# Things in English that annoy you. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 3, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537 "2010-02-03T16:23:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/61 "2010-02-04T05:02:11Z")
One thing I just thought of the other day for the first time: there’s really no counterpart for the word “whose” when you’re talking about things instead of people. Examples: “will the person whose car window got smashed report to the office?” “I hate the restaurant \_\_\_\_ owner got arrested yesterday.” In the second example, there’s really no single word that’s entirely appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/62 "2010-02-04T06:17:06Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Change your name to Sunspas! Sanspéis. The euphemisms (including PC-ness). I’m surprised there isn’t an euphemism for “euphemism,” considering how many euphemisms there are in English and that they seem to reproduce when you turn your back on them. They’re a cross between tribbles and invader pods, English euphemisms… I’m not talking about something like “gosh darn,” which are words invented specifically as euphemisms, but of something like “sleep with” being used in its euphemistic sense so often that you pretty much can’t use it literally any more. Other languages do that, too, but it doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as fast-moving as in English. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/63 "2010-02-04T08:03:09Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Yes, I know that ‘knight’ was originally pronounced like our German counsins’ ‘Knecht’ and reflects our common ancestry in the Proto-Germanic. I think you’ll find it was pronounced “ker----nigit” in Mediaeval French. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/64 "2010-02-04T14:24:06Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Maybe so, but I have heard Africo-Americans from all parts of the country use “y’all”, so apparently it’s not such a big deal in that culture. There’s dialect prejudice against AAVE, too, if anything more so than the prejudice against the Southern dialect. Remember Ebonics? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/65 "2010-02-04T21:01:54Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > “Fortnight” is still used in Australia, and I suspect that it is in the UK too. However, I don’t see the point of using “sennight” when we already have its synonym “week”. But “sennight” would emphasize the nights, the way we speak of a stay of so many nights at a hotel. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/66 "2010-02-04T21:22:29Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > There are no sex-specific words for cousin. There are no family-specific words for any relatives, just “My Uncle Bob on my Mom’s side” and the like. Bulgarian has different words for maternal and paternal aunt and uncle and they’re actually falling out of use, with people switching to just one word to mean both. I think people have decided having two words is just extraneous. What I don’t like about English is that the possessive singular and plural sound the same when spoken. The other day I told someone that “I went to my friends’ wedding.” Now, you can tell that both of the wedding participants were my friends, but spoken aloud, it’s impossible to tell what I meant. Were I speaking Bulgarian (I just use that example cause it’s the language I know best besides English) I would be able to clarify whether one or both of the participants was my friend, and if just one of them was my friend, I would be able to specify whether it was the man or the woman. In English, clarifying that is very clumsy. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/67 "2010-02-04T21:24:45Z")
Then again, you’d also be speaking Bulgarian, and nobody would understand you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/68 "2010-02-04T21:30:26Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > What I don’t like about English is that the possessive singular and plural sound the same when spoken. The other day I told someone that “I went to my friends’ wedding.” Now, you can tell that both of the wedding participants were my friends, but spoken aloud, it’s impossible to tell what I meant. Were I speaking Bulgarian (I just use that example cause it’s the language I know best besides English) I would be able to clarify whether one or both of the participants was my friend, and if just one of them was my friend, I would be able to specify whether it was the man or the woman. In English, clarifying that is very clumsy. Some languages don’t distinguish singular and plural, and you have to use other devices if the distinction is important. And for some words in English that happens too: “Can you see the sheep?” “I can see one sheep.” “No, there are at least three sheep over there.” In the case of your friends’/friend’s wedding, you could say “the wedding of my friends” to make it clear. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/69 "2010-02-04T21:45:44Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Then again, you’d also be speaking Bulgarian, and nobody would understand you. 