# I should 'of'...



## zxcvbnm (27 Jan 2014)

I can only assume this has come up before .... But am I the only person who finds it staggering that so many people write 'of' instead of 'have' in the example in the subject title ?

It seems that way more than half the time it's used incorrectly. 

Do that many people really not know this ? Or do they use 'of' as some sort of text speak perhaps ?


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## Sunny (27 Jan 2014)

Is it not just a mis-spelling of should've?

Can't say it is something that annoys me greatly.


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## orka (27 Jan 2014)

Sunny said:


> Is it not just a mis-spelling of should've?


I don't think so.  I think it's not appreciating/caring that should've, despite being pronounced 'should of' (or thereabouts), is actually short for 'should have'.  It does annoy me - not least because it just helps perpetuate itself if people see it written and assume it's correct.


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## STEINER (27 Jan 2014)

I have never experienced that. 

I seen quiet a lot their on facebook

quiet for quite
there for their
seen for saw

I find it silly how the English describe the ground as the floor.


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## Betsy Og (27 Jan 2014)

Could you be more PACIFIC please. Happens more than you'd think - admittedly only in spoken english.

I'll log off now, I'm starting to sound like Gay Byrne ...would that fella ever...., and now he seems to have spawned Ray D'Arcy to take over the annoying pedant/condescening 'uncle' role !!


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## Bronte (28 Jan 2014)

STEINER said:


> I
> I find it silly how the English describe the ground as the floor.


 
Can you give an example please?


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## callybags (28 Jan 2014)

More and more these days people write and type phonetically. (Why does this word not start with F?)


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## The_Banker (28 Jan 2014)

If I was speaking it I say "I should of"... I wasnt even aware of it until I read this thread.

If I am writing it I use "I should have"

People who use text speak when writing annoy me but I wouldnt let it spoil my day. If everyone adhered to the correct rules for grammer and writing then the English language would never evolve and we may well still be speaking as they did in Willie Shakespeares time... Some might not think that a bad thing....


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## zxcvbnm (28 Jan 2014)

The_Banker said:


> If I was speaking it I say "I should of"... I wasnt even aware of it until I read this thread.
> 
> If I am writing it I use "I should have"
> 
> People who use text speak when writing annoy me but I wouldnt let it spoil my day. If everyone adhered to the correct rules for grammer and writing then the English language would never evolve and we may well still be speaking as they did in Willie Shakespeares time... Some might not think that a bad thing....



Yes - but I don't believe people write 'should of' as text speak. I've no doubt that many people believe this is the correct way it should be written.....which frankly I find astounding.
I wouldn't mind if it was just the odd one - but its most people as far as I can see.


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## The_Banker (28 Jan 2014)

zxcvbnm said:


> Yes - but I don't believe people write 'should of' as text speak. I've no doubt that many people believe this is the correct way it should be written.....which frankly I find astounding.
> I wouldn't mind if it was just the odd one - but its most people as far as I can see.


 
If the majority keep writing "should of" then in time it will become the correct way of writing it.


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## PaddyBloggit (28 Jan 2014)

Bronte said:


> Can you give an example please?



All the British reality cop shows on Sky have the police telling the suspect to hit/grab/go down on the floor and most of the situation are outside ... on concrete/tarmac/grass etc.

I've found the use of that term strange when I see it.

I wonder will our illustrious Gardaí start telling the suspects to get down on the urlár rather than on the talamh?


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## Maggs065 (28 Jan 2014)

Plenty of people on this site also looking for advise!


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## Brendan Burgess (28 Jan 2014)

I think that the principle reason people write these words wrong is because they don't understand the basic principals of spelling.  Even if they do understand them, they loose concentration easily.  This wrecklessness doesn't really effect me that much. 

Brendan


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## PaddyBloggit (28 Jan 2014)

I hope you don't 'loose' your concentration too often Brendan!

It could have an enormous 'effect' on you ...


