Equestrian Court of Grammatical Peeves

[anon15718925]

I don’t use “prolly” at work and don’t personally consider my coworkers casual or close friends, more like arm’s length acquaintances.

I have more a problem w/actual misspellings born of blatant ignorance. “Prolly” to me doesn’t automatically = “blatant ignorance.”

I also take the view that language is constantly evolving.

If some people don’t understand when to speak/write formally vs. when being casual is acceptable, well, that’s not on me as someone who does understand that distinction.

I wouldn’t use slang or text shorthand when sending a work-related email to a local government official I was approaching to coordinate an interview. I might use slang or text shorthand with a friend in a non-work context. If other people lack boundaries, that’s a them problem not a me or even frankly probably a societal problem. It’s a problem with how that person was raised and if it bothers you, then reply back formally and hope they take the hint.

[anon15718925]

General grammar peeve to join the thread: Prepositions can be vital but often aren’t & are the first thing slashed when I’m trying to tighten writing. The word “that” is overused and seldom serves a purpose.

[avjudge]

@Janet

Unfortunately, diagramming sentences has become a lost art!

I’m so glad they still did this when I was in school, and how weird am I that I really enjoyed doing it?

[S1969]

@anon15718925

General grammar peeve to join the thread: Prepositions can be vital but often aren’t & are the first thing slashed when I’m trying to tighten writing. The word “that” is overused and seldom serves a purpose.

My pet peeve is the slashing of subject:

“Reaching out to see if you are interested in our product. Hope you’re having a good day and will follow up”

I actually wrote a vendor back once and suggested that if he wanted to market to educators, he should reconsider his paragraph of grammatically incorrect sentences like these. I never heard back. Coincidence?

[sascha]

@S1969

This is not a word anyone in my generation uses regularly, that I’ve ever heard/read among friends or acquaintainces. (i’m 53) I hear it used by a lot of undereducated people and then, of course, teens, 20s as slang.

I beg to differ. I’m 56 and prolly has been in use for many years on BBs full of intelligent, well-educated people as a humorous slang term that pokes fun at its likely origins of (inadvertent?) text short forms and is mostly used when brushing off some minor offence or when relating a self-deprecating story.

It grated on me terribly when I first read it, but as I saw it more I came to understand it and accept and occasionally use it. Does everyone use it as above? Prolly not but thinking of it that way helps me cope

[sami-joe]

Despite diagramming’s falling out of favor in the 1970s while I was still in school, I taught some version of it every year of my 21-year HS English career. Though students looked stunned at first that language could be so systemic, plenty enjoyed its algebra-like qualities.

My bosses, not so much – it was never going to show up on the alphabet soup of standardized exams. Consequently, I got plenty of nasty-grams in my file and downgraded on my own year-end reviews.

[sami-joe]

Maybe they couldn’t figure out how to write about themselves or their own notions without using I. Either that, or some MBA boss told them to avoid the first person without explaining how.

Don’t get me started on oily salespeople selling silver bullet software to my bosses over the decades. Most couldn’t write their way out of ninth grade, but they could sure hypnotize a room with a juiced-up PowerPoint.

[fledermaus]

@sascha

I beg to differ. I’m 56 and prolly has been in use for many years on BBs full of intelligent, well-educated people as a humorous slang term that pokes fun at its likely origins of (inadvertent?) text short forms and is mostly used when brushing off some minor offence or when relating a self-deprecating story.

It grated on me terribly when I first read it, but as I saw it more I came to understand it and accept and occasionally use it. Does everyone use it as above? Prolly not but thinking of it that way helps me cope

Used ironically by people who know the proper word is probably, fine by me and I’ve done so on occasion. Used by people who do not understand not every interaction is with their girlfriend from seventh grade, it makes my lip curl. In another era, when people still knew how to write words with a pen, this person would dot their i’s with circles, or even hearts. Bleah.

[sascha]

@fledermaus

In another era, when people still knew how to write words with a pen, this person would dot their i’s with circles, or even hearts

You have just made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Ugh. OMG. Yes, you are so right!

[sami-joe]

Exactly. Best thing I ever taught my students: writing around problems like this.
Thank you, Strunk & White.

[anon15718925]

I learned a lot of the “omit prepositions” stuff via my mom.

Mom went to college in the late '70s and was a journalism major at a state college with a strong journalism program. She ultimately landed in PR/Marketing as many do. But that stuck with her and she passed it on to me when I worked for her as an office assistant the summer I was 16. First job I had. Answered phones, dealt with the email newsletter system some (constant contact I think), helped craft press releases. She kept me on board on a freelance basis editing her press releases and taking photos at local events when I was in college up 'til she left the job (she was the county tourism director) herself.

Apparently one of her college journalism professors (and I’ve heard her fond recollections of a few of 'em, fond being used sincerely not sarcastically here) firmly believed prepositions were the most useless words in the English language. If there’s an afterlife I imagine he’s up there somewhere happy to see his teaching managed to have multi-generational influence.

That said I’ve (rarely) run across sentences where you literally can’t write it w/o a preposition. But it’s really rare.

[Grey623]

@fledermaus

In another era, when people still knew how to write words with a pen, this person would dot their i’s with circles, or even hearts. Bleah.

I got a resume today wherein the applicant used little hearts for her bullet points. For mid-level management. No one involved with hiring thought it was a good move.

Grey

[Grey623]

My peeve – abuse of the word timely. As in, “produces reports timely and accurately.” Or, “delivers package safely and timely.” Or, “submit your expenses timely.” Please. Just say “on time.” Please.

Grey

[BrownDerby]

Small petty peeve but cannot the Nikovian breeches advertisement that keeps appearing on my feed spell ‘stretch’; correctly (as opposed to strech).?

[anon40672407]

@anon15718925

That said I’ve (rarely) run across sentences where you literally can’t write it w/o a preposition. But it’s really rare.

That’s interesting! I am an overuser of prepositions, I would guess.

[anon15718925]

Okay to use your sentence as an editing example.

@anon40672407

I am an overuser of prepositions, I would guess.

Original word count: 9 words

My edit: “I’m a preposition overuser, I’d guess.”

Edited word count: 6 words

If I have the luxury, which is rare, I can absolutely make a game of getting something written as tightly as possible.

[Ghazzu]

@Grey623

I got a resume today wherein the applicant used little hearts for her bullet points. For mid-level management.

I just threw up mentally reading that.

[ShenanAnna]

Not only abuse of the word “timely,” but misuse. It’s an adjective: a timely delivery.

[Jaegermonster]

It is not thoroughbred. It is Thoroughbred

[anon15718925]

If I saw timely being used like that I’d probably assume the person’s first language wasn’t English.

It seems like they’re trying to use it interchangeably with quickly.