Monsieur, un peu d’illumination, s’il vous plait, pour nos etrangers.
Yes, mate (Downer, not you), open app-u-rise!
You mean you’re instinctually anti-military and anti-abortion? Unusual combo.
Am I allowed four in a row? Well, it’s my thread, so I’ll try if I want to.
This happens quite a bit when people without the wit to use multiple negation try it because they think it’s somehow more intellectual. The verbal equivalent of wearing glasses. Problems also often occur after another verb with negative “prosody”: deny.
This occurred when that…Verizon? Sprint? commercial was popular, with the dorky guy in the jumpsuit walking everywhere, checking reception. “Can you hear me now? Good.” was the tagline for the commerical, indicating that particular cell phone carrier’s superior reception.
At the time, people were saying it all the time. I did hear it more frequently when people were yelling into cell phones. They’d say the tag line and chuckle. That sort of thing.
It also bothered me when “Wassup!” (from a beer commercial) become the standard greeting for some people.
Yeah, I fit in with the Democrats/farther-left peaceniks except for that pesky pro-life issue.
I have another usage/grammar one, but I have to be forgiving here since some of my nearest and dearest do this.
It isn’t “how dare him”, or “how dare her”, or “how dare them”! Her and him, if you’ll pardon the expression, don’t dare. People who say this think that any pronoun following a verb has to be in the objective, and they haven’t read widely enough to understand that “to dare” is a special kind of verb that doesn’t require the usual “do” auxiliary construction when placed in a question.
For some reason, I am very used to people mispronouncing my name, and I take no offense.
However, I am an absolute fanatic about getting other’s names right, both in pronunciation and in spelling.
I work quite often with people from China and from India. Some of these names are really tough. Fortunately, I have never completely exasperated these folk by eschewing their “nicknames” and getting them to listen to me try and try and try to pronounce them correctly. They have always been very patient, fortunately, and seemed to genuinely be OK with my “Monk-style” obsessiveness in getting it right.
All I can say is that, from both sides of the fence, it does sometimes take a real effort on both of us.
As for the spelling, that is a different matter. It is so easy to get the correct speeling and keep it handy, that once should get it wrong as long as you pull out your little book and continually refer to it. NO EXCUSE FOR GETTING THAT WRONG REPEATEDLY!
Whew. I feel better now.
For some reason, I am very used to people mispronouncing my name, and I take no offense.
However, I am an absolute fanatic about getting other’s names right, both in pronunciation and in spelling.
I work quite often with people from China and from India. Some of these names are really tough. Fortunately, I have never completely exasperated these folk by eschewing their “nicknames” and getting them to listen to me try and try and try to pronounce them correctly. They have always been very patient, fortunately, and seemed to genuinely be OK with my “Monk-style” obsessiveness in getting it right.
All I can say is that, from both sides of the fence, it does sometimes take a real effort on both of us.
As for the spelling, that is a different matter. It is so easy to get the correct speeling and keep it handy, that there is no excuse for getting it wrong except for maybe once; just pull out your little book and continually refer to it. NO EXCUSE FOR GETTING THAT WRONG REPEATEDLY!
Whew. I feel better now.
Further proof that “farther left” and “farther right” can have more in common than either has with the masses in the middle (the wooses who sit on the fence). Though not anti-military as such, I am anti-militia (i.e. anti-handguns and assorted weapons of destruction being toted by my next door neighbour) as well as being anti abortion-on-demand.
" my sister and myself went to the store…ARGH!" Is acceptable on Talk Like a Pirate Day, no? 
I would like to add to that ARRRGH worthy note the absolutely annoying, " The Kids and Me" or “My mom and Me” Argh, indeed.
And I absolutely detest the slang y’all. ::::shudder::::
I also have some residual issues left over from High school english by the toughest teacher I’ve ever had ( and I can’t remember her name) but boy! was she ever hung up on not using the word got. She hated it and harped on us and now, all these years later, I cringe when I hear [ b]got**. Thanks, Mrs. Whatsyourface!
Me too. The first time, anyway, and maybe the second time.
But when you pronounce it wrong the third time, I might not smile when I correct you. And by the fourth or fifth time, I’m going to be downright irritated. (And yes, this happens. More than you’d believe, really.)
Hint: it’s not Kayla. I don’t care that you have a niece/cousin/friend named Kayla. If you can’t pronounce my short, phonetically-spelled name correctly, I’m afraid I’m going to have to think you’re a complete moron.
Also: I am probably unreasonably harsh in my judgments of people who use apostrophes incorrectly. Did we not all attend the fourth grade? Please, people.
double-checks to make sure all apostrophes are correct and clicks submit
There’s definitely a grammar rule. “Me” is used when replacing the object, and “I” when replacing the subject. “Grandma gave sweaters to me and my mom for Christmas.” is both correct and polite.
Correct, yes, but some would say it’s polite to name your mom before yourself.