What language mistakes bug you most? (college, high school, teacher, students)

[gentlearts]

Most people mispronounce the word forte. It is NOT pronounced fortay. It is pronounced fort.

Your turn....

[Charley]

The word is nuclear. Nu - klee - ar. When Bush calls it Nuculer it just makes me cringe!

[Green Irish Eyes]

"Me and my friend ....."

It's (and "it's" = "it is," not the possessive) "My friend and I ....."

[gentlearts]

and real a tor, instead of re altor

[RDSLOTS]

Please don't get me started. For openers,

. . . it's when something belongs to it. The use of it's is a contraction of it is, and does not show ownership. If it belongs to it, use its.

And when did students begin graduating high school and/or college? You graduate from HS, from college. I hear this from newscasters, and have seen it in print. Drives me insane.

My sweet husband uses the subjective and objective me, myself, and I interchangeably. No, Dear, me is not going to be with so-and-so at the office, and neither is myself doing something.


And you know, for the sake of argument -- and this from an English teacher -- 9 times out of 10, it won't matter, the language you use, but that one time when it does matter, it may just become the be-all-end-all of something, like an interview that bombs, a job offer made to the other fellow. . .

I used to advise my students to use their best English, when it mattered, and for heaven's sake, to know the difference!

[CMMom]

When people say things like, "Susie went to the store with Sally and I." It's "Sally and me!"

When people use "your" and "you're" interchangeably.

When people confuse "that" and "which" or "who" and "whom."

[missyM]

"Sale" is not a verb.
You do not want to sale your house,
you want to SELL it.

[golfgod]

All of the above, plus some that probably only bug ME:

"There have man several INCIDENCES of this lately". No, there may have been several INSTANCES or INCIDENTS lately. Whenever I hear a radio or TV newsreader do this I call the station to complain.

golfgod

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I wash clothes and when I do it, I do it without an R in the word.

I have never been known to warsh my clothes.

Another thing that makes me crazy is when people take a word and change the meaning of it, how many threads have you seen that start out What does it mean to you? when it comes to a certain word, well it doesn't matter what it means to you, the definition is a real, solid thing, its in the dictionary, use it, learn it, know it.

[JoycieM]

Double negatives get to me. Also, when speaking of a photo or drawing, it's PICTURE not PITCHER!

Joyce