Funny/annoying grammatical mistakes and odd neologisms

arky said:
I didn't read all the posts, so I don't know if this has already been mentioned.

When did it become proper punctuation to put a comma just before the word "and" when finishing a list of items in a sentence ? (for example - I like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream.)

I thought the reason to use "and" was to signify the end of the list.
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The "Oxford Comma" has been proper punctuation for ages.

oxford-comma.jpg
 
Excellent example, and really funny images!

Ha
 
But if you "invited the stripper, JFK, and Stalin," it would be ambiguous the other way around!
 
Or a somewhat different party.

(One of my two majors was Linguistics, and I love wordplay and syntactical ambiguity. When writing, though, I choose my words carefully and avoid unintended ambiguity.)
 
I don't watch the local news because they make so many annoying mistakes. I read and post here on my iPod touch while Lena watches it.

A real funny and weird thing is that although I'm totally ignoring the TV, I notice the errors. Just a minute ago they said "the courthouse lawn was overtaken by protestors," and without thinking I said "'taken over' not 'overtaken.'" I don't even realize I'm doing it.

But then I watch the weatherman because I think maybe he is a little drunk. He always slurs a few words.
 
I love on Craig'sList when people advertise for Plutonic Friendships. I guess some of the people very well could be from outer space....
 
"for all intensive purposes, a vary interesting story" (an actual trip report from an employee)
 
My big problem is with the word 'Sierras' when referring to the mountain range in California. It is "Sierra". Sierra is already plural and does not need an 's' at the end.
 
Indigo Mule said:
The "Oxford Comma" has been proper punctuation for ages.

oxford-comma.jpg
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If you need a comma before the "and" to properly convey your meaning, then the sentence is improperly formed to begin with. Instead, say "JFK, Stalin and the strippers".
 
I once had a friend that pronounced more than one shrimp as "swimps". She could never figure out why I was always smiling/laughing whenever she discussed them. The funny/sad thing about her is that she was a talented/gifted elementary school teacher.:(
 
The elementary school near us has a board outside with a saying on it. 20% of the time there is a typo. This month it says:

"No good deed, how ever small, ..."

IOW, however is written as two words. There's something depressing about an error like that at a school -- did no one notice?
 
mickeyd said:
I once had a friend that pronounced more than one shrimp as "swimps". She could never figure out why I was always smiling/laughing whenever she discussed them. The funny/sad thing about her is that she was a talented/gifted elementary school teacher.:(
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That's Gullah, Mickey! The seafood sellers in Charleston would shout that they had swimps for sale, plus other fresh-caught delicacies.
Each section of our most famous cookbook Charleston Receipts has a short Gullah phrase, including these two:
The meat section: Ef dey ain’ bin no meat pun’ de table, de dinnuh ain’ wut!
And the fish section's introduction is a recipe in itself:E hab uh hebby pan full uh mullet, en’ ‘e hab swimp en’ crab all two, en’ ‘e hab hominy en’ ting

I can say a few stories in the Gullah dialect, but it is mostly lost to the oral history tradition that fades when the speakers grow older.
 
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Chuckanut said:
My big problem is with the word 'Sierras' when referring to the mountain range in California. It is "Sierra". Sierra is already plural and does not need an 's' at the end.
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Sierra is actually single, but it does mean mountain range. You could have more than one range. :angel:
 
Chuckanut said:
My big problem is with the word 'Sierras' when referring to the mountain range in California. It is "Sierra". Sierra is already plural and does not need an 's' at the end.
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You are much better off not knowing things like this, because the misuse is never going to end.
 
Sarah in SC said:
That's Gullah, Mickey! The seafood sellers in Charleston would shout that they had swimps for sale, plus other fresh-caught delicacies.
Each section of our most famous cookbook Charleston Receipts has a short Gullah phrase, including these two:
The meat section: Ef dey ain’ bin no meat pun’ de table, de dinnuh ain’ wut!
And the fish section's introduction is a recipe in itself:E hab uh hebby pan full uh mullet, en’ ‘e hab swimp en’ crab all two, en’ ‘e hab hominy en’ ting

I can say a few stories in the Gullah dialect, but it is mostly lost to the oral history tradition that fades when the speakers grow older.
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Thanks for introducing me to Gullah Sarah. I'm now smarter than when I logged on a few minutes ago. BTW my friend pronounced a single prawn as "shrimp" yet two of them would be "swimps"...
 
Sadly, all of the common ones mentioned drive me up the wall. I guess I'm OCD for grammar. And for clothes hangers to be hung the right way on the rod instead of backward. :(
 
I enjoyed reading that one side effect of a supplement was "squeamishness." I guess it makes you not want to look at worms.
 
palomalou said:
Sadly, all of the common ones mentioned drive me up the wall. I guess I'm OCD for grammar.
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Hey, a language is either evolving or dying.

I'd rather change the rules than end up in the dustbin of lost languages.
 
Al, your habit of paying attention to language used in news broadcasts is rubbing off on me! I caught this bit last night:

A tailpipe was sent flying down the road hitting cars and finally crashed into a driver's front windshield missing her face by inches. The announcer said that the "incident could have been potentially very serious."

:facepalm:

Audrey
 
audreyh1 said:
Al, your habit of paying attention to language used in news broadcasts is rubbing off on me!
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Sorry about that!

Last night: "...they made a search party for the missing woman."
 
audreyh1 said:
Al, your habit of paying attention to language used in news broadcasts is rubbing off on me! I caught this bit last night:
A tailpipe was sent flying down the road hitting cars and finally crashed into a driver's front windshield missing her face by inches. The announcer said that the "incident could have been potentially very serious."
:facepalm:
Audrey
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TromboneAl said:
Sorry about that!
Last night: "...they made a search party for the missing woman."
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I think the root cause of the problem is that you guys are watching news broadcasts.

Or at least the ones not anchored by Jon Stewart.
 
TromboneAl said:
Sorry about that!

Last night: "...they made a search party for the missing woman."
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I must be dense, but what is the flaw here? How to better express what we all must understand- what they did, and why? Newscasters aren't lexicographers.
 
more fun with commas:

a baseball headline currently at USA Today: "Matt Bush, former No. 1 overall pick, charged with hit-and-run"

their next headline: "Kendrys Morales returns to Angels, hits and runs well"
 
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