Word use that drives you up the wall!

[Dadtodabone]

I'm a pretty easy going guy, never been a member of the Grammar or Spelling Nazis. On occasion though, someone will use a word incorrectly, IMHO, and it just drives me crazy. It's worse when the offending party is a "professional" writer of some ilk.
So I thought a thread for posting the erroneous usage, with a link to the article it's used in, and the correct definition of the word might be fun and therapeutic!

The headline I was going to use is from Yahoo! News, "How a Japanese City Was Decimated in Seconds!", referring to the U.S. Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima 68 years ago, but it doesn't appear in the body of the article. No problem, lots of other examples:
http://www.welcometoloudcity.com/2013/5 ... u-can-help

Decimate
1: to select by lot and kill every tenth man
2: to exact a tax of 10 percent from gentry
3: to reduce drastically especially in number

The writer was obviously reaching for another of the -ate words. Annihilate, Exterminate, Obliterate but not Decimate. I spoke with a Merriam-Webster rep in regards the 3rd definition given and he stated that it was added and will move up or be removed again depending on usage! Never mind what it really means. Maybe another -ate word, Illiterate, should be given study by lexicographers.

[n5wd]

My particular word-button gets pushed when one of my students comes back with "Whatever" when asked why they did this or that, or didn't do this or that. I will NEVER get used to that.

[rdhetrick]

I have a few, but I usually don't comment on them irregardless of who their from....

[Blindref757]

Read the book"Frindle". You will laugh about your hang ups!

[jimlongley]

Meihem In Ce Klasrum By Dolton Edwards (1946) - Note the dates proposed by Mr. Edwards.

Because we are still bearing some of the scars of our brief skirmish with II-B English, it is natural that we should be enchanted by Mr. George Bernard Shaw's current campign for a simplified alphabet.

Obviously, as Mr. Shaw points out, English spelling is in much need of a general overhauling and streamlining. However, any changes requiring a large expenditure of mental effort in the near future would cause us to view with some apprehension the possiblity of some day receiving a morning paper printed in - to us - Greek.

Our own plan would achieve the same end as the legislation proposed by Mr. Shaw, but in a less shocking manner, as it consists merely of an acceleration of the normal processes by which the language is continually modernized.

As a catalytic agent, we would suggest that a National Easy Language Week be proclaimed, which the President would inaugurate, outlining some short-cut to concentrate on during the week, and be adopted during the ensuing year. All school children would be given a holiday, the lost time being the equivalent of that gained by the spelling short cut.

In 1946, for example, we would urge the elimination of the soft "c," for which we would substitute "s." Sertainly, such an improvement would be selebrated in all sivic-minded sircles as being suffisiently worth the trouble, and students in all sities in the land would be reseptive toward change and eliminating the nesessity of learning the differense between the two letters.

In 1947, sinse only the hard "c" would be left, it would be possible to substitute "k" for it, both letters be pronounsed identikally. Imagine how greatly only two years of this prosess would klarify the konfusion in the minds of students. Already we would have eliminated an entire letter from the alphabet. Typewriters and linotypes kould be built with one less letter and all the manpower and materials previously devoted to making "c's" kould now be turned toward raising the national standard of living.

In the fase of so many notable improvements, it is easy to foresee that by 1948, "National Easy Langauge Week" would be a pronounsed sukses. All skhool khildren would be looking forward with knsiderable exsitement to the holiday, and in a blaze of national publisity it would be announsed that the double konsonant "ph" no longer existed, and that it would henseforth be written "f" in all words. This would make sukh words as "fonograf" twenty percent shorter in print.

By 1949, publik interest in a fonetik alfabet kan be expekted to have inkreased to the point where a more radikal step forward kan be taken without fear of undue kritisism. We would therefore urge the elimination, at that time of all unesesary double leters, whikh, although quite harmles, have always ben a nuisanse in the language and a desided deterent to akurate speling. Try it yourself in the next leter you write, and se if both writing and reading are not fasilitated.

With so mukh progres already made, it might be posible in 1950 to delve further into the posibilities of fonetik speling. After due konsideration of the reseption aforded the previous steps, it should be expedient by this time to spel al dfthongs foneticaly. Most students do not realize that the long "i" and "y," as in "time" and "by," are aktualy the difthong "ai," as it is writen in "aisle," and that the long "a" in "fate," is in reality the difthong "ei" as in "rein." Although perhaps not imediately aparent, the saving in taime and efort wil be tremendous when we leiter eliminate the sailent "e," as meide posible bai this last khange.

For, as wel known, the horible mes of "es" apearing in writen language is kaused prinsipaly bai the present nesesity of indileiting whether a vowel is long or short. Therefore, in 1951 we kould simply elimineit al sailent "e's," and kontinu to read and wrait merily along as though we wer in an atomik ag of edukeition.

In 1951 we would urge a greit step forward. sins bai this taim it would have ben four years sins anywun had used the leter "c," we would sugest the the "National Easy Language Wek" for 1951 be devoted to substitution of "c" for "th." To be sur it would be som taim befor peopl would bekom akustomed to reading ceir newspapers and buks withs sukh sentenses in cem as "Ceodor caught he had cre cousand cistls crust crough ce cik of his cumb."

In ce seim maner, bai meiking eakh leter hav its own sound and cat sound only, we kould shorten ce langauge stil mor. In 1952 we would elimineit ce "y"; cen in 1953 we kould us ce letter to indikeit the "sh" sound, cerbai klarifaiing words laik yugar and yur, as wel as redusing bai wun mor leter al words laik "yut," "yore," and so forc. Cink, cem, of al ce benifits to be geind bai ce distinktion whikh wil be meid between words laik:

ocean: now writen oyean

machine: now writen mayin

racial: now writen reiyial

Al sukh divers weis of wraiting wun sound would no longer exist, and whenever wun kaim akros a "y" sound he would know exakli what to wrait.

