Misused Words And Phrases That Drive Me Insane
Recently copyblogger posted The Inigo Montoya Guide To 27 Misused Words and I thought I’d follow it up with a short one of my own. Mostly because I’ve recently been dealing with some people who apparently don’t know what is the correct word to use in a sentence, and partly because I can’t take it anymore and need to release some pressure before I explode.
Irregardless:
I hear this word used almost daily and in my opinion anyone who uses this word should be shot on sight. Irregardless is NOT a word. Period. I don’t care what your spell checker says. It’s not. It was started by some morons in Indiana a century or so ago (proving that the word Hoosier and Hick are almost interchangeable as an good Missourian knows) who apparently didn’t know how the English language either. Stop using this immediately because if I hear you doing so, I may have to slap you and then send you back to 2nd grade.
Of Course/Of Coarse:
Of Course is a phrase that is synonymous with “Naturally, as might be expected, inarguably, etc.” Of Coarse is meaningless. Coarse means that something is harsh or abrasive. So unless you’re specifying a landscaping need that you have (“I need 25 yards of coarse sand.”) then you’re spelling something wrong. On a personal note, if I get a message from you that says Of Coarse in it (and you’re not discussing landscaping,) I’m blocking your email/chat/Twitter from now on.
Most [Word]est:
Most Bestest, Most Greatest, Most Irrationalest, etc. It’s one or the other people, never both. The rule here is that if a word is one syllable it gets the ‘est suffix. Otherwise use Most. (Note: in the case of Best the est is already there. You can’t have the Most Best or the Bestest anything. If it’s the Best, it’s the Best.) This said, if you say any of these to me, I’m going to give you my Most Bestest kick in the pants.
Corollary: More Better:
I don’t have a gun now, but I do believe in the Second Amendment (which is a mash of poorly defined English if ever there was one. But whatever.)
What are you looking at?:
You DON’T end sentences with prepositions. There’s really no where else to go with that. You just don’t do it. It’s improper and people should (but probably don’t) look at you funny.
Supposebly:
This is also NOT a word. The correct word is Supposedly. That’s with a D, not a B. I have no idea where or how this entered American speech, but it really needs to be stemmed as quickly as possible. I’m not of the ilk that one should be physically punished for this one, but I will correct you, multiple times if necessary.
Well, that’s done for now. I’m sure I’ve broken at least one of my rules in the past, maybe even in this post. (Most likely the preposition rule, as I know I break that one regularly myself.) I’m not a wordsmith and I never plan to be one (but then who knows, I may end up writing more than just emails and blog posts one day.)
So if you’re one of the uneducated individuals using these improper English styles, please stop now. I really don’t want to harm you, and I propably won’t (the first time anyway.) But just in case, lets not use these anymore, OK? Alright, rant over, thanks for listening.
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What about the word ANCIENT????!!!!!! So there, hypocrite.
It entertains me how many people feel the need to use "absolutely" when "yes" would work so well. Why not use 4 sylables when 1 would do? Other alternatiuves; sure, that’s right, of course. Absolutely anything but absolutely!
I’ll agree with the majority of this post, but not about ending sentences with prepositions. The purpose of a language rule is (or should be) to promote clear communication. "What are you looking at?" is a clear question. There’s no need to change it.
See Prepositions at the Ends of Sentences: Further Explanation for more authoritative opinions than my own.
Slipped up a bit here Mark, "So unless you’re specifying a landscaping need that you have (”I need 25 yards of coarse sand.”) then your spelling something wrong." you’re spelling not
your spelling. I agree with all the others you have pointed out. One that really gets to me is,
saying something is "very fun" It’s fun or it is not there is no very.
@Bob Of course I screwed something up. So like me, and another one of the peeves I have at that. Oh well, I’ve fixed it. Thanks for the heads up.
Appearantly the battle (if there ever was one) has been lost between saw and seen also. I don’t think I have heard one person on any of the media use the word saw in its proper tense.
@Steve Welsh, yes, this is another area where the battle for proper English is losing the battle. And sadly, I have to point out that you have spelled apparently incorrectly. Sorry, but thanks for reading.