Ect., ect., ect.

Calistemon,
That is brilliant! Had me laughing out loud.
Yes, I'm with you, Esspee, it is VERY annoying!

Another word whose meaning has changed since Jane Austen’s time is ‘vicious’. It evidently used to mean ‘given to vices’ such as heavy drinking and gambling.

I just wish fewer of them would do it, or at least less frequently.

Mamardoit

We're a wonderful mix of posters on GN. It's great to hear different views. I'm more interested in the views than spelling and sentence formation.

I'm less tolerant of those ever so clever types on Sky and the Beeb who say 'amount' of people etc.. No it's number of people. Amount is when we talk about bull s**t, ie. the size of the pile.

I'm in agreement with you Mamardoit
Although I choose to not worry about any of it.

I always remember my mother telling me that we liken to and differ from, it stuck with me for some reason.

Jane Austen didn't care for language change, either. Does anyone recall Henry Tilney lecturing Catherine Morland on the correct use of 'nice'? (Northanger Abbey)

Ooh you!
Just when I thought I was getting the hang of it, too!

Sadly for you, MissAdventure, 'affect' is used as a noun in psychology

an emotion that changes or influences what you do or think

Forget that I said that now

?

Thank you.
Will try to remember.

A side effect. Noun.
Another thing which always bugs me is the misuse of principle/principal.

Caleo

Reading well- written books makes people good spellers and users of English generally. A good remedy for bad use of English is Jane Austen.

Her books also contain some good examples of how language changes.

I remember studying one of Jane Austin's works at A level, in 1977. I don't remember which it was, but I do remember that in one passage, two characters were making love beneath a tree.

Our teacher was very quick to tell us that it didn't mean what it means nowadays, but just meant flirting. I can't remember if that was the word she actually used, but it was something like that.

We were quite a self-conscious bunch of seventeen year olds, and I think most of us were as embarrassed as we were amused!

Yes, that helps, thanks.
What is a side effect/affect, in that case, please?

MissAdventure

I would appreciate a simple explanation of affect/effect, if anyone is willing?
I don't know properly, and always end up using "affect".
When is effect going to get a look in?

MissE Does this help?

To Affect (verb) someone or something is the Action of influencing someone or something, The Effect (noun) is the End r Esult of the influencing action.

Also, a p Arked c Ar is station Ary, but a sheet of pap Er on a d esk is station Ery.

Yes I noticed that. Twice I believe. I do wonder if some people ever read books or broadsheets. I think I know the answer to that.

I've just come upon supermarket "isle" in another thread.

Mollygo

I’m puzzled. Do pedants not accept that language evolves?
I agree that decimate does not mean annihilate or exterminate, even in the Oxford Dictionary of English, but if as pedants we only ever use the original meaning of any word -usually listed as ‘historical meaning’ in a dictionary, there would some very stilted conversations going on.
Never mind. Merriam-Webster put this very simply.
www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/the-original-definition-of-decimate, though it’s a long article.

Well, Mollygo...

Do pedants not accept that language evolves?

We have to accept it. That doesn't mean we have to like it.

I agree that decimate does not mean annihilate or exterminate, even in the Oxford Dictionary of English, but if as pedants we only ever use the original meaning of any word -usually listed as ‘historical meaning’ in a dictionary, there would some very stilted conversations going on.

As you just managed to use two words that accurately describe the situation that people wrongly use 'decimate' to describe I can't see how it would 'stilt' a conversation to use them.

I'd always understood that one of the glories of the English language is that it has, because of its historical origins, a wide choice of words with which to precisely and unambiguously convey ideas. Language is about communication, after all. Using words correctly means that the person you are communicating with doesn't have to perform mental gymnastics to work out what you mean.

Saying 'it doesn't matter' if words are used wrongly turns the language into an amorphous mess, IMO. I just prefer not to have to perform mental gymnastics...

Dictionary compilers are always at pains to point out that they follow usage, not proscribe it. But if people used words correctly their meanings wouldn't change... It always seems like a bit of a chicken and egg situation to me.

Reading well- written books makes people good spellers and users of English generally. A good remedy for bad use of English is Jane Austen.

Jolly good. I do get het up!?

Oh, I know. And I have posted here myself.

It's the reference to a named post on here, and the thought of pulling someone up on FB that prompted my post, not the thought of people getting het up about linguistic aberrations?

It’s pedants’ corner Dd. Where we can let off steam about things that annoy us as self-confessed pedants. It’s not as though anyone is criticising posters ‘to their faces’ as it were and no-one has been named.

It must be so deflating when you have made a jokey comment only to find that instead of laughing along with you people are laughing at your mistake.

I can be a pedant too, but I hope I would never be cruel enough to burst someone's bubble in that way.

I’ve seen that on GN too.

The only time I pointed out a spelling mistake was on a Facebook post by someone on a crafting group. The lady posting had given an account of the process she had followed to correct a mistake and ended with “ and walla!” I think she meant “Et voila!” Generally I let other peoples mistakes pass as long as I understand the gist of what they meant to say but it took me a few moments to work out what she meant to say.

Nor to the written words they presumably read.
I don’t think anyone is complaining about the abbreviation of et cetera Caleo, but about the misspelling of the abbreviation.