Sadly, at a recent gathering, one of the participants said, "i.e.", instead of saying "that is". I cringed at her use of the abbreviation for "id est" while speaking. Even sadder was that the proper term she should have used was "for example", as she was giving an example. I thought, "Miss Digman would turn over in her grave if she knew the misuse of "id est" and "exempli gratia" in speech versus writing!"
Later the same woman said, "I feel badly." I refrained from checking her fingers to ascertain if they were functioning properly. I wondered if she also felt sadly, gladly and madly or just loved adverbs!
I recall Miss Digman grabbing a student's hand who had committed saying the unpardonable "I feel badly", and checking the fingers and saying, "You feel BAD unless your fingers aren't working!"
Ah, Miss Digman, R.I.P. ("REQUIESCAT IN PACE").
1 comment:
OMG, I know a dozen people who say, "I feel badly." Should I correct them?
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