# Misused words that get on your nerves **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 23, 2002, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459 "2002-05-23T10:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/81 "2002-05-24T16:28:46Z")
Another vote for affect vs. effect, “orientate” and that good old favorite: lie vs. lay. I see this one in a lot of emails: Your’s truly. What the heck is up with that? Think about it, people! I had an amusing one the other day: “I hope my plea doesn’t fall on death’s ears…” I suppose a dead person can’t hear, so is deaf as well as dead. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/82 "2002-05-24T17:04:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Great Unwashed \* > \*\* > > Depends where you come from boy! > [Merriam-Webster and ALUMIN-I-UM](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=aluminium) \*\* Man, I hate it when they don’t proofread dictionaries 🙂 Ok, let me clarify. I hate when colonists pronounce it with the superfluous ‘i’ when every Chart of the Elements and box of Reynolds Wrap here spell it without. Hey, **Unwashed** , why don’t you guys quit throwing in all those extra 'u’s too? Honour…colour…favour…that extra letter will wear you out after a while 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/83 "2002-05-24T17:33:12Z")
Short and sweet: **Realtor** , as in real estate agent, pronounced **re-la-tor**. ---
**Author:** ![super\_head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@super\_head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/super_head)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/84 "2002-05-24T17:49:24Z")
Invigilator. I really hate when people misuse that word. OK, so I don’t really - hell, I didn’t even know it was a word until yesterday. It sounds dirty though. ---
**Author:** ![meezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9c0ed/32.png) [@meezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meezer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/85 "2002-05-24T17:58:09Z")
“nekkid” - naked “onced” - once “2 Street” - Second Street (it’s a South Philly thing) ---
**Author:** ![johncole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5f9b8f/32.png) [@johncole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johncole)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/86 "2002-05-25T02:19:09Z")
two pet hates: infer/imply I/me especially when people use “I” because they think it sounds “more refined” when the correct usage would be “me” ---
**Author:** ![Grelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@Grelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grelby)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/87 "2002-05-25T03:27:49Z")
Writing issue number one: When people use only one consenant when they should use two in the middle or end of a word, the most common offenders be “tt” or "ff. " Offending spellings include “mater” (for “matter”) and “of” (for off). Um, are you people aware of the fact that this _completely_ changes the sound of the word? It makes me cringe every time I see it. Writing issue number two: “a” vs. “an.” To be perfectly clear: you use “a” or “an” based on the first phonetic _sound_ of the word, _not_ the spelling. You do not, therefore, write “a hour,” you write “an hour.” What kind of dolt in actual speech would say “a hour,” eh? EH!? It doesn’t make you look more distinguished when you always go by the letter - it makes you look like someone who can’t talk. Another nasty one is that/which. The two are not interchangeable! In situations where you could use either one, your choice will affect the meaning of the sentence as a whole! The quick, most important rule governing the use of that/which: When you are joining a statement that could stand on its own (i.e., an independent clause… I think) you use “that.” When joining a statement that requires the first part of the sentence in order to make sense (a dependent clause) you use “which.” Simple, easy, effective. Got it? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/88 "2002-05-25T04:18:27Z")
Hey, I like ‘flustrated’; a portmanteau for ‘flustered’ and ‘frustrated’, I assume. I really like it. I usually use ‘befuddled’ for that feeling, but ‘flustrated’ is better. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/89 "2002-05-25T04:44:22Z")
“I could care less.” radioactive for retroactive (no kidding) V.I.A. for via mispronunciations Winsconsin Sherbert Cold Slaw Athalete passive voice “A hospital was bombed.” for “We bombed a hospital.” hopefully for I hope. supposedly for I suppose. misuse of the subjunctive “If I was rich,” ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/90 "2002-05-25T12:38:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lorenzo \* > \*\* > mispronunciations > > Winsconsin > Sherbert > Cold Slaw > Athalete > \*\* And just south of Winsconsin, Illinoise. I have a neighbor who insists the car I drive is a Saturen. Three syllables. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/91 "2002-05-25T14:36:09Z")
**Neptune,** your grandfather might have been hanged, but not for “horse rustlin’.” One “rustles” cattle but steals horses. To call a man a “rustler” was to accuse him of stealing cattle, not horses. A horse thief fell into a special category because the theft of a horse could easily put the owner’s life at risk. A horse thief was the lowest of the low. