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The W - One Question... - What's the Worst Abuse of the English Language? (Page 4)
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vonLampertheim
Tocino








Since: 29.10.04
From: Sydney, AU

Since last post: 3958 days
Last activity: 3892 days
#61 Posted on
Without a doubt, its "Fustrated"
alfadoc
Chaurice








Since: 12.2.06
From: Denver CO

Since last post: 6609 days
Last activity: 6609 days
#62 Posted on
Here in Colorado, people say "you guys" all the time. The plural possesive form of this is the abomination, "your guys's". I hear it all the time. "Hey, is that your guys's truck out there?"

It turns my ears inside out and makes my toes curl.

Another rant, people who substitute "bring" for "take", and anyone who wants to know where someone or something is "at".I always tell them it's right before the at.

The Grammar Nazi
rinberg
Boudin rouge








Since: 30.1.02
From: South Georgia

Since last post: 4452 days
Last activity: 734 days
#63 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.99
Three in one day. (If y'all don't shut up, I'm gon' go out my mind....) The spelling errors are grating enough, but the last one is the worst. It doesn't convey the correct meaning. If the person that put the sign up would just think about the meaning(!) of what they wrote, they wouldn't do it.

1) Fish Sandwitch Combo $3.99

2) ...and she pierced her tonge!

3) Going Out For Business Sale



"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents." - Nathaniel Borenstein
FurryHippie
Frankfurter








Since: 29.10.02
From: New York

Since last post: 6414 days
Last activity: 5102 days
#64 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.78
(deleted by FurryHippie on 16.3.06 0818)
FurryHippie
Frankfurter








Since: 29.10.02
From: New York

Since last post: 6414 days
Last activity: 5102 days
#65 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.78
Just an interesting lyric from one of my favorite bands, Midnite:

'Semantic double-speak, only your languages have
You say the pro is good, you say the con is bad
Well, is the prostitution good, and the constitution bad?'

Interesting to think about.....

(edited by FurryHippie on 16.3.06 0817)
Bizzle Izzle
Bockwurst








Since: 26.6.02
From: New Jersey, USA

Since last post: 2918 days
Last activity: 2918 days
#66 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.64
Since this thread is back I have a question for the Grammar Gurus regarding the use of 'a' and 'an'.

Why do people put 'an' in front of 'historical'?

ex: "This is a history book"
"This is an historical occasion"





'But if one is struck by me only a little, that is far different, the stroke is a sharp thing and suddenly lays him lifeless, and that man's wife goes with cheeks torn in lamentation, and his children are fatherless, while he, staining the soil with his red blood, rots away, and there are more birds than women swarming about him.' Diomedes, The Iliad of Homer
rinberg
Boudin rouge








Since: 30.1.02
From: South Georgia

Since last post: 4452 days
Last activity: 734 days
#67 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.99
    Originally posted by Bizzle Izzle
    Since this thread is back I have a question for the Grammar Gurus regarding the use of 'a' and 'an'.

    Why do people put 'an' in front of 'historical'?

    ex: "This is a history book"
    "This is an historical occasion"


The 'a' or 'an' is actually related to the noun that history/historical is modifying:

a book--> a history book
an occasion--> an historical occasion

*Edit: over-ruled. See following posts. ;)

(edited by rinberg on 16.3.06 1754)


"The most likely way for the world to be destroyed, most experts agree, is by accident. That's where we come in; we're computer professionals. We cause accidents." - Nathaniel Borenstein
MoeGates
Boudin blanc








Since: 6.1.02
From: Brooklyn, NY

Since last post: 14 days
Last activity: 7 days
#68 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.55
You don't say "That's an non-historical occasion." Putting "an" instead of "a" in front of something is strictly for ease of pronounciation, and is always related to the sound immediately after it, no matter its grammatical context.

(edited by MoeGates on 16.3.06 1519)


Man's most valuable trait is a judicious sense of what not to believe.
-
Euripides


AWArulz
Scrapple








Since: 28.1.02
From: Louisville, KY

Since last post: 90 days
Last activity: 90 days
#69 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.60
    Originally posted by MoeGates
    You don't say "That's an non-historical occasion." Putting "an" instead of "a" in front of something is strictly for ease of pronunciation, and is always related to the sound immediately after it, no matter its grammatical context.


Moe's right and the proper word in from of history or historical is "a". You might see some folks use "an", but since there is a hard consonant sound in front of it "hisssss", it should be "a". If you were going to be very snobbish and pronounce "hiss-tor-i-cal" "is-tor-i-cal", then you might use an "an", but, pronunciation-wise, you'd be wrong.






