Things That Annoy You

[NowhereInTime]

Regarding statements that sound like questions, Fresh Air's Terri Gross does that all the time!  (But I do like her interviews.)

I've noticed that JBW uses "like" all the time -- he sounds like a 55-year-old guy who longs to be 17.  It's, like, really annoying.

Hell it's annoying when 17 year olds use "like" and "dude" all the time.  "Dude! It's like, y'know, like...DUDE!!!" Good Lord.

[Nucky Nolan]

You buy a bag of Starburst fruit chews. Over half of the pieces are your least fav' flavor (out of four choices). Each bag's chews should be evenly divided. It's a petty and silly complaint, but there it is.

[Sardondi]

Usually a fan jaz, but I gotta go against you on this one.  I watched a primary debate for the US Senate last  year where both candidates repeatedly answered the questions starting with "So..".  It was amateurish (one of those people now serve the great state of CT) and sloppy.  It speaks to someone lacking the focus to command the language efficiently and it is a poor habit.  While we will never speak the "Queen's English" it is, nevertheless, our Common language and should be used efficiently.

I'm there. It is one of my principles of living that, unless and until a need to do so makes itself manifest, change is ordinarily unwelcome, and to be looked at with a jaded eye. Meaning that rules, particularly about grammar and language, serve a very proper and useful purpose and should be observed. Heck, if for nothing else than they facilitate clear and rapid communication, and minimize ambiguity and mistakes. That is why I join that hero of the English language, Winston Spencer Churchill, in believing gratuitous violation of the rules of grammar and syntax to be dangerous foolishness; and particularly object to ending a sentence with a preposition as something up with which we will not put.

I've railed before abut the epidemic of ungrammaticality running rampant regarding the horrid mis- and over-use of the subjective case of pronouns (I, he, she, it, we, they, what, and who) when used in conjunction with another word or pronoun, and the almost disappearance of the objective form of the pronouns (me, him, her, us, them and whom) under the same circumstances. And example: "Angela told Frank and I to stop with the bloody ashes already."

Now, you'll be pardoned if you look askance at the sentence and say, "Huh?". Why, it's perfectly alright....right? Wrong. The objective form is always to be used there. Meaning the correct usage is "Angela told Frank and ME to stop with the bloody ashes already." The test is, take the preceding word/person/thing out and then check how it sounds. So is, "Angela told Frank and I to stop with the bloody ashes already", correct? Of course not. It's, "Angela told Frank and ME to stop with the bloody ashes already." 

But, in one of the most beautiful examples of the Emperor's New Clothes that has ever been seen, today's talking heads and chattering classes have convinced themselves that it "sounds more educated" to always use the subjective form (I, he, she, it, we, they, what, who) - even when they were taught exactly the opposite. (Oops: only those over the age of 40 were certainly taught that: for those younger members of the glitterati it's a crapshoot whether their teachers had a clue themselves.) It makes me grind my molars to powder to hear a Simon Cowell mangle the kind of example I used, and all the while exuding supreme confidence in his "superior education". Make me puke.

Okay, this is officially waaaay too much about an inconsequential subject. Good night, all.

[stevesh]

Now, you'll be pardoned if you look askance at the sentence and say, "Huh?". Why, it's perfectly alright....right? Wrong. The objective form is always to be used there. Meaning the correct usage is "Angela told Frank and ME to stop with the bloody ashes already." The test is, take the preceding word/person/thing out and then check how it sounds. So is, "Angela told Frank and I to stop with the bloody ashes already", correct? Of course not. It's, "Angela told Frank and ME to stop with the bloody ashes already." 

Probably should be thankfull that the sentence wasn't in the now-ubiquitous moronitive form: "Angela told me and Frank to stop with the bloody ashes already." Our society has become so universally narcissistic that many (most?) people can't put someone else first in a sentence.

[Juan]

Or the verbalist moronitive form: Angela was all like telling me and Frank to like stop with the like bloody ashes and stuff already.

Orwell points out in "Politics and the English Language" the danger of language destruction.  He points to the use of language change by rising totalitarian regimes. I put a lot of "PC" into this category. 

A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm

[PB the Deplorable]

I'm usually among the first to cringe at trite sayings - especially new or recent additions that have become overdone or are grammatically incorrect - but I don't mind the trend of starting a sentence with 'so'.

To me it means something along the lines of 'given what's been discussed to this point', which is then followed either by a conclusion or another point without having to go back and restate previous comments.

[Sardondi]

...the now-ubiquitous moronitive form:...

Or the verbalist moronitive form:...

An example of posts responsible for the quite rare Immediate Follow-On Nasal Coffee Expulsion.

The burn is worth it.

[Eddie Coyle]

         My moods are so dark they are eligible to win an Image Award.

[Flaxen Hegemony]

On the subject of grammatical pet peeves, mine is the use of "since" in place of "because".  Both imply a temporal arrangement of the following two phrases, but only "because" implies causality.

