For all intensive purposes

[AkJay]

I really loved this video, and it has to do with the GN.

 

[Caliostro]

In many places I've heard that phrase. It gets me a bit grouchy. Do they really not know it's intents and purposes? Technically it should be intent because intent(s) is redundant but that's semantics. I heard people say or write affidavid. It also makes me rage inside. We drink espresso, not expresso. What phrases do you constantly see said or used wrong?

Actually came in the thread to rant about the title. But yes, this and...

People claiming that writers are "bias," rather than "biased." Drives me batty.

...this.

Also, every single goddamn time people mix possessives with contractions.

 

[Outright Villainy]

The simplest example of this is "something is because it is." It's those "head against a wall moments" that we all have when having discussions with people that make baseless statements. "I don't like him because he's not likable." That kind of statement "begs the question," in that, the statement attempts to be true without actually providing any sort of truth.

Make sense yet?

Ah, so it seems to be completely separate from its current usage: people would think it means to beg for a question, as opposed to it describing a statement trying to be an answer to the original question and failing, yes? Like the statement itself is doing the begging?

Oh. Dear. God. That drives me insane. Especially when it's on something official. Like, I saw it as part of a shipping company's logo.

I saw it on the main street of Dublin: "bag's of style" the billboard said. I kept reading "of style" as one word when I saw it; I almost tore it down.
I'll forgive someone mixing up its and it's because logically the possessive of it would be it's, but noooooo, we had to be awkward.

 

[El_Chubba_Chubba]

I hate "I didn't do nothing"...so you did something then?

Oddly it reminds me of a scene from Spiderman 2 when he had just saved the train and two kids find him without his mask on and say "we won't tell no one".

 

[Erja_Perttu]

Is it just me, or it is like the set of My Fair Lady in here? Come on everybody! The Rain in Spain fall mainly on the Plain...!

OT: I hate bad grammar in general. Nothing specific really.

 

[Sethzard]

I prefer to say for all intents and porpoises

 

[SavingPrincess]

The simplest example of this is "something is because it is." It's those "head against a wall moments" that we all have when having discussions with people that make baseless statements. "I don't like him because he's not likable." That kind of statement "begs the question," in that, the statement attempts to be true without actually providing any sort of truth.

Make sense yet?

Ah, so it seems to be completely separate from its current usage: people would think it means to beg for a question, as opposed to it describing a statement trying to be an answer to the original question and failing, yes? Like the statement itself is doing the begging?

It simply references a logical fallacy. It's a statement that tries to prove something to be true by referencing something completely irrelevant and illogical. "I think that car looks cool because it's really expensive," "Well that really begs the question doesn't it?" "Yeah, I guess you're right."

 

[Outright Villainy]

The simplest example of this is "something is because it is." It's those "head against a wall moments" that we all have when having discussions with people that make baseless statements. "I don't like him because he's not likable." That kind of statement "begs the question," in that, the statement attempts to be true without actually providing any sort of truth.

Make sense yet?

Ah, so it seems to be completely separate from its current usage: people would think it means to beg for a question, as opposed to it describing a statement trying to be an answer to the original question and failing, yes? Like the statement itself is doing the begging?

It simply references a logical fallacy. It's a statement that tries to prove something to be true by referencing something completely irrelevant and illogical. "I think that car looks cool because it's really expensive," "Well that really begs the question doesn't it?" "Yeah, I guess you're right."

I understand that. I was simply trying to get why that phrase is used to describe it; it's a little unintuitive for that situation. It actually makes more sense in it's current form I think, though I don't doubt it's annoying as hell. Doesn't really bother me though.

 

[SavingPrincess]

I understand that. I was simply trying to get why that phrase is used to describe it; it's a little unintuitive for that situation. It actually makes more sense in it's current form I think, though I don't doubt it's annoying as hell. Doesn't really bother me though.

I blame linguistics. Often society itself will redefine a word, phrase or idiom simply by accepting the incorrect usage of, in majority; pisses me off though.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

I'm tired of the morons that use "your" instead of "you're" and "there" instead of "their" and vice versa

I do that when severely sleep deprived.

 

[Queen Michael]

The word "literally".
Listen up, everybody:
The word literally is supposed to be used in order to indicate that what you are saying is not meant to be taken as a figure of speech, but rather as an accurate description of events, people or other things. It is not supposed to be used as a synonym of "actually", nor is it supposed to be used to put emphasis on what you are saying. It is only supposed to be used when you are saying something that people usually would not believe you meant to be taken literally, and that is the only way it is to be used.

 

[Zero=Interrupt]

I'm tired of the morons that use "your" instead of "you're" and "there" instead of "their" and vice versa

I do that when severely sleep deprived.

You're fortunate. When sleep deprived, I spell every word thusly:

470y8b7rovjhkfepsuurvggvsllllllllllllllllll

Because my forehead hitting the keyboard like one of those desktop Drinking Bird toys.

Has anyone ever run into a person who pronounces porpoise "Poor Poise" instead of "Poor-puss"? I was at a gathering this weekend where a woman was saying it like that and it was driving me crazy.

