Phrases you can't stand...

Associate
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That's true as well, though I don't mind a lot of Americanisms to be fair, they can go well with the accent depending on where it is, I have a lot of family over there so I'm used to talking to Americans in a highly respectful way. There's never any problems in everyday conversation, it's just the examples I made are a bit grating, but there's plenty of British phrases and accents especially that don't work well over there either, they have a lot of trouble understanding many of Britain's more regional accents.

Cracked me up seeing the old Ken Loach film Kes in America with subtitles, it's set in Barnsley, not exactly Gorbals in terms of how the strong the accent is but they still need subtitles for it.
 
Man of Honour
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would have, could have, etc. It's just nonsense and shows that the writer hasn't thought through what they're saying at all

Like you, few things wind me up as much as would have, could have etc., but while acknowledging that those that do it are as dumb as all get out, I feel that a lot of them are typing what they think they’ve heard.
It doesn’t make them less dumb, but it’s a credible explanation for why they do it.
If someone says I should’ve of or I could’ve, it SOUNDS like I should have or I could have, so that’s why a lot of the morons blindly type the wrong version.
I think that anyone who points out that it should be should have and not should have shouldn’t be labelled as a grammar Nazi, but lauded as an educator, an invigilator if you will.
 
Soldato
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Like you, few things wind me up as much as would have, could have etc., but while acknowledging that those that do it are as dumb as all get out, I feel that a lot of them are typing what they think they’ve heard.
It doesn’t make them less dumb, but it’s a credible explanation for why they do it.
If someone says I should’ve of or I could’ve, it SOUNDS like I should have or I could have, so that’s why a lot of the morons blindly type the wrong version.
I think that anyone who points out that it should be should have and not should have shouldn’t be labelled as a grammar Nazi, but lauded as an educator, an invigilator if you will.
Agreed. I understand why people do it, but 30 seconds of thinking would make them realise that it's clearly wrong
 
Associate
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I can't really think of any valid excuse for 'could have, would have' etc.

It happens so much that its like they aren't teaching English at schools anymore.

In fact there's been several articles in the media recently where employers are complaining that kids that have just finished school fully lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, and that they have to train them on these things if they do take them on.

'Writing how you speak' - I've heard this excuse since I went to uni and even there students would use it to excuse theirs and others completely atrocious written grammar. And then nowadays lots of teachers get in trouble for some kind of racism or such if they try to correct student's written grammar.

People from other parts of the world that self teach themselves English as a second language, still end up speaking and writing much better within a year or two, than most that have gone through the UK education system.
 
Associate
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Well, as an English teacher I can assure you that pupils are all corrected on their spelling and grammar. It is a rigid part of the KS1/2/3 curriculum and plays a major part in GCSE and A level exams.

What worries me is when Universities come out with rubbish like: "It's elitist to penalise poor spelling." Morons!
 
Associate
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Well, as an English teacher I can assure you that pupils are all corrected on their spelling and grammar. It is a rigid part of the KS1/2/3 curriculum and plays a major part in GCSE and A level exams.

What worries me is when Universities come out with rubbish like: "It's elitist to penalise poor spelling." Morons!

Being corrected on a test isn't the same thing as being taught.

You teach a person once that its written 'could've', meaning 'could have', and that its never 'could have', and there you go, that's that problem taken care of.
 
Soldato
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Touch base has now become a thing in the engineering sector and I hate it with a passion!

The email I got this morning about a NRO was,

I think all technicians should have a pre start meeting to touch base with any issues or risks before commencing work...

It's called having a toolbox talk, it's been called that since the industrial revolution, stopping bringing in gimmicky sentences in
 
Soldato
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Touch base has now become a thing in the engineering sector and I hate it with a passion!

The email I got this morning about a NRO was,

I think all technicians should have a pre start meeting to touch base with any issues or risks before commencing work...

It's called having a toolbox talk, it's been called that since the industrial revolution, stopping bringing in gimmicky sentences in
Gatekeeping touch base with "toolbox talk" :cry::cry::cry:
 
Associate
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4 Jun 2020
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I remember when I first got an email with 'Ciao' at the bottom of it and never knew it was the term a lot of people use for bye pronounced as 'chow'.

Who even puts that at the end of written communication?
 
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