2008: Dec 15-16

[erik]

Look, I'm just telling you what the phrase actually means. If you want to be some sort of willfully ignorant pedant, I can't stop you.

The point made before was that the phrase is faulty in the logic department when taken literally. I'm quite sure if you freely interpret the phrase it makes perfect sense and I don't object to anyone using it, but this thread is about weird phrases and not "phrases that make perfect sense when you know what they intended to say".

This thread is about favorite phrases (or least favorite, as the case may be) that a lot of people seem to be getting backwards. Sorry if you think my example doesn't fit. Again, I'm not "freely interpreting" the phrase, I'm explaining what it really means.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Fluf, you should totally go on the show "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader".

Now, in the sentence above, I feel that if I didn't use the quotation marks, it would read like a run on sentence, even though I capitalized the first letter of each word in the title of the show. Should the show title just simply be in italic? If I added a comma after show, it would sound like I'm asking you if you're smarter than a fifth grader.

[fluffy]

I believe TV show titles should be italicized. Also, even if they should be quoted, the period should go inside the quotes. A question mark in the title leads to ambiguity for how it should be handled. I believe the appropriate way to write it is Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?.

That show is insipid, banal, and retarded. There's only about 2 minutes of actual substance. The rest of it is just people hemming and hawing and being insulted by a self-described idiot.

[Project-D]

"Supposeably" does not equal supposedly. Did I spell that right? It doesn't matter because supposeably is not a word.

I also know we're talking about spoken language, but these words:

they're
there
their

are not interchangeable.

Don't get me started on your usage of "your/you're" when you're using "your" in a sentence.

This all reminds me of the time a teacher at work had some popsicles stolen from the freezer in the lounge (at an elementary school). She wrote a nasty note and put it on the fridge. The next day all the grammatical errors had been marked up in red pen. You can imagine her reaction. She didn't come back the following year.

[fluffy]

This all reminds me of the time a teacher at work had some popsicles stolen from the freezer in the lounge (at an elementary school). She wrote a nasty note and put it on the fridge. The next day all the grammatical errors had been marked up in red pen.

:D

[roymond]

Also, even if they should be quoted, the period should go inside the quotes.

.
You are correct (according the Shrunk and the Chicago Seven) but this rule never made sense to me.

For instance, both of these seem stupid:

The sign changed from "Walk," to "Don't Walk," to "Walk" again within 30 seconds.

She said, "He said, 'Hurry up.'"

In the first one, the sign didn't change from "Walk," to "Don't Walk,". The sign doesn't have a comma in it! Come on!
In the second one the sentence relays what she said. Within that sentence is a quote. A period should finish the sentence. When the period is inside the quote it's just weird. Question marks are treated correctly, thank god.

[fluffy]

Well yeah, and as a programmer I really hate the ambiguity involved. Usually when I'm referring to a literal string which must be reproduced verbatim I put it in single-quotes and have any additional punctuation go outside. This seems to be the natural mechanism that most of my fellow robot-overlord-overlords subscribe to.

[Lord of Oats]

Oooh, and down in here in Texas, every time I hear someone talk about Whataburger, it comes out "Waterburger."

Funny. There's a Whataburger right by the store I worked at right before they transferred me to the one I'm at now, and I always call it Waterburger, because it's right next to a big fountain.

[Billy's Little Trip]

That show is insipid, banal, and retarded. There's only about 2 minutes of actual substance. The rest of it is just people hemming and hawing and being insulted by a self-described idiot.

I couldn't have said it better.
.....seriously, I couldn't have.

edit:
Does it bother anyone that I like to end my sentence, but then click down, add periods as if I paused, then repeat the first part of my sentence for more of a dramatic effect?

[Märk]

The whole quotation marks grammar thing makes me livid.

Correct (IMHO) use of punctuation: I was talking to a friend, and he said "You can't go back".
Incorrect: I was talking to a friend, and he said "You can't go back."

A period should end the sentence every time. (Unless it's a question or exclamation)

Correct: The question most asked is "What is the meaning of life?".
Incorrect: The question most asked is "What is the meaning of life"?

The sentence is a statement, not a question. If you put the question mark outside the quotes, it ends the sentence, and makes it a question.

Excluding question marks, I can think of a hundred reasons why you don't put punctuation marks at the end of, but inside of, quotation marks, but I am not going to type them out. Every single time I read something written in that style, it seems awkward and wrong to me.

[Reist]

Correct (IMHO) use of punctuation: I was talking to a friend, and he said "You can't go back".
Incorrect: I was talking to a friend, and he said "You can't go back."

Hi, uh ... I couldn't help but overhear ... I'm an English Major, you see.

But really, you're right in the context of some formatting styles ... but if I wrote like that on an English paper (MLA format), I'd be screwed. I know, it looks wrong to put a period/comma inside the quotes at the end, but sometimes it must be done.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - since there's no definitive grammar formatting style guide that is used by every profession and field, there's no point arguing about this stuff, because depending on who you talk to, it can be done differently. Just sayin.

[Märk]

I guess what I'm trying to say is - since there's no definitive grammar formatting style guide that is used by every profession and field, there's no point arguing about this stuff, because depending on who you talk to, it can be done differently. Just sayin.

Isn't the English language great?

[jimtyrrell]

I suspect many of you are familiar with it, but I thought I'd mention The Elements Of Style. Indispensable. (ible?)

[slats]

Wow all these pet peeves...

The word "irregardless" has it's place if you're part of a collection team, "See, I'm listening when you say you'll have the money next Wedsnesday, but Rocko here is looking to bust your kneecaps, irregardless."

When someone pronounces "anyhow," as "anyhoo," I want to break the chalkboard in my head over theirs.

[Jefff]

"On the team was me" and not on the team was myself. That makes sense. Thanks!

On the other hand, this brings up another issue: you should avoid passive voice whenever possible.

"On the team was me" is not the passive voice. And it should be "On the team was I."

[fluffy]

I suspect many of you are familiar with it, but I thought I'd mention The Elements Of Style. Indispensable. (ible?)

I prefer these elements of style.

[Reist]

it should be "On the team was I."

Word. But it still sounds terrible. I love english!

[fluffy]

"On the team was me" and not on the team was myself. That makes sense. Thanks!

On the other hand, this brings up another issue: you should avoid passive voice whenever possible.

"On the team was me" is not the passive voice. And it should be "On the team was I."

No, it should be "I was on the team." I was mentally replacing "on the team was" with "The team was comprised of" and that is what led me to go onto the passive voice tangent (and you're right, in Henrietta's specific example it wasn't passive voice and I could have picked a better means of segueing).

[jast]

When someone pronounces "anyhow," as "anyhoo," I want to break the chalkboard in my head over theirs.

Not as bad as people who actually spell it that way.

[fluffy]

Or "ennyhoo."

Also, one rather alarming recent Internet trend is people replacing a terminal Y with a long-E sound with 'eh,' like "bunneh," "funneh," etc. That is so amazingly irritating.

[jast]

You're very lucky you don't know what some people do to German on the internet. It's impossible to describe the pain.

[Niveous]

I showed this thread to my housemate, the linguist. Hilarity ensued.