Pet Peeves
Now that I’m not a therapist any more, I’m allowed to reveal my preferences. News flash: I like some English usages better than others. A few actual flagrant errors have become my pet peeves.
Apostrophe Abuse.
“The cat licked it’s paw.” #%*#! The word “it’s” means, “it is” or “it has.” The evil example just quoted actually means, “The cat licked it is paw.” I don’t think anyone ever intends to write that. By contrast, the word “its” means, “belonging to it,” as in, “The company issued its annual report.” There is no such construction as “its’” – a monstrosity which I have actually seen with my own eyes.
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen used to have a running item in his column sharing the apostrophe abuses collected and sent in by his readers, whom he called “the ‘Postrophe Posse.” Alas, he has gone to that great compositing room in the sky and is no longer here to marshal defenders of the apostrophe. At present, those who wish to express their indignation over the mistreatment of this harmless, innocent mark may find solace in the Apostrophe Protection Society (http://www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk/ ), a group of stalwarts that originated in England .
Verb Vice
“I was laying there taking a nap.” Grrrr. The sentence should read, “I was lying there,” since the verb is intransitive (does not take an object). Languages change over time, and I grudgingly acknowledge that we’ve lost this battle. Even educated people make this mistake. I always wince inwardly when I hear it, though, since to me it sounds like fingernails on a blackboard, and probably always will.
Fluff
“That said” to sum up previous statements before going on to the next one. This apparently harmless locution is an example of wordiness. It means, “I just said what I just said.” No kidding.
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The following uplifting sentiment is included to foil the notion that blog categories must be strictly obeyed.
Ben Franklin, who early in life was a printer and later
a renowned author (and many other things), wrote his own pious epitaph:
The body of
B. Franklin, Printer
(Like the Cover of an Old Book
Its Contents torn Out
And Stript of its Lettering and Gilding)
Lies Here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be Lost;
For it will (as he Believ’d) Appear once More
In a New and More Elegant Edition
Revised and Corrected
By the Author.