Good writing is good business; so is good speaking. Good speaking? Perhaps speaking well is much better.
Rarely a day goes by when you probably don’t encounter at least one person butchering the English language, not the typos and misspellings, that’s an entirely different article; but rather, made-up words or those used in the wrong context.
For example, how many times have you heard someone say irregardless? Is that like regardless, which means ‘In spite of everything’; anyway? Perhaps they’re commingling words again and are actually thinking of irrespective, which means in spite of everything.
Have you ever heard someone say that they were going to “get her hair did”? Get her hair DID? Umm, mayhaps she meant to get her hair done.
Of course, then they’d reply, “Well if I was getting my hair done, I would have already went! Oh! Here’s another one.
Still, others often will say something like “I borrowed Jack my car”, instead of Jack borrowed my car (or I loaned it to him).
I could care less or I couldn’t care less. So which is it? Couldn’t care less means there is no possible way you could care any less than you already do.
Essentially, you’re saying you don’t give a rip; right? Whereas if you said that you could care less that means that you’re capable of caring less. Therefore, you have some amount of care.
Oh but there’s more. I’m good to go. Good to go to where? And parents drive home this one: using can instead of May.
“CAN I talk to Mom?” Well, if you can’t, you’re mute. How about when people say, “don’t itch it”, when they really mean “don’t scratch it”? You SCRATCH an ITCH, you don’t ITCH an ITCH.
Will you learn me how to do that? It’s amazing that in 2005 people are still saying, will you learn me they sure need to learn something! Or getting TAKE vs. BRING mixed up. “Did you bring that to your dad in the other room?”
Do you know people who get discombobulated at times, and then they get infuriated or even flustrated. Actually discombobulated is in the dictionary. Of course just because it’s in the dictionary doesn’t necessarily mean it’s used in the right context.
Perhaps you’ve heard this one, Johnny, are you done?” When what was really meant is Johnny, are you FINISHED? Cakes are done, people are finished.
You’ve heard these. You may not have given it much thought, but this faux pas is out there. Here are some more: I would have gone.
Is that would have gone? Or I was walking out the door and I saw this huge explosion! You saw it, huh? Is that like I saw the explosion? It continues:
RATHER in place of WHETHER. For example,” We need to be sure to show the customer exactly where to find something, rather or not we are busy with another task. Is that like Dan Rather? Perhaps whether or not we are would be better suited. Is your car busted? Or is it broken?
Is all this word mumbo jumbo giving you a headache? Do you get a headache? Or do you have one?
