Grammar that makes you cringe

[citoyen]

I don't think new verbs are allowed to be irregular. Irregularity is only for old, popular verbs!

We do tend to regularise new verbs but there's no reason why a new verb shouldn't be irregular - "allowed" doesn't come into it. We're not French!

d.

[hellymedic]

I don't think new verbs are allowed to be irregular. Irregularity is only for old, popular verbs!

We do tend to regularise new verbs but there's no reason why a new verb shouldn't be irregular - "allowed" doesn't come into it. We're not French!

d.

I don't see why 'new' verbs should not be 'strong' or irregular. Surely the past of 'ping' should be 'pung'? Something that works for 'sing' 'sting' or 'ring' should be OK with 'ping'!!!

[Arch]

Since someone at work signed up to Twitter, we've adopted 'twat' instead of tweet, 'coz that's the sort of people we all are.  She's twatting about us all the time....

However, we are still treating it as a regular verb, I guess.

[Auntie Helen]

Well I like Helly's 'pung' and would like to use it in future.

[Wowbagger]

Sting, stung
Ring, rung, rang

Stang? Isn't is a great and greatly inconsistent language we have?

Gah! Stang...  is in Lancashire.

[Cudzoziemiec]

ping, pang, pung
king, kang, kung

hmmm...

[why1040]

Heard just now on 'Nothing to Declare UK'

"Now we need to get him downstairs and custodised" (which, apart from sounding ridiculous, I heard as custardized  )

*shivers*

[mattc]

Heard just now on 'Nothing to Declare UK'

"Now we need to get him downstairs and custodised" (which, apart from sounding ridiculous, I heard as custardized  )

*shivers*

Thats brilliant. If the speaker doesn't realise how stupid that sounds ...well .. they deserve to look stupid on prime-time TV. (It could always be an in-joke. Please?)

I can't imagine saying "custodised" in any way that stops it sounding like "custardized" !

[Pickled Onion]

Maybe it's because "text" already sounds like a past tense word, like taxed, boxed, cast etc.

Perhaps the noun is "text" but the verb is "to tex"

I sent him a text.
When did you tex him?
I texed him yesterday.

[L CC]

Good Afternoon,
I Regret To Inform You That There Has Been A Error With Our Listing, We Unfortunately Have The Description For The Part 2 & The Title For Part 1. Can I Ask You To Confirm Which You Wish To Receive Prior To Dispatch? We Do Have Both In Stock At The Moment.

Are You German? Or What? Just, Erm, Ill Educated, Then.

[Auntie Helen]

German's Don't Capitalize Every Word, Just Nouns.

[L CC]

Better Safe Than Sorry.

[Chris S]

less chores by Pelotonhound, on Flickr

 

[L CC]

Yours sincerely 
 
Mrs Taylor and Miss George
Food Technology Teacher’s

Detailed Programme of Study attached for printing

[mattc]

"Will soundcloud you later tonight..."

I know we have mentioned Google before, as in, "I will google it later tonight," but to turn every proper noun into a verb makes me cringe, as does using an ellipsis instead of a full stop.

Legitimate gripes, but I've decided to concede both these battles. Technology creates some tricky sentences anyway (cos old/normal words get reused for new concepts - such as cloud, or tweet).

And I don't mind terminating ellipsises (sp?) in 'casual' usage - they're much better than endless mid-paragraph ones!

[Ian H]

And I don't mind terminating ellipsises (sp?) in 'casual' usage - they're much better than endless mid-paragraph ones!

...why?

[mattc]

1 is ok!

(and I've just realised that 'cloud' is a perfectly good verb, so why not SoundCloud?!?)

[Cudzoziemiec]

What's happened to the grammar pedant MattC we all know and love? Where have you hidden him? We can't cope with this new, chilled out, imposter!

[citoyen]

1 is ok!

(and I've just realised that 'cloud' is a perfectly good verb, so why not SoundCloud?!?)

Sound is a perfectly good verb as well. So "to soundcloud" is two perfectly good verbs for the price of one!

d.

[citoyen]

(and I've just realised that 'cloud' is a perfectly good verb, so why not SoundCloud?!?)

Not so much answering your question as simply pointing out the difference: cloud is a noun whereas SoundCloud is a proper noun.

So is Google. So is Hoover.

d.

[Jon P]

I don't often spontaneously laugh out loud when I come across mistakes I did with this one:

I have been practacing for the last week and compleated lesson 4 with only a few fumbels.

It's always been my ambition to have a few fumbels with a dumbbell (preferably one from Essex ...)

[Jaded]

It's going in Silly Signs too.

[Auntie Helen]

[Kim]

While we're on apostrofail, I noticed a Tattoo parlour with "Tattoo's" on the sign the other day.  Now, I'm not really one for non-accidental body art, but I'd probably rate proofreading skills just below a rigorous approach to hygiene when choosing one...

[Bledlow]

"Apostrofail".