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## AgathaC (28 Jan 2014)

This thread reminds me of a cartoon a friend of mine sent to me one time...How do you comfort a grammar pedant? Pat them gently on the back, whispering softly 'there, their, they're'


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## Sunny (28 Jan 2014)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I think that the principle reason people write these words wrong is because they don't understand the basic principals of spelling.  Even if they do understand them, they loose concentration easily.  This wrecklessness doesn't really effect me that much.
> 
> Brendan





PaddyBloggit said:


> I hope you don't 'loose' your concentration too often Brendan!
> 
> It could have an enormous 'effect' on you ...



Your post made me laugh anyway Brendan. I have to admit though that I do sometimes have to stop and think about the principle / principal thing!!


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## Sunny (28 Jan 2014)

AgathaC said:


> This thread reminds me of a cartoon a friend of mine sent to me one time...How do you comfort a grammar pedant? Pat them gently on the back, whispering softly 'there, their, they're'



I like it.


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## Lex Foutish (29 Jan 2014)

Maggs065 said:


> Plenty of people on this site also looking for advise!



Maybe they should of went to another sight for it!


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## Brendan Burgess (29 Jan 2014)

I heard a reporter on RTE main news saying recently 

"Apparently the accused had went to a different building..." 

I was  really shocked at this. It was a pre-recorded item so I thought that an editor would have corrected it.


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## Purple (29 Jan 2014)

I've often heard people say they were "LEFT go" from their job.
Very strange.


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## Purple (29 Jan 2014)

AgathaC said:


> This thread reminds me of a cartoon a friend of mine sent to me one time...How do you comfort a grammar pedant? Pat them gently on the back, whispering softly 'there, their, they're'



I love it.


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## Janet (29 Jan 2014)

"should of" instead of "should've" drives me mad - should of just makes no sense, no matter what way you look at it. And I try, I really try to understand how or why people make mistakes like that. 

Replacing "given" with "giving" is another one that drives me up the wall. I had a nice little blog rant about that last year - I can understand how people might get the two mixed up if they're not great at spelling (sort of) but I've actually heard it in at least one film and there's no excuse for professional writers. Actually, I don't think there's any excuse for professional actors either, who in general I'd probably assume to at least have a bit more interest in the language than most. But Josh Duhamel seemed to find nothing wrong in saying it, the two other adults in the scene didn't seem to find it strange not to mention all the crew, the director etc. and everyone in editing it afterwards. Absolutely astounding. There's a "could of" instead of "could've" in Silver Linings Playbook (the book, not the film), too.



AgathaC said:


> This thread reminds me of a cartoon a friend of mine sent to me one time...How do you comfort a grammar pedant? Pat them gently on the back, whispering softly 'there, their, they're'


Ha! 



Brendan Burgess said:


> I think that the principle reason people write these words wrong is because they don't understand the basic principals of spelling.  Even if they do understand them, they loose concentration easily.  This wrecklessness doesn't really effect me that much.


Now my head hurts and I kind of want to cry.


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## Lex Foutish (29 Jan 2014)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I heard a reporter on RTE main news saying recently
> 
> "Apparently the accused had went to a different building..."
> 
> I was  really shocked at this. It was a pre-recorded item so I thought that an editor would have corrected it.



I heard that very report also and was very surprised.

Did I hear Alan Shatter on Radio 1 yesterday morning referring to our police force as the Garda*r*?


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## STEINER (29 Jan 2014)

I think this guy from 1984 is to blame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS6Q83mQX1o

[broken link removed])


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## ajapale (29 Jan 2014)

Lex Foutish said:


> Did I hear Alan Shatter on Radio 1 yesterday morning referring to our police force as the Garda*r*?



Yes I think thats what he said. It is as bad as the newstalk presenter who refers to our police force as the Gadaí (the Robbers)!


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## Brendan Burgess (30 Jan 2014)

ajapale said:


> It is as bad as the newstalk presenter who refers to our police force as the Gadaí (the Robbers)!