Kontinuing cis proses, year after year, we would eventuali have a reali sensibl writen languag. By 1975, wi ventur to sei, cer wud bi no mor uv ces teribli trublsum difikultis, wic no tu noises riten wic ce seim leter. Even Mr. Yaw, wi beliv, wud be hapi in ce noleg cat his drims fainali keim tru.

[nightmare69]

My particular word-button gets pushed when one of my students comes back with "Whatever" when asked why they did this or that, or didn't do this or that. I will NEVER get used to that.

I hole-hardedly agree, but allow me to play doubles advocate here for a moment. For all intensive purposes I think you are wrong. In an age where false morals are a diamond dozen, true virtues are a blessing in the skies. We often put our false morality on a petal stool like a bunch of pre-Madonnas, but you all seem to be taking something very valuable for granite. So I ask of you to mustard up all the strength you can because it is a doggy dog world out there. Although there is some merit to what you are saying it seems like you have a huge ship on your shoulder. In your argument you seem to throw everything in but the kids Nsync, and even though you are having a feel day with this I am here to bring you back into reality. I have a sick sense when it comes to these types of things. It is almost spooky, because I cannot turn a blonde eye to these glaring flaws in your rhetoric. I have zero taller ants when it comes to people spouting out hate in the name of moral righteousness. You just need to remember what comes around is all around, and when supply and command fails you will be the first to go. Make my words, when you get down to brass stacks it doesn't take rocket appliances to get two birds stoned at once. It's clear who makes the pants in this relationship, and sometimes you just have to swallow your prize and accept the facts. You might have to come to this conclusion through denial and error but I swear on my mother's mating name that when you put the petal to the medal you will pass with flying carpets like it’s a peach of cake.

[baldeagle]

It's instead of its (It's it's food instead of It's its food.), and improperly used participles. (My car is needing to be fixed instead of my car needs to be fixed.)

[TheCytochromeC]

My particular word-button gets pushed when one of my students comes back with "Whatever" when asked why they did this or that, or didn't do this or that. I will NEVER get used to that.

I hole-hardedly agree, but allow me to play doubles advocate here for a moment. For all intensive purposes I think you are wrong. In an age where false morals are a diamond dozen, true virtues are a blessing in the skies. We often put our false morality on a petal stool like a bunch of pre-Madonnas, but you all seem to be taking something very valuable for granite. So I ask of you to mustard up all the strength you can because it is a doggy dog world out there. Although there is some merit to what you are saying it seems like you have a huge ship on your shoulder. In your argument you seem to throw everything in but the kids Nsync, and even though you are having a feel day with this I am here to bring you back into reality. I have a sick sense when it comes to these types of things. It is almost spooky, because I cannot turn a blonde eye to these glaring flaws in your rhetoric. I have zero taller ants when it comes to people spouting out hate in the name of moral righteousness. You just need to remember what comes around is all around, and when supply and command fails you will be the first to go. Make my words, when you get down to brass stacks it doesn't take rocket appliances to get two birds stoned at once. It's clear who makes the pants in this relationship, and sometimes you just have to swallow your prize and accept the facts. You might have to come to this conclusion through denial and error but I swear on my mother's mating name that when you put the petal to the medal you will pass with flying carpets like it’s a peach of cake.

Trailer Park Boys

[O6nop]

You should of proofread. Less mistakes makes fewer confusion.

[Jaguar]

I need more coffee, its to early in the mourning and this is making my head hurt.

Irregardless - I hate that.

[talltex]

I hole-hardedly agree, but allow me to play doubles advocate here for a moment. For all intensive purposes I think you are wrong. In an age where false morals are a diamond dozen, true virtues are a blessing in the skies. We often put our false morality on a petal stool like a bunch of pre-Madonnas, but you all seem to be taking something very valuable for granite. So I ask of you to mustard up all the strength you can because it is a doggy dog world out there. Although there is some merit to what you are saying it seems like you have a huge ship on your shoulder. In your argument you seem to throw everything in but the kids Nsync, and even though you are having a feel day with this I am here to bring you back into reality. I have a sick sense when it comes to these types of things. It is almost spooky, because I cannot turn a blonde eye to these glaring flaws in your rhetoric. I have zero taller ants when it comes to people spouting out hate in the name of moral righteousness. You just need to remember what comes around is all around, and when supply and command fails you will be the first to go. Make my words, when you get down to brass stacks it doesn't take rocket appliances to get two birds stoned at once. It's clear who makes the pants in this relationship, and sometimes you just have to swallow your prize and accept the facts. You might have to come to this conclusion through denial and error but I swear on my mother's mating name that when you put the petal to the medal you will pass with flying carpets like it’s a peach of cake.

now that's funny

[DocV]

I have long been a fan of H. L. Chace and used to read his "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" to my daughter at bed time. But, for Texan's nothing is quite as good as his "Hormone Derange". To wit:

O gummier hum warder buffer-lore rum
Enter dare enter envelopes ply,
Ware soiled'em assured adage cur-itching ward
An disguise earn it clotty oil die.

Harm, hormone derange,
Warder dare enter envelopes ply,
Ware soiled'em assured adage cur-itching ward
An disguise earn it clotty oil die.

[JALLEN]

"Certificated" surely qualifies.

Sometimes I think these bizarre uses are a feeble attempt to take all the advantage away from those of us who are well-educated, can spell, and write, and make change.

[SlickTX]

Their, their, lettuce not subject there grammification to such screwtiny.