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freeborn | ἐλεύθερος | 8r0gwg 1y ago

I get annoyed when people say 'can' when they mean 'may'--and vice versa.

I also get annoyed when people mix up 'fewer' and 'less.'

"Sloppy language makes sloppy thought possible," and it leads to poor commuication, as well.

TL;DR: ...wait, is it not #festivus yet?

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SuiGenerisJohn 1y ago

I tend to agree. The only caveat is that I adjust my language to my audience and for my goal. Sometimes being correct semantically/grammatically risks alienating you from your audience and undermines the goal of getting this or that idea fully into their head.

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freeborn | ἐλεύθερος | 8r0gwg 1y ago

Certainly. But my 4yo should know better by now. 😏

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nobody 1y ago

I disagree. There is a lot of lattitude in English at least. Being grammatically correct will not be apparent to the ignorant if you aren't stiff, if you are fluent.

Source: myself, interacting with both hicks and erudites daily.

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nobody 1y ago

Thank you for calling out the countable quantities distinction 🤙