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What's your Pet Hate?


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I hate it when you go a concert and the person in front of you insists on pulling out their camera phone every five seconds, holding it above their head, trying to take a decent picture in the dark of someone on stage at the other end of the arena. In fact, I look around and there's hundreds of them! Big pet hate that!!

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'Monies' is archaic/legal, Dr Shoe, and I do not disagree that it is otiose (= superflous/unnecessary - and therefore a self-descriptive word!). 'People' only means the same as 'persons' in a couple of senses, e.g. to describe/identify in general terms a group of individuals. Persons is the more appropriate term when stressing number of bodies (as in 'Maximum load 6 persons') or personality. Human beings are 'natural persons' and companies are 'artifical persons' (not 'people') in law. I'm never sure why hunters, naturalists etc usually refer to most animals in the singular, even when there are a number of them, as in 'I saw several lion and two zebra'. An affectation?

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I hate it when you go a concert and the person in front of you insists on pulling out their camera phone every five seconds, holding it above their head, trying to take a decent picture in the dark of someone on stage at the other end of the arena.

In fact, I look around and there's hundreds of them!

Big pet hate that!!

I know, they always spoil my camera phone pictures...

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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People who refer to their wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/lover as "My Partner" Blimey, I find that so "Cold" and "Generic" as if they are ashamed of them that they refer to them in a most generic and un-describing manner. People talk about their own work friends in much warmer ways, yet their own family are referred to as a "partner" Its beyond politically correct, its just plain rude, and often spoils the context of a conversation too ;-)

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In response to all the grammatical pet peeves, being 18 and geeky. I do all that. I say "I is tired" instead of "I am tired". I will use "like" in a sentence a lot. I use internet phrases, and many more grammatical imperfections. Personally I view this as a generational thing. It's just something I do naturally, as do my friends. However, there is a time and a place for grammatical perfection and I find that people who don't understand that are annoying. However, I do not fault the act itself of grammatical imperfections in casual conversation.

One of my goals in life is to have enough disposable income to purchase a pair of Christian Louboutin's.

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I really do think that English is heading for a state where we have "formal english" and "casual english"... and that's something else that gets on my tits... no pictures though! lol

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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People who refer to their wife/girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/lover as "My Partner"

Blimey, I find that so "Cold" and "Generic" as if they are ashamed of them that they refer to them in a most generic and un-describing manner.

People talk about their own work friends in much warmer ways, yet their own family are referred to as a "partner"

Its beyond politically correct, its just plain rude, and often spoils the context of a conversation too ;-)

It's not a pet hate of mine, but I find the expressions strange. Such as "better half" "other half" "significant other" "her indoors". It seems more polite to me to refer to them by their name.

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I don't like "Other half" or "significant other" at all. I much prefer wife, girlfriend or fiancee much better... Or how about "Love Of My Life"? I have just come across another pet hate: People who say "pacifically" when they mean "Specifically"... the Pacific is an ocean you fools!

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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I really do think that English is heading for a state where we have "formal english" and "casual english"... and that's something else that gets on my tits... no pictures though! lol

That has always been the case. In fact, I would suggest that there are three forms:

'standard English', which is what we are taught and use generally. It may be considered over-formal in some respects when used in certain situations but it is never truly 'wrong'.

'informal English', which is used in ordinary conversation (colloquially) and often employs idiom (and, increasingly, simplification and abbreviation of the type found in 'textspeak').

'legal or archaic English', which is a form of jargon used in its place, usually for reasons of tradition or precision but sometimes for effect.

The problem is that many people, particular those younger, fail to appreciate that there is a time and place for each of these. 'Informal English' has grown in extent, divergence and popularity and will no doubt continue to do so. But it doesn't grow as quickly or as dramatically as many would believe or wish, nor can it totally replace standard or even legal English in their correct places. What is fine in casual conversation can look odd in writing (even in a totally informal context) and can sometimes make an intelligent person look ignorant, vague or sloppy. A job-applicant will no more get very far with a written application framed in textspeak or some other totally informal style than he would when turning up for interview dressed in grubby and untidy clothes, whatever their style. (And, before you disagree, consider honestly your reaction if you were the employer.)

Rant over! :w00t2:

I have just come across another pet hate: People who say "pacifically" when they mean "Specifically"... the Pacific is an ocean you fools!

Yes, indeed! Also solecisms such as 'skelington', 'chimbley', 'nothink' (or 'nuffink'). And, as a lorry driver, I'm sure Dr Shoe knows than his 'artic' is not the area around the North Pole (unless of course he is on the A219 at Wood Lane). ;-)

And a couple that I forgot earlier:

Someone wanting to 'grow the business' (rather than expand, increase or improve it). One can grow a plant, or a beard, but nothing else that I can think of; a business can grow but it cannot be grown. Marketing-speak, of course, and therefore doubly objectionable!

A UK (as distinct from US) university 'graduating' its students. They will graduate but (unlike a thermometer etc) cannot be graduated.

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If you guys are hung up on the variations in the English language, then take a look at Ebonics. (Black English, African American Vernacular English)

And, believe it or not, there is a group of people in some of the larger urban areas of the US that propose to make any employer that rejects anyone for a job, based on the fact that they speak only Ebonics, a race crime. (Politically Correct?)

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Ridiculous!!! I don't think anyone would reject anybody on the grounds that they can't speak english too well, there would be other rasons. Otherwise most of the poles in the UK would be jobless...

