Saturday, May 5, 2007

Words

I've always been particular about grammar, spelling and the use of words. My secretarial training enforced this.

There are certain words and phrases that when used improperly drive me crazy. The most common combination is, "different than" when it should be "different from". I don't remember how this was drilled into me in elementary school, or what method was used by Sister, but I cringe whenever someone says, "different than".

The other day I was listening to John Gambling on the radio. Several times in discussing the Republican debate he mentioned the podiums. I was so tempted to call his show to inform him that the plural of podium is podia, but I couldn't because I was driving my car.

Another phrase that annoys me is, "between you and I". You would say, "between us", not "between we". "I" should be "me" which is the objective case.

The word "healthy" is misused when referring to food. Healthy is defined as having good health, showing or resulting from good health. Food that is good for you is "healthful".

I could go on and on with these examples, but I'll end with a few words I heard on TV. Someone was describing where they had been with the words, "had went".

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cathy, I just caught up on your musings. I was away for awhile. I like Rosie. She should be more careful about her strong opinions. Try sharing them in a gentler fashion. She's caring and generous. And wrong at times.
I try to be careful about choosing the right word. Did you ever send an email, reread it afterwards, and pick up on an error? I figure that people should be pleased that I wrote, and forgiving about my mistakes. Mistakes happen! Love yoy! ms/sss

Anonymous said...

"Love yoy!" was not planned, but wasn't it appropriate? Giggle. Giggle.
ms/sss