Commonly misused words and phrases

[Johnny Footstool]

Here's a couple I detest:

"Where are you at?"

"Where are we going to?"

It's completely unnecessary to add the extra word at the end.

I also detest people who say "It is I" instead of "It's me".

[vaticanplum]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

I also detest people who say "It is I" instead of "It's me".

These people may be pretentious, but they are correct as this is a subject complacent. Common informal practice accepts "it's me" as well, but the older form has not been rendered obsolete.

(I tried to make that sound as stuffy as possible by the way, just to see if I could do it.)

[ochre]

yep. To be takes the nominative form. It's the germanic roots.

[UKFlounder]

Originally Posted by Johnny Footstool

Here's a couple I detest:

"Where are you at?"

"Where are we going to?"

It's completely unnecessary to add the extra word at the end.

It's the whole ending a sentence with a preoposition error, which reminds me of a joke.

A country boy was accepted into Harvard and went to campus.

One day, he asked a fellow student "Where's the library at?"

The student responded "At Harvard, we don't end sentences with prepositions."

The country boy thought for a minute, then replied "So where's the library at, (pause), ***hole? "

[OldRightHander]

This is a great thread. I have many that irritate me and most of them have been addressed here, so I will spare you all the repetition. One that I don't think has been mentioned is an error of pronunciation. Why do people add the extra "i" to mischievous? It is not mischievious.

[Johnny Footstool]

It's the whole ending a sentence with a preoposition error, which reminds me of a joke.

Actually, I'm not opposed to ending a sentence with a preposition when it clarifies meaning. It makes so much more sense to say "the person I gave the note to" than to jump through hoops to say "the person to whom I gave the note."

But saying "Where are you at?" or "Where are you going to?" is pointless when you could say "Where are you?" or "Where are you going?"

[max venable]

Originally Posted by OldRightHander

This is a great thread. I have many that irritate me and most of them have been addressed here, so I will spare you all the repetition. One that I don't think has been mentioned is an error of pronunciation. Why do people add the extra "i" to mischievous? It is not mischievious.

OMG you guys, my mother in law is the all-time worst when it comes to mispronouncing words. Here are a few examples straight from her mouth:

heighthchester drawers
for all intensive purposes
drownd
duck tape
idn't... and its cousin wadn't
a whole nother (most people I know make this mistake)
perscription
sherbert

Oh and recently...she had her dog spaded.

[Dom Heffner]

a whole nother (most people I know make this mistake)

The difference between spoken and written language. No one ever writes this out, but they sure do say it a lot.

[max venable]

Realtor is not pronounced "REAL-ah-tor."
Jewelry is not pronounced "jewl-er-ry"

It's not Old-timer's disease. It's Alzheimer's.

It's not bob wire. It's barbed wire.

It's not a wheel-barrel. It's a wheel barrow.

How 'bout this one: A blessing in the skies. No! It's a blessing in disguise.

And it's not a doggy-dog world.

[Blimpie]

By the way, that grassy area dividing the opposing lanes of the highway is not called the medium, either....

[GoReds]

I definitely do not understand why people continue to spell it definately. There is no A in the word.

See it all the time.

It is definitely an ironic, awful tragedy.

[max venable]

Not that this is a misused phrase...it's more for the category of "stupid stuff people say," anyway, here it is:

When people say "It's always in the last place you look". OF COURSE IT IS! Why the heck would you keep looking after you've found it?

[OldRightHander]

Some candy bars have caramel in them, but I've never seen one that contains carmel.

[max venable]

How 'bout this one from the sports world:

FORWARD LATERAL Is there really such a thing?

[smith288]

Originally Posted by max venable

Not that this is a misused phrase...it's more for the category of "stupid stuff people say," anyway, here it is:

When people say "It's always in the last place you look". OF COURSE IT IS! Why the heck would you keep looking after you've found it?

Easy there pardner, most say this as a ironical joke.