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02/11/2011 02:44:01 AM · #1 |
I don't know what it is, but more and more you hear this. On true crime shows, you'll hear policemen saying stuff like "Officer Richland and myself were advised by the subject about his whereabouts on the particular night in question." The one that really gets me is middle management office types who say things like "If you have any questions about this new policy, please direct all questions to myself."
There are many grammatical errors in English that I can accept. For instance, "ain't" is fine with me. I'm even okay with some of the newer, urban back-formations like "conversated" in place of "conversed", but this one really bothers me. I think it's because people tend to use this when they are trying to look self-important.
Every time I hear this, it's like seeing a giant, blinking neon sign over someone's head that says DOUCHE. |
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02/11/2011 03:02:39 AM · #2 |
| I think it's ok in the first example as it was in an appropriate 3rd person voice, however, the second example would have been better served by the use of me IMO. |
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02/11/2011 05:43:35 AM · #3 |
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02/11/2011 06:20:52 AM · #4 |
| not only do those examples bother me, but I absolutely detest the phrase 'my bad'. What horrible English!!! |
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02/11/2011 09:49:17 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by ShutterPug:
not only do those examples bother me, but I absolutely detest the phrase 'my bad'. What horrible English!!! |
Well, that particular phrase was introduced/popularized (at least in the Bay Area) by the Sudanese basketball player Manute Bol; English was not his first language. It is exactly equivalent to "my mistake," and I think communicates the message effectively, even it it doesn't follow classic syntactical construction.
I'm much more bothered by the use of "I could care less" when the person actually means the opposite. |
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02/11/2011 10:21:15 AM · #6 |
| I've always been perplexed by the British idiom "by half", as in, "too clever by half". I guess it means he is 150% clever, and therefore his allotment of cleverness is exceeded by exactly half the expected amount. :/ Or something. |
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02/11/2011 11:31:54 AM · #7 |
| One of the best Jim Carrey movies was Me, myself, and Irene. |
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02/11/2011 12:14:44 PM · #8 |
Penny and myself I have been commenting to each other lately on the rapidly-escalating usage of "myself" in places where it was never intended to fit.
Regarding "by half", if a thing is worth a two bucks and you pay three dollars for it, you've paid too much by half.
R. |
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02/11/2011 12:18:35 PM · #9 |
| 'Too clever by half' takes me back to my school days - no, it is nothing I was ever accused of! I remember studying Sheridan's The Rivals, and a discussion of the phrase as used there. |
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02/11/2011 01:06:22 PM · #10 |
I agree with the OP, though I find it amusing, because the speaker is trying to sound important but sounds uneducated instead, like people who use "I" when they should use "me." This is my favorite genre of grammatical mistakes, "pretentious goofs."
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02/11/2011 01:42:52 PM · #11 |
| Or the constant use of the word "correct", when the word "yes" or the phrase "that's right" will do. It's unneeded formality, or trying to make high-sounding language through the use of common words used uncommonly. |
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02/11/2011 01:46:18 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by Louis:
Or the constant use of the word "correct", when the word "yes" or the phrase "that's right" will do. It's unneeded formality, or trying to make high-sounding language through the use of common words used uncommonly. |
However, the word "correct" is quite appropriate when giving driving directions, as the conversation
"Turn left here?"
"Right"
can make for some nasty accidents. |
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02/11/2011 02:23:46 PM · #13 |
| But a great Abbott and Costello routine! |
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02/11/2011 06:58:59 PM · #14 |
... or a good episode from the movie 'The Long Long Trailer' with Lucille Ball.
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02/11/2011 08:03:52 PM · #15 |
| while really not really a grammatical thing, i would like to hijack this thread to restate my irritation of how every damn scandal that takes place in this country has to have the word "gate" tacked onto the end of it. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. I understand it was a major moment in american history, but taking the second syllable of the name of the hotel where it happened and putting it on the end of the new scandals name just drives me batty. Can't we come up with some new phraseology? |
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02/11/2011 10:43:17 PM · #16 |
| I hear ya brother. We're even doing it in Canada. Nonsense. |
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02/11/2011 10:50:06 PM · #17 |
| I hate when people use me. It's much nicer to be properly appreciated. |
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02/11/2011 11:09:12 PM · #18 |
| Uh oh - it's Grammargate! |
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02/11/2011 11:37:46 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
Uh oh - it's Grammargate! |
if it wasn't for that t-shirt you'd really be pushing it bucko! |
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02/12/2011 03:57:59 AM · #20 |
Originally posted by smardaz:
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
Uh oh - it's Grammargate! |
if it wasn't for that t-shirt you'd really be pushing it bucko! |
LOL - coincidentally I am wearing it today and praying I don't get in an accident and have people at the hospital scratching their heads. ...at least I have on clean underwear. |
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02/12/2011 04:48:33 AM · #21 |
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
Originally posted by smardaz:
Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
Uh oh - it's Grammargate! |
if it wasn't for that t-shirt you'd really be pushing it bucko! |
LOL - coincidentally I am wearing it today and praying I don't get in an accident and have people at the hospital scratching their heads. ...at least I have on clean underwear. |
an "I heart Smardaz" t-shirt and tighty-whities.....yep.....gonna have to gouge out my minds eye now... |
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