Misused Words

[Vraith]

There, they're and their bug me too. And so do to and too.

Me too.

--A

I do those all the time when typing if I don't proofread, my fingers just move the pattern without checking with my brain first.
I actually don't have much problem with grammatical problems [like hopefully, mentioned earlier], nor with making up words like normalcy [though I prefer a context/reason for making up a word]. Mostly, I just have a problem with words used as what they, specifically, don't mean. SRD did this at least once, I almost GI'd him about it, but someone beat me to it: sojourn means to rest a bit, not to travel or journey.

[Harbinger]

Closed on Sunday's.

Stuff like that drives me batty. Also its and it's (it is).

All children should be taught this sentence: It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas.

[LaRocca]

Closed on Sunday's.

I can't stand those!

We've got a new butcher here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Tony's House of Sausage's. Their menu includes salad's, sausage's, salami's...

Now that's got to be a native English speaker. No Thai could do that.

[aliantha]

Closed on Sunday's.

I can't stand those!

We've got a new butcher here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Tony's House of Sausage's. Their menu includes salad's, sausage's, salami's...

Now that's got to be a native English speaker. No Thai could do that.

Yeah, that stuff bugs me, too. And don't get me started on how the rules of comma usage have changed since I learned them lo, these many years ago.

[Vraith]

Also its and it's (it is).

The it's/its one at least makes sense in a way, because it's is sort of a rule-breaker if you happen to be just paying attention to possession:
If it's "John's fleas" 's is correct. [yea, I know why it is incorrect...but there is a legitimate source of confusion.] The flip side [using its for it is contraction] is less comprehensible.

[Harbinger]

They're John's fleas.

[Vraith]

Heh...
John scratches John's fleas [actually..he scratches his SKIN because it ITCHES]
But
John scratches its fleas. [apparently that means neither it nor John are wise]
Or, possibly that its fleas have misplaced the back-scratcher just when they needed it most.

[Savor Dam]

...don't get me started on how the rules of comma usage have changed since I learned them lo, these many years ago.

Amen! I still do it the old way, and have been known to get testy with new-school editors who try to change it.

"...but the AP Stylebook says"
"Not mine." [shows reference from 1960s edition]

[Menolly]

I know I've seen this one mentioned somewhere at one time...

"Up to xx% off!
...and more!"

[wayfriend]

I know I've seen this one mentioned somewhere at one time...

"Up to xx% off!
...and more!"

That's not misused words. That's marketing brilliance! Oh, wait ... maybe you're right, in another way ...

I misuse words a lot, even when I know better, because of rushing through what I am saying or typing. So I should not complain.

... but if I did, I would complain about than and then. "I'd rather eat a snail then talk to you" doesn't mean what people think it means.

[Menolly]

I am so guilty of many of these most of the time, due to rushing through posting...

[sgt.null]

horses do not chomp at the bit.

they champ at it.

[Wyldewode]

I dislike it when people use impact as a verb meaning "affect." And it makes me angry when it is used in the past tense. When I hear that I want to slap the offender. The fish is optional.

im·pact
Pronunciation: \im-ˈpakt\
Function: verb
Etymology: Latin impactus, past participle of impingere to push against — more at impinge
Date: 1601

transitive verb 1 a : to fix firmly by or as if by packing or wedging b : to press together
2 a : to have a direct effect or impact on : impinge on b : to strike forcefully; also : to cause to strike forcefullyintransitive verb 1 : to have an impact —often used with on
2 : to impinge or make contact especially forcefully

[I'm Murrin]

Isn't that definition 2? Have an impact on?

[Fist and Faith]

Oh! Bring and take get a lot of people mad! Cracks me up! I'll do it on purpose (Uh oh! Should that be purposely??? ) if I know one of those people are near. "Here, bring this pencil to Ed." Hehe. A comedian said his mother was Brazilian or something, and his father was English. And his father was always correcting people on such things. Including the cop. "No, no! You can't bring me to jail. You take me to jail."

[aliantha]

... but if I did, I would complain about than and then. "I'd rather eat a snail then talk to you" doesn't mean what people think it means.

Not only that, but the sentence now needs a comma after "snail"!

SD, whaddya mean, "AP Stylebook"?? Are/were you a newspaper guy? I didn't know that!

[Savor Dam]

No, I'm not a journalist of any sort. Nor am I a writer in the sense that Ali and others are.

My reliance on the AP Stylebook is twofold. First is that what writing and editing aptitude I have was encouraged by a very demanding high school English teacher who encouraged us to use that and Strunk/White's Elements of Style as holy writ.

Using what I learned from him, I challenged my university's mandatory Freshman English Composition requirement and got 100% on a cold attempt of the course final.

Second is that even though my core profession is technology management, I have worked with many Publications departments for business and government clients -- both in implementing technology for them and in the course of getting internal documents of mine ready for distribution. The AP Stylebook is still used as a benchmark by many of these organizations.

Needless to say, not all career editors are receptive to an aging (and somewhat OCD) techie correcting their editing.

It's probably poor form to point it out, but this is my 1,000th KW post. W00t!

(Edited to fix a typo. Talk about irony!)

[Holsety]

As Juan Valdez shared with us on Bally Who:

TO..BE...SURE!! HA!...not to be confused with SHURE...a most excellent brand...of audio..paraphernalia..

This is pretty grating.

[Cagliostro]

I really hate it when people saying "for all intents and purposes" when they really mean to say "for all intensive purposes."

Idiots!

[I'm Murrin]

wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_the_saying_%27all_intents_and_purposes%27_or_%27all_intense_purposes%27

Also, "when people saying", eh?


(You trollin'?)