Pedants' Corner

[Mike Costigan]

Chris, I hope what he actually said was 'No, you MAY not' 

[Ian Wegg]

Ah, what a great thread ... this is right up my boulevard. I might not exactly have the T-shirt but I do have the cap!


My current bête noire is Richard Osman's BBC quiz show House of Games where the scoreboard is a "leaderboard"; a single empty suitcase is "luggage"; salt and pepper grinders are "shakers"; each day's winner is the "champion"; his button, with no audible function, is a "buzzer"; a second pass along the contestants is "going back down the line". I think Mr Osman is an entertaining person (and a good author) but he does seem to make a special effort to avoid using the correct words.

[Nick Salmon]

This was amusing for a day or two but I do agree with Howard. I certainly would not want anyone to think this was meant to be anything other than a bit of innocent fun with modernisms. Perhaps we need to put it in the same category as Politics and Religion and put the thread to bed in the near future.

[Rogerfrench]

Not before I make my favourite grumble, when 'of' replaces 'have'. As in could of, would of, should of, etc.
Plurals made by the infernal apostrophe are annoying, though sometimes I think that teaching isn't what it was. For example, a friend wrote that they had dinner with us, at the French's. I gently told him that we are the Frenches, he had no idea how to form a plural.

[Ian Dunford]

Stanley Edge once said to me.
"Near enough is never near enough "

[dickie65]

I am one of the challenged by correct english.
I managed to get grade 5 CSE english language and ungraded CES english Lit.
O levels in Woodwork and Metalwork though.
I was in my forties when Dyslexia was suggested.
I quite happily built my first Austin Seven engine at the age of 16.
I take no offense at anything regarding these thing's !!!
If I had to write this with a pen I would not be able to read it let alone anyone else managing. Unless I write in capital letters !!

[Duncan Grimmond]

Hi Howard,
I'm too busy getting worked up about the pronunciation of Omicron. I maintain it should be a long O as in Omega and an EE as in
Oh-mi-cron rather than Ommickron to be concerned about anyone else's feelings!

[Tony Griffiths]

Stanley Edge once said to me.
"Near enough is never near enough "

Jack L. Warner (of Warner Brothers) said, "I don't want it good. I want it Tuesday".

[Nick Lettington]

I was never formally diagnosed with dyslexia, but I would be unable to do my job without a little assistance from the spell checker on my laptop, I struggle to read out loud and my writing suggests that I may have missed my true vocation as a GP. As a student, I was forced to take 'remedial English for engineers' classes. I now write to put food on the table.

It's often an ex-smoker that most vehemently encourages others to quit. 

If any of you Austin friends are greengrocers, please accept my apology for being insensitive.

[Rick F]

Ah, what a great thread ... this is right up my boulevard. I might not exactly have the T-shirt but I do have the cap!

Since this is a thread for pedants... shouldn't "Pedant-in-Chief" be hyphenated?