Pet Peeves

[JordanRHughes]

One of my pet peeves is when someone walks across the street in front of your car and they take a particularly long time. I don't mind the elderly and people with children, its those ones that appear to be unemployed with no life.

[JordanRHughes]

[Frog]

I hate when someone can't relay personal peeves without saying **** more than any other word.

[GB1]

How's this for a pet peeve - people who can't take responsibility for their own goof ups, and instead blame everyone else.

Darn, I like that ... it's timeless!

[JETA]

How's this for a pet peeve - people who can't take responsibility for their own goof ups, and instead blame everyone else.

Darn, I like that ... it's timeless!

This is probably one of my biggest pet peeves too.

[Frog]

You mean it isn't someone else's fault?

[Grandpaw]

One of mine is people that do not stop at STOP signs and just run right on through, Jeff

[GB1]

One of mine is people that do not stop at STOP signs and just run right on through, Jeff

I visited my bro in Houston Texas a few years back. I twice saw where cars used the frozen traffic due to a fire truck or ambulance siren to dash through an intersection and beat traffic! .. wow.. that level of selfishness surprised me. Someone should lose their license for that **** (sorry Frog)

[flyinion]

One of mine is people that do not stop at STOP signs and just run right on through, Jeff

I have a similar one, the major intersection where I go grocery shopping. On one of the left turn lanes, people are always going through after it turns red. I'm not talking the light is "pink" (turned red after you got in the intersection). I'm talking my light has been green for 15-20 seconds.....or more.....and people are still going over the line into the intersection.

I've taken to going anyway if I'm at the front of the lane and laying on the horn now. Obviously not fast enough to hit anyone but enough to say "hey moron the light has been red for an hour now!!".

[Frog]

Concerning the red lights I can't understand why people complain about red light cameras.
The more red light runners they stop the better as far as I'm concerned.

[flyinion]

Concerning the red lights I can't understand why people complain about red light cameras.
The more red light runners they stop the better as far as I'm concerned.

I'm actually thinking of standing on that corner with my camera, taking pictures of the cars running the light, and sending them to the local PD then seeing what needs to be done to get a red light camera at that intersection. I mean, I've seen a few intersections around town where people occasionally run a light, but this particular one is getting quite ridiculous.

[havana_joe]

Biggest pet peeve? People who pronounce the "t" in "often". It's a silent t!!! Just because a lot of people do it doesn't make it correct!

You don't pronounce the t in soften, listen, or moisten, do you?

[OldClicker]

Biggest pet peeve? People who pronounce the "t" in "often". It's a silent t!!! Just because a lot of people do it doesn't make it correct!

You don't pronounce the t in soften, listen, or moisten, do you?

Maybe not a hard 't', but I would have to say that I pronounce all four different than I would offen, soffen, lissen or moissen. - TF

[havana_joe]

Maybe not a hard 't', but I would have to say that I pronounce all four different than I would offen, soffen, lissen or moissen. - TF

That's how I pronounce them- offen, soffen, lissen and moissen. I dated a girl who made a point to say off-TON, and it drove me insane.

Although, truth be told, I think I might pronounce "often" as "off-in" as opposed to "off-en". Small difference, but since I am picking nits today, I might as well start with myself!

[OldClicker]

That's how I pronounce them- offen, soffen, lissen and moissen. I dated a girl who made a point to say off-TON, and it drove me insane.

Although, truth be told, I think I might pronounce "often" as "off-in" as opposed to "off-en". Small difference, but since I am picking nits today, I might as well start with myself!

I think that it might be the memory. TF

[GB1]

Concerning the red lights I can't understand why people complain about red light cameras.
The more red light runners they stop the better as far as I'm concerned.

I have a problem with them here in San Diego in some spots because they seem to enforce illogical light timing.

In Cali, if the intersection has a "Do not block intersection" sign then you cannot be in the intersection when the light turns red (otherwise you can and can legally proceed through). Some intersections like that do not have a long enough yellow light to allow you to make it through. I can think of one in particular where if you are coming up on the light and you see it turns yellow, I would say you have a very good chance of not making it through before it turns red. Your only other option is to lock up your brakes (speed limit is 40) and have your vehicle screech to a halt and almost throw you through the windshield (good for seat belts!). I haven't gotten a ticket there but if you do it's like $400 here, and you know how hard it is to try arguing with a judge that you did what you could to stop....

[Canuck935]

It's an even bigger trap when there's a driveway to a mall or gas station on that corner immediately after the left turn.. So maybe you enter the intersection on green, then the person two cars in front of you needs to slow down and turn into the driveway, which in turn slows down everyone behind him/her. Now you have one or more cars stuck in the intersection when the light turns red even though they entered it on green or yellow. I've seen cops on such intersections waving down rows and rows of cars and issuing everybody tickets.

