correctly.

Beginning a sentence with "Basically". is irritating. Saying "I am sat .... " instead of "I am sitting" and "I must of ..." instead of "I must have..." How about "gunna" instead of "going to". Am having a field day here!

Hear! Hear!

My grammatical hates on TV are: Weather forecasters saying 'few and further between (as in showers) instead of fewer and further between and people starting an interview with 'I mean.... ' Surely 'I mean' should only be said when you are explaining something that you have said before.

oh yes this is a very irritating one

Maybe we need to' lighten up'. I would consider myself quite a pedant but there is a difference between slang and bad grammar. Slang, good, bad grammar, bad. I love some of the slang terms that people, mainly young people, use. Some of them are very expressive. We had our slang when young and our parents despaired of us. Chillax people!!!

There's a big difference between poor/bad grammar and the development of language though.

Aww that bugs me too, my daughter does it all the time, "shall i come over to yours for tea?" my what? my kitchen, my house, my garden yaaagh.

Also 'issues', everyone seems to have issues with just about anything and everything. While I'm on a bit of a roll here, what really annoys me is when reading reviews especially on Amazon the amount of people who 'brought' something instead of 'bought' two entirely different meanings, and different spellings, so why is it so hard to get it right.

I agree with most of the above but it's the misuse of less and fewer that really annoys me. I was going to write 'gets my goat' but then I don't have a goat or any other similar creature!

I am firmly on the horns of a dilemma here. I am both slightly pedantic and a teacher of English as a second language. In the latter guise I understand that language has always evolved and changes over time according to common usage; but oh how it challenges the pedant in me!

May I point out that almost all of these forum threads are about misuse of vocabulary rather than bad grammar. Personally, I think the latter is more important and that the lack of good vocabulary has always been apparent in most people's speech.

Giggling at someone 'mourning the death of the adverb'

Oh goodness, I have just noticed that is where we are.

and just to clarify, I meant swearing...................

As my linguist son tells me constantly, language changes and develops, the meaning of words change,,,,,,,,,,,,does it really matter for F*&*S sake( so as not to offend those who abhor searing).

There is a section here for pedants to post in ......just in case anyone is interested.

My experience as a teacher was that younger teachers actually didn't know these things. They had never been taught at school.

Let's not!!!!