grammar question

My bugbear is "on the weekend" when surely it should be "at the weekend"

I have a few French friends who are (were, just retired) brilliant English teachers in Elbeuf and Rouen, in Lycées- but they were really the exception, sadly.

I now specialise in intensive French or English courses, residential- with the aim to get rid of the grammatical difficulties which trip people up for no reason at all, and concentrate only on those which impair good communication (with others learnt for passive recognition) - it is just as valid to say 'je dois faire' (I must do) rather than the hugely complicated 'il faut que je fasse'- etc. In English, why teach the simple past concurrently with the perfect- which is hugely confusing (especially for French speakers)! Etc, etc.

Broke and broken are often confused, as in: " I had to go to the laundrette because my washing machine was broke.

It's noticeable that in American English, the perfect tense is falling into disuse. For example, instead of 'I have just seen', they will say, 'I just saw'. I must say, I regret the passing of the distinction between the perfect tense and the simple past.

At last, I thought I was going mad with hearing 'of' an evening instead of 'in' the evening, and 'bored of....' . I remember hearing 'of an evening' being said on 'Colditz' years ago by a character played by Anthony Valentine, and it offended me then!

They say 'I just saw' here too though! In fact, I probably say it myself sometimes...

Old music hall joke: "he died of a Tuesday".
The use of "of" in the sense, "I go to market of a Monday morning" has apparently been in constant use in British English since records began.
I quite like it, actually.

I am bemused by the way women "fall pregnant" I know it's been around for yonks but it always sounds very careless to me!

... and ooops, I suppose it should be 'with the aim of getting rid of' ... tripping myself up here!

Teaching communicativly is much easier in English with beginners. In German, right from the very beginning, you have 3 articles and have to use the akkusativ (with the direct object)

Do not read beyond if not interested, but just in case anyone is wondering what I am on about (as per usual ;) )

der Bruder (masc, brother)
die Schwester (fem, sister)
das Kaninchen (neut, rabbit)

but ich habe einen Bruder und eine Schwester, und auch ein Kanninchen.

(I have a brother and a sister, and also a rabbit) - 3 different endings for the direct object depending on masculine, feminine or neuter)- and it just can't be avoided- although the teacher can always choose to soft pedal on systematic correction.

I can remember most of it, it must have been driven into me pretty thoroughly. If I had to stop and think about it, I think I would start to doubt myself though. Occasionally I force myself to think in German or French, and then usually find that it is the verbs that I can't remember, rather than the noun genders.

DD is far more of a grammarnazi that I am, she even posts on facebook about it, which I feel is very brave, considering some of her friends...

Yesterday's offering was

'It really gets to me when people refer to the 'spag bowl' they are having for dinner that evening.

It's spag BOL people, if you MUST shorten it! It's short for spaghetti Bolognese!'

I must ask her one day, how many friends she loses when she posts something like that!

hihi- and of course the Italians have no idea what Spagetti Bolognese is- they call it spagetti ragù!

Now, he is one from a French speaking pedant (not...) really makes me laugh when really posh people (well, think they are) talk about their horses at the 'ménage' ... A ménage is a household (remember 'ménage à trois') and a horse training area is a 'manège' and so is a roundabout at the fair.

Gj - spaghetti alla bolognese is made with ragu! So Italian husband says.

Of course too each area has its own little nuances and peculiarities of language throughout the UK. While I know what is meant someone new to my area might not have an iota of an idea about what is being communicated.

Ps It is we swum in that lake.

Yes, I thought it was ragu bolognese, not spaghetti ragu!

LOL, actually it is normally served with tagliatelle and is called

tagliatelle al ragu- if we are going to be pedantic.

From Lonely Planet website:

You won’t see the words ‘spaghetti bolognese’ gracing menus in Bologna. What you’re looking for is tagliatelle al ragù; different name, same shirt-splattering dining experience.

Read more: www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/emilia-romagna-and-san-marino/bologna/travel-tips-and-articles/the-real-ragu-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-authentic-spaghetti-bolognese#ixzz3h1KII4GQ

I thought Italian ragù was French ragoût meaning stew and ragù bolognese was a stew fron Bologna?

Used to thin so too, Mamie, but was put right by an Italian student from Bologna we hosted many moons ago.

Lys60 - thanks for that confirmation of "swum".
I wanted to add to to Ana's comment on "just" -
There used to be a phrase commonly used in Hull - "just nicely" eg
"We was just nicely buried when ....."

The chefs (including Carluccio) all seem to call it ragù bolognese though? But pork, veal or beef? Red, rosé or white wine or even milk? Carrot and / or celery? Fast or slow? Usually the Marcella Hazan recipe here, though fundamentally I think it is peasant food and anything goes....
Usually made with tagliatelle here.
So was the student saying that ragù bolognese isn't from Bologna?

I love Yorkshire speak Tricia. I still cherish the inteview I went to when a school governor asked, "Art th'often badly?". Answer was no!

Oh yes! 'He was taken badly' or 'feeling badly' - fond memories of my Yorkshire grandparents (and actually I think it was/is also used in parts of Lancashire).

Lys60 'we swum in that lake' isn't right, surely?

'We swam in that lake' or 'we have swum in that lake' are correct according to the GN consensus.

Agree, Ana

No mamie, she said they never call it ragù Bolognese, but just 'ragù'.

Ditto all of the above bugbears which I agree are irritating, but we must remember that English is a constantly changing organism and even we grammar police use spellings and pronunciation (oh yes, and why do people say 'pronounciation'?) which would have horrified previous generations.

However I must admit to being very annoyed by the incorrect use of 'I' as the object of a sentence, e.g. "They gave a lovely send-off to my wife and I." It's mistakenly used as a form of politeness, but you would never say "They gave .... to I". 'I' is the subject of a sentence, e.g. "You and I both know that....."

And then there's the failure to pronounce 'ing' properly, so often heard on TV and radio. Grrr!

I often hear or read that such lapses are due to regional/cultural language differences but I believe for the most part it's down to laziness. Ironically, the glottal stop so beloved by youngsters and others who should know better ('bu'-e'r instead of 'butter') expends more energy within the mouth than pronouncing a hard 't' using the front teeth.