I don't know the pwesenteh in question, but a lot of people awe unable to pronounce theih "rs".  So it's ok for them to refer to the Gadaí even if the translation is unfawtunate.


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## DB74 (30 Jan 2014)

STEINER said:


> I think this guy from 1984 is to blame.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS6Q83mQX1o
> 
> [broken link removed])



I should of never clicked on that link - I can't get this song out of my head now


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## Maggs065 (30 Jan 2014)

I know this might sound a bit pedantic, but why do presenters pronounce insulation with a 'h' - i.e. inshulation. This pronunciation is everywhere now, but maybe I'm the one getting it wrong!


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## gipimann (30 Jan 2014)

A very popular word in the news in recent weeks is "remuneration".  I often hear it mispronounced as "renumeration".

I find myself correcting the radio speaker when I hear it - probably just as well I'm in the car at the time


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## amtc (30 Jan 2014)

I got very irritated with an editor in work once and left a note for him

'it's = it is
its' = theirs'

That worked, but then I had to start on FAQ's...!


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## Brendan Burgess (30 Jan 2014)

I was telling my mother today about the "I should of..." and she pointed out that earlier in the discussion, I had said to someone "If I was you..." whereas it should be "If I were  you..." 

I have just checked and the incorrect form occurs 180 times on askaboutmoney compared to 380 times for the correct form.

Brendan


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## AgathaC (1 Feb 2014)

On another forum, of which I am a member, posters frequently invite people to 'bare' with them... I'd rather not, brrrrrr, too chilly!


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## PaddyBloggit (1 Feb 2014)

AgathaC said:


> On another forum, of which I am a member, posters frequently invite people to 'bare' with them... I'd rather not, brrrrrr, too chilly!




Never knew you were a member of a naturist forum Agatha!


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## AgathaC (1 Feb 2014)

paddybloggit said:


> never knew you were a member of a naturist forum agatha! :d



 I should have thought before posting .


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## Sue Ellen (1 Feb 2014)

AgathaC said:


> posters frequently invite people to 'bare' with them... I'd rather not, brrrrrr, too chilly!



No excuse so when the warm weather comes around ..............


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## Lex Foutish (1 Feb 2014)

Sue Ellen said:


> No excuse so when the warm weather comes around ..............



After you, Sue Ellen!


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## AgathaC (2 Feb 2014)

sue ellen said:


> no excuse so when the warm weather comes around .............. :d



I think the forecast is bad


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## BillK (11 Feb 2014)

Goes back hundreds of years to when in the majority of houses had only the ground as a floor. i.e. no timber or tiles.


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## mandelbrot (11 Feb 2014)

What I want to know is, when did the Portugese become Portuguese?!


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## callybags (12 Feb 2014)

I think it's ok to have misspellings in casual chats on forums, but anybody who is payed to write columns or reports should hang their head in shame.


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## TarfHead (12 Feb 2014)

Pat Kenny was talking to the author of a new book on grammar.

One thing he said surprised me.  The phrase '_just deserts_' is correct, and '_just desserts_' is not.


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## Janet (12 Feb 2014)

mandelbrot said:


> What I want to know is, when did the Portugese become Portuguese?!


Is this another joke question and I'm missing it? It's definitely Portuguese in my Collins Gem dictionary from 1968 anyway.



TarfHead said:


> The phrase '_just deserts_' is correct, and '_just desserts_' is not.


Had to go and look it up, I never knew that either. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/just_deserts


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## mandelbrot (12 Feb 2014)

Janet said:


> Is this another joke question and I'm missing it? It's definitely Portuguese in my Collins Gem dictionary from 1968 anyway.


 
Not a joke question - up until the last couple of years I don't ever remember seeing it spelt with the second u...

Both do seem to be valid spellings but I had always spelt it with one u.

I thought it was another case of Geographical political correctness, where the Anglophone world changes its name for a place to the local language version (the cities formerly known as Calcutta and Bombay being the first notable examples I can remember).


