language question

[Steely Dan]

That one always irks me too.

 

So do people who can't figure out when to use singular v plural. One penny is a 'cent'. More than one is 'cents'.

 

 

I once tossed a resume in the trash because his name was Rocco. The Italian chick I was fooling around with at the time was not amused.

 

I really hope you're kidding about that.

 

I agree that when somebody says axe it's a red flag, but if you call a prior landlord and they give a glowing report then rent to 'em. However, I'm pretty sure that somebody who uses axe would be a long shot for that.

[X. Benedict]

I own rental property and as soon as I hear"axe" I bounce the potential renter.[lets not get into how I legally do this] Is this just my personal opinion,or does that raise red flags to any of you?

 

Are you bouncing them because they are speaking Old English or Ebonics?

[Jim in Anchorage]

Myself, I don't care how the guys speaks, just that he pays the rent and takes care of the place, but hey, it's your igloo.

I did rent to him. And he did quit paying the rent. Only tenant I have ever had to "axe". He was NOT black by the way. I am not trying to form new prejudices,just trying to learn from past mistake's.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

I did rent to him. And he did quit paying the rent. Only tenant I have ever had to "axe". He was NOT black by the way. I am not trying to form new prejudices,just trying to learn from past mistake's.

 

Do you rent to folks who use unnecessary apostrophes?

[Tcali]

I own rental property and as soon as I hear"axe" I bounce the potential renter.[lets not get into how I legally do this] Is this just my personal opinion,or does that raise red flags to any of you?

this aint pronunciation but usage...

--people who say 'regards' instead of regard . "In regards to".

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

this aint pronunciation but usage...

--people who say 'regards' instead of regard . "In regards to".

 

Or worse, "irregardless".

[Tcali]

Or worse, "irregardless".

Sage--the horrible fact is.....'irregardless' is now officially considered a word. Even websters is going along with the dumbing down.

[Steely Dan]

I did rent to him. And he did quit paying the rent. Only tenant I have ever had to "axe". He was NOT black by the way. I am not trying to form new prejudices,just trying to learn from past mistake's.

 

Well you're axing the right guys.

[The Dean]

Or worse, "irregardless".

 

 

That hurts my ears. Unfortunately, so many ignoramuses (ignorami?) use it, dictionaries are now starting to list it as a word.

 

A couple more that bug me are:

 

Orientated. Hell the spell check even accepts it. I guess it is considered OK. Why? What happened to "oriented"?

 

Do do. As in, "I don't do this, but I do do that." Horrendous. Do do?

[Steely Dan]

Sage--the horrible fact is.....'irregardless' is now officially considered a word. Even websters is going along with the dumbing down.

 

Link

 

 

irregardless

One entry found.

 

Main Entry:

ir·re·gard·less Listen to the pronunciation of irregardless

Pronunciation:

\ˌir-i-ˈgärd-ləs\

Function:

adverb

Etymology:

probably blend of irrespective and regardless

Date:

circa 1912

 

nonstandard : regardless

usage Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Sage--the horrible fact is.....'irregardless' is now officially considered a word. Even websters is going along with the dumbing down.

 

This actually raises an interesting question; If the majority of society THINKS that a nonsense term is a word, does it become a word? After all, our language is updated constantly based on society's whims. 10 years ago, any English scholar would have scoffed at the notion of "google" being deemed a word in the near future and yet it has a place in the dictionary, as a verb no less.

[Tcali]

This actually raises an interesting question; If the majority of society THINKS that a nonsense term is a word, does it become a word? After all, our language is updated constantly based on society's whims. 10 years ago, any English scholar would have scoffed at the notion of "google" being deemed a word in the near future and yet it has a place in the dictionary, as a verb no less.

Hmmm...maybe we need to ask the WEBSTER people what the criteria is.

[thebug]

I did rent to him. And he did quit paying the rent. Only tenant I have ever had to "axe". He was NOT black by the way. I am not trying to form new prejudices,just trying to learn from past mistake's.

 

 

Who said anything about being black?

[Jim in Anchorage]

Who said anything about being black?

Try reading the whole thread before you toss out remarks.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

I own rental property and as soon as I hear"axe" I bounce the potential renter.[lets not get into how I legally do this] Is this just my personal opinion,or does that raise red flags to any of you?

I use 'aks' instead of 'ask' on purpose now.

[Tcali]

Who said anything about being black?

come on axe is waay more prevalent among black people..we neednt be politicccly correct here

[John Adams]

This actually raises an interesting question; If the majority of society THINKS that a nonsense term is a word, does it become a word? After all, our language is updated constantly based on society's whims. 10 years ago, any English scholar would have scoffed at the notion of "google" being deemed a word in the near future and yet it has a place in the dictionary, as a verb no less.

 

English adapts. It's one of its beauties.

 

@Dean: the -us does not take an "i" to form a plural except in Latin. "Octopi" is one of those idiotic non-words that through tons of misusage is now in some dictionaries. It's made all the less sensible by the fact that octopus is a Greek word. Properly pluralized in its native language, it would be octopodes (sp). In English, plurals for words ending in s are made with an es. So ignoramus-->ignoramuses.

 

For those who get boners over grammar and usage, I suggest the only reference you'll ever need:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Garners-Modern-Ameri...r/dp/0195161912

 

That ref is great but a new edition is coming out in August in case you want to hold out. I am hoping it tackles the long-overdue topic of single space after a period vs double space. (Single is proper unless you are on a typewriter or use a monotype font.) I'm guessing Garner will dodge that topic though because it's less a usage question than a typesetting one.

[X. Benedict]

I use 'aks' instead of 'ask' on purpose now.

 

Chaucer would mix it up. He used both.

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

Chaucer would mix it up. He used both.

Depends on my audience.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Equality has a relationship with fairness.