<p>Well, let’s hope that the new trend in the misuse of “myself” doesn’t catch on. No it does not make you sound more intelligent when you say “he gave the package to myself”. It makes you sound like you’re trying to sound intelligent and failed miserably. And it’s happening more and more often. At least twice a night on the local news either by the anchors, reporters or the people being interviewed. </p>
<p>The one that used to bug me most was “should of”. But it’s so old now. My college roommate used to do it. That was 40 years ago.</p>
<p>3bm103, I think we would all agree that people need re-education on pronouns. I too bristle when I hear “myself” misused, but nothing bugs me more than people’s fear of using objective pronouns. I just got a work email yesterday that said something like “we are pleased to welcome he and his team.” Do people seriously think this is correct? I actually blame parents for this one, because many of us have had to (figuratively) beat the “me’s” out of our kids from a young age (as in, “can me and Jake go to the pool?”). People have become so afraid of saying the word “me” that they now use subjective pronouns indiscriminately.</p>
<p>My pet peeve is misuse of the verbs “to lay” and “to lie”. Laying in bed instead of lying in bed; only if you’re a chicken. Laid or lay, same problem. And have laid or have lain, impossibly confusing :)</p>
<p>I remember being in college when I learned the proper difference between lay and lie – from a Japanese student. She had learned them as separate words, transitive and intransitive. Now I know it as “I lie down” and “Now I lay me down to sleep.”</p>
<p>In my case, it wasn’t my parents who beat it out of me; it was the Sister of (No) Mercy in Catholic school. We had a rigorous grammar program (anyone remember Voyages in English?) and I did well in the subject. This thread is making me realize that I still have some things to learn (and remember).</p>
<p>I noticed the other day that 21 y/o D2 correctly used the word “whom” in casual conversation. I don’t think that word is necessarily dead.</p>
<p>Not many things irritate me more than using apostrophes to convey plural rather than possession. I see it all the time.</p>
<p>“The doc’s only see all the patient’s when they round in the mornings.” So many people do this, it makes me wonder if they are even addressing it in school.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen, CC posters seem to be a very educated bunch. I suspect that most errors made here are typos or the result of typing too fast and not reading over it before clicking on the post button.</p>
<p>I have trouble with commas at times. I’m more likely to have too few than too many.</p>
<p>Guilty as charged in starting sentences with “so” … That’s less of a kid thing and more of a Gen X (or late Baby Boomer) thing. I hear it most in my 40- and 50-something cohort.</p>
<p>It drives me nuts! I listen to a lot of public radio and whenever they are interviewing an expert on anything, the person will answer questions starting the sentence with “so”.</p>
<p>Interviewer: How can we tell that global warming is an imminent threat?</p>
<p>Expert: So there is lots of evidence that global warming…</p>
<p>@sorghum: Americans say “he’s at school”. Brits say “he’s at hospital”. Same usage.</p>
<p>@sally305, @GMTplus7: “their” as a gender-neutral his/her actually has a long usage in English (and is more smooth than “his/her”). I see nothing wrong with it. Finally, it takes some getting use to, but Brits refer to a collection by the plural, so “ManU are winners today” sounds perfectly fine to them. As would “Vandy have earned their reputation”. I wonder if it says something about the more individualistic nature of Americans, though. . .</p>
<p>There’s also the issue of context. When I’m speaking out loud to an audience, i will adjust colloquialisms & grammar strictness to maximize effectiveness of connecting to that audience. </p>
<p>Quite a few prescriptive grammar rules in English are not natural to the language and were introduced by Latinphiles who seemed to think that all languages should follow the grammar laws of Latin even when it makes so sense to do so.</p>
<p>In any case, English is slowly becoming more analytical and even the inflection of English pronouns may drop away, so a few centuries hence, “Jim went with he and she to the bar as their flying car took they there” may sound perfectly natural.</p>
<p>“Irregardless” is not a word. It already has the “-less” in it to convey “without regard.” With the “ir-” as well as the “-less,” it creates a double negative.</p>
<p>I think people want it to be like “irrespective,” but it’s not.</p>