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## PaddyW (12 Feb 2014)

mandelbrot said:


> Not a joke question - up until the last couple of years I don't ever remember having seeing it spelt with the second u...
> 
> Both do seem to be valid spellings but I had always spelt it with one u.
> 
> I thought it was another case of Geographical political correctness, where the Anglophone world changes its name for a place to the local language version (the cities formerly known as Calcutta and Bombay being the first notable examples I can remember).




I've always spelled it with the two u's in it, but I can understand who people might spell it with only one.


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## Purple (13 Feb 2014)

What about people saying Tenderhooks instead of  Tenterhooks?


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## Betsy Og (13 Feb 2014)

Purple said:


> What about people saying Tenderhooks instead of  Tenterhooks?



That's a good one, I would have been an offender had I decided to use it - although its so commonplace I think the real thing would get funny looks. 

Other good ones are "damp squid" instead of "squib" - I looked this up a while back and a "squib" is a sort of explosive device, so if its damp it doesnt go off, hence the meaning "damp squib" for something that never really got going.

Another one is harbinger of doom http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/harbinger-of-doom.html


People using "presently" to mean now, whereas it really means "in a short while".

The classic "fulsome" which means excessively praising/insincere/brownnosing, but it commonly used to mean "thorough or wholehearted" - which can have quite funny results. e.g. "I think he deserves a fulsome commendation for his work." However its gone to the stage of being so often wrongly said that it's being interpreted the other way.


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## AgathaC (13 Feb 2014)

I saw an article in a newspaper yesterday in which someone was quoted as saying 'they should of known better'...


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## Purple (14 Feb 2014)

Betsy Og said:


> That's a good one, I would have been an offender had I decided to use it - although its so commonplace I think the real thing would get funny looks.
> 
> Other good ones are "damp squid" instead of "squib" - I looked this up a while back and a "squib" is a sort of explosive device, so if its damp it doesnt go off, hence the meaning "damp squib" for something that never really got going.
> 
> ...



I hear "damp squid" quite a lot and I always have to stop myself correcting it. 
Then again, words mean what people think they mean.


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## TarfHead (14 Feb 2014)

Betsy Og said:


> The classic "fulsome" which means excessively praising/insincere/brownnosing, but it commonly used to mean "thorough or wholehearted" - which can have quite funny results. e.g. "I think he deserves a fulsome commendation for his work." However its gone to the stage of being so often wrongly said that it's being interpreted the other way.


 
AFAIK, 'fulsome' is one of those words where the common mis-use has led to a revision of its meaning so that it's now OK to use it to mean "_thorough or wholehearted_"


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## Purple (14 Feb 2014)

Betsy Og said:


> Other good ones are "damp squid" instead of "squib" - I looked this up a while back and a "squib" is a sort of explosive device, so if its damp it doesnt go off, hence the meaning "damp squib" for something that never really got going.



That fits nicely in with Hoist with one's own Petard since a Petard and a Squib are essentially the same thing.


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## Brendan Burgess (14 Feb 2014)

Purple said:


> What about people saying Tenderhooks instead of  Tenterhooks?



Trust you Purple to upset the apple tart!

On doing a search for it, I find a long list on this excellent website.


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## Purple (14 Feb 2014)

brendan burgess said:


> trust you purple to upset the apple tart!


 lol


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## AgathaC (15 Feb 2014)

TarfHead said:


> Pat Kenny was talking to the author of a new book on grammar.
> 
> One thing he said surprised me.  The phrase '_just deserts_' is correct, and '_just desserts_' is not.



That is interesting. I always thought that was desserts...although desserts are (usually) nice .
Another I often notice, in papers etc, someone is described as trying to 'diffuse' a situation, instead of 'defuse'.


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## amtc (15 Feb 2014)

sea change and mine fields are others that are often mis-used....


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## mandelbrot (15 Feb 2014)

amtc said:


> sea change and mine fields are others that are often mis-used....



Do you mean misused?!


