Words, usages, and phrases that annoy the shit out of you...

'persons'

Have I mentioned 'home invasion'?

was "thank you captain obvious" discussed yet?

the only acceptable 'captain x' formulation is of course 'cap'n save-a-x'

I am sure this has been mentioned, but I don't really like seeing "Here's the thing" in professional writing and it's not the best when repeated over and over in speech either.

we started out friends

The 'sir' in "you, sir, are a gentleman".

Actually the whole lot of that faux polite bs

"Here's the thing"

yea this is annoying

cf "here's why"

pitiful filler language

personally i love arbitrary language that signifies nothing

gee, i'm sorry the rest of us aren't fast enough at thinking of what we wanna say so we gotta pepper our language with shit that stretches it out while we grasp desperately at anything resembling a cogent thought in the form of a human sentence

Ha Will, you're assuming I don't have a good command of language and that I'm quick on my toes. You're wrong.

*not quick on my toes. Didn't make my best case there, but you know what they say about assumptions...

I have a so-so command of the English language, and am very slow on my toes, and I use a lot of fill words/phrases so I can sound semi-smart by the time I get to the end of my sentence

I have trouble with people using 'ascertain' in conversation but I think the Kids in the Hall are almost entirely to blame for that.

Hahah, alright fair enough. Personally I just like using fill words with my good buddy as a kind of banter at times. Apologies I thought you were coming at me.

I do shit like in one sentence use the word capitulate when I could've probably just used a synonym that didn't make me look like an asshole, and then two sentences later forget the word "promotion" and go "what's that word for when you're doing one thing and then a boss is like good job, do this harder thing"

xxp lol ascertain

no i was coming at everyone who is trying to blow up my spot using fillers, Ross you're A-OK in my book would banter w/ you

:) oh shit, now I'm in total agreement with you re: spot using fillers.

when did ironic/faux-naïf comma splices come into common use, I use them myself sometimes but I'm not really sure how I feel about them. is this Saramago's fault somehow?

definitely been noticing that a lot in the past year or so

when did ironic/faux-naïf comma splices come into common use, I use them myself sometimes but I'm not really sure how I feel about them. is this Saramago's fault somehow?

"We identified that there were two key issues to be addressed."

i.e. 'identify' governing a 'that'-clause. It's so common in the reports I have to read and edit for work that I don't try to correct it, but it never sounds good to me. It can often be replaced by making the object in the clause the object of 'identify' ("We identified two key issues to be addressed"), which sounds way better.

too many people don't use simple english in business, it's bullshit

"we plan to establish a brand strategy for internet search exposure going forward" -> "we got adwords"

when did ironic/faux-naïf comma splices come into common use, I use them myself sometimes but I'm not really sure how I feel about them. is this Saramago's fault somehow?

― the baby grew up to be a secessful kid (unregistered), Friday, June 23, 2017 5:22 PM (yesterday)

the lagoon effect, i do it too now

Saramago and lagoon, driving common usage

it's great, everyone do it

I am also not 100% on what is meant by ironic/faux-naïf comma splices btw

what is an ironic comma splice really, hard to tell, all i know is it's Good

"We identified that there were two key issues to be addressed."

i.e. 'identify' governing a 'that'-clause. It's so common in the reports I have to read and edit for work that I don't try to correct it, but it never sounds good to me. It can often be replaced by making the object in the clause the object of 'identify' ("We identified two key issues to be addressed"), which sounds way better.

― jmm, Saturday, June 24, 2017 1:51 PM (five hours ago)

The original sentence works better than your fix if they don't actually know what the issues to be addressed are, but they do know that there's two of them. I admit that this is probably a very niche use.

but you wouldn't say "identified" in that case. Discovered or found would be better.

They would be better, true. But I don't think it would be wholly inaccurate to use identified in that case. Maybe I'm wrong and it's still too much language twisting?

it wouldn't be inaccurate, in that a reader would understand the meaning of the sentence, it just would be an awkward use of the word "identified" when other words would be more appropriate.

I don't know much about comma splices but I know, what I like

In casual writing I've become addicted to mid-sentence end marks! which I know, is mad and wrong, but do I care? apparently not.

Progressive

I mean is this all a sudden the new backpatting selfdescriptor or have I just not noticed it before, shit is everywhere

https://irishelectionliterature.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/hsmyth1.jpg

https://ptmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Progressive-Logo.jpg

Can anyone point me to a thread that's the opposite of this? IE. Words, usages and phrases you love

I tried it once phrases you like

& there was another one recently that had a few more takers I think

thanks Wins :-)

commas are fine the world would be better if everyone took a pause when they saw one

e.b.white said you have to pull out a chair and sit down when you see one = the opposite of capitals

i am a "person of color" but holy shit i am really starting to hate this term, it so clumsy and awkward

"of color"

like something about it so dumb yet this is the accepted unoffensive term

Try it with a u?

Still not good imho

I'm used to it by now tho