Grammar that makes you cringe

[Wowbagger]

I've been to a lot of parties in which joint collaboration has taken place.

[Wowbagger]

THe omission of the word "against" after the verbs "to protest" and "to appeal".

I don't protest climate change, I protest against its causes.

People don't appeal a verdict, they appeal against a verdict.

[mattc]

THe omission of the word "against" after the verbs "to protest" and "to appeal".

I don't protest climate change, I protest against its causes.

People don't appeal a verdict, they appeal against a verdict.

... at which time, they may well be
protesting their innocence !

[iakobski]

THe omission of the word "against" after the verbs "to protest" and "to appeal".

I don't protest climate change, I protest against its causes.

People don't appeal a verdict, they appeal against a verdict.

... at which time, they may well be
protesting their innocence !

Which the OED regards as correct:

  • verb 1 express an objection to what someone has said or done. 2 take part in a public protest. 3 state emphatically in response to an accusation or criticism: she protested her innocence.

[Ian H]

I like the way this thread is nuancing.

[mattc]

That's interesting* - I mentioned that usage because I thought it was correct, but I didn't realise that
innocence
is the only thing you can protest (directly).





* d'ya see what I did there?

[L CC]

Americans....

[HTFB]

That's interesting* - I mentioned that usage because I thought it was correct, but I didn't realise that
innocence
is the only thing you can protest (directly).
* d'ya see what I did there?

You can also protest your faith. I keep double-taking at headlines like NEONAZIS PROTEST ISLAM.

[citoyen]

Ban generic plurals!

A great piece in the language log blog today:
Language Log - Mandatory treatment for generic plurals?

[Wowbagger]

Ban generic plurals!

A great piece in the language log blog today:
Language Log - Mandatory treatment for generic plurals?

You would say that. It's well known that all Kentish cyclists dislike being tarred with the same brush.

[Mr Larrington]

Americans....

There is a big roadside banner, pointing to a farm, just west of Grants Pass, OR.  It reads "SWEET CRON" and I'm told has done so for years.

[Jaded]

UNIX geeks. 

[drossall]

...I didn't realise that innocenceis the only thing you can protest (directly).

It's because to protest means (roughly) "to hold forth in public" - to make a public statement. You can state your innocence (or your faith) in public, but if you tried to state the verdict it would mean something rather different from what people are trying to mean by "protesting a verdict".

Thus, to protest a verdict is to publish it widely. If you don't actually agree with it, you do rather need to protest against it...

[citoyen]

In tonight's Waking The Dead, Dr Grace Foley referred to a suspect's extreme "aquaphobia".

Any fule kno that "aqua" is from Latin and "phobia" is from Greek.

The word she was looking for is hydrophobia.

I feel a stiff letter to The Times coming on.

d.

[softspeaker]

In tonight's Waking The Dead, Dr Grace Foley referred to a suspect's extreme "aquaphobia".

Any fule kno that "aqua" is from Latin and "phobia" is from Greek.

The word she was looking for is hydrophobia.

You'll have watched that on the teleopsis, then. Or was it the proculvision?

 

[Andrij]

In tonight's Waking The Dead, Dr Grace Foley referred to a suspect's extreme "aquaphobia".

Any fule kno that "aqua" is from Latin and "phobia" is from Greek.

The word she was looking for is hydrophobia.

I feel a stiff letter to The Times coming on.

d.

Bet you're a Radio4 listener. 

[TimO]

UNIX geeks. 

Well, they are bound to fsck things up.

[Ian H]

Any fule kno that "aqua" is from Latin and "phobia" is from Greek.

'Television'?

[border-rider]

It'll never catch on with a name like that^TM

[citoyen]

You'll have watched that on the teleopsis, then. Or was it the proculvision?

Yeah, OK, point taken.

And to be fair, I've looked it up and it seems that aquaphobia and hydrophobia are recognised as two different conditions. So Dr Grace was right after all.

 

d.

[Bledlow]

You'll have watched that on the teleopsis, then. Or was it the proculvision?

Farseer. Or is that the tube with lenses in?

[Cudzoziemiec]

Just come across "to fellowship" in a "Christian" movie. Surely the -ship suffix makes it a noun? Oh, hang on, Christians "worship" so I suppose it's possible as a verb, but it certainly sounds wrong.

[Tourist Tony]

In tonight's Waking The Dead, Dr Grace Foley referred to a suspect's extreme "aquaphobia".

Any fule kno that "aqua" is from Latin and "phobia" is from Greek.

The word she was looking for is hydrophobia.

I feel a stiff letter to The Times coming on.

d.

Perhaps chosen so as not to confuse it with hydrophobia--rabies?

[SandyV]

I'm seeing "as such" used incorrectly in lots of reports by graduates - very irritating (probably just as irritating as me changing it every time)

[Cudzoziemiec]

Example?