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## amtc (16 Feb 2014)

I do. I have a rather unfortunate tendency to minic my boss' s writing style to ensure he approves my documents first time.  As he is a devotee of hyphens it has obviously worked its way into my unconscious.  However I have persuaded him that in Ireland we refer to "trade unions" whereas in UK it's "trades unions"


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## Brendan Burgess (11 Mar 2014)

I have just come across this list of English misspellings on Wictionary 

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_misspellings

It might be a bit too comprehensive though.

Here are some online spelling tests

  The Guardian website, I got 4 wrong out of 20. 

This OED test is better. It pronounces the word and you have to spell it.

At the basic test, it classified most of my answers as wrong, although they were all correct bar 2. (I may have been putting in a space at the end of the word )


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## mandelbrot (11 Mar 2014)

Brendan Burgess said:


> I have just come across this list of English misspellings on Wictionary
> 
> http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_misspellings
> 
> ...



You misspelled Wiktionary there...


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## Brendan Burgess (11 Mar 2014)

Thanks Mandlebrot

Appreciate the correction. I won't misspell it again.

Brendan


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## so-crates (12 Mar 2014)

The Dukes of Hazzard have a lot to answer for... It is *moral hazard* not moral hazzard! 

(Though the image of cowboys riding rough shod over the local law enforcement who are invariably asleep and tangling with corrupt politicians is eerily appropriate...)


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## BillK (10 Apr 2014)

The phrase that riles me is "I'll try *and* do that." It should read "I'll try* to* do that."


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## Brendan Burgess (18 Apr 2014)

BillK said:


> The phrase that riles me is "I'll try *and* do that." It should read "I'll try* to* do that."



An interesting error which I might well be guilty of. I will try and avoid it in future. 

Brendan


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## WizardDr (18 Apr 2014)

Was is everybody so perpendicular about all this?


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## becky (18 Apr 2014)

WizardDr said:


> Was is everybody so perpendicular about all this?



I reckon I am guilty of a few of these so try and not be perpendicular about these types of errors. Pretty sure I say I'll try and do that instead of I'll try to do that.

That said someone saying saying "I'm use of it" instead of "I'm use to it" annoys me.


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## RainyDay (18 Apr 2014)

becky said:


> That said someone saying saying "I'm use of it" instead of "I'm use to it" annoys me.



Someone saying  "I'm use to it" instead of  "I'm used to it" annoys me.


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## Knuttell (18 Jun 2014)

Hearing more and more this phrase "rocked up" as in he rocked up to the bar and ordered a pint...seems to be the most nerdy of people using it and it is just irritating in the extreme.


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## Seagull (19 Jun 2014)

Blame it on the influx of South Africans. It's a common expression over there, but was met with blank looks over here until fairly recently.


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## Purple (1 Jul 2014)

I heard a solicitor on the radio yesterday talking about an inquest. He said a number of times that he wanted the inquest to be fulsome. 
Why would anyone want an inquest to be "complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree"?


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## geri (1 Jul 2014)

I was at a talk recently where the speaker, who was discussing charity work in Africa mentioned that she was working with health care workers at the "cold" face and then laughed saying "even though it was really hot ha ha". She nearly got away with it until she added that comment.


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## Firefly (1 Jul 2014)

geri said:


> I was at a talk recently where the speaker, who was discussing charity work in Africa mentioned that she was working with health care workers at the "cold" face and then laughed saying "even though it was really hot ha ha". She nearly got away with it until she added that comment.



...except they could of seen it coming


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## Purple (2 Jul 2014)

"Apparently" - A word added to a statement which means I think that's correct but I couldn't be arsed to check it before I post this comment. 

I use it all the time.


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## Seagull (2 Jul 2014)

Purple said:


> "Apparently" - A word added to a statement which means I think that's correct but I couldn't be arsed to check it before I post this comment.
> 
> I use it all the time.


 
It's a high quality weasel word.


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## Purple (2 Jul 2014)

Seagull said:


> It's a high quality weasel word.



