This is one of my biggest grammar pet peeves. The correct phrase is "I couldn't care less" - it's a negative statement. Otherwise you're admitting you COULD care less than you currently do about something, thus you are not yet indifferent to the subject... you actually care a little bit. If one really was admitting (s)he could care less that is a pointless statement to make.
"Oh, you COULD care less? Well... um, thanks for telling me that I guess."
What are your pet peeves?
2007-06-02 16:01:42 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Due to my accent, I accidently do say the word "pacific" instead all the time.
2007-06-02 16:04:54 · update #1
I've sometimes heard the feminine version of dude is dudette.. I think I hate that more.
2007-06-02 16:10:33 · update #2
Irregardless is a non-standard English word (i.e., a word nonetheless).
2007-06-02 16:14:54 · update #3
Speaking of apostrophes, ever notice the phrase "Do's and Don'ts"? It's not quite right... The apostrophe in the first word is not needed.
2007-06-02 16:18:06 · update #4
Saying "I swear" and "truthfully" are actually hints that the person is lying to you. I had a friend who used those words all the time and she was well-known for being a liar.
2007-06-02 16:21:12 · update #5
When someone says "pacific" instead of "specific".
or "Doesn't matter no how"
and calling a woman "dude", that really gets on my nerves.
To asker.....I'm sorry, I mean from people who actually believe the word is "pacific".
Yeah, I have heard "dudette" before also, and you're right, it is a little worse!!
2007-06-02 16:03:52 · answer #1 · answered by Amber and Parrish H 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"I could care less" is from a misanalysis of the phrase "I couldn't care less" as being an (illegal) double negative.
Of course, I've always thought of it as, "I could care less, but that's more effort than I'm willing to expend on not caring about this meaningless thing."
My personal pet peeve is failure to recognize register as being a relevant factor in the way people speak and write. This is Y!A, not a job interview. Casual speech is OK. So are typos, when they're the sort that 'check spelling' doesn't catch.
2007-06-02 16:06:52 · answer #2 · answered by Doc Occam 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I HATE the use of the words "actually" and "I believe." I agree with the couldn't care less, which drives me nuts, too. I see in emails at work (from college educated people) use of the word "irregardless" which isn't a word, and if it were, negates itself. I also see "for all intensive purposes" when they really mean "for all intents and purposes."
2007-06-02 16:07:38 · answer #3 · answered by . 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My pet peeve is people who use apostrophes to make things plural.
Apostrophes are are to show ownership: Joe's shoe.
and to make a contraction: can't instead of cannot.
Not for saying things like: chicken and jo jo's. It's jo jos, not jo jo's!
That drives me crazy! And it's everywhere! That's a third grade grammar lesson.
2007-06-02 16:10:36 · answer #4 · answered by godcr8dyou 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I get what you're saying. My pet peeve is when people use apostrophes incorrectly. [ such as when a last name ends in 's', like 'Jones'. So, if there is one Jones, say, Sam, it would be Sam Jones's. But if it is the whole family's, that would be the Jones'] when people screw that up it annoys me a lot. Don't ask me why!
2007-06-02 16:09:43 · answer #5 · answered by tall_drummer 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hey - that is a pet peeve of mine as well!!! One of mine is when people say "you" instead of "I." It's like they don't want to admit their feelings or something. For example, when describing a tragic event, "You just feel so horrible," (meaning I feel horrible) - kind of like assuming that everyone who went through that would feel the same way.
2007-06-05 09:54:05 · answer #6 · answered by AtlantaGirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate that too!
In terms of written mistakes, I hate it when people confuse "it's" and "its" or "lose" and "loose." Actually I get annoyed by the confusion of any homonyms.
I also hate it when people say that they did a "360." If you mean to say that you changed your mind and did the opposite of what you were going/would have done, then you would say that you did a 180.
I also hate:
The overuse/misuse of "like."
"Would of" instead of "would have."
"People that" instead of "people who."
There are more, but I cannot remember them at the moment.
2007-06-02 16:29:40 · answer #7 · answered by LexiSan 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Irregardless.
2007-06-02 16:06:51 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I hate when someone makes the statement "I Swear" or "I Promise" to me that means they are a liar. My yes means YES and my no means NO. I don't have to validate myself anymore than yes or no.
2007-06-02 16:14:17 · answer #9 · answered by Cat 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When people speak this way, it's like nails on a chalkboard for me.
"It don't matter to me," "That girl don't work here," or "Ever'day".
I also HATE the abbreviated words that are misspelled to be "funny" or "cute". Like "sum'om" for something.
2007-06-02 16:13:15 · answer #10 · answered by Done 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