(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Make no mistake. Don’t I wish! [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-10-09  

Language isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be, and in that sense we must guard against its being misspoken, its being miswritten and perhaps most importantly, its being misconstrued. That will require our, if you will, watching our diction and paying really close attention. Like we don’t have more important matters to concern ourselves with. Okay, I get it. Ahem. As I was saying …

Double negatives

A most fitting case in point. Take, for example, the first stanza in the chorus part of the hit Pink Floyd song: “Brick In The Wall,” which is as follows: “We don’t need no education.” (Disclosure: when I hear that, I laugh every time).

Now imagine if the lyric had been: “We don’t need an education.” Though I would be inclined to disagree, at least where sentence structure is concerned, it does pass muster. And, rest assured, in that, I could take comfort.

So, what went wrong? I present a few of the more common miscommunications below. Some may even make you laugh.

“Where’s it @?” Huh?

One of the more common mistakes — particularly in spoken English — is when application of some word that shouldn’t even be inserted is, like in the case of: “Where’re you located at?” Or, just simply, “Where you at?” Ouch! The “at” part, it’s become so commonly used, that if this isn’t nipped in the bud, Bud, it will one day, I’m afraid, become the accepted usage.

So, watch those adverbs, will you?!

It’s the same thing with what has become our seemingly common practice of failing to include “ly” at the end of adverbs, as can plainly be seen in this declarative: “Drive safe.” You get the idea.

Conjunction malfunction

Then there’s the “from-to”and “between-and” mixup. It seems as though we’ve really gotten complacent with this practice.

I hear many say things like: “between 2 to 4 p.m.” I don’t think so! When we were kids, we used to ask questions like: “I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 5: What number am I thinking of?” No one ever said: “I’m thinking of a number between 1 to 5: What number am I thinking of?” That would have been completely unheard of. And, now? We hear comments, remarks like that all (of) the time. I also doubt anyone would ever say: “From 1 and 5.” “From 1 to 5,” and so on and so forth. But, not, “from 1 and 5.” So, as far as I’m concerned, a dash or the word “to” between “this” and “that”, uh, sorry, it doesn’t fly. Imagine us saying “between this to that.” It just would not make sense. I rest my case.

Just plain wrong

And, so as to avoid my wearing out my welcome, which, I’m sure by now I’m close to doing if I have not already done, so as I quietly slip out (of) the back door, I’ll leave you with this: the phrase “in connection to” or “in association to,” a definite no-no. “Connected to” is okay. And, so is “in connection with” or “in association with.”

And, let that be a lesson to ya — yes, ya. (Chuckle). (Are there) Any questions?!

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/9/2198257/-Make-no-mistake-Don-t-I-wish?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/