.
I think I'm among the majority here -- contrary to some assertions in this thread -- with my great reluctance to be
openly critical of others on their misuse of language, punctuation, or pronunciation. Rather, I tend to just mentally flag the solecism, possibly keeping it in mind as an indicator of that person's capacity for attention to detail. Or maybe not.
Hence, I take this thread as being merely a means for us to semi-anonymously vent our accumulated language frustrations and seek some small comfort in knowing we're not alone (certainly not, judging by the thread length).
But while we're delving into obscurity here, p'raps I can trot-out one of my little pet peeves: the inability to distinguish between "
if" and "
whether". A small example:
"Ask him
if he's going to the store.", versus "Ask him
whether he's going to the store."
By using "if", an ambiguity is inserted. Maybe you meant "
IF he's going to the store, then ask him. But otherwise, don't bother." "Ask him
if (but
if not, then don't) he's going . . . ."
So do you want me to ask him only under the condition that you described, or should I just go ahead and ask him anyway? Clarify, please.
Whereas it all becomes perfectly clear when it's stated as "Ask him
whether he's going to the store." No ambiguity; clarity reigns.
A seemingly little thing, but in my dotage, I have time on my hands which I spend maundering (I.E., silently) nit-picking such less-than-catastrophic rustications as the above. Sigh!
