Shall we go over a couple of money language items, folks?
- “$2 million dollars” says, literally, “two million dollars dollars.” What you really want is “$2 million,” which says “two million dollars.” I suppose you could just write “two million dollars” as well, or “$2,000,000.”
- “.59¢” means I can buy 100 of them for 59 cents, because they’re each fifty-nine hundredths of a single cent. If you want the expression that means “59 cents,” go with “$0.59,” “$.59,” or “59¢.” You can’t use the . and the ¢ together. Dumbass. Uh, I mean “for your future reference, ladies and gentlemen.” (sickly insincere smile)
A bit or five on verbosity?
- Please think carefully about whether you need to say “on a daily basis.” Just “daily” is fine. Do you exercise on a daily basis, or do you exercise daily? See?
- “At the present time”? What, you mean “now”?
- I loathe the word “utilize.” I have retreated from my previously hardline stand and allowed that it may have some applicability in discussions of resources and procurement, carrying a connotation of efficiency. But “use” is just fine in other situations.
- “Orientate” sounds uneducated, period, and I don’t give a shit if it’s in your dictionary. I was stunned, then uneasily accepting, then finally appalled when The Right Honourable Margaret Thatcher used it when eulogizing President Reagan. Despite her considerable oratorical skill, it’s a base backward construction, and it’s obscene. The word is “orient,” and even the Iron Lady can be wrong.
- “In a manner so as to.” Not exactly common, I know, but I actually encountered that in a software specification early in my career. I’ve never forgotten it. Cross the first five words out, and the meaning is the same.
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I amuse myself with the difference between things I hear coming out of my mouth and things I take the time to write and edit.
You mean in the vein of “bad habits”? It’s easy to get sloppy (for me, anyway).
For some reason, “orient” in British English is a linguistic no-no, apparently offensive to those from the orient (meaning East), and Brtis avoid it strenuously, often replacing it with the clunky and inelegant “orientate.” I agree – it sounds pompous and overdone I tend to laugh out loud when I hear it.
You should do a Grammar Wednesday post!
I had to take a flier off the wall at TCC today. It was from the student government, and it said “Student Government Want’s YOU! Come to meeting’s on Wednesday’s at three in room 202.” I brought the thing to the receptionist, who’s just as persnickity as I am about grammar, and she’s promised me that she’d bring the errors to the faculty coordinator’s attention.
You “must” not use quotes for emphasis!
Organic Mama, I didn’t know that! Thank you for bringing that to the discussion. I feel so much better about that eulogy now. I just thought she’d blown it.
Mrs. Chili, I’m actually thinking about how much I might want to standardize my posts. I do bitch about the grammar from time to time, but I don’t know if I’d enjoy it every week. I’ll think about it.
Greg, I’ll take that under “advisement.”
What about people that say “exspecially” or pronounce the “T” in often, both drive me nuts!
Oh yeah, and Papaw’s favorite, “here is your change, eight dollars and twenty three cent”.
Irregardless….That’s my pet peeve. And your vs. you’re. Oh yeah – one more (at least) – accept vs except.
Funny one on a blog I read today – a programmer I work with referred to the blackberry that he’s borrowing from the company for his trip to India as a “loner.” I howled….
Jenny, on that same note I can’t stand when someone says he’s “five foot, ten inches.”
Melanie, the whole your/you’re thing is so depressingly common that I just can’t get that worked up about it anymore. I’d be two clicks south of rage whenever I was awake.
You know, irregardless of how you feel about it.
How about people who say/write “in lieu of” when they mean “in light of”? Read literally, that’s often a hilarious mistake.