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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Ridiculous!!!

I don't think anyone would reject anybody on the grounds that they can't speak english too well, there would be other rasons. Otherwise most of the poles in the UK would be jobless...

Depends on the job. Most poles in the UK seem to be builders (Good ones too ;-)) so the ability to speak clear and fluent english isnt too much of a problem, as long as they "get the jist" of what you want done, they seem happy to work like dogs to get it done really well.

If on the other hand, your employing telesales people, customer service rep's, support staff etc... then forget it, language and communication is going to be one of the highest requirements, plus of course, you have to be able to be understood by your companies customers, not alienate them..

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One pet hate of mine is when people spell the word "accept" as "except"...Ugh

I don't know, I except that mistake personally. ;-)

One of my goals in life is to have enough disposable income to purchase a pair of Christian Louboutin's.

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they seem happy to work like dogs to get it done really well.

They go to work overseas because even simple dishwashing or building in England earns them a better salary than working as a doctor, scientist or teacher in Poland. Sad but true.

What is good for a goose, can be good for any gender!

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One pet hate of mine is when people spell the word "accept" as "except"...Ugh

I have a simila pet peeve..... confusing the words affect and effect. Affect = 'make a difference to.' Effect = 'make a result' or 'bring about (a result).'

Being mentally comfortable in your own mind is the key to wearing heels in public.

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I have a simila pet peeve..... confusing the words affect and effect. Affect = 'make a difference to.' Effect = 'make a result' or 'bring about (a result).'

I quite agree, although sometimes either word would make sense and the true meaning of the message may be clouded, e.g. 'Following the bad workmanship, completion of the task was affected/effected.'. Was the job finished; if so, was it well done or not? In such cases, it is always best to paraphrase to remove any anomaly.

In similar vein: 'appraise' (= to value) being misused for 'apprise' (= to inform). What then of 'His work has been excellent; his boss should appraise/apprise him accordingly.' Is his boss to evaluate him or just tell him, or indeed both? (OK, a little contrived; better examples exist!)

Those who share my enjoyment (yes, really!) of the English language and its development, structure and quirks are recommended to the eminently readable The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language by David Crystal (Cambridge University Press, 1995).

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I don't like "Other half" or "significant other" at all. I much prefer wife, girlfriend or fiancee much better... Or how about "Love Of My Life"?

I have just come across another pet hate: People who say "pacifically" when they mean "Specifically"... the Pacific is an ocean you fools!

Ah yes, but some people learn better from the context of the spoken word rather from books, and the spoken word isn't always clear. It can be very comical, I agree, but not always foolish. Just circumstance.

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My pet hate is spending a small fortune on a pair of size 9 shoes from stores such as "faith" and finding they don't fit. Finding out to late that the size 8 from Matalan actually fits (They sell the end of line shoes for as little as a fiver- worth a gamble to see if they fit) then having to travel around the north west looking for a store which still has stock of the style I want. James

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I hate people who cannot use apotrophes properly. You know when they write "Apple's" and then write "the boys name was" and people who don't use the collective apostrophy properly. They write Bird's eggs instead of birds' eggs. I have actually seen Birds Egg's on a sigwritten board!!!

Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.

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I hate people who cannot use apotrophes properly. You know when they write "Apple's" and then write "the boys name was" and people who don't use the collective apostrophy properly. They write Bird's eggs instead of birds' eggs. I have actually seen Birds Egg's on a sigwritten board!!!

I wondered when this would come up! Yes, apostrophe abuse is a disgusting habit and all too prevalent; I blame sloppy teaching. These are my worst offenders (of many):

(a) writing it’s instead of its when meaning ‘belonging to it’ (as distinct from ‘it is/it was’);

(;-) writing the possessive form of a singular ‘possessor’ that end in s as s’ instead of s’s (as in Charles’ book instead ofCharles’s book). [in speech, most people would use the latter form unless being careless or intentionally lazy – so why not in writing? We can and do enunciate, for example, princesses, without trouble, so we can equally say and write princess’s.]

My all-time favourite of multiple abuse (not just of the apostrophe) was seen on the blackboard outside a sleazy café that stated:

TOODAYS SPECiAL – CURRiE & CHiP’S

(and the & was also reversed!)

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I was reminded of a pet hate just today. Folks who call you on the phone, they have the wrong number, and act like it's your fault. They demand to know who you are, and think it's inconceivable that they could have the wrong number. Sometimes they even get accusatory and assume you must have stolen somebody's cell phone (yes, I've had people accuse me of that) or somehow it's your responsibility to give them the right number. Somebody kept calling for somebody else at my number at work today, and even after I told them twice they had the wrong number, and let it go into voice mail when the same caller ID came up again, they still called back for a 4th time, at which point I finally had to ask "Robert WHO?". Somebody in another building.;-)

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One of my greatest annoyances is being phoned by people who want to sell you things that you are absolutely not interested in. I usually tell them immediately that I don't buy anything by telephone but a significant fraction is so stupid as to not understand that. One reaction is: "Just a moment please" and then I put the phone down and go do something else. I also think it is rather ironic that I have to explain to a woman the meaning of the word "no". (that was the most recent one). The worst I encountered recently was a call center that rings your phone and when you pick it up, you get to hear: "One moment please, you are being connected with your referent". And when you just hang up, they keep doing this every day till you don't. Y.

Raise your voice. Put on some heels.

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