topic Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary! in Suggestion Box

Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

natureluvr — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 16:32:13 GMT

QVC it's not fabrication it's fabric! The words are not interchangeable. This has been mentioned before. Aren't the folks who write the descriptions educated? Don't be lazy with the language.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

docsgirl — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:09:43 GMT

As a retired English teacher and reading specialist, I'm finding that very few people use proper grammar and vocabulary. I heard a real whooper this morrning and it was out of the mouth of a local school superintendent. While not going into the entire discussion, he said "...we should have did that a while ago." I nearly fell off my seat thinking that this man is the leader of a school district and uses such horrific grammar. Don't even get me started on our local newscasters. Just about all of the sales clerks on QVC are guilty of extremely poor grammar. They obviously don't know and don't care. Obviously, TPTB don't know or care or else corrections would be made. My students used to refer to me as 'The Grammar Nazi' because I was always nailing them and asking them to self-correct. They gave me a t-shirt that read, 'I'm correcting your grammar as you speak.' As much as poor grammar annoys me, I've accepted that it's a different world and improper grammar and vocabulary are now the norm. docsgirl

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

IamMrsG — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:20:39 GMT

docsgirl wrote, in part: "...As much as poor grammar annoys me, I've accepted that it's a different world and improper grammar and vocabulary are now the norm."

No, no! Rail on, Docsgirl, rail on. Acceptance is party to the dumbing down.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

ItsME — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 17:26:16 GMT

docsgirl, it's not just the local news. I hear many errors on the national news also. It's very upsetting! These people should be setting an example for the viewers. When they misspeak and use poor grammar, it becomes acceptable for the public to do the same.

I had a very bright, well read friend years ago, who said "brang" instead of "brought." I was stunned! She wouldn't even listen when I tried to correct her and told her that "brang" is not a word! Another one (of MANY) that drives me crazy is "Me and...."

Maybe we can fix the world? LOL

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

GingerPeach — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 18:06:01 GMT

I get a real thrill when I see "every day" used correctly instead of "everyday." And vice versa.

As in "I go to school every day. It's an everyday occurrence."

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Puppy Lips — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 18:43:44 GMT

@docsgirl wrote:
As a retired English teacher and reading specialist, I'm finding that very few people use proper grammar and vocabulary. I heard a real whooper this morrning and it was out of the mouth of a local school superintendent. While not going into the entire discussion, he said "...we should have did that a while ago." I nearly fell off my seat thinking that this man is the leader of a school district and uses such horrific grammar. Don't even get me started on our local newscasters. Just about all of the sales clerks on QVC are guilty of extremely poor grammar. They obviously don't know and don't care. Obviously, TPTB don't know or care or else corrections would be made. My students used to refer to me as 'The Grammar Nazi' because I was always nailing them and asking them to self-correct. They gave me a t-shirt that read, 'I'm correcting your grammar as you speak.' As much as poor grammar annoys me, I've accepted that it's a different world and improper grammar and vocabulary are now the norm. docsgirl

I would like that T-shirt as well. I can not believe some of the things said by the QVC hosts -- especially from former "newscasters" who should know better. The one thing that really annoys me is when someone will say, "Me and ________" when starting a sentance, as opposed to the other person's name first and "I...." I have heard QVC hosts say this more than once. My own boys say it on occassion. No matter how many times I correct them the habit continues. But to hear it from adults really bothers me.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

natureluvr — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 19:22:29 GMT

Shall we mention saw and seen? It seems that the word saw is becoming obsolete. As mentioned above the backgrounds of many of the hosts is journalism. Is not a prerequisite a strong backgound in grammar? Also, the hosts describe all merchandise as super cute, super soft, etc and totally. Please, use some other adverbs and adjectives. I wonder if they even know what an adverb and an adjective is.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Zita — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 20:48:55 GMT

Love this thread! I am not alone!

