There, their, they're, there's, theirs...

[+ MostlyLurking]

People seem to think they're speaking good English when they say, "He invited my wife and I to the party." Figuring out when to use I or Me is really simple. Just say to yourself, "he invited I to the party," and "he invited me to the party" and the right phrase will be pretty apparent.

Once upon a time, in group therapy, I called somebody on that. Boy, did I get busted! Now that I think about it, I got busted pretty regularly. Usually I deserved it - including that time.

[actor61]

Why do people get shamed - to use a common phrase - for using good English and gently correcting people who don't? I worked in an office for a long time where people actually warned new employees not to "mess with him" because I was a "snob". The 2 cardinal sins I committed were using proper English, which according to them made me very uppity, and once flying Business Class to Europe (on miles) and telling them about how great an experience it was.

 

I transcribed medical reports in this office and what the physicians dictated to me in their attempts to sound educated and intelligent was astonishing. A few examples: "The patient's male partner is her husband who is a man." "The patient demonstrated to the nurse and I where her pain originated and where it came from, and this was indeed the area from which it aerated." "The patient was hysterectomized 10 years ago."

[Rudynate]

My pet complaint is how many people there are now who don't know the correct prepositions. Even newscasters and people who should know better say stuff like "intending on . . . ." I call it being "prepositionally-challenged." It's like fingernails on a blackboard to me.

[Rudynate]

"The patient was hysterectomized 10 years ago."

 

What's wrong with that?

[actor61]

What's wrong with that?

It's making a verb of hysterectomy, just like making a verb of impact as stated in the original post. The proper sentence would be "The patient underwent a hysterectomy 10 years ago." I guess the doctor thought that lobotomy became lobotomize so hysterectomy could become hysterectomize but it's really a misuse of the terms. Would you say, "The patient was heart transplantized 10 years ago?"

[actor61]

My pet complaint is how many people there are now who don't know the correct prepositions. Even newscasters and people who should know better say stuff like "intending on . . . ." I call it being "prepositionally-challenged." It's like fingernails on a blackboard to me.

Just as annoying to me is "the person that made the phone call" instead of "the person WHO made the phone call". But the cardinal sin is, "If I would have known, I wouldn't have gone." Or "I wish I would have been there when it happened." Or "If he would have studied, he'd have passed the test." Or ... never mind.

[Rudynate]

It's making a verb of hysterectomy, just like making a verb of impact as stated in the original post. The proper sentence would be "The patient underwent a hysterectomy 10 years ago." I guess the doctor thought that lobotomy became lobotomize so hysterectomy could become hysterectomize but it's really a misuse of the terms. Would you say, "The patient was heart transplantized 10 years ago?"

 

 

I wouldn't, but a doc steeped in the intricacies/efficiencies of a professional lingo might.

[+ azdr0710]

"incentivize"

"amazing"

"skill set"

"price point"

"curate"

"takeaway"

"pushback/blowback"

[Kevin Slater]

"incentivize"

 

HATE that.

 

Kevin Slater

[Larstrup]

Mangina.

[+ José Soplanucas]

I just edited a post three times. Each time I posted it, I would find out one more misuse of there/their.

[gregkidman]

Is 'moot' and 'mute' pronounced the same way or are they pronounced differently?

 

Aside from that, I work in IT. We are all about speed and efficiency in our code. But it hurts when people use the word 'performant' -- that's not a word!!!

[bostonman]

Is 'moot' and 'mute' pronounced the same way or are they pronounced differently?

 

Do you mean to ask, "ARE 'moot' and 'mute' pronounced the same way..."??

 

And no, they're not.

Moot rhymes with boot.

Mute rhymes with cute. (using what is often called the "liquid u" sound - as if it were spelled "myoot.")

 

Some words can be pronounced both ways - we tend to pronounce "news" as "nooz" in casual conversation, but a lot of people would say that "nyooz" is more proper. But both seem to be acceptable.

[mike carey]

Is 'moot' and 'mute' pronounced the same way or are they pronounced differently?

I would say differently. Moot and myoot. (That's yoot with an m on the front, not my-oot.

[actor61]

HATE that.

 

Kevin Slater

Me too!

[Epigonos]

One of the traffic reporters on my local radio station has taken to telling drivers that on certain freeways it is "more faster" to stay out of the car pool lane. He has now been using the expression for some time so I must assume that no one at the stations see anything wrong with his grammar.

I tend to write quickly when posting here and am often careless. I, like latbear4blk, frequently find myself going back and editing my posts two and three times.

[Good Grief]

HATE that.

 

Kevin Slater

 

Me too!

 

I, too.

[+ bashful]

I tend to write quickly when posting here and am often careless. I, like latbear4blk, frequently find myself going back and editing my posts two and three times.

 

Me too.

[actor61]

I, too.

You two?

[kewtex]

You two?

 

Or, as a millennial would text, U 2?

[bostonman]

Or, as a millennial would text, U 2?

 

Of course, for those of us born a decade or two before that, U2 is a rock band.

[LaffingBear]

I transcribed medical reports in this office and what the physicians dictated to me in their attempts to sound educated and intelligent was astonishing. A few examples: "The patient's male partner is her husband who is a man." "The patient demonstrated to the nurse and I where her pain originated and where it came from, and this was indeed the area from which it aerated." "The patient was hysterectomized 10 years ago."

Aware that I am off-topic, perhaps someone can suggest a better category for this post.

 

I am reminded of a collection of excerpts from letters written by people trying to arrange for public assistance, and trying to write the letters in a business-professional manner:

• Mrs. Jones has been home in bed without any clothes, and has been visited regularly by the clergy.
  
• In accordance with your instructions, I have given birth to twins in the enclosed envelope.
  
• My husband had his project cut off nine weeks ago and I haven't had any relief since. What are you going to do about it?
  

I wish I remembered more....

[+ bashful]

I am reminded of a collection of excerpts from letters written by people trying to arrange for public assistance, and trying to write the letters in a business-professional manner:

 

Not a letter, but back in the day when people had to fill out a job application on paper, the question following address was "length of residence". An applicant wrote "35 feet".

[+ purplekow]

 

 

Not a great movie, but this scene from it stayed with me.

[+ ArVaGuy]

"incentivize"

"amazing"

"skill set"

"price point"

"curate"

"takeaway"

"pushback/blowback"

 

HATE that.

 

Kevin Slater

 

Me too!

 

I, too.

 

Ditto.