Grill or Grille? A handy guide...

[Twigman]

I have a couple of new gripes:

People writing 'now days' when they mean 'nowadays' - seen it often round here.

And Americans who say they could care less when they clearly couldn't.

[Twigman]

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1385415373' post='2288083']
All this nit picking is a bit petty really, so some folks get it wrong, I could care less!

You f**king what? I could care less! I COULD CARE LESS!!!! Arrrghhh!!!

I couldn't care less, think about it, WTF does 'I could care less' mean? The exact opposite of what you are trying to say you dumb sh*t!

This one annoys me somewhat
[/quote]
Americans can't speak English

I should've read the thead before posting my similar gripe.

[FinnDave]

Almost every one of the apparently unforgivable grammatical errors listed here will be standard practice in the English spoken somewhere in the world, most likely within the UK. Or has dialectical variation been banned from the hallowed halls of Basschat?

When I used to teach English at University, my standard answer to 'which of these is right?' would be 'that depends on where you are'.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1385570168' post='2289784']
Almost every one of the apparently unforgivable grammatical errors listed here will be standard practice in the English spoken somewhere in the world, most likely within the UK. Or has dialectical variation been banned from the hallowed halls of Basschat?

When I used to teach English at University, my standard answer to 'which of these is right?' would be 'that depends on where you are'.
[/quote]

Many of the posts have been acknowledged as regional variations.

Too many of them are just lazy mistakes / Americanisms.

[FinnDave]

American English is still English.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1385570583' post='2289789']
American English is still English.
[/quote]

Uhhh.. righty-ho. This might not be your kind of thread, then.

[Twigman]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1385570583' post='2289789']
American English is still English.
[/quote]
No really it isn't.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1385419022' post='2288158']
Correct:
I'm standing..
I'm sitting..
I was standing..
I was sitting..

Incorrect:
I am stood..
I am sat..
I was stood..
I was sat..
[/quote]
Depending on context, though..? Examples...

"I am stood upon regularly by my dancing partner..."
"I was sat at the back by the usher, there being more space..."
"I was stood up at my very first date..!
"I was sat on the stool by a very tall man, being too short myself, at 3 years old..."

No..?

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1385571948' post='2289810']

Depending on context, though..? Examples...

"I am stood upon regularly by my dancing partner..."
"I was sat at the back by the usher, there being more space..."
"I was stood up at my very first date..!
"I was sat on the stool by a very tall man, being too short myself, at 3 years old..."

No..?
[/quote]

Quite right sir, if used in the passive sense as you have illustrated. My beef, and I should have been more specific, is when used in the active sense; they themselves caused the sitting or standing to happen. Every day I hear something like:
"I'm sat here on the train...."
or
"They were stood at the bar, when suddenly...."

It's like saying "Everyone was danced when suddenly the music stopped"

Even BBC presenters are stood there saying it ;-)

[FinnDave]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1385570791' post='2289794']
Uhhh.. righty-ho. This might not be your kind of thread, then.
[/quote]

You're probably right, writing about stuff you actually know about is never a good idea on internet forums. I'll stick to talking crap about bass playing in future.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1385583621' post='2290023']
You're probably right, writing about stuff you actually know about is never a good idea on internet forums. I'll stick to talking crap about bass playing in future.
[/quote]

What? You know about writing, and language and that?

Please! Share your wisdom with us!

[Immo]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1385583952' post='2290034']
What? You know about writing, and language and that?

Please! Share your wisdom with us!
[/quote]
Unfortunately, he's right. One of the basic rules of language (and communication in general) is that through custom and frequent usage, most vocabular atrocities become common and accepted ways of communicating. If something is widely used by a lot of people, it slowly gravitates towards being a rule. If someone manages to communicate something via means full of errors, but still message is interpreted correctly, the whole communication process was a success. Unfortunately, with harm to purists.

However, an error of using contradicting words interchangeably or misspelling names is not a custom. That's straight up vocabular ineptitude.

American English is American English - a form of English. The same way as an electric chair is an electric chair - a form of chair.

[BassTractor]

Huh? In England, condemned people are executed by use of normal chairs?

