Linguistic Pet Peeves

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Okay, y'all. In spite of what some people will say, your use of language will influence what people think of you, and how intelligent and/or competent they think you are.

My current number one: You don't LOOSE your license, you lose it. (If your license is loose, you need to capture it...)

Don't even get me started on loosing YOU'RE license...

What are other some other linguistic "nails on chalkboard" for folks?

Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.
Once upon a time after I moved to a new area (a state away) a co-worker interjected that I pronounced the word "giblet" incorrectly. I used the J sound for the g as I had my whole life, and as did all of my family.

"Don't you know that if a G is followed by a vowel, then it is a hard sound? Where'd you learn to speak?"

I thought quickly and replied the name of the state from which I had recently moved (using her logic), "Gore-guh."

She didn't think I was funny.

I have always said "jiblet".

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.

I say It like you.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.

It's a type of wound or preventative wound dressing. They misspelled it. Mepalex. (Now I'm not sure if I spelled it correctly). Mepalex...or Mepilex? Something like that.

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Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.

I don't like "conversate", as if it's a verb.

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Specializes in Med-Tele; ED; ICU.
Y'all is not a word, or even a proper contraction.

But it is a regional colloquialism and universally understood.

I'm not even from the South (NorCal born and raised) and I use y'all routinely. It's something that I started doing when I first studied Spanish because it's the meaning of ustedes.

And strictly speaking, your sentence isn't grammatically correct. Rather, it should read, "Y'all is not a word, **NOR** even a proper contraction."

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There couldn't be a more annoying sentence than, "Well basically your Honor, what basically had happened was that my boyfriend basically had gaven me a vehicle and he had basically said I didn't owe him nothing." Yes, her boyfriend had basically gaven her a vehicle! That makes my teeth hurt and Judge Judy go berserk.

I once knew someone who used the word "essentially" in the same way. "Well, essentially, what happened was, we went to the store and they were essentially out of apples. So, essentially, what we had to do was essentially buy peaches instead." She was an otherwise delightful human being, but listening to her was painful !

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cardiacfreak said:

I apologize for saying..."all y'all"

I love " All y'all ! " I have several co-workers who say it, and sometimes it is accompanied by a neck roll and an index finger wave. 

" Look, I told y'all I was going to be late today, so don't act like you didn't know it. All y'all were right there when I said it!"

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Specializes in ICU.

How has no one mentioned the informal use of "am" as a stand-in/shortened version of the contraction, "I'm."

It's mostly used in written form, but I first started seeing it in high school when my best friend used to write "am bored" sometimes.

I'm starting to see it much more often on social media.

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I dated a guy who said "theasable" instead of "feasible."

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
Kitiger said:
If one begins a thread with "So ...", the implication is that there was a previous idea with which to connect. How can something be previous to the beginning?

There doesn't have to be a previous idea, per se.

Discourse markers ( so, right, okay ) - English Grammar Today - Cambridge Dictionary

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turtle_RN said:

How has no one mentioned the informal use of "am" as a stand-in/shortened version of the contraction, "I'm."

It's mostly used in written form, but I first started seeing it in high school when my best friend used to write "am bored" sometimes.

I'm starting to see it much more often on social media.

I've noticed a lot of this type of shortening what would be a complete thought or sentence in both the spoken and written language. IMO, I think some of it, maybe even most, is the result of trying to shorten thoughts for texting and it carries over into speech or other, more formal writing. I'm a stickler for not using text speak. I just can't bring myself to do it, so 99.9% of the time I will completely write out a word or thought unless I'm using well established abbreviations. However, I have to say that I catch myself on occasion leaving out a pronoun or other "non-essential" words at inappropriate times.

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Sage611 said:
Like...this thread is like so random. Like, I mean, literally the most awesome posts. Like, totally.

Severe overuse and misuse of the above. Everything is so awesome that even the most awesome things aren't awesome

This.

I feel like totally irritated by the use of "this" in this way almost as much as I do as when I see/hear awesome and like abused. ?

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