Grammar that makes you cringe

[rower40]

I heard 'infuriations' on the radio the other day. As opposed to 'fury'.

I think I love that even more than correctivations. Surely the meaning is slightly different to fury though? I would take it to mean 'instances of being infuriated', so a quantifiable noun rather than the unquantifiable 'fury'.

This.  With a tribute-nod to the Pratchettism "embuggerance".

[tatanab]

Also, in light of fboab's elaboration, have you noticed that everyone who does the actual work is a technician these days?  Apart from technicans, who are engineers.

Back in 1988, a company I worked for announced a new major product.  It was reported in the newspaper that this was the work of "computer technicians".  We could not possibly be called engineers because they worked in the design office (drawing office to us old folks) and had been on strike recently, as reported in the newspaper "engineers  strike at A Company".

[T42]

I heard 'infuriations' on the radio the other day. As opposed to 'fury'.

I think I love that even more than correctivations. Surely the meaning is slightly different to fury though? I would take it to mean 'instances of being infuriated', so a quantifiable noun rather than the unquantifiable 'fury'.

This.  With a tribute-nod to the Pratchettism "embuggerance".

Embuggerance was around pre-Pterry. Eric Partridge, author of that classic work "Name Your Child Eric Partridge", dated it back to the 1950s.

https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-emb1.htm

Meanwhile, Neal Stephenson seems to be under the impression that a sojourn is a journey.  It ain't, it's a short stay somewhere. See The System of the World, page something or other (there's a lot of them and ICBA looking).  I've seen this in other American books too.  Maybe Webster embuggered it.

[citoyen]

Meanwhile, Neal Stephenson seems to be under the impression that a sojourn is a journey.  It ain't, it's a short stay somewhere. See The System of the World, page something or other (there's a lot of them and ICBA looking).  I've seen this in other American books too.  Maybe Webster embuggered it.

I've come across that one as well. It's irritating. And what's the French for journey? Travail, of course.

[ian]

You can't blame Noah Webster for that, a sojourn is a short stay somewhere in American English too.

[Paul]

I feel like the chum-ladler in a shark hot-spot. A colleague received this from someone she has agreed to mentor:

"I believe I have been assigned as your mentee, of which, I am extremely beholden by."

Feed away.

[hatler]

My grammar soul is cringing. That is a shocker.

[citoyen]

Aside from the general manglification of English in that sentence, I still have issues with "mentee" - as I believe we have previously discussed in this thread. I don't have a problem with back-formations in principle but that's just ugly, as well as being redundant.

[Auntie Helen]

And it makes me think of manatee

[Cudzoziemiec]

Meanwhile, Neal Stephenson seems to be under the impression that a sojourn is a journey.  It ain't, it's a short stay somewhere. See The System of the World, page something or other (there's a lot of them and ICBA looking).  I've seen this in other American books too.  Maybe Webster embuggered it.

I've come across that one as well. It's irritating. And what's the French for journey? Travail, of course.

Though both journey and sojourn have the same root as the French journée, false friend that it is.

[Cudzoziemiec]

And it makes me think of manatee

If you get an award for mentoring, it's a dugong.




I'll get my coat...

[Mr Larrington]

You horble GIT Cudzo! You maek Unit snort brown drink down nose!

[Cudzoziemiec]

You horble GIT Cudzo! You maek Unit snort brown drink down nose!

My day is complete.

[T42]

You horble GIT Cudzo! You maek Unit snort brown drink down nose!

My day is complete.

Do it again, Cudzo.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I feel like the chum-ladler in a shark hot-spot. A colleague received this from someone she has agreed to mentor:

"I believe I have been assigned as your mentee, of which, I am extremely beholden by."

Feed away.

That looks a bit like the overly formal English common in India. Excusable for a second language but if it's someone who's grown up speaking English, they should be enchummerated thrown to the sharks.

[Mr Larrington]

You horble GIT Cudzo! You maek Unit snort brown drink down nose!

My day is complete.

Do it again, Cudzo.

Sorry to disappoint, Unit finished rest of brown drink…

[L CC]

I feel like the chum-ladler in a shark hot-spot. A colleague received this from someone she has agreed to mentor:

"I believe I have been assigned as your mentee, of which, I am extremely beholden by."

Feed away.

* sits in corner rocking *

[Cudzoziemiec]

"A major causation of road accidents here is drivers from Zetland Road turning right into Redland Road failing to see drivers/cyclists from South Road."

From the council's highway engineers, as quoted in the local paper.

[De Sisti]

Not so much grammar, but a phrase that is trotted out whenever someone (famous) dies:
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his/her family and friends".

[quixoticgeek]

without = lacking
outwith = outside

is my understanding, and there is no interchangeability or venn diagram alignment?

As noted earlier, without in place names and trad carols means outside.

There is no semantic distinction, any more than there is between 'built in' and the modish 'inbuilt'.

Which is why Thannington Without in Canterbury is the Thannington outside the city walls, and differentiates it from the Thannington within that is inside the walls.

It also has the bonus of allowing people to graffiti witty things on the sign below it. "Thannington Without Money" is a popular amendment to the sign...

J

[quixoticgeek]

There's a TV series on UK TV at the moment called "Britain's Most Historic Towns"

And because I've watched too much West Wing, it always jars.

Something is either historic, or it is not, there is no graduation. Same for Unique. Something is either unique or it isn't. It can't be very unique.

Argh. Why do they persist in this appalling English?

J

[Mr Larrington]

without = lacking
outwith = outside

is my understanding, and there is no interchangeability or venn diagram alignment?

As noted earlier, without in place names and trad carols means outside.

There is no semantic distinction, any more than there is between 'built in' and the modish 'inbuilt'.

Which is why Thannington Without in Canterbury is the Thannington outside the city walls, and differentiates it from the Thannington within that is inside the walls.

It also has the bonus of allowing people to graffiti witty things on the sign below it. "Thannington Without Money" is a popular amendment to the sign...

J

The only time I can recall being there it was lacking a pub.

[citoyen]

The only time I can recall being there it was lacking a pub.

Still is. What used to be the nearest pub, the Hop Pole on Wincheap, has for some years now been a shit café. Carry on towards the city centre a bit and the Kings Head is still going. Used to be decent but I've not been in there for a long, long time. It's very thin pickings for drinkers on that side of Canterbury.

[T42]

There's a TV series on UK TV at the moment called "Britain's Most Historic Towns"

And because I've watched too much West Wing, it always jars.

Something is either historic, or it is not, there is no graduation. Same for Unique. Something is either unique or it isn't. It can't be very unique.

Argh. Why do they persist in this appalling English?

J

As people speak, so speaks the telly; and as the telly speaks, so speak the people.

[Poacher]

There's a TV series on UK TV at the moment called "Britain's Most Historic Towns"

And because I've watched too much West Wing, it always jars.

Something is either historic, or it is not, there is no graduation. Same for Unique. Something is either unique or it isn't. It can't be very unique.

Argh. Why do they persist in this appalling English?

J

I'd be more exercised about some of the "Towns" being cities.
If I could be arsed; I don't do exercise.