It's Official - I'm a Curmudgeon

[AdamSmith]

When it comes down to it, proper use of pronouns, and understanding of how they fit into parts of speech, is one of the few things what separates us from the animals. LOL!

 

Would it not be "proper use of pronouns, and understanding of how they fit into parts of sentences, are two of the few things..."?

[AdamSmith]

Yesterday some "Influencer" on LinkedIn posted a diatribe about who vs. whom and couldn't even get it right in his own examples.

[AdamSmith]

You must be older than me....

 

Or older than I?

[mike carey]

Or older than I?

Both are correct. If you assume there is a silent 'am', then go with 'I'. But without the 'am' in the sentence 'me' is the object.

www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2014/11/johnson-pronouns

http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/than_I_me_than_he_him.htm

[actor61]

I hate the bastardization "me and my friends," as in "Me and my friends hung out at this great new spot last week." I have even heard it from a "television journalist" on a TV news broadcast. ME is NEVER a subject in a sentence!

When it comes down to it, proper use of pronouns, and understanding of how they fit into parts of speech, is one of the few things what separates us from the animals. LOL!

 

I once heard a famous woman on t.v. say "My brother and I's parents".

 

It seems few people can figure out when to use me or I. I have heard, "He gave the gift to her and I", "He called her and I", "He wanted to know if her and I were coming", etc., etc.

 

Written English has really deteriorated as well. Apostrophes are used almost always incorrectly. Discrete for discreet appears all the time, as do there for their, and two for too

 

Our local t.v. weather forecaster says, "Okay, guys, here's what's coming up for your Thursday." I often wonder if female viewers are offended by being lumped in with the guys, and how is it my Thursday?

 

And I know this has been discussed, dissected and resolved by several posters above, but I still hate it when a broadcaster says, "The heavy rain has really impacted the commute into the city."

 

My final word about the use of "like". A very intelligent, talented, young friend of mine found herself seated next to Elaine Stritch at a function years ago. Ms. Stritch asked her about her life and my friend launched into a detailed account of the show she was currently rehearsing, how excited she was to be on Broadway and how thrilled she was to be sitting next to a legend and one of her theatre idols. When she finished, Stritch said to her, "That's all lovely, dear, but now could you tell me the whole thing again without using "like"?"

[rvwnsd]

You must be older than me....

Like, possibly. I'm, like, very curmudgeonly regarding proper Valspeak. (Spoken with the "lift" at the end of "curmudgeonly" and "Valspeak.")

[Guest countryboywny]

Some of my peeves:

through/threw

to/too

their/there/they're

masseuse/masseur

 

I'm a bit better than average with grammar, but certainly not great. I'm tend to write posts as if I'm having a conversation. I tend to let my sentences run on and I use "..." too much. But heck, ...using informal language in my posts helps me to convey my thought, think I.

[AdamSmith]

As the years roll on, my curmudgeonliness manifests more and more in not giving a shit what other people do unless it impinges on my getting fed, paid or laid.

[instudiocity]

Hmmm., Am I mistaken in thinking that to be considered a senior citizen one had to be 65 years old?

Yes.

 

Since I've had gray/white hair since I was 18, mistaken for 35 when I was 22, I've considered myself a Senior and Superior citizen for all my adult life.

[instudiocity]

I'm a bit better than average with grammar, but certainly not great. I'm tend to write posts as if I'm having a conversation. I tend to let my sentences run on and I use "..." too much. But heck, ...using informal language in my posts helps me to convey my thought, think I.

Just as long as you don't use, "That being said," and "That said" in starting new paragraphs, I'm OK with too much (many) "..." ellipsis for one, ellipses... ...for more than one. It's actually quite accurate in conversational posts to ... because that's what you do when you talk ...

 

"Depending on their context and placement in a sentence, ellipses can also indicate an unfinished thought, a leading statement, a slight pause, a mysterious, echoing voice, or a nervous or awkward silence." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis

[instudiocity]

In Downstate Illinois where I'm from, we use "Where are you at?" all the time, although we usually say, "Where're y'at?" It can be an inquiry as to one's location in space, or more particularly used to ask the stage of one's task at which one has arrived, like, "Where're y'at on yr math homework?" Our English teachers long ago abandoned hope.

A friend of mine from down state Illinois says, "You-un's and We-un's" in place of You and You All. It takes some concentration to get the gist of her you-uns and we-uns in line as she tawks...

[+ honcho]

Hmmm., Am I mistaken in thinking that to be considered a senior citizen one had to be 65 years old?

 

It seems to me that depends on the context. I do not qualify for the senior citizen's discount on the local busses

until I'm 65. However, there's no additional penalty for retiring at any age over 60 from the University of California

system (other than not accruing as many years of service).

[+ Funguy]

Guys - don't forget that cursive writing is practically nonexistent now with the "young-uns". Too much computer and texting. I shudder to think what a paper would look like if the up and comers had to use their own handwriting.

[actor61]

It seems to me that depends on the context. I do not qualify for the senior citizen's discount on the local busses

until I'm 65. However, there's no additional penalty for retiring at any age over 60 from the University of California

system (other than not accruing as many years of service).

 

I retired from UCLA 6 months after turning 60 and receive a pension and pay $0 for benefits. It's probably one of the last companies left that actually pays a pension. Best decisions I ever made were to work there and then to retire from there. It was a hateful job that now pays for a blissful life.

 

Back to bad grammar and overused phrases. I agree with the poster above: "That being said" drives me nuts too. I also intensely dislike "At the end of the day."

 

Admitting that I'm a cranky senior citizen has been very liberating. I don't think I'm obnoxious but I'm also not shy about stating that I dislike something. I try to be positive, kind and pleasant every day of my life but if something stinks like old fish, I don't hesitate to say so. Likewise, if something is wonderful, I can be quite effusive about that as well.

[+ azdr0710]

here's the fairly well-known list of "Banished Words" from Lake Superior State University.....an annual tradition since 1976.....go back and check out the lists from the 70s and 80s....a hoot!

 

http://www.lssu.edu/banished/

[+ SundayZip]

I am pretty forgiving of people who slip up on some common grammar rules (me ain't perfect either). As long as I understand the meaning, I'll let it go. But what does bug me is the use of acronyms without first spelling them out. Even in this thread, someone introduced acronym OED without first spelling it out. I had to google it. Now that I know it stands for Oxford English Dictionary (OED) it seems obvious. But it wasn't clear to me at first.

[Samfoslom]

Would it not be "proper use of pronouns, and understanding of how they fit into parts of sentences, are two of the few things..."?

yeah, yeah, probably

[+ poolboy48220]

I agree with just about all of these. My younger sister's in journalism, and I might've pursued something with the written word if I hadn't enjoyed computers so much (and it paid so much more). I'm continually frustrated by the misuse of the language by co-workers, but on the plus side my boss has often said he values my ability to communicate well. It means I get 'stuck' with documenting a lot of things, but I rather enjoy it.

 

One of my favorite typos is substituting "now" for "not" in an email about something. Talk about TOTALLY changing the meaning - "This is now correct" vs. "This is not correct".

[mike carey]

Talk about TOTALLY changing the meaning - "This is now correct" vs. "This is not correct".

Proof read, proof read, proof read! Slowly, don't just scan the text. If it's really important reading it backwards can be helpful.

[+ poolboy48220]

I read a quote a few months ago - "Don't write so you can be understood. Write so that you can't be misunderstood." I keep that in mind when I'm emailing or explaining things.