Vocabulary 101
We all have our pet peeves. For beckycochrane , it's apostrophe abuse. For me, it's vocabulary abuse. Today has been a stereotypical Monday, from this morning's dog gauntlet all the way to the coffee stain that I didn't know was on my cleavage...until someone else pointed it out. Crap. So I'm a little ultra-sensitive, and earlier I saw something in print that nearly sent me over the edge. Rather than steal a school bus and use it to run over nuns, orphans, and puppies, I thought I'd blog. And all eight seven of you get to benefit from the backlash.
Today's vocabulary lesson:
1. "It's a mute point." Unless you're debating Marcel Marceau through the art of pantomime, mute points don't exist. The word, poison girls, is "moot."
2. "He should of stayed in bed." No, he should've (contraction for "should have") paid attention in English class. Come on, people. I know you're hooked on phonics, but "should of" doesn't mean anything. The two words do not belong together.
3. "My car needs fixed." What the Strunk? I first heard this from a boss many years ago. Since then, I've heard it a lot. I don't get it. Were these people frightened by infinitives or linking verbs as children? Their grammar needs to be fixed.
Here's the deal, folks. If you want to be so pissy about others speaking English when they come here? Learn it yourself first. Kthanks.
Today's vocabulary lesson:
1. "It's a mute point." Unless you're debating Marcel Marceau through the art of pantomime, mute points don't exist. The word, poison girls, is "moot."
2. "He should of stayed in bed." No, he should've (contraction for "should have") paid attention in English class. Come on, people. I know you're hooked on phonics, but "should of" doesn't mean anything. The two words do not belong together.
3. "My car needs fixed." What the Strunk? I first heard this from a boss many years ago. Since then, I've heard it a lot. I don't get it. Were these people frightened by infinitives or linking verbs as children? Their grammar needs to be fixed.
Here's the deal, folks. If you want to be so pissy about others speaking English when they come here? Learn it yourself first. Kthanks.