# What mispronunciations/grammatical errors drive you absolutely batty? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148 "2005-08-15T21:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/141 "2005-08-18T15:46:25Z")
The one grammatical error that is like bamboo shards under fingernails to me is substituing “and” for the indefinite article “an”. “This is **and** event that no one should miss” I can’t read those sentences on first try. My mind tries to parse it as a conjunction and eventually slams into a terminal punctuation mark with clauses still dangling in midair and I have to start over from the beginning of the sentence. I’ve pitted this, in fact; apologists claimed that it was “just a typo” but I don’t believe that. I see it too often, and hardly ever the other way around (e.g., “It bugs me when people mispronounce an misspell words”). There has to be some significant degree of confusion about what word to use to account for this. ---
**Author:** ![LucyInDisguise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucyindisguise/32/18064_2.png) [@LucyInDisguise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LucyInDisguise)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/142 "2005-08-18T16:19:30Z")
“Says” instead of “said” Another vote for “Goes” instead of “said” or “say” [sidebar] I swear I heard my eldest daughter say the following to her sister: “I says she goes ‘I wents to all the store in the mall …’”. She’s 32 years old – (If I’d had a baseball bat within reach I swear I would have beat her to within an inch …) [/sidebar] Another vote for the it’s its thing. And yet one more vote for worsh – and worshington. Where the hell did anybody ever see an ‘r’ in Washington? (Ya thin’ maabe its wuz at worshingtune mumument?) Sighhhhhhh ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/143 "2005-08-18T20:44:35Z")
> [@Spudo](#): > > One of my big ones is “punkin”. It’s “pumpkin” damn it. What about “sammich?” When I hear people say that I always want to reply with some variation of, “Aww, how _cute!_ You’re as illiterate as your three-year-old!” ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/144 "2005-08-18T21:11:50Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > And how exactly is anyone who lives outside Shropshire (Salop!) or who went to anything below a grammar school supposed to know that the E is pronounced as an O?? I went to a grammar school and I - naively, I suppose - say it as it is spelt. Maybe you should have opted for a comp the other side of the country? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/145 "2005-08-18T21:29:43Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Also using “pre **d** judice” as an adjective: “He’s just pre **d** judice.” Yeah, when people make that error, I treat them with extreme _prejudice_… ;j ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/146 "2005-08-18T21:39:11Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Maybe you should have opted for a comp the other side of the country? 😛 … where they would have SHEWN me the rules? And another one: people who use “lay” (transitive) instead of “lie” (intransitive). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/147 "2005-08-18T21:44:26Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > … where they would have SHEWN me the rules? _Show-un_. Definitely two syllables. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/148 "2005-08-18T22:54:51Z")
All of the above, but especially these: Role vs. roll. Where I work, the corporate reporting communications person has got this one wrong a couple of times. Past vs. passed Unnecessary apostrophes, especially its/it’s Aks for ask… Come on. It’s a three-letter word, can you not sound it out??? Affect vs. effect. I had a huge argument by proxy with the marketing department of the company Mr. Dr.Woo used to work for when they were putting out a really important press release in which they misused this. Unbelievable – not only were they misusing it, but they refused to look it up and correct it when it was pointed out. Alot is not a word. At least not in English. Even Microsoft spell check knows this. The complete and utter lack of understanding of participles. For a while I thought dropping the –ed in common speech of was just laziness, but now I see it in written communications too. So my local grocery store has an aisle that, according to the sign posted above it, is the CAN FOOD area. Hey!! It’s CANNED FOOD, you dorks. Data IS, rather than data are. I especially hate it when I do it! My darling hubby pronounces ‘ceviche’ as ‘serviche’. Why? He can read – he even makes it, so he sees how it’s spelled in the recipe. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/149 "2005-08-19T02:13:52Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > And how exactly is anyone who lives outside Shropshire (Salop!) or who went to anything below a grammar school supposed to know that the E is pronounced as an O?? I went to a grammar school and I - naively, I suppose - say it as it is spelt. > > What do you call that small, mouse-like rodent? A “shrow”??? > > Anyway, I always thought that locals called it “Shooosbry” - with no R. The beauty of snobbery and irrationalism is that it overrides the so-called objectivity of sociolinguistic analysis. The fact that the locals might pronounce their own town (if you can describe a town people happen to be born in as in some way belonging to them) in a certain way is of no moment whatsoever to those who decide or perpetuate social mores and attitudes. And I think the pronunciation of Shrewsbury provides as good an example of a shibboleth as you can find in England. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/150 "2005-08-19T03:59:21Z")
Reading this some more, I see that a couple of my pet peeves have been overlooked (by me, too). I like my boss, I really do. She’s understanding and mostly has solid judgement and doesn’t put up with nonsense… but… One of her annoying expressions is “That’s a mute point.” Another common expression that I hear a lot on the radio: “We’ll loan you up to $100,000 _and more_!” Er, excuse me, what does that sentence mean? ---
