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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:44 am Post subject: |
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A TEFL pet peeve: "I interviewed with X school" as opposed to "X school interviewed me". |
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notamiss
Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 908 Location: El 5o pino del la CDMX
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:01 am Post subject: |
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1. �Lie� in its meaning of �to assume a horizontal position� has disappeared from popular speech. It seems that everyone says �lay down� [intransitive] instead. I challenge you to find anyone using it correctly on any video on the internet.
2. �Amazing� used as an inarticulate substitute for �very good,� �wonderful,� �excellent,� etc. instead of its real (or perhaps I should say former) meaning of �causing sudden surprise or wonder.� Our relationship is amazing. He is amazing. We had an amazing day. The discussion was amazing. The show was amazing. That song is amazing. Etc. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:36 am Post subject: |
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Quote: |
A TEFL pet peeve: "I interviewed with X school" as opposed to "X school interviewed me". |
Sasha,
You have something against passive usage?
One of my big peeves is students telling me they want to 'level up'. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:40 am Post subject: |
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You know what I hated (past tense, I got used to it)? Prefacing everything with "Mebbe" (maybe), even when what was "MAYBE" was etched in stone. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:42 am Post subject: |
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By the way, that's in China. |
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tosca100
Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:14 am Post subject: |
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My absolute favourite is LIKE used as a filler about 10 times in each sentence
Oh yeah he was like...... and she was like ..... and then they were like ........... and then I was like wow ......
Drives me nuts |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:30 am Post subject: |
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Like I know what you, like, mean! |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:39 am Post subject: |
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gaijinalways wrote: |
Quote: |
A TEFL pet peeve: "I interviewed with X school" as opposed to "X school interviewed me". |
Sasha,
You have something against passive usage?
One of my big peeves is students telling me they want to 'level up'. |
I have no issue with passives. I think the following sentence is fine: I was interviewed by the school.
The active statement 'I interviewed with the school' always strikes me as though the candidate is attempting 'to take ownership' (another peeve of mine) of the selection process and present himself as an equal of the interviewer. There is rarely such equality - the interviewer is the top-dog and no trendy babble is going to change anything - apart from leaving me peeved! |
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winthorpe
Joined: 21 Oct 2009 Posts: 21
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:54 am Post subject: |
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notamiss wrote: |
2. �Amazing� used as an inarticulate substitute for �very good,� �wonderful,� �excellent,� etc. instead of its real (or perhaps I should say former) meaning of �causing sudden surprise or wonder.� |
On dictionary.com, the second definition of "wonderful" is: of a sort that causes or arouses wonder; amazing; astonishing.
Do you disagree with that definition, and if not, why can't "amazing" be a synonym of "wonderful?"
The use of "very" is one of my pet peeves, because every writing teacher of mine in high school and college told me to never use it.
I assume that "very unique," "most unique" or any modifier of unique has been mentioned as a pet peeve? |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:57 am Post subject: |
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Another TEFL peeve: 'illicit' for 'elicit', as in 'elicit vocabulary from the students'. The thought of students having 'illicit vocabulary' infuriates me! |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:58 am Post subject: |
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Plural of 'forum'. Everybody knows it's 'fora'!
Last edited by Sashadroogie on Tue Apr 20, 2010 6:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:01 am Post subject: |
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'I was stood/sat there.' Bizarre structure uttered by the lower orders to convey the meaning of 'was standing/sitting'. Typical Coronation St. peeve. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:55 am Post subject: |
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Once again, my contribution from the lower orders:
The fixin' to future.
'I'm fixin to git up and fix suppah.'
' I was just fixin to do that.'
Related to 'going to,' but more immediate.
Uttered most often by folks livin' in trailers, I believe...though I've heard it from people who should really know better, based on education and social status. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 11061 Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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The phrase 'to coin a phrase', nearly always used to mean to quote someone else's phrase, rather than really coining one. In fact, I'm no langer sure what it really means and makes me feel peevish. |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258
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Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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I decided to look it up, I thought I knew what it meant.
Quote: |
'To coin a phrase' is now rarely used with its original 'invent a new phrase' meaning but is almost always used ironically to introduce a banal or clich�d sentiment. |
(I added the bold type.)
I've heard it used by people, but I really never thought they were using it ironically, I think they were using it incorrectly. In fact, I've NEVER heard anybody truly "coin a phrase" and then take note of it. |
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