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Stranded prepositions

Dkin said:
Not nearly as annoying as today's generation's overuse of "like"...
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This didn't start with millenials. And, popular media depictions notwithstanding, it didn't start with 1980s valley girls either. It actually started with the Beatniks. Think about the way Shaggy from Scooby-doo talks. "Like, man, let's get outta here". It's true that we tend to use it less as we age, but - assuming you're a little older - if you don't hear it in the speech of your generation, then that's due to regional variation rather than age differences.

My biggest issue with the word like is when people don't recognize when they're in a formal setting, where use of modern standard English is expected. I have a sister-in-law who is an attorney, and she uses like a lot. That's okay when we're having a family dinner, but her usage is so pervasive in her speech that I somehow doubt she can turn it off when in front of a judge, for example.
 
noogadeac said:
Starting every sentence with "so" is quickly becoming more annoying that the overuse of "like".
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In this context, both of these words have a legitimate function as speech "softeners". Imagine answering a question or giving a command in which you don't want to come off as too forceful, or if you want to present something as a possibility rather than a certainty.

"Do it this way" vs. "So, do it, like, this way".
"This is the greatest party ever" vs. "So, this is, like, the greatest party ever".

If you say these out loud, then the difference becomes clear. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the biggest issue is when people aren't able to code-switch (incorrect use, I know) between formal and informal. That's probably a generational issue, as younger generations tend to be more informal.
 
My pet peave has nothing to do with grammar. At least once per week, I hear someone refer to a choice between two bad potential outcomes as a "Catch-22 situation". That drives me crazy. It is obvoious that the speaker has no idea what the phrase means. It is most often misused by media people or interviewees on news shows.
 
meandmyuncleDeac said:
My pet peave has nothing to do with grammar. At least once per week, I hear someone refer to a choice between two bad potential outcomes as a "Catch-22 situation". That drives me crazy. It is obvoious that the speaker has no idea what the phrase means. It is most often misused by media people or interviewees on news shows.
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Nor spelling.
 
I had to get on to my ex about her usage of "like". It was pretty unbearable at times. We broke it down though and the reason it sounds so bad is because she uses it as a discourse marker and also uses "like" to describe when someone is speaking instead of "he/she said". Throw that together with her love of similes and you would get a sentence with 5 "likes" in it.
 
DeacinBama said:
In this context, both of these words have a legitimate function as speech "softeners". Imagine answering a question or giving a command in which you don't want to come off as too forceful, or if you want to present something as a possibility rather than a certainty.

"Do it this way" vs. "So, do it, like, this way".
"This is the greatest party ever" vs. "So, this is, like, the greatest party ever".

If you say these out loud, then the difference becomes clear. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the biggest issue is when people aren't able to code-switch (incorrect use, I know) between formal and informal. That's probably a generational issue, as younger generations tend to be more informal.
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Legitimate as in sadly pervasive?
 
One of my colleagues has a psychotic obsession with never splitting infinitives under any circumstance. This too is an old rule that was based on latin that often creates very awkward sounding sentences. Sometimes it just makes sense to split the infinitive.
 
Dkin said:
Legitimate as in sadly pervasive?
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No, legitimate as in serving a purpose other than just a space filler. Certainly it can be and is used as a space filler, and it has other uses too, but I was addressing a specific context.

Also, I'm talking about speech - not the written word. These phenomena look silly in text, unless, of course, we're talking about informal dialogue.
 
You know what I dont get. Why do people insist always that they're spelling is the `right` spelling. Are'nt all the words the SAME thing when you look at it!
 
So, has anyone tried the WordRake software? I get the weekly emails and it sounds like a great product but you never know, you know?
 
tagsfan said:
So, has anyone tried the WordRake software? I get the weekly emails and it sounds like a great product but you never know, you know?
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I get the weekly emails but honestly some of it seems like a lot of bullshit.

Legalese has a lot of faults but there is a reason that some of the language is so convoluted. Because somebody wasn't specific enough and got sued.
 
At least when people say like, it makes me think they are trying to make a comparison between two things revealing brain activity which is a good thing...and shit. You know?
 
Manifest Destiny said:
I had to get on to my ex about her usage of "like". It was pretty unbearable at times. We broke it down though and the reason it sounds so bad is because she uses it as a discourse marker and also uses "like" to describe when someone is speaking instead of "he/she said". Throw that together with her love of similes and you would get a sentence with 5 "likes" in it.
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That is when it becomes unbearable. I catch myself doing that occasionally and give myself 5 lashes with a switch every time.
 
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