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/92 "2002-05-25T14:47:27Z")
**Neptune,** I missed your quote from [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com) when I posted the above. I hate it when dictionaries get things wrong. Back home in Texas, no one would ever associate “rustling” with stealing a horse. Unless they read dictionary.com---- ---
**Author:** ![typo\_mna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@typo\_mna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typo_mna)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/93 "2002-05-25T14:49:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BiblioCat \* > \*\* > And just south of Winsconsin, Illinoise. > > I have a neighbor who insists the car I drive is a Saturen. Three syllables. > :rolleyes: \*\* A supervisor of mine (a professor of physics, and a smart fella) ALWAYS called Athlon processors “Ath-a-lons”. Drove me batty. My REAL peeve, though, is “periodic”. It means “at regular intervals”, for Bob’s sake, not “occasional” or “sporadic”. Grrrr. ---
**Author:** ![c-of-cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@c-of-cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c-of-cyn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/94 "2002-05-25T15:18:26Z")
**Grelby:** > [@](#): > > The quick, most important rule governing the use of that/which: When you are joining a statement that could stand on its own (i.e., an independent clause… I think) you use “that.” When joining a statement that requires the first part of the sentence in order to make sense (a dependent clause) you use “which.” Simple, easy, effective. Got it? Actually, I think this is the other way around. One uses “that” for a statement that CANNOT stand on its own, and “which” for a statement that CAN. “We stayed at the hotel that Ann recommended to us.” “that Anne recommended to us” is necessary to the context of this sentence. “We stayed at the Grand Hotel, which Anne recommended to us.” “which Anne recommended to us” is not completely necessary here. It’s additional information. We already knew which hotel the speaker meant (the Grand Hotel). I always concentrate on the comma. If there’s a comma (which indicates a pause in speech), I use “which”. If not, I use “that”. And according to most of the grammar books I have here (I’m an English teacher, so I have quite a few), “that” and “which” ARE interchangeable in sentences such as these: Anne works for a company that/which makes washing machines. The machine that/which broke down has now been repaired. ---
**Author:** ![MisterBK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MisterBK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterBK)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/95 "2002-05-25T16:19:07Z")
**UWmite** , you beat me to the “begs the question” rant. Drives me absolutely batty. The rational linguist in me tries to remain calm and simply observe language change in progress–semantic drift, blah blah blah–but then the irrational purist takes over and makes me want to _strangle these ignorami who don’t know that ‘begging the question’ is a very specific logical fallacy too subtle for their puny, human minds to comprehend!_ Gotta admit I also cringe when I hear or read “comprised of.” **jjimm** already covered this, but fwiw: O people who are trying to sound smarter than you are, _please_ learn the difference between “comprise” and “compose.” Penultimately :D, I must leap to the defense of “needs + past participle” as in “My car needs washed.” I grew up saying this…\so it _must_ be acceptible!\ Seriously, well-educated people in central Ohio–and there ARE some, thank you very much–can say “This shirt needs dry-cleaned” and no one will raise an eyebrow. It wasn’t 'til I moved out East that people started looking at me funny for leaving out “to be” in that construction. And lastly, regarding “license”: some people in my parents’ home town in eastern Ohio have cleverly backformed the new singular “licen”. I kid you not; I have heard this first-hand. Example: “My driver’s licen needs renewed.” ---
**Author:** ![Arcite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/67e7ee/32.png) [@Arcite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arcite)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/96 "2002-05-25T16:46:57Z")
Looks like no one has mentioned dangling modifiers yet: \*As a big Star Wars fan, Episode I was disappointing to me. After spending five years in the field, the life of a salesman no longer appeals to me.\* I see this kind of thing i writing all the time, and it drives me nuts. Argh! Are you saying that Episode I is a big Star Wars fan? Are you saying that the life of a salesman spent 5 years in the field? Also, it seems that the English-speaking world has completely forgotten how to spell the word _lose_. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen it spelled _loose_… ---
**Author:** ![Nevermind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/53a042/32.png) [@Nevermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nevermind)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/97 "2002-05-25T17:08:40Z")
Hells ya!!! I’m like, its like, you’re like…like,like, like!!! The over use of the word empowerment–especially by women. ZEV–Thanks for the laugh-pershiate it! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/98 "2002-05-25T23:24:05Z")
to for too. “That is much to personal for me to discuss” It makes me crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/99 "2002-05-25T23:37:49Z")
Those things that look like commas, but are higher…I hate them. Please turn in your tax form’s by “Tuesday”. People use those thing’s because they “look” right. Now I don’t understand this…when a sentence is ended with a quote, why is the closing punctuation put inside the quotes? Like, Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” That just looks so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459/100 "2002-05-26T02:35:39Z")
Bryan Ekers – I believe short-lived (rhymes with hived) and short-lived (doesn’t rhyme with hived) have two different meanings. If one has a limited life expectancy, one will have a short life… but one that has not yet ended. For example, “hamsters tend to be short-LIE-ved.” On the other hand, a brief argument that is now over was “short-lived.” It’s done living, so to speak. But I could be wrong. I don’t even remember when I last saw a usage guide. My pet peeve word is “proactive” as the antonym for “reactive.” It isn’t. Did anyone miss me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misused-words-that-get-on-your-nerves/110459.md?page=6)