Slovenly speech, incorrect grammar etc.

An English teacher I know, flatly refuses to answer any teenager if the sentence is peppered with “ like” ... you know like .... it drives him round the bend, like !!

Everything is being brought down to the lowest common denominator, and that is usually very common.

It is not fashionable to have standards.

I love my sister dearly and sympathise with her health problems but it drives me nuts when she talks of the pain in her knees caused by Arthur-itis and all the X-erays she's had....grrrr.

*rant over

My nephews say things like the 'thing what I saw/read/bought' etc which reminds me of the Morecombe and Wise sketches - 'the play what I wrote'.
I'm not sure if they'd find them funny as they don't understand why it's wrong. I would find it embarrassing to correct them so I don't. Their mother doesn't exactly speak the Queen's English either. I keep my mouth shut but cringe inside.

We have a member of our group who starts every sentence with "basically", and repeats it every few words. Drives me mad.

'Somethink' is a real teeth clencher for me, and lately it seems that nobody pronounces the 't' . It's jarring to keep hearing 'be'er' etc; my English teacher would call out 'There are two 'Ts' in that word and I'm asking only to hear one!'

Bagatelle I expect every generation thinks like that. I’m quite happy that I can and do speak the ‘Queen’s English’ but I wouldn’t presume to suggest that it’s ‘common’ to misuse language or speak in dialect.

I find such suggestions horribly reminiscent of Hyacinth Bucket.

Somethink and nothink is my bugbear, I really have to work hard to stop myself correcting people when they say it.

...don't get me started on the Haitch. It's aitch, aitch, aitch!

Oh boy! Don't get me started on this subject. Sloppy speech, sloppy writing, bad spelling (especially in emails and texts). It drives me nuts! I was born a London Eastender and grew up hearing local Cockney slang all the time, but my parents and grandparents were well spoken and they did their best to ensure I was too. Poor English or slang was not tolerated at school and was punishable. Maybe that should still be the case today, for both teachers and pupils.

My pet hate is people who begin sentences with 'So....' I also hate the abbreviated language of texting and lack of punctuation and I refuse to write texts that way. Add to that the way that Americanisms and pronunciation is degrading our beautiful language, eg. pronouncing Aluminium as Aloominum. And has anyone else noticed how people don't pronounce all the consonants in words - skipping 't's and 'd's. It's just so lazy. Grrrrr!

My English is nevertheless far from perfect (apologies for any errors here) but my adult children still phone me to ask how to write letters or to check their spelling so they clearly understand the importance of correct English. So I guess I aint done too bad a job in raising 'em!

The word SO is becoming the norm at the start of all sentences, urggh.

My biggest bugbear is 'The Beast' AKA Mark on The Chase EVERY th starts, ends with f.
For people who are supposed to be intelligent he is a real let down and I hate watching when he is on and just winds me up and want to scream at the TV!!!!

Maisie D. Yes, 'different to' is very peeving. But the Americans say 'different than' which is worse!

Island instead of Ireland

'Then', instead of 'than' is becoming commonplace.

And why are we all guys now?? This drives me mad and I am so close to pointing to my chest and saying look boobies.....not a guy!!

Gosh there are so many aren't there?

My pet hates:-

Pacific for specific
Amachur for amateur
Garige for garage
This is the person 'that' instead of who

And don't get me started on the we was brigade!!

I am really enjoying reading other horrors.
I loved your English teacher's comment Rosina!

My sister in law always uses prostrate when she means prostate, but her latest error is hilarious. St Pancras station has been renamed St Pancreas!!

Among many others, myself and yourself instead of me and you.

BBC Radio 4 is becoming worse than ever. Last week I heard one of the interviewers, not for the first time, talk about 'the big ask', presumably the big question. Then a short time later another referred to 'the reveal', leaving me to assume he meant the revelation of something. I can't agree that such torturing of our language adds to its quality as a 'living language' as some would have us believe. Or perhaps I should say 'I don't have an agree that our language torture is a quality add'!

Confusion of "me" and "I"-"Me and Mum went shopping" etc.

Drop the other person from the sentence, you wouldn't say, "Me went shopping" so it should be "I"

Aunt Ivy would be corrected by Mum but maintain that she always used "I" as it sounds more elegant!

Drawring conclusions or children's drawrings drives me mad as does prostrate for prostate.

Ben Shepherd saying pound on tipping point.

A century ago the person who said "If you was..." would have been thought to be using the language correctly!

"If you was" being the subjunctive (used in a hypothetical sentence) where "If you were" is the indicative (used for making ordinary statements.)

Probably most of you, like me, still say "If I were you I would do such-an-such" again the subjunctive, as I am not you, nor am likely to become you! Where " I was going out, when the phone rang," is the indicative.

I don't really mind yous as the plural of you, because I grew up outside Glasgow where at least half the population regularly used it. I myself do not, having been taught that it was a dialect form, not to be used in correct written or spoken English.

It takes all sorts to make a world; this applies to language as to everything else.

I also distinctly remember the elder generation criticising our use of the English language when I was a child, so I think it is a perennial problem.

"Things ain't what they were! " And, "No, they never have been!"

Sorry! It should have been "such-and-such". OOPS!