The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #132499   Message #4173615
Posted By: robomatic
01-Jun-23 - 02:47 PM
Thread Name: BS: Language Pet Peeves
Subject: RE: BS: Language Pet Peeves
I am understanding of people who misuse apostrophes when they can't tell possessives from contractions. But I WILL consider physical action if you've left up a sign with apostrophes for plurals.

I've rarely if ever used the word 'albeit' (allbeit?) and I know someone who really hates its use, but I have no understanding of where the hostility comes from. If it should offend me, I do not know why.

As for other sources of offense, most of them have been eroded over time. I saw a cute movie where a proper American teacher is explaining to the father o f the student how he's been marked down for not knowing the difference between 'can' and 'may', and it's plain to see the Jewish immigrant father has no idea of what he's talking about nor the difference. But his trusting attitude is comic.

I used to treat double negatives as anathema until I ran into foreign languages that simply don't care. I love that Russian has no definite article, though I suspect that is responsible for their long-time problems with democracy and the rest of the world.