😉 Um, Bulgarian is a vital world language. Everyone speaks it, right? _crickets_ A Bulgarian in my village once told me when I got back to the US, I should be a Bulgarian teacher. To my credit, I did not laugh in her face. I explained as tactfully as possible that there wasn’t a lot of demand for Bulgarian language classes. She was baffled. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/70 "2010-02-04T21:52:23Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Some languages don’t distinguish singular and plural, and you have to use other devices if the distinction is important. And for some words in English that happens too: > “Can you see the sheep?” > “I can see one sheep.” > “No, there are at least three sheep over there.” This is another direction where Bad English is ahead of the rest of us: dropping the plural indicator. “How many car you got?” “I got three car.” ---
**Author:** ![ToughLife](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@ToughLife](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToughLife)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/71 "2010-02-06T00:10:36Z")
some of my pet hates are: - Long time no see - FANTASTIC !! - Oh My God ! - Funky , have fun, sounds like fun - Can I help you ? (in shopping malls) After a dozen of questions/greetings like this I sometimes reply " Do I look like I need help ? " I know it’s rude, but sometimes just can’t help (pun intended ) - "She is beautiful " one can never hear " she is ugly “, instead people say " she’s got a nice personality” - There are also a zillion of clichés which irritate me because of their blatant overuse in the Hollywood’s movies like: - C’mon guys ! Let’s go !..everything’s gonna be OK !! (by most action heroes ) - you’ve got the right to remain silent, everything you say can be and will be …blah, blah ,blah ( so called " Miranda warning " ) predictable dialogs , like – Have you reached your verdict? – Yes , Your Honour – How do you find the defendant ? – (after looooong pause ) Guilty ,Your Honour Cop stops a car: – License and registration ,please – What seems to be the problem ,officer ? – Step out of the car real slow! Put your hands where I can see them ! ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/72 "2010-02-06T01:48:30Z")
Standard Pronunciation. I know this is one egg that we can’t unscramble, but there is no need to make it worse when new words are brought into the language. Some time in the 19th century, somebody decided to use Zoe as an English name. Except they pronounced it like “Zoey”. Joe, Moe, Foe, Hoe, Poe, Roe, Toe and Zoe should all have the same pronunciation! Sigh. Never mind. I’ve decided that even though I spell my name as Patty, I want you all to pronounce it like “Parker”. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/73 "2010-02-06T01:57:32Z")
Isn’t Zoe normally spelt ‘Zoë’ with two dots over the E? Like Noël? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/74 "2010-02-06T01:57:41Z")
Maybe it’s not the pronunciation of the name that’s the problem, but the spelling? Though, on edit, the point raised by **Sunspace** indicates there isn’t necessarily any incongruity to begin with, at least in some and perhaps the original instances. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/75 "2010-02-06T02:03:20Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > As far as I’m concerned, “fortnight” and “thrice” never went away. As a speed measurement, nothing beats furlongs per fortnight. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/76 "2010-02-06T02:16:56Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Isn’t Zoe normally spelt ‘Zoë’ with two dots over the E? Like Noël? I’ve never seen that, but we’re talking about English right? We don’t use diacritical marks in English. Unless I’m being naive. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/77 "2010-02-06T02:44:58Z")
One of my favorite topics: Language. Once, (_I used to have_) I had a book entitled _The Dictionary of Archaic Words_. Okay, but who _decides_ if and when a word or phrase becomes obsolete? Rhetorical question, I know.🙂 I have a propensity for using the word _heretofore_ in some of my sentences. and although I use it correctly, some folks think me snobbish when I do use it. So what annoys me is that I have to sometimes very quickly _edit_ what I’m about to say in order to not give the impression that I’m arrogant. Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/78 "2010-02-06T03:03:49Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > I’ve never seen that, but we’re talking about English right? We don’t use diacritical marks in English. The Brontë family did, and apparently for much the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/79 "2010-02-06T04:19:04Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > We don’t use diacritical marks in English. You don’t, maybe. But I couldn’t distinguish _resumé_ from _resume_ without them! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537/80 "2010-02-06T04:30:35Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > I’ve never seen that, but we’re talking about English right? We don’t use diacritical marks in English. > > Unless I’m being naive. You’re being naïve, actually. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-in-english-that-annoy-you/527537.md?page=5)