Though I don't think it is grammatically incorrect, certain usage of the word "enjoy" bug me.  If enabling is "bringing ability to", and engender is "bringing existence to", shouldn't enjoy technically mean "bringing joy to"?  Sentences such as "Did you enjoy the show?" make no sense. The show cannot receive joy.  "Are you enjoying yourself?" sounds better to me.

[ItsOver]

Hey, the white icing squiggles on the new Hostess cupcakes don't look the same as the old ones.  They look larger and closer together.  Crap, can't this country get anything right anymore?  Oh well, they pretty much taste the same.  I'm sure Tommy won't notice.

[West of the Rockies]

Hey, the white icing squiggles on the new Hostess cupcakes don't look the same as the old ones.  They look larger and closer together.  Crap, can't this country get anything right anymore?  Oh well, they pretty much taste the same.  I'm sure Tommy won't notice.

Boy, talk about a modern, first-world concern:  icing squiggles!    In some countries, people are worried about finding drinking water and being beheaded by a machete-wielding moron.  Here, we're worried about some pretty mundane stuff, myself included.  Just the other day, I found myself cursing the microwave.  I'd put a bowl of chili in there, hit the one-minute button, and starting complaining about how long it was taking.

[Tinfoil Hat]

Entitled jogger a-holes that insist on running in the middle of the road...especially at 5 AM. Sheesh pal, you were one inch away from a nice little park you could exercize in until you fall over from exhaustion. Thanks for making me swerve into the other lane to avoid hitting you. Do you have absolutely no sense of self-preservation?

I try to be hopeful, but I keep seeing more and more of this stupidity as time goes by...

[Juan]

The fact that Bieber is in town tonight and thousands of pre- and barely pubescent girls are downtown waving signs.

[onan]

The fact that Bieber is in town tonight and thousands of pre- and barely pubescent girls are downtown waving signs.

I can't begin to explain the contempt I have for that little shit. I have only slightly less for the people that are his fans.

[NowhereInTime]

Entitled jogger a-holes that insist on running in the middle of the road...especially at 5 AM. Sheesh pal, you were one inch away from a nice little park you could exercize in until you fall over from exhaustion. Thanks for making me swerve into the other lane to avoid hitting you. Do you have absolutely no sense of self-preservation?

I try to be hopeful, but I keep seeing more and more of this stupidity as time goes by...

And those pretentious, leotard wearing cyclist d-bags!  Stop telling me how it's your road and you have right of way!  Your helmet makes you look like a penis and do I really need to see your fruit salad as you pedal?!? Piss off!!

[ItsOver]

Boy, talk about a modern, first-world concern:  icing squiggles!    In some countries, people are worried about finding drinking water and being beheaded by a machete-wielding moron.  Here, we're worried about some pretty mundane stuff, myself included.  Just the other day, I found myself cursing the microwave.  I'd put a bowl of chili in there, hit the one-minute button, and starting complaining about how long it was taking.

Hey, if we can't figure out how to do icing sqiggles and chili right, it's no wonder we can't solve the world's problems.

[Tinfoil Hat]

And those pretentious, leotard wearing cyclist d-bags!  Stop telling me how it's your road and you have right of way!  Your helmet makes you look like a penis and do I really need to see your fruit salad as you pedal?!? Piss off!!

I couldn't agree more. When I used to walk everywhere, those douches were riding on the sidewalk. Since I started driving, they're now on the road. The rule should be they can only ride on the road if they can go as fast as traffic and obey traffic laws.

[ItsOver]

And those pretentious, leotard wearing cyclist d-bags!  Stop telling me how it's your road and you have right of way!  Your helmet makes you look like a penis and do I really need to see your fruit salad as you pedal?!? Piss off!!

I'd like to pelt them with my squiggle-defective cupcakes.....but they taste so damn good.

[Nucky Nolan]

Entitled jogger a-holes that insist on running in the middle of the road...especially at 5 AM. Sheesh pal, you were one inch away from a nice little park you could exercize in until you fall over from exhaustion. Thanks for making me swerve into the other lane to avoid hitting you. Do you have absolutely no sense of self-preservation?

I try to be hopeful, but I keep seeing more and more of this stupidity as time goes by...

It's bad here too. You see bikers and pedestrians at all hours of the day. Some of the streets are pitch black at night. They have next to no illumination. Bikers and joggers seem to love these places. They'll dart out in front of your car at times. You have to carefully watch your surroundings. You never know when you'll have a close call with one of the burglars(?)/zombies. They tend to wear dark clothing. Their bikes have no lights or reflectors. It's like they have a death wish of some kind, or they might want to sue somebody who can't see well in the dark. No time is safe, as you'll encounter these vampires at 3:00 AM when you have to make a "we're-out-of-coffee" grocery run.

[ItsOver]

It's bad here too. You see bikers and pedestrians at all hours of the day. Some of the streets are pitch black at night. They have next to no illumination. Bikers and joggers seem to love these places. They'll dart out in front of your car at times. You have to carefully watch your surroundings. You never know when you'll have a close call with one of the burglars(?)/zombies. They tend to wear dark clothing. Their bikes have no lights or reflectors. It's like they have a death wish of some kind, or they might want to sue somebody who can't see well in the dark. No time is safe, as you'll encounter these vampires at 3:00 AM when you have to make a "we're-out-of-coffee" grocery run.

