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That was one of the things we were explicitly told not to do when I was in school.
As I see it, the commas in a list effectively take the place of having "and" between all the items so that last comma is redundant.
Grammarants
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
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As I see it, the commas in a list effectively take the place of having "and" between all the items so that last comma is redundant.
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You're right.
I think it's a generational thing. I was taught to use the oxford comma and still do out of habit today.
One of my best friends is a retired English teacher and it drives her nuts when people don't use it.
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Someone on the radio the other day said they thought that P!nk might have some grammar problems with her song title "Never Gonna Not Dance Again."
I think the grammar's okay - it's obviously an intentional double negative - but taken literally it does suggest a Red Shoes scenario where she never stops dancing.
I think the grammar's okay - it's obviously an intentional double negative - but taken literally it does suggest a Red Shoes scenario where she never stops dancing.
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A 1980s song in heavy rotation on a local station has a passage "between you and I," and I sing "you and MEEEEEE" over it. I know they used "I" because it rhymed with whatever the preceding lyric was (I can't recall the name of the song) but I think when young people hear such a grammar error over and over, they assume it is okay to say when it isn't. 
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Never thought about this one before but you’re making perfect sense.
It can get confusing now. I do notice more women saying “my friends” now instead of “girlfriends “ so maybe it’s gradually shifting over.
Another one that bothers me is “could’ve,” which is obviously short for “could have.” Yet quite often when I see people using it in an article I’ll see it typed out as “could of.” This doesn’t even exist.
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In the same vein we have the mis-use of the word "unique". I think people are trying to say something is "distinctive"---that is, something out of the ordinary---but instead we get oddities like "That's the most unique painting I've ever seen" or "That's too unique for her tastes." An item is either unique or it is not ("uni" is even in the word). It's like saying "I'm more pregnant than you are".
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I also hear "very unique" and "quite unique" a lot.
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Another one that's been irritating me is the use of "bought" instead of "brought."
The trouble is that I can't tell whether they're using the wrong word or it's that the "r" has disappeared as with the first "r' in "infrastructure" or the first "l" in "fulfill." At least in those cases it doesn't sound like another word.
Similar is the sloppy pronunciation of "hypothermia" so that it sounds like "hyperthermia", which is its opposite.
The trouble is that I can't tell whether they're using the wrong word or it's that the "r" has disappeared as with the first "r' in "infrastructure" or the first "l" in "fulfill." At least in those cases it doesn't sound like another word.
Similar is the sloppy pronunciation of "hypothermia" so that it sounds like "hyperthermia", which is its opposite.
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I've been watching The Danny Thomas Show on Tubi, and I was very surprised the other night to hear someone say "step foot." Apparently it's not the recent phenomenon that I thought it was.
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And I think that uni- means just one, far as I understand the word.
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In the same vein are "advocate for" and "protest against."
I suppose it was inevitable that they would lead to "advocate against" and "protest for."
And we now have such things as street marches by "pro-Palestinian protesters" and the activism of "anti-family violence advocates."
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One of my pet peeves is when people say “like I said”. It just doesn’t make any sense! The proper way to say it is “as I said”. I hear this all the time on tv and it drives me up a wall.
Maybe I’m just a snob?
Cordelia Chase: I just am not the type to settle, you know - it's like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing, not because it's expensive, but because it *costs* more.
Maybe I’m just a snob?
Cordelia Chase: I just am not the type to settle, you know - it's like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing, not because it's expensive, but because it *costs* more.
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There seems to be a current trend of using 'whenever' instead of 'when' like they're interchangeable. Like "Whenever I got home" or "whenever I heard about it". I even noticed recently in a song I really like he says "Whenever I was a child". That's not how you use 'whenever'. Idiots!
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How did everyone get this far on the thread without a mention of my least favorite grammar irritation, "but yet"?
But IS yet. Take any sentence containing this abortion of grammar and remove either the but or the yet. Neither ever needs the other to function. You will get different results depending on which is removed. I suspect that's why both exist.
But IS yet. Take any sentence containing this abortion of grammar and remove either the but or the yet. Neither ever needs the other to function. You will get different results depending on which is removed. I suspect that's why both exist.
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There is a road in south-eastern Australia called Princes Highway. Apparently there was originally an apostrophe but I can see that it could be construed as a plural.
What it most definitely is not is Princess Highway, but it's amazing how many traffic reporters say it that way.
en.wikipedia.org
What it most definitely is not is Princess Highway, but it's amazing how many traffic reporters say it that way.
Princes Highway - Wikipedia
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I'd have to look it up to be 100% positive, but I believe in the US no landmark can have an apostrophe in its name if it's used as an address. For example, if you live on an American version of Prince's Highway, it would have to be named Princes Highway on all roadway signage, etc. and in all mail that went to your house. IIRC the Postal Service deleted the apostrophes from street locations around the same time they forced us to abbreviate all the states with two, capital letters (ex: "FL" rather than "Fla." for Florida).
The only exception is the island of Martha's Vineyard, which supposedly got this carve-out due to all the rich, highly-connected politicians who live/vacation there and approve all the Postal Service's funding every year....
The only exception is the island of Martha's Vineyard, which supposedly got this carve-out due to all the rich, highly-connected politicians who live/vacation there and approve all the Postal Service's funding every year....
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There have been campaigns against poker machines and the damage they cause to problem gamblers going on in Australia for some time.
In line with the national wont for abbreviations, the devices are often referred to as "pokies."
What annoys me is when people call them "pokie machines," which is not only redundant, but defeats the purpose of abbreviating it in the first place.
In line with the national wont for abbreviations, the devices are often referred to as "pokies."
What annoys me is when people call them "pokie machines," which is not only redundant, but defeats the purpose of abbreviating it in the first place.