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

steiny3844 — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 21:50:02 GMT

Use and used always jumps off the page for me. I have no idea why. I don't correct people, but I wonder why it's used incorrectly so often.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Justholdingon — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 02:51:50 GMT

@docsgirl wrote:
As a retired English teacher and reading specialist, I'm finding that very few people use proper grammar and vocabulary. I heard a real whooper this morrning and it was out of the mouth of a local school superintendent. While not going into the entire discussion, he said "...we should have did that a while ago." I nearly fell off my seat thinking that this man is the leader of a school district and uses such horrific grammar. Don't even get me started on our local newscasters. Just about all of the sales clerks on QVC are guilty of extremely poor grammar. They obviously don't know and don't care. Obviously, TPTB don't know or care or else corrections would be made. My students used to refer to me as 'The Grammar Nazi' because I was always nailing them and asking them to self-correct. They gave me a t-shirt that read, 'I'm correcting your grammar as you speak.' As much as poor grammar annoys me, I've accepted that it's a different world and improper grammar and vocabulary are now the norm. docsgirl

Yay!! It's not just me then! I heard a QVC sales woman on beauty day say how a certain look will help how others will " pursue " you in the world. She really meant to say perceive you. This is not the first time I've heard her say this either. It drives me nuts! I have friends who say " he done that" or the word " ain't" . What is this world coming to?

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Kachina624 — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 06:37:06 GMT

nayteaches wrote:
QVC it's not fabrication it's fabric! The words are not interchangeable. This has been mentioned before. Aren't the folks who write the descriptions educated? Don't be lazy with the language.

@natureluvr I tend to agree with you except I've have noticed all the industry professionals and those on other channels are all choosing to refer to it by the word "fabrication". I wish one of the designers like Simonton, del Olio, or Mackie, who are knowledgable, would address this question. Maybe the industry has chosen, by consensus, to change the definition of fabrication.

I cringe every time I hear it too.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Kachina624 — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 06:44:35 GMT

There is one host with worse than average grammar who starts every other sentence by saying, "Mary, she went to".

I can remember my dad correcting me when I said that.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Big Sister — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 05:24:19 GMT

I hope I never accept poor grammar. I hear it everywhere and it particularly bothers me when poor grammar is used by well-educated people.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

AABelle — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:02:08 GMT

I hate that! I hear local and national news reporters say it all the time!

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

USAnn — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:14:25 GMT

I'm not alone!

What drives me to distraction? The use of "I" and "me". Susie and I went to the park. Daryl went to the park with Susie and me. It's like nails on a chalk board when I hear someone say "Daryl went to the park with Susie and I."!

Oh, and "irregardless". Really?

Okay, rant is over now.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

Justholdingon — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:31:40 GMT

@nayteaches wrote:
QVC it's not fabrication it's fabric! The words are not interchangeable. This has been mentioned before. Aren't the folks who write the descriptions educated? Don't be lazy with the language.

How about " supposebly " being used instead of supposedly? 😆

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

novamc1 — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:54:47 GMT

Very good discussion about a horrendous national problem! (And the following has just been edited by me because I found some of my own errors.)

As a journalism grad and former paid writer/editor/public info officer, I really notice problems with spelling, syntax and grammar in general, even though I'm likely to generate some myself while trying to type on a small-screen laptop. Here are my personal favorites:

Many misspellings and misused words appear in corporate ads printed in national publications. Does anyone proofread this stuff before taking out a full-page, full-color ad that costs thousands of dollars and reflects on the company's image? Guess not.

And then there was one FREQUENT blooper that I used to hear REGULARLY from a host on a non-QVC home shopping network. When describing clothing or shoes, she always felt the need to point out the item's "comfortability".

Did notice that after using this so-called "word" about a hundred times, she stopped and began speaking about comfort. Someone finally had spoken up and corrected her, apparently. This made listening to her considerably more comfortable.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

luv-the-Q — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:03:19 GMT

@USAnn

YES, YES, YES! "Daryl went to the park with Susie and I" makes me want to scream. People make that grammatical error constantly.

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

luv-the-Q — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 15:15:42 GMT

Another thing that grates on my nerves is when someone uses "more dressy" instead of "dressier".

Re: Check your vocabulary and dictionary!

chickenbutt — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 17:39:48 GMT

Please let me in the club! I'm also glad I'm not alone.

It seems that proper grammar, word usage, and spelling are just plain out of vogue now. All language is dumbed down and that is what is, over all, accepted now.

It gets on my nerves. Maybe it is partly because I'd get knocked upside the head if I ever used improper grammar, growing up. I guess I'm just conditioned. I'm sure many of us are conditioned in other ways, through education and such, to use proper grammar. I'm afraid that we are, now, in the minority.

It kind of breaks my heart to see more and more things dumbed down. I have, however, learned to keep my mouth shut except in situations, or threads like this, where it is acceptable to discuss it. Thanks for that.

Every now and then I feel like venting about it, too. Ok, I'll admit it - pretty much every day I feel like venting about it but I have learned to squelch it for the most part.