And as you said GB. You could certainly slam your brakes, and sure it's a bit scary but yes we have seat-belts to hold us down in such situations. However, it's the person behind me I'm afraid of. I do not want to get slammed by that F-250 behind me. So do I see yellow and slam the brakes, and take the chance that the person behind me will be able to stop in time... or do I go on through and risk getting ticketed? Red light camera's don't care if I get wrecked, so long as I wasn't in the intersection when the light turned red..

[CaraRose]

Biggest pet peeve? People who pronounce the "t" in "often". It's a silent t!!! Just because a lot of people do it doesn't make it correct!

You don't pronounce the t in soften, listen, or moisten, do you?

According to dictionary.com, often may be pronounced "aw-fuhn", "of-uhn", and "awf-tuhn". The "t" may be or may not be silent.

Actually the hard "en" (as in "ten") is how I hear it, and that's not a standard pronunciation (note all three standard pronunciations end in "uhn" not "en").

I'd argue there is no "correct" way of speaking English. It depends on your location and dialect to define how you pronounce words, how you emphasize syllables, and what words you chose to use (say, when you're in the grocery store, is that wheeled container you put your groceries in a "cart," "basket," or a "buggy?").

[CaraRose]

Concerning the red lights I can't understand why people complain about red light cameras.
The more red light runners they stop the better as far as I'm concerned.

My issue with red light cameras is the fact that they're enforcing a moving violation as a civil violation. Running a red light is a moving violation, and as such the ticket should go against the DRIVER, not the vehicle. Since a camera can't tell who's driving, the ticket is sent out as a civil violation, like a parking ticket, which is issued against the vehicle. But since the ticket SHOULD be issued against the driver, this isn't fair nor legal. Innocent until proven guilty means I should be able to challenge any ticket issued in this manner and tell them to prove that I was driving the vehicle at the time the violation occurred.

If they want to continue using red light cameras, they need to change running a red light to a civil violation-- but of course then these can't be counted against a driver's record either.

[havana_joe]

According to dictionary.com, often may be pronounced "aw-fuhn", "of-uhn", and "awf-tuhn". The "t" may be or may not be silent.

Actually the hard "en" (as in "ten") is how I hear it, and that's not a standard pronunciation (note all three standard pronunciations end in "uhn" not "en").

I'd argue there is no "correct" way of speaking English. It depends on your location and dialect to define how you pronounce words, how you emphasize syllables, and what words you chose to use (say, when you're in the grocery store, is that wheeled container you put your groceries in a "cart," "basket," or a "buggy?").

off-en, off-in, or off-un are fine by me, it's the hard T that is my pet peeve, especially when you make it a point to emphasize it. My secondary pet peeve is that it's listed in some dictionaries as being acceptable, but that's only because so many people say it incorrectly, for many years it was NOT acceptable!

[SmartWombat]

People who pronounce the "t" in "often"

There is a t in often in English, maybe not in American

But it depends on your regional dialect.
Or "dylek" if you're one uv the yoof uh today, innit

You don't pronounce the t in soften, listen, or moisten, do you?

No, that's what makes English hard to learn.
Just consider slough, tough, cough - you don't always pronounce "ough" the same.


There are moves towards "modern" spelling and pronunciation in many languages, most of which seem to be so that you don't need to learn the richness of the language or appreciate the etymology - just use a simplified spelling - for simplified people?

I appreciate language evolves, but that doesn't mean I have to like the way it's evolving, particularly among those disadvantaged by poor education.

[havana_joe]

I appreciate language evolves, but that doesn't mean I have to like the way it's evolving, particularly among those disadvantaged by poor education.

I totally agree, and it's not as if I correct someone for saying it as off-ton, and I am not so perfect as I don't accept that I probably mispronounce words as well, but that one word hurts my ears for some reason!

[CaraRose]

There are moves towards "modern" spelling and pronunciation in many languages, most of which seem to be so that you don't need to learn the richness of the language or appreciate the etymology - just use a simplified spelling - for simplified people?

English will never have "modern" spelling. The diehards for standard English will never let that happen.

[daq7]

I hate people who say "all is not lost" when they really mean "not all is lost".

..which is pretty much everybody.

[CaraRose]

I hate people who say "all is not lost" when they really mean "not all is lost".

..which is pretty much everybody.

I'm not sure if I see this one. "Everything" is listed as a synonym for all in Thesaurus.com, then wouldn't "Everything is not lost" be the equivalent statement? I don't see how this is logically invalid.