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Pet Peeves
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 4:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

By the way, that's in China.
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tosca100



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Paris, France

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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 Evil or Very Mad
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gaijinalways



Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like I know what you, like, mean! Laughing
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

'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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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

PostPosted: Fri Mar 12, 2010 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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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