What are Your Pet Peeves?

[Holyzeus]

That's the one. I am genuinely baffled why people do that.

A quick Google lays the blame at TV programmes like The Apprentice and Towie, because the producers ask them to hold like that so the microphones can pick up the conversation. The youngsters who watch such programmes have adopted the look.
As I neither watch these type of programmes or am a youngster, I couldn’t tell you..

 

[Chris]

A quick Google lays the blame at TV programmes like The Apprentice and Towie, because the producers ask them to hold like that so the microphones can pick up the conversation. The youngsters who watch such programmes have adopted the look.
As I neither watch these type of programmes or am a youngster, I couldn’t tell you..

I don't watch either of those either, but have seen it done on Dog the Bounty Hunter way back when. It was obvious to me that they, as you mentioned, were doing it so that the mics would pick up both sides of the conversation. It never occurred to me for a second that it was something someone would do *except* for that very specific circumstance.

In my opinion doing that makes you look like an idiot. I also wonder if they've done the other party on the call the courtesy of telling them that they're broadcasting their conversation to the entire street. Probably not.

 

[TobyC]

A quick Google lays the blame at TV programmes like The Apprentice and Towie, because the producers ask them to hold like that so the microphones can pick up the conversation. The youngsters who watch such programmes have adopted the look.
As I neither watch these type of programmes or am a youngster, I couldn’t tell you..

I've seen some old bats doing it in the grocery store and talking loudly for some reason.

 

[Shaun2]

Those who day "an historic" with an aspirated h. Mispronounced bollocks in an attempt to appear sophisticated. It's utter nonsense.

 

[chazt]

Those who day "an historic" with an aspirated h. Mispronounced bollocks in an attempt to appear sophisticated. It's utter nonsense.

Agreed. You don’t check into “an hotel” or have a procedure in “an hospital.” Television news talking heads have been using the (article and) noun phrase “an historic day” incorrectly for as long as I can recall. It makes me cringe.

 

[Vacumatic]

I had to look into this, I was feeling guilty because I would write an historic event and I would pronounce the h on an historic event as opposed to saying anistoric event, perhaps I would say either.

So I looked at the online dictionaries to see if there was a definitive answer

An American dictionary said

In America, we say a historic perspective. In England, they say: an historic perspective. The difference is one of pronunciation. We Americans usually pronounce the h, calling for the indefinite article "a." In England, the "h" is treated as if it were silent (as in hour) and thus the "an" is appropriate.

If that is correct then I need to mend my ways and drop the h

 

[R181]

I had to look into this, I was feeling guilty because I would write an historic event and I would pronounce the h on an historic event as opposed to saying anistoric event, perhaps I would say either.

So I looked at the online dictionaries to see if there was a definitive answer

An American dictionary said

In America, we say a historic perspective. In England, they say: an historic perspective. The difference is one of pronunciation. We Americans usually pronounce the h, calling for the indefinite article "a." In England, the "h" is treated as if it were silent (as in hour) and thus the "an" is appropriate.

If that is correct then I need to mend my ways and drop the h

Two countries separated by a common language.

Bob

 

[Tortuga]

Lying government bureaucrats
Lying politicians

Are there any other kind?

 

[slapo]

I've seen some old bats doing it in the grocery store and talking loudly for some reason.

I have an old neighbour who I think would qualify for the description, and she likes to stroll into the garden to take care of her calls in this manner.
In her defense, though, I think her arms are plump enough that she might not be able to flex them enough to get the phone closer to her ear.

 

[TobyC]

I had to look into this, I was feeling guilty because I would write an historic event and I would pronounce the h on an historic event as opposed to saying anistoric event, perhaps I would say either.

So I looked at the online dictionaries to see if there was a definitive answer

An American dictionary said

In America, we say a historic perspective. In England, they say: an historic perspective. The difference is one of pronunciation. We Americans usually pronounce the h, calling for the indefinite article "a." In England, the "h" is treated as if it were silent (as in hour) and thus the "an" is appropriate.

If that is correct then I need to mend my ways and drop the h

We pronounce the h in historic, but not in herbs, so it's "an historic" and "a herb".

 

[Vacumatic]

We pronounce the h in historic, but not in herbs, so it's "an historic" and "a herb".

I think the rules we were taught in school follow your example, a before the word beginning with h and you pronounce the h, an and you don't pronounce the h.

There are some words that don't make sense, an historic event but you would not write or pronounce anything but a history, a Brit might say an habitual criminal but not a criminal with an habit.

No wonder that people from other countries struggle with our language.

 

[Randomangle]

What is this thing now where people walk down the street with their mobile phone on speaker, holding it like a walkie-talkie? What's wrong with using it like a phone?

I thought it was because all that old news about phones frying your brains was gradually filtering through to the masses.

 

[Northam Saint]

I think the rules we were taught in school follow your example, a before the word beginning with h and you pronounce the h, an and you don't pronounce the h.

There are some words that don't make sense, an historic event but you would not write or pronounce anything but a history, y a Brit might say an habitual criminal but not a criminal with an habit.

No wonder that people from other countries struggle with our language.

Coming from ‘ampshire I’m always dropping my h’s.

 

[Chris]

I think the rules we were taught in school follow your example, a before the word beginning with h and you pronounce the h, an and you don't pronounce the h.

There are some words that don't make sense, an historic event but you would not write or pronounce anything but a history, y a Brit might say an habitual criminal but not a criminal with an habit.

No wonder that people from other countries struggle with our language.

The rule is that you use "an" when the word is pronounced with a vowel at the beginning, "a" when it's a consonant. It is the pronunciation that matters hence "an honest man" because the "h" is silent.

I have never heard anyone pronounce "history" as "istory" except in regional dialect. I had however been baffled by Americans dropping the "h" from "herbs" so it's nice to know that that's just something that they do, because reasons.

 

[Chris]

I thought it was because all that old news about phones frying your brains was gradually filtering through to the masses.

According to a thread I found on Mumsnet, which is a surprisingly good source of information on how the common person thinks, these are the three reasons given in descending order of numbers of respondents: (slightly paraphrased)

- "I'm deaf, I can't hear the phone otherwise, how dare you not respect my disability." (Very large majority of respondents, 75% maybe)
- "My phone's broken, I can't afford to get it fixed, how dare you judge me for being poor." (Almost all of the rest)
- "The radiation from my phone will fry my brain." (One person)

So there we have it.