At the risk of sounding like our grizzled alcazar, do you utterly hate terms such as:

"Change it up."
"Switch it up."
"Up next..."
"Can I get..."

Can't abide it. And the 'type' of people that use them.

The consequences of the Headbook/Twatter generation, I guess. Sheesh.

 

"Can I get" is just abhorrent.

 

It's just wrong. Quite literally.

Poor Messrs Shakespeare, Shelly, Byron, Keats, Wilde, DIckens......you name them.

 

(First World 'problems' lol)

 

I think you need to exemplify how these terms are being used in a conversation. I'm not that literate so that will help to judge how tacky these terms are and whether they make the slightest sense or not.


Obviously, I haven't heard these terms, used in such a way that they sound unnecessary or absurd. I don't think so, anyway. I have actually heard "Up next...." to denote "It's your turn" and "Can I get..." in "Can I get you anything such as tea of coffee?". That sounds fine to me tbh.


The one I hate is not a trendy one but quite a long-term one. It's "I'm not being funny...." for no reason e.g. "I'm not being funny but I'd really like Cormwell.". I feel like saying- "Where exactly is 'funny' in it, you utter piece of burnt crumpet??!!!" Really annoying. So many people aren't funny at all, so why do they have to keep saying it FFS??? Idiots.

 

That's one I swear at one point everything was a "first world problem".

Oh and "off of" instead of "from". That makes my skin crawl.

 

For the benefit of the uninitiated:
"Can i get one of those delicious looking pastries just there" - WRONG
"Can I get a bus to Picadilly Circus from this stop?" - RIGHT

 

Occasional "Off of" used in humour; not spoken but written, is digestible for me.

Here on this board, when someone repeatedly writes "They should of voted OUT" or "I could of gone to the Specsavers", gives me a clear indication that such writers failed their GCSE exams when they were kids. Such repeated wrongness isn't funny at all.

 

Well I'd never put you down as a gramma **** Swati

 

To be honest, "Can I get..." For something you can actually get; depending if you have money to get it, itself is absurd. I'd just say to them: "Anyone can, and you well know it! Just ask if you can buy it for your money. Then I can respond 'yes' or 'no' to you.".

 

I'm not, Neil. English is my second language, so I don't really qualify to be vocal about it. I'm not petty about random typo, I too make millions of mistakes and my grammar isn't great, either. I get no joy in showing other people (in person) as inadequate or illiterate on internet; in order to make myself look super intelligent black sheep among the goats. Therefore, my comments are in general, here.

But it's not to say that I don't judge people; in my mind. Mind is a free world, as we know,

Must add that good literacy, good knowledge of English and pretentious posts don't always make a good person. I must admit that here on Scoobynet, I do see a correlation between knowing basic English and being half decent, though.

 

I would think people that use the term "can I get" should really say "please may I have" but why is the question ?? Too stuck up to say please and be polite a please or a thankyou is always appreciated, IMO

 

Sorry, I should have been clearer. In the example I gave, the scenario you should be picturing is of a customer standing at the counter of a coffee shop or similar establishment, and expressing their desire to be served a particular food item to go with their coffee or other choice of hot beverage. They're not enquiring as to the physical possibility or legal permissibility of aquiring said item, but in fact merely informing the vendor of their desire to purchase and then consume it. A more appropriate turn of phrase might be "could I please have", or "gimme one of those"

 

Is "kind of" correct ?

 

I did understand it, Mark. My comment was just a bit of an extension.

In my serious view, "Can I get...." instead of "Could I please have...." is far too popular and well-accepted to be objected upon. I think this "Can I get...." is a non-issue, unless we're nitpicking. I don't find it as a crime to my ear.

 

What about "gi'us one of them?"

 

Oh, the repeated use of 'kind off...." is very annoying; more so when it's being used for the sake of it- without any relevance for such use.

My child's record was once stuck at "I think....." e.g. "Mum, I think I'm going to stay on at Uni till Monday, so I don't think you need to pick me up on Sunday.". I had to tell her to be clear and decisive in her texts about her plans, rather than just "thinking". I'm not a taxi.

 

I'm all too aware that language is ever-evolving, but "Can I get..." -- as spoken by the subject person (not the object person) -- seriously needs to be stamped out. Pronto.

Also phrases such as "could of" (instead of "could have" or "could've"), as already remarked upon. Evidently - sadly - it's the SN phrase of choice.

As is "none-..." (instead of "non-...").
What's that all about?!


DISCLAIMER: Despite my protestations, this thread was intended to be 'lighthearted throwaway' - if that makes sense.

 

Ive often found that people for whom English is a second language tend to write/speak it better than those for whom it's their first. Funny thing really.

 

This thread is the perfect cover to be able post up one of my all-time favourite sketches:


Love it love it love it.

 

I used demagogue the other day.

Anyway, people who say literally when they mean figuratively or metaphorically. "I literally did a poo in my pants!"

 

Oh come on. It's a hideous americanism that's been wilfully popularized in this country by people who for the most part probably have no idea of its source. It's just one more outward sign in an ever-growing list, as Hodgy would say, of the mass adoption of "post-intelligence culture". Trivial in isolation maybe, but viewed as part of the larger trend that it represents, depressing and irritating in equal measure.

 

Or ironic when they mean serendipitous or unfortunate or coincidentally.

 

Like that Morrisette bird.

 

Drives me mad.

Roving news reporters are particularly bad for that. And THEY should know better!

Some memorable ones:

- "...Man Utd are literally painting Manchester red!"

- "...which is literally out of this world"

 

Yeah, ironic often gets wrongly used.

TBF, I can be guilty of that from time to time.

 

Totes.

^^^ In light of this thread, that is ironic.

...Er, I think. lol

^^^ Again!

 

Sure. Just like you spell 'popularised' as 'popularized'.

 

Touche!

That said, either are deemed okay to use in British English.

But I never (intentionally) do... Gotta keep it real.

 

In my case I can promise you it's 100% intentional. I didn't sit through three years of Greek at school for nothing