24 things You May be Saying Wrong
The Reader's Digest just published this article titled "24 Things You May be Saying Wrong". I just thought it would be good to share it with the Forum.
How many of these expressions do you regularly use incorrectly? 
13 Answers
I could care less what Readers Digest thinks. I wonder if Paul Silverman wants to go mano a mano, he thinks he is so smart. I've only made mistakes with less than 3 of them so I guess I need to hone in on the errors. I would ask someone to take me a drink, but who would that be? Maybe one of my brother-in-laws can take me one. I'm going to try and be better with my language skills, but that is something different than I'm used to. Of course, this begs the question as to why I haven't been doing it already. More than 2 years ago I started trying to improve my grammar, supposably to make me seem smarter than I really am. All of the time I try and work on my grammar, hopefully you can tell. The words that give me a problem, outside of what I've already told you, is in this list. My wife and I, we talk about this with each other but I think she is better at it than me.
That was enjoyable. It's kind of ironic that the very title of the Reader's Digest piece, "24 Things You May Be Saying Wrong," is itself wrong! The word "wrong" is an adjective. An adverb is required here, I think. "24 Things You May Be Saying Incorrectly" would be correct.
Are colloquial expressions always considered 'wrong' when they use 'bad grammar' but everybody in the area says it anyway? Are idioms and colloquial expressions ever 'legal'? Is there some point when the language authorities have to give way to common usage by the people, even if it's wrong?
I think it is important to make, and be aware of, the distinction between the standard, grammatically correct version of a language, and the vernacular.
In the European and American cultures, the widespread use of writing is a relatively recent phenomenon. When writing was the domain of a very few specialists - scribes, monks, and a few members of the nobility - everyone pretty much wrote the way they had learned, and they way words sounded to them. I can imagine that perhaps this made reading difficult, from one place to another.
The standardization of the languages came later, as more people started to read and write, and someone realized the advantages of agreeing on the way words should be written. The RAE was founded in the early 1700's, about 100 years after the publication of Don Quixote. Attempts to standardize English are much older, dating back to the 1500's, although Engllish grammar is a somewhat more democratic affair, since it's not ruled by a single world-wide entity, as is Spanish. A formalized Latin grammar is even older, yet.
So then, there is a Standard Spanish (Castellano), and there are a few variations of Standard English. And then there are spoken , vernacular versions of Spanish and English. There is a very interesting article on the subject in Wikipedia. Be sure to also check the article on English grammar that is reference therein.
So for the purposes of teaching, and placing a check on the natural drift that occurs in all languages, people should learn and master the standardized ("correct") version of the language. This is what permits English speakers to understand each other wherever they are in the world, and us to talk about a "correct" Spanish that is understood everywhere Spanish is spoken.
Colloquialisms, slang, idioms and related expressions are valuable cultural elements. They are also recorded, and studied, and it is certainly important to learn and understand them, since they are the lubricant that facilitates verbal communication within a specific region, community or group. If you enter Tegucigalpa speaking with a Madrid accent, and using Madrid's particular slang, you will be immediately marked as a foreigner, will be treated differently, and will have a hard time both understanding the local slang, and being understood.
On the other hand, if you learn and master Standard Spanish, (or English, or whatever), you will be able to write an essay that will be correctly understood and accepted wherever that language is spoken. Furthermore, anyone reading it, will be able to gage your level of instruction, and your capacity to express ideas in a clear and precise manner - both valuable skills in the academic and business worlds.
Gracias. This is most interesting.
I have always said, "I could care less". Hmmmm, I will make an effort now to change that one. It will not be easy. Especially on bad days! lol
Omg , Thanks a lot for sharing this with us Gekkosan I have 7 mistakes which ((( ''which'' not ''that'' ))) I always say them incorrectly .
In all seriousness, at what point is an idiomatic expression accepted as 'correct'? Are colloquial expressions always considered 'wrong' when they use 'bad grammar' but everybody in the area says it anyway? Are idioms and colloquial expressions ever 'legal'?
In the context of this article, while realizing that most of these errors are because of the definition of the word or the 'bad' usage of a preposition and such, where do colloquialisms come from? or idiomatic expressions?
Is there some point when the language authorities have to give way to common usage by the people, even if it's wrong?
Oh my God!
I went to this link feeling very smug -- with my Bachelor's of English and 10 years of editing experience.
What a great list!
I found that I constantly say "try and.... be good" (instead of try to.... be good).
Also, I saw nothing wrong with "10 items or less" (it should be "fewer").
The one that bothers me the most is when people say "I could care less." Another one: "For God's sakes." How many sakes does God have?
Thanks, Gekkosan.
I don't feel too bad. There was one that I use correctly. At least, I didn't identify with all 24!
Less vs. fewer is my great sin.
Stephen fry says it better than me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzMIKsrjcOI
Thanks Gek, I think I did pretty good but for the same as Brynleigh.
Good link, Gekko. Thank you.
Native speakers of English - read the link! Then maybe you won't drive me insane the next time I talk to you!
Actually, there is one error on the list I make in speaking - confusing less and fewer.
Very interesting site! Thanks, Gekko!
