Like father, like son
I have an unappealing tendency to be a dreadful pedant. It's not a particularly attractive characteristic, I know - but I just can't help myself. If I wasn't so upset about their placement of apostrophes, I'd be a fully paid up member of the Nitpickers' League (or Nitpicker's, or Nitpickers). I worship daily at the Shrine of Truss.
One common colloquial catachresis that is pretty much guaranteed to set me off is the jarring "different... to" or (horror of horrors) "different... than" construction.
One thing can be "similar... to" or "other... than" something else, but must be "different... from" as any fule kno.
I hate myself whenever I do this, but I'll often sit in meetings or even in front of the TV and snap out a reflex "not than; from" when I hear the triggering solecism, knowing full well I sound like a cut rate Jean Bloody Brodie.
So then I'm in the shower this morning - Leona, Charlie and Lily off at Mass, Ruairi downstairs watching a bit of telly. (Yes - I'm just a bad parent. I dumped my three year-old in front of the TV so that I could get 15 minutes of showering peace).
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter... Ruairi scampers upstairs to tell me that Miffy is on again and he doesn't want to see Miffy - could I please change the channel.
I patiently explained that Daddy was in the shower and that just as soon as I was done I'd head downstairs to "change the channel for Miffy".
"Not for Miffy, Daddy," Ruairi pipes, "from Miffy," and then happily potters off.
OMG. I have created a monster.
[I'm sure some higher-ranking League-member will leap in to point out errors in this post in my own sentence construction or punctuation use. Such is the pedant's lot.]
One common colloquial catachresis that is pretty much guaranteed to set me off is the jarring "different... to" or (horror of horrors) "different... than" construction.
One thing can be "similar... to" or "other... than" something else, but must be "different... from" as any fule kno.
I hate myself whenever I do this, but I'll often sit in meetings or even in front of the TV and snap out a reflex "not than; from" when I hear the triggering solecism, knowing full well I sound like a cut rate Jean Bloody Brodie.
So then I'm in the shower this morning - Leona, Charlie and Lily off at Mass, Ruairi downstairs watching a bit of telly. (Yes - I'm just a bad parent. I dumped my three year-old in front of the TV so that I could get 15 minutes of showering peace).
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter... Ruairi scampers upstairs to tell me that Miffy is on again and he doesn't want to see Miffy - could I please change the channel.
I patiently explained that Daddy was in the shower and that just as soon as I was done I'd head downstairs to "change the channel for Miffy".
"Not for Miffy, Daddy," Ruairi pipes, "from Miffy," and then happily potters off.
OMG. I have created a monster.
[I'm sure some higher-ranking League-member will leap in to point out errors in this post in my own sentence construction or punctuation use. Such is the pedant's lot.]
