Being an American in Tokyo, most of the English speakers I know are Brits, Aussies, and Canadians. The Brits are mostly acadamics, and their English is, as you might expect, pretty good. Scots are a pain-in-the-backside to understand, though those who have been in Japan long enough have had their accents die off to the point they might pass for Canadian. Aussies never seem to lose their accents, which are most annoying to Oxbridge Brits (those from Oxford or Cambridge). Though Canadians sound much like Americans, but I cannot stand to hear the word "a-boot", as in, "it's a-boot time you got here," or "how a-boot a beer"?
Language Pet Peeves
- Thread starter Komboloi
- Start date
I'm not sure why but it flat out irritates me when people refer to their significant other as "bae". Society has apparently gone from "baby" to "babe" to "bae".
When I see posts or comments of "mom got the kids, finally a night for just me and bae", I just want to reach through and smack someone!
When I see posts or comments of "mom got the kids, finally a night for just me and bae", I just want to reach through and smack someone!
Jings!
Local pub called 'Aout 'n About', bet you can guess the pronunciation of 'aout'.
dave
It doesn't set my teeth on edge the way some peeves do, but I can't understand why British and Australian English uses plural verb forms for collective nouns. Example:
"Exxon are considering whether to take over Chevron."
And with apologies to posters from India, the quirks that have evolved in Indian English are apparently limitless.
"Exxon are considering whether to take over Chevron."
And with apologies to posters from India, the quirks that have evolved in Indian English are apparently limitless.
It's not always a solecism as the rules are not hard and fast, and there are regional differences and preferences in play as well.
In your example, I think the singular form is better as it emphasises the company as an entity.
A sentence such as: "The board of Exxon have not yet decided whether to proceed with their planned takeover of Chevron" is, however, (arguably) grammatically better in using the plural form as it indicates that the board may not be acting collectively. Were they to agree, the sentence could then properly read: "The board of Exxon has decided...", as that would indicate a collective view.
At least, that's how I understand the subtleties of the issue.
"Chevexxron" just doesn't have the ring to it.
Yeah, let's call the whole thing off...
I never thought about it like that. Your post made me think of the Supreme Court, and typically -- even if the decision is not unanimous -- the singular verb form is used: "has decided."
I looked back, though, and in decades past the form used was "have decided" -- which leads me to believe that at some point American usage diverged from British/Australian in this regard.
A simple one that I see all the time: Then vs. Than. Drives me nuts!!!
That's pronounced Oot N a Boot, isn't it?
Yes, Oot N a Boot with exaggerated emphasize is how i hear it pronounced.
Must be the Canadian accent, 'about/aboot' is not something i ever notice in conversation but is something i've often seen pointed out, that and of course ending every sentence with, eh.
When in England people there often thought my accent was Australian but to me a Canadian sounds nothing at all like an Australian.
dave
Raised as a lower Canadian "eh" seems like a Western thing. All in all it seem a minor thing for us Canucks to be branded with. Huh seems popular in the US in some places.
In this day and age of 24 hour news broadcasts, movies, etc. I'm surprised at the variation in spoken English. I enjoy the sayings that are becoming less common. "He had a face longer than an undertakers overcoat".
We hardly recognize how we speak differently until we speak to others in other places.
In this day and age of 24 hour news broadcasts, movies, etc. I'm surprised at the variation in spoken English. I enjoy the sayings that are becoming less common. "He had a face longer than an undertakers overcoat".
We hardly recognize how we speak differently until we speak to others in other places.
"Irregardless..."
This one came back to mind while watching and reading World Cup coverage.
To these American ears, a phrase like "Germany have been eliminated" is just off.
jackgoldman123
Boring and predictable
So it seems that like many people use that like word that means that like that could mean whatever that means.
ftfy
I try not to use them improperly when writing, but when speaking I always use the wrong "there/their/they're."
