Grammar that makes you cringe

[Gareth Rees]

I adieued my son when I left him at his friend's house earlier today.

The OED says:

adieu, v. To say ‘adieu’; to take one's leave.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It really is quite difficult to invent genuinely new words, isn't it? Or rather, genuinely new versions of/uses for existing words.

[Gareth Rees]

It really is quite difficult to invent genuinely new words, isn't it? Or rather, genuinely new versions of/uses for existing words.

It's not that difficult, but you do need to check them dictionariwise to ensure their prior unlexical status.

[Biggsy]

"Genuinity" is a word I invented easily, and used on this forum.  Someone replied with a question mark, as if to complain that it wasn't a word, but a word is a word once someone's used it, and you can have a go at working out what it means.  If you don't get it, ok, the attempted communication failed.  Otherwise, it's a success!  Jolly goodywobbles, eh?

...Oh shit, I see I wasn't first with "genuinity" and "goodywobble" after all.  Bloody/lovely Google.

[Euan Uzami]

"Genuinity" is a word I invented easily, and used on this forum.  Someone replied with a question mark, as if to complain that it wasn't a word, but a word is a word once someone's used it, and you can have a go at working out what it means.  If you don't get it, ok, the attempted communication failed.  Otherwise, it's a success!  Jolly goodywobbles, eh?

...Oh shit, I see I wasn't first with "genuinity" and "goodywobble" after all.  Bloody/lovely Google.

another one is "irregardless". 

[Biggsy]

Yeah, "irregardless" dates back to at least 1795.

That's established enough for me, so I have now added it to my Firefox dictionary. 

[ian]

If I can't think of an appropriate word, I just make up one that sounds about right. The English language is riotously democratic. Grammar should be surfed like a stoned Californian. I'm a promiscuous verbificator.

[citoyen]

Sometimes the "correct" solution is the most elegant.

Sometimes it isn't.

[Gareth Rees]

"Genuinity" is a word I invented easily, and used on this forum.

You might be glad to hear that the OED says:

genuinity, n. rare.
  Genuineness.

[Biggsy]

People seem to have forgotten the word "effected".   EDIT: And the word "affected".

From http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/201308.shtml#2013-08-24093057?_trksid=p3984.m2301.l3955:

Sellers that were impacted by this outage are covered by the protections in our site outage policy. We will provide impacted sellers with additional information regarding applicable credits in the coming days.

[Arch]

People seem to have forgotten the word "effected".

From http://www2.ebay.com/aw/uk/201308.shtml#2013-08-24093057?_trksid=p3984.m2301.l3955:

Sellers that were impacted by this outage are covered by the protections in our site outage policy. We will provide impacted sellers with additional information regarding applicable credits in the coming days.

Affected, I think?

[rogerzilla]

Effected is OK when used properly, e.g. "I effected a withdrawal from the room after Biggsy trumped."

[Tim Hall]

Effected is OK when used properly, e.g. "I effected a withdrawal from the room after Biggsy trumped."

"I effected a withdrawal from the room after I was affected by Biggsy's trumping."

[Biggsy]

A dose of lactulose for me effected a huge amount of trumping.  Is that ok?

[L CC]

Is that because you were impacted?

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

My affect was flattened after Biggsy's trumps.

[Pickled Onion]

Less/Fewer again, but the other way round:

Chinese lanterns have caused eight fires across Norfolk in fewer than three years, according to official figures.

That would be two years then?

[Wowbagger]

Effected is OK when used properly, e.g. "I effected a withdrawal from the room after Biggsy trumped."

"I effected a withdrawal from the room after I was affected by Biggsy's trumping."

Was Biggsy trumping after being dealt a void?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Whether his void was a delta or any other shape, you'd best avoid it.

[red marley]

'Genius' as an adjective. As in "Wow! USB powered chocolate biscuits. That's genius!"

It just feels wrong, as if there is a silent but clumsy [an idea created by a] crammed into the sentence. Perhaps it is used because it sounds a bit like the similar but unrelated word 'ingenious'.

I blame beardy funster Dave Gorman.

[Wowbagger]

I'm not sure about that. Oscar Wilde had nothing to declare but his genius, so it is a state of mind as well as the person that possesses it.

[drossall]

I'm not sure that you can declare an adjective though.

On the other hand, you can put other nouns into the original construct, for example:

"Climbing Hard Knott on 67" fixed. That's strength!"

"Infinitely-variable gears with a hidden electric drive. That's the answer!"

[citoyen]

I'm just wondering* where I can get me** some of these USB-powered biscuits...


*inappropriate use of present continuous. I am not loving it. 
**redundant reflexive personal pronouns. I myself am not a fan. 

[Wowbagger]

I'm not sure that you can declare an adjective though.

On the other hand, you can put other nouns into the original construct, for example:

"Climbing Hard Knott on 67" fixed. That's strength!"

"Infinitely-variable gears with a hidden electric drive. That's the answer!"

I was treating "genius" as an abstract noun, not an adjective. "That's genius!" Compare to "That's happiness!" or "That's show-business!" I think that Dave Gorman's use of it fits that pattern.

[mattc]

Seconded. I move to throw out the challenge to Mr Gorman's [use of the word] genius!