 

[Eri]

Has anyone ever run into a person who pronounces porpoise "Poor Poise" instead of "Poor-puss"? I was at a gathering this weekend where a woman was saying it like that and it was driving me crazy.

Yes. RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE

 

[Cain_Zeros]

I'm tired of the morons that use "your" instead of "you're" and "there" instead of "their" and vice versa

I do that when severely sleep deprived.

You're fortunate. When sleep deprived, I spell every word thusly:

470y8b7rovjhkfepsuurvggvsllllllllllllllllll

Because my forehead hitting the keyboard like one of those desktop Drinking Bird toys.

Eventually I get to that point while actually typing, but that's about the point where I decide staying up much longer will likely have long-term effects on my health.

 

[Seizurebleak]

I do hate hearing people say all intensive purposes! Also:
"I did good on my grammar test!"
No, you did well on your grammar test. That one cheeses me off, mainly because my grandma always corrected me on it when I was younger.

 

[GonzoGamer]

People often talk of "the exception that proves the rule." which can seem like an oxymoron unless the rule that you're talking about is that there's always an exception.

But then there must be an exception to that rule, otherwise it's incorrect.

Exactly, which is why those exceptions tend to "probe" the rules.

 

[alphaxi]

I think he's got it backwards: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=quote

Dictionary rarely lies.

Huh. You know what's fascinating about that entry is it implies that both ways are correct. I guess your pet peeve is invalid as well as my Harvard PhD professor's pet peeve (hated people using quote as a verb, very adamantly so).

 

[Kurokami]

In many places I've heard that phrase. It gets me a bit grouchy. Do they really not know it's intents and purposes? Technically it should be intent because intent(s) is redundant but that's semantics. I heard people say or write affidavid. It also makes me rage inside. We drink espresso, not expresso. What phrases do you constantly see said or used wrong?

It's sad that I entered this topic intending to correct you on your mistake, only to find that you were complaining about that very same thing xD

And it annoys me when people say "I could care less" rather than "I couldn't care less".

for what its worth, my version goes "I could care less, but its not worth the effort."

 

[Jordi]

I don't like it when people make these mistakes, but I absolutely hate the people who smugly correct them and then add nothing useful to the thread. Also, in some cases people just need to learn to live with the fact that language evolves.

BTW: what is affidavid?

I think there is a huge difference between language evolving and language devolving. It is important to note that many of the irritations that people mention here (such as 'I could care less') are factually inaccurate-- in other words, the person is making a statement which does not correctly convey the information that they wish to convey. In the case of the example, the listener would have to conclude that the speaker actually cares about the subject, when the speaker is actually trying to say the exact opposite. (Yes, yes; I know that most people grasp what was really meant, even if the statement was incorrect, but the point remains that the statement was inaccurate.) Given that the whole purpose of language is communication, errors that get in the way of accurate communication are actually a big deal.

I also think there is a difference between evolution and devolution and sometimes it can be quite hard and subjective to draw the line. I tend to agree with your example that "I could care less" is just plain wrong. Especially since it's almost the exact opposite of what the speaker means and s/he is saving one measly syllable in making the error.

On the other hand, everybody knows what is meant and nobody is helped by some douchebag "correcting" it.

I couldcouldn't care less

FTFY

I know that there are some cases where the grammar and spelling nazis are genuinely trying to educate people by correcting their errors... I guess a lot of how frustrated it makes me is in the tone with which it is done.

OT: I really dislike SMS-speak. I understand why people use it in formats where there is a character limit, but when I see 'u' and 'U R' in any other (non-limited) format, it drives me absolutely batshit. It just makes the author appear to me to be lazy and/or inarticulate. Oh, and good luck with those abbreviation habits when you enter the workforce: I'm sure your business communications will garner a lot of attention... too bad it will be for all the wrong reasons.

I hate that too. However, I'm not too sure about it being tied to success in life, because I frequently get e-mails from professors full of this laziness and spelling errors. And not even just the professors from my university that I know in person (which might cause a "loosened" e-mail policy), but also professors from conferences and other universities I'm applying to, who(m?) I never met and whose primary language should be English...

 

[teh_gunslinger]

If you are the Grammar Nazi's I'm the Red Army coming to smash Berlin.

Language is complex, and constantly evolving. The only rule against which it should be measured against is communication and beauty, never accuracy.
Take it away stephen!
http://www.stephenfry.com/2008/12/22/series-2-episode-3-language/

While I agree that aesthetics of language is very important I must take issue with you (and Stephen Fry it seems). If you expect your message, whatever the medium you communicate it in, to be read and understood accuracy is very important.
If your message is badly mangled it leaves the message less meaningfull and it certainly takes away from the aestethics and level of communication. You don't get a good level of communication if the reciever has to decypher strange misuses of words and sayings or has to work through frequent misspellings.

For all intinsive purpuses i feel that your way out off line when you're statment says that the acuraccy is less impotent then aestethcis.

Edited for actual typos. I'm not on my own computer so I have no spell checker in the browser and English is my second language.