**Author:** ![OneChance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/74df32/32.png) [@OneChance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneChance)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/151 "2005-08-19T09:07:01Z")
“I seen him running down that way and…” Can’t the local news interview people who have, you now, an education? In fact, I can only recall one time when someone actually used the proper “saw,” and I was literally stunned. Literally. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/152 "2005-08-19T09:31:06Z")
Not exactly a grammar error or mispronunciation, but it bugs the hell out of me when people say: \*\*“It’s like having your cake and eating it too!” \*\* The correct phrase is: **“It’s like eating your cake and having it too”** which makes a lot more sense because any time you have some cake you can also eat it, but you _can’t_ eat your cake and then still have it. It’s the impossibility of the latter that indicates that the subject is getting some sort of special or unlikely “two-fer”. Similarly, the whole \*\*“I could care less” \*\* nonsense when the utterer actually means **“I _couldn’t_ care less”** really irks me as well. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/153 "2005-08-19T11:37:39Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I’ve lived in Georgia myself. I don’t think you understand. The city of Albany down here is pronounced > > “All Bennie” > > (accent equally distributed) > > Not > > “All Bunny” > > (accent on the "all) A-ha! Thanks for the correction! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/154 "2005-08-19T11:52:34Z")
I live near a town whose sports team is called the Jaguars. About 90% of the people around here pronounce it “the Jag-wires”. Where the hell do they get that from? It’s not like they’ve never seen the spelling of the word before. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/155 "2005-08-19T12:21:47Z")
> [@Civil Guy](#): > > Another common expression that I hear a lot on the radio: “We’ll loan you up to $100,000 _and more_!” Er, excuse me, what does that sentence mean? Oh, hell, I’d forgotten about this one. “Save up to 50% or more at UCheatem’s closeout factory warehouse sale!” Ooh, I just hate that! _UP TO_ means that’s the high end of the scale!! There is no “or more” after that! AAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!! ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/156 "2005-08-20T02:22:23Z")
> [@Civil Guy](#): > > Another common expression that I hear a lot on the radio: “We’ll loan you up to $100,000 _and more_!” Er, excuse me, what does that sentence mean? And, more importantly, why can’t people understand that \*loan \* is the noun form. The verb is _lend_. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/157 "2005-08-20T02:29:35Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > Not exactly a grammar error or mispronunciation, but it bugs the hell out of me when people say: \*\*“It’s like having your cake and eating it too!” \*\* The correct phrase is: **“It’s like eating your cake and having it too”** which makes a lot more sense because any time you have some cake you can also eat it, but you _can’t_ eat your cake and then still have it. It’s the impossibility of the latter that indicates that the subject is getting some sort of special or unlikely “two-fer”. Well, that may make more sense logically but it’s not the accepted phrase. “have your cake and eat it” - 385,000 hits “eat your cake and have it” - 12,300 hits I’ve only ever heard it phrased the top way. ---
**Author:** ![Roma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Roma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roma)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/158 "2005-08-20T06:31:31Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > Not exactly a grammar error or mispronunciation, but it bugs the hell out of me when people say: \*\*“It’s like having your cake and eating it too!” \*\* The correct phrase is: **“It’s like eating your cake and having it too”** which makes a lot more sense because any time you have some cake you can also eat it, but you _can’t_ eat your cake and then still have it. It’s the impossibility of the latter that indicates that the subject is getting some sort of special or unlikely “two-fer”. > > Similarly, the whole \*\*“I could care less” \*\* nonsense when the utterer actually means **“I _couldn’t_ care less”** really irks me as well. Is _that_ what that stupid saying means?! “I could care less” really, really, bothers me too. And it’s when it should be its. I love saying irregardless to see if teachers catch me. They never do, so I don’t feel guilty about sleeping through English. It’s a good system. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/159 "2005-08-20T09:50:10Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > **Kalhoun** , I think of-ten is an acceptable alternative pronunciation of of-fen. Hate to break it to you… Yeah, I conceded that point in my post. The nearly universal mispronunciation made it acceptable. We dumbed down for the rest o’ youze. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2005, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148/160 "2005-08-20T09:58:32Z")
> [@pestie](#): > > What about “sammich?” When I hear people say that I always want to reply with some variation of, “Aww, how _cute!_ You’re as illiterate as your three-year-old!” I see both of these more as “cute-isms” than mispronunciations. I say “sammich” and “punkin” but I say them both very deliberately so as to purposely sound like an innocent kid who is thrilled with the prospect of getting either. “Mmmmmmm…let’s go eat some _sammiches_ before we go to the _punkin patch_!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-mispronunciations-grammatical-errors-drive-you-absolutely-batty/317148.md?page=9)