Same issue here.  I'd swear some of them DO have a death wish.  I'll see cyclists on busy city streets, taking up entire lanes, riding as if they're cruising in an Escalade.  Rights or not, It just doesn't make any sense to me.  No way I'm riding a bike in competition with several ton vehicles that are going many times faster. 

I enjoy riding my bike but if I do it at night, it's with a bright LED on the handlebar and blinking LED's all over the bike.  Plus, I try to stick to bike paths or little traveled side streets with a lower speed limit and stay well out of the path of cars.  What's next, cyclists cleared to ride on freeways???

[bateman]

Same issue here.  I'd swear some of them DO have a death wish.  I'll see cyclists on busy city streets, taking up entire lanes, riding as if they're cruising in an Escalade.  Rights or not, It just doesn't make any sense to me.  No way I'm riding a bike in competition with several ton vehicles that are going many times faster. 

I enjoy riding my bike but if I do it at night, it's with a bright LED on the handlebar and blinking LED's all over the bike.  Plus, I try to stick to bike paths or little traveled side streets with a lower speed limit and stay well out of the path of cars.  What's next, cyclists cleared to ride on freeways???

Even worse are the pedestrians in New York wandering through crosswalks, seemingly without a care in the world, when the sign is flashing DO NOT WALK. I try to scare them with the horn sometimes, but they rarely even flinch, which only serves to enrage me even more.

[bateman]

Restaurant service that's either careless or obsequious.

[bateman]

I can't begin to explain the contempt I have for that little shit. I have only slightly less for the people that are his fans.

So much this. I find myself gritting my teeth reading about whatever his latest obnoxious escapade happens to be. If he wasn't constantly surrounded by 300 lb linebacker bodyguards, he'd have his face pounded into cement in a nanosecond.

[HorrorRetro]

The constant use of the word "amazing" these days.  It seems to be used constantly by women in their 20s, and they always stretch out the word.  "The cheesecake was amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!" 

[ItsOver]

Even worse are the pedestrians in New York wandering through crosswalks, seemingly without a care in the world. I try to scare them with the horn sometimes, but they rarely even flinch, which only serves to enrage me even more.

I call them "dumb people with smart phones."    I'm close to some areas that have crosswalks where cars are SUPPOSED to stop for any pedestrian that's crossing.  I'm always amazed to watch some clueless individual just launch into a crosswalk without looking out for any vehicles that may NOT be slowing down and stopping.  They just assume the car's going to stop.  I guess they think they're surrounded by a protective force field.  :

[ItsOver]

The constant use of the word "amazing" these days.  It seems to be used constantly by women in their 20s, and they always stretch out the word.  "The cheesecake was amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!" 

Hahaha...   They apparently know only two words for expressing pleasure.  "Amazing" and, the one that drives me up the wall, "awesome." 

[Nucky Nolan]

Same issue here.  I'd swear some of them DO have a death wish.  I'll see cyclists on busy city streets, taking up entire lanes, riding as if they're cruising in an Escalade.  Rights or not, It just doesn't make any sense to me.  No way I'm riding a bike in competition with several ton vehicles that are going many times faster. 

I enjoy riding my bike but if I do it at night, it's with a bright LED on the handlebar and blinking LED's all over the bike.  Plus, I try to stick to bike paths or little traveled side streets with a lower speed limit and stay well out of the path of cars.  What's next, cyclists cleared to ride on freeways???

Don't give them any ideas. The passing lanes are slow enough now. That's a subject that deserves its own thread. Yeah, cities and towns should invest in parks and paths for bikers, runners, skaters, etc.. It might save a lot of grief down the road (no pun). I don't mind bicyclists if they're cognizant and courteous. I'm not a fan of the daredevils attempting suicide by ADD motorist. Unfortunately, they seem to congregate in our neighborhood.

[jazmunda]

Television advertisements that are much louder than the TV show you are watching. Happens on radio now too.

[ItsOver]

Don't give them any ideas. The passing lanes are slow enough now. That's a subject that deserves its own thread. Yeah, cities and towns should invest in parks and paths for bikers, runners, skaters, etc.. It might save a lot of grief down the road (no pun). I don't mind bicyclists if they're cognizant and courteous. I'm not a fan of the daredevils attempting suicide by ADD motorist. Unfortunately, they seem to congregate in our neighborhood.

That's a scary combination... death wish cyclists on the same road with drivers playing with their smart phones.  I grew up in a small town where a "bike path" was either the sidewalk or a self-created worn trail in a local park.  Then again, as a kid, I wasn't riding some tricked-out, multi-geared, mega dollar alloy creation.  It was something like a Huffy which I cruised WAY to the side of the street or on the sidewalk. There's just a very real reality gap with cyclists on busy city streets acting as if they're just another multi-ton vehicle.  They must have the same grasp of physics possessed by the noted Jorch Noorie.  :

[bateman]

These prices