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Immo' timestamp='1385586332' post='2290074']
Unfortunately, he's right. One of the basic rules of language (and communication in general) is that through custom and frequent usage, most vocabular atrocities become common and accepted ways of communicating. If something is widely used by a lot of people, it slowly gravitates towards being a rule. If someone manages to communicate something via means full of errors, but still message is interpreted correctly, the whole communication process was a success. Unfortunately, with harm to purists.

However, an error of using contradicting words interchangeably or misspelling names is not a custom. That's straight up vocabular ineptitude.

American English is American English - a form of English. The same way as an electric chair is an electric chair - a form of chair.
[/quote]

I think everyone knows this - otherwise we'd still be speaking like it was 1700.

This is just a daft thread where we can all have a light-hearted gripe about what bugs us in modern language. It's not a serious attempt to halt its evolution...!

[Immo]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1385586996' post='2290083']
Huh? In England, condemned people are executed by use of normal chairs?
[/quote]
Yeah, people are tied to them and poked with soft cushions.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1385587892' post='2290102']
It's not a serious attempt to halt its evolution...!
[/quote]
Never attempted anything nearly like that, as it's pointless

Edited November 27, 2013 by Immo

[flyfisher]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1385586996' post='2290083']
Huh? In England, condemned people are executed by use of normal chairs?
[/quote]

I thought the use of soft furnishings for torture and punishment was more of a Spanish thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnS49c9KZw8

[cheddatom]

"cheap at half the price"

Yes it would be, so why not halve the price? Or were you being sarcastic? Why are you saying this?!?

[ras52]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1385570791' post='2289794']
Uhhh.. righty-ho. This might not be your kind of thread, then.
[/quote]

This is my kind've thread.

[BassTractor]

[quote name='Immo' timestamp='1385588576' post='2290116']
Yeah, people are tied to them and poked with soft cushions.
[/quote]

I'll come in again.



[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1385589136' post='2290125']
I thought the use of soft furnishings for torture and punishment was more of a Spanish thing.
[/quote]

Ah! And another one! You guys certainly contain some wit.

... but didn't the Spanish Inquisition do this in England, as demonstrated in the historical footage you kindly provided?
(I need to revisit my Flying Circus History Book Of True History New Edition Now With True Facts.)

Edited November 28, 2013 by BassTractor

[Twigman]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1385589136' post='2290125']
I thought the use of soft furnishings for torture and punishment was more of a Spanish thing.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnS49c9KZw8[/media]
[/quote]

i didn't expect that

[superclive]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1385635964' post='2290421']
"cheap at half the price"

Yes it would be, so why not halve the price? Or were you being sarcastic? Why are you saying this?!?
[/quote]

The meaning of cheap has changed. Cheap used to mean shoddy.

It basically means it would still be crap at half the price not that it would be inexpensive at half the price.

People use the saying wrongly.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='superclive' timestamp='1385659300' post='2290835']
The meaning of cheap has changed. Cheap used to mean shoddy.
[/quote]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]And shoddy was the poor quality cloth made from the worst rags:[/font]

[font=arial, sans-serif][size=1]'an inferior quality yarn or fabric made from the shredded fibre of waste woollen cloth or clippings.'[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]In olden times, people would go down to the market and see a pair of trousers at crazy low prices and they'd say, 'Damn my eyes, Elspeth, that's cheap!' and Elspeth would say 'No, Derek, that's shoddy. Stand away from the trousers.' [/font]

[font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]As opposed to 'Sheddy' which was poor quality clothing made in sheds. Fact.[/font]

[flyfisher]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1385643119' post='2290565']
I'll come in again.
.
.
.
Ah! And another one! You guys certainly contain some wit.
[/quote]

Oh dear. The perils of coming in halfway through a multi-page topic.

[BassTractor]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1385667441' post='2290986']
Oh dear. The perils of coming in halfway through a multi-page topic.
[/quote]

But yours was very helpful, Flyfisher! Under normal circumstances, the other reference would have gone over my head completely. I was just lucky to get the soft cushions one. So: thank you for coming in halfway through a multi-page topic and posting like that.

[flyfisher]

[size=2]Phew! Looks like I got away with it that time then. [/size]