Could everyone on the internet get off it right now because my internet is slow.
kthxbye.
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I really hate the expression “Off of” like in that sentence above, it would be written:
Could everyone on the internet get off of it right now because my internet is slow.
We don’t NEED that extra word there. It doesn’t make MORE sense to put that word there. It’s decidedly an American expression but it’s permeating into our unadulterated Australian/English language!
Oh and another one – “in and of itself”
I don’t know if that one is American English but it’s also a pet hate of mine. See, the way I was taught we would use the expression like so: “…which is not a problem in itself but….”
but nowadays I’m hearing this abomination:
which is not a problem in and of itself…
IN AND OF? IN AND OF? Just read that there. IN AND OF? Can something be IN AND OF?
I am not saying that it’s incorrect (like I’m the Professor in English language and linguistics) but it just annoys me no end. So the ofs get put in where they probably don’t belong like some nosy neighbour or meddling auntie but then there’s the of that is like the absent uncle, who never turns up when he is invited to family gatherings.
I say, “a couple of things..”
I’ve heard it and I’ve read it like this
“couple things”
So I think we really need to sort this out once and for all. Is of invited to the party or is he bound to stay at home all by his lonesome? We can’t keep sending the invites and then get angry when he turns up!
OVER AND OF OUT!
My pet peeve is the misuse of the word “myriad”. Specifically, when people use it as a synonym of “lot” instead of “many”.
Eg:
“There were a myriad of cakes”.
WRONG!!
Would you say “there were a many of cakes”?! NO, BECAUSE IT IS WRONG WRONG WRONG TOWN.
It should be: “there were myriad cakes”. Do not use “a” before myriad, nor “of” after it, unless you want to look like a dopey person who is just trying to use a fancy word you don’t really understand.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, in and of itself………………….
HAHAHAHAH!
Sorry, I should of commented on this post sooner.
I think that (“should of, would of” etc) is much more annoying, in and of itself (sorry, couldn’t resist).
Susan – your comment about people using fancy words they don’t quite understand reminds me of a conversation I once overheard.
Woman (to friend): She was SO SKINNY! She was like… EMANCIPATED!
Really? She was so underweight that she freed a slave? Presumably she managed to pick the lock with her bony physique, or something.
this subject that you have brought up, with it, on it, reminds me of my young school days, on it, where we would look forward to a visit to our library, with it, so we could listen to mrs whateverhernamewas say with it, on it and at the end we would all argue over how many times she actually said it, with it.
one of my teachers would always end EVERY list with “etc, etc”:
“there are two things we need to talk about in this assembly: littering and attendance, etc, etc…”
“tonight, you need to complete lessons 21 and 22, etc, etc.”
Oh Farhad, your comment reminds me (notice how everyone’s comments are reminding me of something else?) of an incident when I was in grade three. We were going to do a maths activity of some sort (counting, maybe?), and our teacher said to the class “You will need your maths books, pencils, rulers, et cetera”
I looked at my friend Kylie and asked “what’s an et cetera?”. She replied, equally puzzled “I don’t know”. I became worried, as a seven year old might, and said “I don’t have one!”. I was reassured by Kylie’s “Neither do I!”
I now know that et cetera is latin for “eraser”.
HAHAHAHAHA!
Ooh ooh! I’ve got another one!
The misused (or ABSENT) apostrophe. Such a handy bit of punctuation, but sadly so often abused, neglected or superfluously placed.
AND THIS FLAGRANT WRONGNESS ANNOYS ME MOST WHEN IN ADVERTISING. Eg, “Apple’s on special!”
W.
T.
F?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?
What a can worms I have of opened!
I don’t visit this blog for a month and you all are having fun talking about English grammar without me. (Don’t tell me I have to write “all of you” instead of “you all”. It’s classic Manglish. ) Oh btw, I ‘ve lost count of how many times you have changed the theme/layout of your blog Tasmiya! That reminds me, my blog really needs a face lift or somethin after 2 years. (Need to write an action plan in my 2009 diary for procrastinators ).
susan, I say ‘a myriad of’
*ducks*
I have no defence except that I must have been influenced by the Amrikans!!
DS in UK – A woman was explaining her dog’s skin condition may have worsened due to the weather:
” I think the hot weather must have exasperated it.”
The skin condition got so flustered and upset it screamed out, “THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD ENOUGH!”?
ak- her name was Mrs Dawson..with it
susan – I love the extra apostrophe’s.
umm-fi-ard – I change the template all the time because i don’t have anything to talk about! Go the blog facelift – you will not regret it (and if you do, you can always go back to the old one)