We’re really peeved

JUNE CASAGRANDE

This time I didn’t go looking for peeves. They came looking for me.

Twice so far I’ve dedicated columns to language peeves -- annoying

errors and habits in spoken and written English. The first time, it

was reader peeves. The second was writer peeves.

Now continues the never-ending torrent of peeves. This installment

comes at the suggestion of Daily Pilot City Editor Danette Goulet,

who said something like: “Hey. You should do a column of peeves of

everyone here in the newsroom.”

A few silly group e-mails later, here are the latest language

abuses getting under everyone’s skin.

My favorite comes from Assistant City Editor Mike Swanson, who is

irked by “people who say, ‘It goes without saying,’ and then say what

goes without saying.”

It goes without saying that I couldn’t agree more.

Nor is Mike a big fan of some people’s habit of throwing in

phrases like, “in fact” and “the fact that” -- gratuitous terms that

add little to a sentence besides excessive wordiness, just like the

one you’re reading now.

Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot City Editor Alicia Lopez shared her

biggest peeve, which is when people say “I could care less.”

“It should be, ‘I couldn’t care less,’” Alicia wrote. “Otherwise,

you’re not saying much.”

I care, Alicia. I care.

This next one requires a preface about Daily Pilot public safety

reporter Deepa Bharath.

Deepa is as calm, stoical and gentle as anyone you’ve ever met. So

I think that the passion in her response is a clue to just how

important good grammar is.

“What bugs me the most is when someone says, ‘People that ...’

instead of, ‘people who ...’ A close second is: ‘That impacted us

quite a bit.’ Aaaargh! Impact is not a verb and ceases to be a

legitimate word when used that way.”

If Deepa can get “aaaargh”-ing mad over bad grammar, you know it’s

worthwhile to know your stuff.

“Oh! I have one!” education reporter Marisa O’Neil wrote.

“Multiple exclamation marks!!! Except in e-mails or something.”

Good save.

Editor and columnist Lolita Harper isn’t a fan of hysterics,

either. Her peeves: “Improper use of quotes on everything and

improper use of capitalization. ANYTHING in the City that they deem

to be ‘important.’”

Another good one from Alicia is people who use the word

“literally” wrong.

Danette hates it when people use the word “over” when they mean

“more than.”

Alicia agrees: “The fact is, literally EVERYBODY!!!!! uses it,”

she wrote.

*

Though I didn’t solicit reader peeves, I still got two last week.

In what I assume is a bizarre coincidence, they were the same peeve

from two different readers, summed up here by Liz Newman:

“Preventative .... I know it’s in the dictionary as an alternative to

preventive, but . . . blech!”

*

Shifting the focus back to me (you didn’t think I could resist

getting in some of my own rants here, did you?), a few abominations

have come to my attention lately.

I hate that “mama” has become “momma” just about every time you

see it written. Ditto for “poppa” instead of “papa.” Why are we so

obsessed with anglicizing these words?

Another is “nauseous.” Years ago I learned that it’s not a word.

The word is nauseated. Of course, now I look in Webster’s New World

College Dictionary and see that nauseous is acceptable as a

colloquialism: That really peeves me.

Of course, my biggest peeve is when I make a mistake, which

happens a lot. For example, last week several readers busted me for

writing “bitty” when I meant “biddy” -- a word I got right in a

column last year then went and goofed up six months later.

I also experienced a momentary brain cramp when I wrote that it

would be correct to say, “Whom is your favorite Backstreet Boy.”

Chalk that one up to the intoxicating thrill I experience at the mere

mention of any boy band.

Yeah, I know. Now I’ve made everyone nauseous.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.