Word Wise has another post on misused words, including my favorite pet peeve - using compose and comprise interchangeably. I just saw this one yesterday in the local newspaper. Grrr.A lot of my pet peeves also have to do with pronunciation, like "man-aise" instead of "mayo-naise", "drownd" (past tense "drownded") instead of "drown", or "nuculer" instead of "nuclear."
What are some of your language pet peeves?
Well, these are neither usage nor pronunciation problems, but since you're talking language pet peeves, here are two of mine. Reporters on the local newscasts are frequently guilty of both.
ReplyDelete1) "a whole nother"
My husband laughs when he hears this because he knows the next words out of my mouth will be "Nother is NOT a word!" shrieked hysterically at the TV.
2) "The suspect has been locked up."
Oh, pity the poor criminal who has clearly been victimized here. Wouldn't it be a whole lot more professional and even-handed for the reporter to say "The suspect has been arrested"?
Oh, "a whole nother" drives me INSANE! Thanks for reminding me. :-)
ReplyDeleteSuite. A bedroom suite is the FURNITURE. It is pronounced "sweet". I hate it when people say, "suit", as in, "We went to Rooms to Go to buy a bedroom SUIT." Grrrr.
ReplyDelete(Thanks for asking, Lisa! Now where'd i put that blood pressure medication . . .)
Ah, RCL, that one is hilarious! Keep 'em coming, people! You know I have to have my bad grammar fix!
ReplyDeleteMisuse of foreign language phrases such as writing per se as persay.
ReplyDeleteGood one, Bernita. I think you already saw my recent post about "voila". . .
ReplyDeleteI watch the Tour de France every year and Bob Roll, one of the commentators, stubbornly continues to call it the Tour "day" France, even though he's been a part of the event as a rider and commentator for many years. It's part of his kooky personality, but it still drives me NUTS!