Maybe it’s my age or, perhaps, that English degree, but the state of language these days is bringing me down. By no means do I claim to be perfect when it comes to speaking (or writing), but I do try to select my words with care and meaning. For the child of an immigrant who spoke three languages when she arrived on the shore of this country, none of which were English, I’d say that’s an okay accomplishment.
Many years ago I was broken of a dreadful habit – using the word “go/goes” for said/says. Believe me, that was a painful lesson as I was interrupted each and every time I misused that verb with the question “Oh, where did they go?”
Ugh.
I learned to no longer do that.
These days, I find myself growing closer to becoming the pain in the ass R was to me as an adolescent, when it comes to language. Here are the phrases and misused words that are presently inclined to raise the hairs on the back of my neck…
- Sister-in-laws. The plural of sister or brother-in-law is made by adding an s to sister or brother, i.e. sisters-in-law.
- When being thanked for something the appropriate response is “you’re welcome,” not “no problem.” This one is rampant and annoys me every single time.
- A common question that always will prompt a sarcastic response from me when I’m at work is “Do you know where the bathroom is?” Why, yes, I do. Oh, you want to know where it is. Try “Can you tell me where the bathroom is?” Throw a “please” in there and we’re 100% good.
- Using the word “like” in an exhausting way. I’m sure you’re familiar – “…and then she was like and I was like duh, what are you like talking about?” Please make it stop.
- Pronouncing the word that defines my profession as if it’s a fruit. You know, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, liberry. Come on, people. I don’t work on a berry farm. Period.
There. Those are my top 5. What are yours?
DelSo 
No problem instead instead of you’re welcome makes me want to scream every time!
I recently had my car serviced at the dealership (to address a recall notice) and each service person kept responding “Perfect” rather than saying “thank you” or other acknowledgements. I overheard other personnel also responding with “perfect” to customers in the service area/waiting room, so it was obvious that they were trained to do so. I found it very annoying as nothing in life and especially when dealing with automotive repairs is ever perfect, there is always room for improvement….my pet peeve!