Wrong English

[KARL]

Isn't it fascinating how poorly people know their language ? When decimalisation was being introduced there were lots of examples of prices, payment and change put up in the media (TV and radio in particular) and the end result was that a very significant number of people ended up thinking the singular of pence is also pence - many of the still do as in "...and one pence change" at a shop till. Going even further back the erronious me crept in, as in "me and him are going out". Then the realisation that it should be "I and he" (or more correctly still, he and I) dawned, but now that seems to be totally overdone with I replacing me when it should not at all. Utterances like "It is better for you and I to....." abound when it is such obvious tripe - all you have to do to make it obvious is to drop the other person from the sentence and try it out. It is better for I to....would be a real howler to those who blurted out the first one. But I have just seen something to top this in a thread elsewhere on AB today: ".....in respect of my husband and I's wedding...." Great, "....it was I's wedding that I was talking about". Brilliant, I suppose we have to be thankful for funny blunders to laugh at.

[jno]

practice and practise are the same as advice and advise (C in the noun, S in the verb). However, Americans often use them the other way round. Unlike advise/advice, they're pronounced the same. So though it';s wrong you can see why people do it.

Splitting infinitives isn't 'wrong' - it's a matter of style rather than accuracy. The 'rule' was invented out of thin air sometime in the 19th century, as I recall. Split them all you want as long as the meaning is clear. 'To boldly go' sounds better than 'To go boldly' - better rhythm - so use it.

The rules for me and I are pretty straightforward; I've never been quite sure why people don't know them. But even there, it sounds better to say 'It's me!' than It's I!'

[MarkRae]

I agree totally with the sentiments expressed. I had the immense good fortune to attend a grammar school where incorrect spelling and grammar would have rendered an answer incorrect irrespective of whether it was or not.

Our education system has totally failed our nation's children. The fact that a journalist can state that spelling and grammar aren't important is sad beyond belief.

Some particular pet hates include apostrophes in plurals, qualification of the word 'unique' e.g. "it was totally unique" and the misuse of words like 'surreal', 'ironic' etc.

[tigerlily11]

In the 60's, going where no MAN has gone before was acceptable.
And if Captain Picard had wanted to be completely correct the phrase might have been "where no Human has gone before."
I think Kirk's version was closer. Simply because to say no one has gone before suggests any humanoid form of life. Which, as they found out, wasn't true.

[MarkRae]

In the 60s, not in the 60's...

[MarkRae]

And in such expressions as "laura norder".

There are even people who refer to the boys in blue as the "pleece" and to the third day of the week as "Wensdee"

[tigerlily11]

Hey I'm trekkie. I never said my grammar was any good.;-)

[MarkRae]

And, while we're having a rant, how hard can it really be to grasp the difference between your and you're, and
there, their and they're.

Not to mention definitely and defiantly.

And don't get me started on "would of"...

[fredpuli47]

And there are people who think the fruit is 'an orange, 'marquee' is singular, the plural being ' marquees', a person's best skill or subject is his 'forte' pronounced 'for-tay' or 'forty'..Where will it all end?
We must watch out,lest more errors become accepted' !
An orange ' comes to us from Arabic 'naranj' hence Spanish 'naranja' but we mucked that up, as did the French before us,many centuries ago. However, the others are genuine and more subtle. The word is 'marquise' but in the C17 somebody ignorantly assumed it was a plural word, a plural of something which could be spelt 'marquee'.'Marquise' is now rare or obsolete as a word for a tent,or a canopy over the entrance to a theatre [ an American usage]. And 'forte' meaning a strength is an imported French word and should, strictly, be pronounced 'fort' (as it was, formerly and alternatively, spelt) but the music 'forte' is Italian and is, indeed,pronounced like 'for-tay or 'forty'', in English.Of course, the 'wrong' pronunciation is now quite accepted !.

[MarkRae]

Hear! Hear! Which I have more than once seen written as Here! Here!