Please state in which country your phrase tends to be used, what the phrase is, and what it should be.
Example:
In America, recently came across “back-petal”, instead of back-pedal. Also, still hearing “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes”.
People capitalizing Random Words for emphasis, as if they’re Proper Nouns.
Also getting ‘a’ vs ‘an’ wrong. It follows pronunciation, not spelling; so it’s “a European” and “an honor”.
Oh my goodness, someone pointed this out on Tumblr years ago, but it desperately needs repeating:
Dear English Language Fanfic Writers,
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Wanton: an unrestrained desire, usually of a sexually nature.
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Wonton: a type of dumpling found in Chinese and East Asian cuisine.
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In the USA and other English-speaking countries: weary =/= wary.
For example, I’ll see someone write something like: “I am weary of the campfire because it is so hot”
You aren’t tired of the campfire! You are wary of it!
I don’t generally correct people’s spelling or pronunciation but something I’ve noticed occurring more and more lately is people using “loose” when they mean “lose” and it gets under my skin for unknown reasons
I
couldcouldn’t care lessHold
downthe fortThe proof
is in the puddingof the pudding is in the eatingelon muskTwatIn American English:
I left them know
I’m just leaving you know
No, no, a thousand times no!
You LET them know. You’re just LETTING me know.
Also, they were driving and hit the breaks. Their car needed new break pads.
Just letting y’all know, it’s BRAKES that stop a vehicle.
If the vehicle breaks, it’ll stop, but that’s not the system built into the car that makes it stop on purpose at the press of a pedal.
I don’t do it that much anymore as I learned to enjoy the freedom of using language, but I recently watched a miniminuteman video where he says pause for concern. which kinda makes sense so it’s an eggcorn: something that would cause concern would hopefully also make one pause for a moment.
apparently this is a commonly misheard phrase though this was the first time I heard someone say it.
Can someone explain DEI and Affirmative action? 99% sure the right is using it wrong, but I live in a red state.
i feel like we should be able to beat the living shit out of people intentionally spreading political misinformation.
Like im sorry, this may not meet instance rules, or whatever, but like, holy fuck, the amount of shit you can just lie about, without people asking question, kneecaps should’ve happened years ago, what the fuck are we doing bro.
Capitalizing black mid-setence. It’s an absolutely ridiculous convention, and something only the American Left could take seriously.
Sincerely, Everyone else
“per say” vs “per se”
“Seen”.
Holy fuck, “seen”.I honestly think that using this word incorrectly has gotten worse over the last few years. Hearing someone say, “yeah, I seen her yesterday” just makes me want to punch the wall.
Irregardless
“Most best”
“funner”
It’s more bestester
I’m still confused that reckless driving causes wrecks.
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This is a good one.
This is what is called a lonely negative. It’s where we only have the negative version of a word. This could be because the original word fell out of use or we stole the negative word from another language without stealing the positive.
“Reck” meant something like “care” - it has nothing to do with “wreck”.
Another good example is “disgust,” which we got from French. Anyone familiar with French, Italian or Spanish will probably recognize the verb “gustar” (or something similar).
I always liked this situation with “uncouth”. Why don’t we use the word “couth” - I tried to bring it into usage but it didn’t stick!
LOL yes the reckless example was tongue-in-cheek. Similar example is inflammable, which sounds like it should mean non-flammable but came from “enflame”.
As an English opposite to disgust how about gusto? Same Spanishtroot.
That would gusto me very much.
Idk if this counts as a phrase, but on the internet, people talk about their pets crossing the rainbow bridge when they die. That’s not how the rainbow bridge poem goes. Pets go to a magnificent field when they die. They are healed of all injury and illness. When you die, they find you in the field and you cross the bridge together. It’s much sweeter the way it was written than the way people use it.
I did not know this, thanks!