We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
Zeruel
Thirty Millionth Hit
Moderator








Since: 2.1.02
From: The Silver Spring in the Land of Mary.

Since last post: 1666 days
Last activity: 1666 days
#70 Posted on | Instant Rating: 4.05
Wikipedia's take on a/an before a "h" from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%2C_an#Using_.22An.22_Instead_of_.22A.22_Before_a_Pronounced_.22H.22


    Using "An" Instead of "A" Before a Pronounced "H"

    The form "an" is always prescribed before words beginning with a silent "h," such as "honorable," "heir," "hour," and, in American English, "herb." Some British dialects (e.g., Cockney) silence all initial "h's" and so employ "an" all the time: e.g., "an 'elmet". Many British usage books, therefore, discount a usage which some Americans (amongst others) employ as being a derivative of the Cockney. The reason is that the indefinite article "a" is pronounced either of two ways: as a schwa or as the letter itself is pronounced, "long a." Some words beginning with the letter "h" have the primary stress on the second or later syllable. Pronouncing "a" as a schwa can diminish the sound of the schwa and melt into the vowel. Pronouncing it as a "long a" does not do this, but the pronunciation cannot be prescribed, the word is spelled the same for either. Hence "an" may be seen in such phrases as "an historic," "an heroic," and yes, "an hôtel of excellence" was the by-line in an advertisment in a New York City newspaper. But the word "humongous" is slang, and this particular is of no concern for it.

    Such was also the case for some other words which take the place of the article. "My" and "thy" became "mine" and "thine," as in "mine uncle."

    The appearance of "an" or "a" in front of words beginning with "h" is not only limited to stress. Sometimes there are historical roots as well. Words that may have had a route into English via French (where all "h"s are unpronounced) may have "an" to avoid an unusual pronouciation. Words that derived from German however would use "a" as the "h"s would be pronounced. There is even some suggestion that fashion may have had some influence. When England was ruled by a French aristocracy, the tradition may have been to exclusively use "an", whilst when Britain was governed by a German based monarchy the tide may have changed to "a".





The Catastrophic Annihilation War Room
"You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing?" --Toby, West Wing

BOSsportsfan34
Pepperoni








Since: 2.1.03
From: MA

Since last post: 1381 days
Last activity: 1380 days
#71 Posted on | Instant Rating: 7.05
    Originally posted by Cerebus
    From JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY:

    Roman Moroni: "You fargin sneaky bastage. I'm gonna take your dwork, I'm gonna nail it to the wall. I'm gonna crush your boils in a meat grinder. I'm gonna cut off your arms. I'm gonna shove 'em up your icehole. Dirty son-a-ma-batches. My own club!"


    -----

    ...now THAT, my friends, is the worst abuse of the english language.


You fargin icehole!!!!

I don't know if this constitutes an "abuse" of the english language, but I hate the terms coined by the media for celebrity couples:

TomKat

Bennifer

Brangelina

Vaughniston




"Speaking of Thomases, I loved your recent Atrocious GM Summit column, although I think that you flatter Isiah Thomas far too much by suggesting that he is merely one of a number of atrocious GMs. The truth is that Rob Babcock and Billy King are Einstein next to him. The mess he is creating right now in New York will be studied by business school students 50 years from now alongside Enron and pets.com."

Malcom Gladwell, from an e-mail exchange column with Bill Simmons.
Whitebacon
Banger








Since: 12.1.02
From: Fresno, CA

Since last post: 110 days
Last activity: 10 days
ICQ:  
#72 Posted on | Instant Rating: 6.47
Bennifer was ok because it seemed to be mocking two celebs that generally deserve to be mocked (particlulary Affleck). TomKat makes sense but is still stupid. Brangelina sounds stupid and forced, and I'd never heard Vaughniston, but that's almost as bad as Brangelina.



Can you touch a rainbow? Can you put the wind in your pocket? No! Such is Neifi!

TheMark 9.6.05 2227.30 - 9.6.05 2242.29. Gone, but not forgotten.
Quezzy
Scrapple








Since: 6.1.02
From: Pittsburgh, PA

Since last post: 1898 days
Last activity: 1898 days
#73 Posted on | Instant Rating: 3.06
Any time Salma Hayek opens her mouth.



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It used to be that when I'd get together with friends, it was always Pop Culture Trivial Pursuit or Scene It!, but I always won and they got frustrated with it. Lately, it's been variations of Trivial Pursuit (usually Star Wars or Lord Of The Rings)
- Ryan_A, What's your board game? (2005)
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