- The word is “agreement,” not “agreeance.”
- If you didn’t care at all, you couldn’t have cared less. If you really could have cared less, and you were just lukewarm about a topic, why point it out?
- “The reason is because…” is redundant since “reason” and “because” imply each other. The reason I do something is that I want to do it, or I do something because I want to do it.
- While I’m at it, the same goes for “where” and “at.” The question, “Where are my girls?” is sufficient, so it shouldn’t have an “at” at the end.
- When you let a person do whatever he wants, he gets free rein — yes, like a horse — not free reign.
- When a word is included in an abbreviation, there’s no need to say it again. I don’t want to give my personal identification number number or use an automatic teller machine machine.
- You do things by mistake or by accident, not on mistake or on accident. You do other things on purpose.
- An acronym is not simply a set of initials; it’s a set of initials that’s pronounced as a new word, like scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus) or laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). Sorry, CIA, you’re not an acronym unless we pronounce you as “see-ya” or something similar. You’re just an abbreviation. Or a set of initials.
Anything else to add?
14 comments
DSW drives me crazy with that 3rd-to-last bullet. Does DSW not stand for Discount Shoe Warehouse? So WHY do they insist on putting DSW Shoe Warehouse on all of their signs? Why???
Also, Spaniards are all about their proper acronym usage. When I was over there, the university I went to was UIMP — pronounced “wimp” — and the study abroad program I went through, ISA, was pronounced “eee-sa.” So much easier than naming all those letters all the time! (Although I will admit that until now I didn’t know that if you couldn’t pronounce it as a word it wasn’t an acronym. Interesting.)
Whoa, the DSW thing never occurred to me. That is a little much. Maybe “D Shoe Warehouse” just didn’t fly.
Wow, did someone pee in your Wheaties this morning? I’ve never seen someone get irritated by someone calling C-I-A an acronym.
You are clearly not from the Midwest. Because we end our sentences with prepositions. I will always do it. To me “who is going with?” or “where are they at?” is correct. And not redundant.
I would like to add that people need to learn that there is a very big difference between there, their and they’re. And your and you’re, while we’re at it.
I definitely agree with you that there/their/they’re and you/you’re are in dire need of help.
My pet peeve is “because of the fact that…” It has irritated me since high school because OF THE FACT THAT a girl in my group of friends used it constantly. I know it’s not the most egregious grammatical sin out there, but it is redundant and drove me nuts!
That would annoy me, too. In that usage, that phrase is, as my 8th grade teacher would say, “dead to the sentence.”
I did a post about stuff like this awhile back and had requests for more. I should get on that sometime soon.
One thing, though–I remember asking my mom why people say, “I could care less,” when they obviously don’t, back when I was like eight years old. She told me the expression was sarcastic. Was she lying?
I guess I can see that, but I don’t know why people would use that specific phrase sarcastically. Wouldn’t they be more likely to say something hyperbolic like, “Because I TOTALLY care about that,” or something? Shrug.
Y’all. It’s y’all. Not ya’ll. The apostrophe replaces letters. What is it replacing in ya’ll? Nothing. That drives me bonkers! There is a billboard as you leave my hometown (of about 125,000 people) that says “Ya’ll come back!” and it makes me crazy!
And “these ones.” It’s just these. “I like these,” not “I like these ones.” That goes for “those ones” as well.
Oh, lord — “ya’ll.” What does “ya will” mean, people? I hear you.
I totally thought it was free reign. Like, someone is free to reign as they wish. Like a king. Whoops!
My pet peeve is unnecessary apostrophes. Just because a word is plural does NOT mean you should add an apostrophe. It does not make the word look fancy or you look smart. It just drive’s me nut’s to see sign’s saying thing’s like “Keep off the Step’s” and “Take your Bill’s from the slot below.”
Superfluous apostrophes do the opposite of making people look smart, I think. There’s a sign JG and I pass pretty regularly that says proudly, “Boat’s Stored Here.” ARGH. Boat Is Stored Here? What?
What about some sort of coalition to fight the madness? Bloggers Against Apostrophe Abuse? BAAA? Who’s with me?
Thank you thank you thank you. Oh, and ATM Machine. Argh.
It just makes me question whether or not people know what the abbreviation means, you know?
When you give someone money you are lending it, not borrowing it. Far too many of my peeps say, “I borrowed her 20 bucks.” No, just no. It should be, “I lent her 20 bucks”.
And as my mom always used to say, “Ain’t IS NOT a word”.
I’ve never heard the borrow one before. It would be hard for me to restrain from flinching.
“I could care less” drives me absolutely up the wall. My boss says that all the time!
And I agree with Audrey about DSW Shoe Warehouse. Here’s your Certificate of Redundancy Certificate!
I want to hand out those certificates. For real.
OMG I hate when people say “I could care less” thinking it meant the same as “I couldn’t care less”! Grrrr!
Now I’m scared to write anything!
Oh, don’t worry. People only scrutinize when you make a stink about other things; I am surely under the microscope from here on out.
Saying 8:00am in the morning.
“Irregardless” is not a word.
“Irregardless” hits a special nerve in my brain, and the phenomenon is not pretty. Maybe people are thinking of “irrespective”? Maybe?
People who do not know how to speak or write properly drive me crazy too! What really makes me nuts is people who ask for permission to ask a question. My boss constantly asks me, “Can I ask you a question.” I want to scream and tell him “NO. You may not ask me a question”, or when people order food and ask, “Can I have a burger with French fries?”
Whenever somebody asks me if they can ask me a question, I always want to remind him that he just asked me a question, so his turn is over.
I won’t take the first one personally. Oh no I won’t …
But I have never heard an ATM called an “ATM Machine” before - must be used properly here!
Oh, no, that one is for all of those celebrities who feel the need to make up words when the teleprompter doesn’t jive with their crazy thoughts.
I heard it twice in one night, in independent situations, and I wanted to scream.
Your “couldn’t care less” point made me laugh because it reminds me of these surveys that they have on one of the news programs here. They will discuss an issue and then people call in to vote “yes” “no” or “I don’t know” The call costs $2. Do you really not know or not care enough to pay $2.00 to tell everyone? Some people, apparently, do. That’s just sad.
Wow. Two bucks can get you much more than an “I don’t know” vote…
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