Pet Peeve Week: #3
Pet Peeve #3: "Libary"
I ain't no expert in the English language. I've been known to use bad grammar now and then and though I love the comma I sometimes overcompensate and under-punctuate my sentences as to make them not seem so casual or conversational. I never learned to not split infinitives. Oh, and if you're playing Scrabble, I'm not the one you want to rely on.
And I'm as guilty as anyone of making typical mistakes, like saying "all of the sudden." I've said "biweekly" when I meant "semi-weekly." I always have to think about it to avoid saying "Daylight Savings Time."
Because I'm aware of my own limited grasp of the language, I'm typically very forgiving of other people's mistakes. But one thing I cannot forgive is when people say "libary." When I hear someone say this, it makes me want to go to each of his/her former teachers, take all their money, and give it back to the school districts in which they were employed. It makes me cringe. I can never not cringe when I hear it, no matter how hard I try. Come to think of it, maybe this should have been #2...
5. Incorrect sports terminology
4. People who don't hold doors
3. "Libary"
2.
1.
Comments
Becky said:
no less than three people have axes me the in the last two days about our "libary" joke. maybe they thought we were serious, or that we didn't realize it was misspelled...
Carol said:
I just found out about the "daylight savings time" issue this last week! Why has no one told me about this before now?
Thankfully I don't often hear "libary" but I have a well educated friend that insists on "axing" questions. Drives me nuts!
Lia said:
Carol - You took mine; I hate axing people, too. Also, it seems rather painful.
Yesterday, I got a note from my nephew saying he was too "inbarast" to tell his parents something, but that, I thought, was pretty cute. Of course, he's seven. It wouldn't be cute if he was twenty-seven.
Sarah said:
The admin. in my office (remember I work at a college) says "bidness," as in, "Omar just declared bidness as his major."
Tori :) said:
People actually say "Libary"?? It drives me crazy when my husband says "What'd you do that for??" or "Why do you do that for?" instead of "Why did you do that?" or something.
S. Joanna said:
Liberry gets me, too. But I'm guilty of saying Daylight Savings Time. Fortunately, I no longer talk to many people (working from home).
The toddler says all kinds of strange things, but they're cute because he's 2.
And the husband has some pet peeves of his own -- like people saying "and whatnot" -- so I try to include that phrase as much as possible in all our communication.
Lia said:
Hang on, what's the matter with Daylight Savings Time? (I mean the phrase, not the concept.)
Lisa said:
What about people who say "prolly" instead of probably? :(
No Cool Story said:
I ain't no expert in the English language. You and me OP (or is it you and I? D'oh!)
I really really don't like "aks" and that's the truff yo.
My family/friends won't correct me when I say something wrong. I hope it's because they think it's cute and not because they want to make fun of me.
No Cool Story said:
I agree with Lia, what's wrong about "Daylight Savings Time"?
I said:
It's "Daylight Saving Time," not "Daylight Savings Time."
Jonathan said:
DST = Daylight Saving Time
no s
Jonathan said:
Dang Omar beat me to the post. Oh well I will use this opportunity to PAD
PAD PAD PAD
No Cool Story said:
AHA!!!
I googled it and it came up the right way, I just totally dismissed the lack/extra "s".
Jon said:
Look, just to be clear, we're not saving any daylight at all, we're just moving our clocks backwards and forwards. I don't even understand why this concept of saving daylight is still accepted. I really only partially tolerate it because in the fall I feel like I get to sleep in an extra hour or so for a few days. Come spring, however, and you'll see me forming picket lines in front of large clocks everywhere.
And for the record, I will not entertain any arguments that suggest DST helps conserve energy. That's just ludicrous.
Lanna Lee Maheux-Quinn
said:
Crazy thing, but biweekly means both twice a week and every other week. I checked once because there was some confusion.
From http://m-w.com:
Main Entry: bi·week·ly
Pronunciation: \(ˌ)bī-ˈwē-klē\
Function: adjective
Date: 1832
1 : occurring twice a week
2 : occurring every two weeks: fortnightly
cadiz12 said:
the problem with dictionaries is that they often integrate common mistakes after they've become common enough. i hate it when people say "i'm nauseous" instead of "i'm nauseated." hell yeah, you are, you're making ME sick! but then the dictionary added it as second reference.
same for the whole "i feel badly" thing. what, is there something wrong with the your emotional operating system? it's "i feel bad," people.
sorry for the rant, omar. seems you touched a nerve with the misspeaking thing. but the most hilarious thing is that i often use the wrong words myself, so i only discount people who try to get theirs in formal print or over the air (yeah, newscasters, i'm talking to you).
i guess what i'm saying is that everyone needs a copy editor. mostly so we'll have someone to blame.
I said:
Lanna, that's the craziest thing I've ever seen. I feel the need to write a letter to my congressman or something.
Rhonda said:
Or just start using "fortnightly"...that would get my attention!
Syar said:
There's this episode of Scrubs where the Janitor's sidekick says libary. Then he gets corrected, and then goes and says strawbrerry.
It makes me laugh still, and it reminds me of you every time.