Apparently so.


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## Seagull (3 Jul 2014)

I think as punishment, you should be put forward for a place in the Monty Python fish slapping sketch.


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## The_Banker (3 Jul 2014)

I should of not bought my Garth Brooks ticket for a Monday or a Tuesday!


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## Sunny (3 Jul 2014)

The_Banker said:


> I should of not bought my Garth Brooks ticket


 
There. I fixed the bit that was wrong for you.


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## bullbars (7 Jul 2014)

Latest one I had thrown at me. This person also states they went to "collage". 

" I would like to wish you all _*best if*_ luck in your upcoming..."


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## RainyDay (7 Jul 2014)

In another forum recently, I saw one person moaning about how another 'took a fence' at his actions.


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## TarfHead (7 Jul 2014)

In the RTE commentary of the Germany Nigeria World Cup game, Stephen Alkin said the game needed a goal to '_break the dreadlock_'.

In highlights of the Tour de France, screened on TG4, the Australian guy doing voiceover referred to the '_Duch and Duchess of Cambridge_'.


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## DB74 (22 Dec 2014)

Excellent, and sadly too short, article on the evolution of the English language

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/11/pronunciation-errors-english-language


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## DrMoriarty (22 Dec 2014)

I'm in the middle of marking final-year exam papers for students completing a BA in Languages. Many of these students will go on to become teachers.

I've been doing this for long enough to have got used to the typical malapropisms and spelling slips on words like "_affect/effect_", etc. and a fairly general ignorance of the use of apostrophes and other punctuation. But this year, for the first time, I came across students systematically writing things like "_dessision_" and "_nessisary_"...

Im like, OMG, like...


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## Purple (22 Dec 2014)

Were u, like, amazeballs at the hole ting?


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## Firefly (22 Dec 2014)

Purple said:


> Were u, like, amazeballs at the hole ting?



Genuinely hadn't heard of "amazeballs", but it has a certain stickiness to it though


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## Purple (22 Dec 2014)

Firefly said:


> Genuinely hadn't heard of "amazeballs", but it has a certain stickiness to it though



I hate the word/phrase. That's why I remembered it.


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## so-crates (22 Dec 2014)

Firefly said:


> Genuinely hadn't heard of "amazeballs", but it has a certain stickiness to it though



For the full effect (affect ) it is "totes amazeballs" ...


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## Firefly (22 Dec 2014)

so-crates said:


> For the full effect (affect ) it is "totes amazeballs" ...



Love it! Will use all over Christmas now


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## Purple (22 Dec 2014)

Firefly said:


> Love it! Will use all over Christmas now



Don't even think about it if I'm around and I've been drinking


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## so-crates (22 Dec 2014)

Purple said:


> Don't even think about it if I'm around and I've been drinking



Now I think we should organise AAM drinks just to watch this one


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## Purple (28 Dec 2014)

Is that a challenge???


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## Purple (19 Jan 2015)

Peter O'Mahony at the weekend kept talking about how Munster had "left" their fans down. I'm a huge fan of his but why on earth do people say "left down" instead of "let down"? It makes no sense.


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## TarfHead (19 Jan 2015)

Maybe he means the fans were 'left down in the dumps', 'left down in the slough of despond' ?

Or just 'left the competition'  ?


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## Purple (19 Jan 2015)

TarfHead said:


> Maybe he means the fans were 'left down in the dumps', 'left down in the slough of despond' ?
> 
> Or just 'left the competition'  ?


That's nasty 
I would have loved to see Munster and Ulster make it through to the knock-out stages, especially this year given that it's the first year of the new competition which was imposed by the English and French Club owners who wanted a bigger slice of the cake despite the damage they have done to European Rugby.


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## Purple (17 Feb 2015)

"Irregardless"; It's not a word. Regardless is a word.


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## Leo (17 Feb 2015)

Purple said:


> "Irregardless"; It's not a word. Regardless is a word.



But...


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