figbat
Slippery scientist
- Location
- South Oxfordshire, UK
And the equivalent "podiumed".
Words that annoy me for no particular reason.
- Thread starter PeteXXX
- Start date
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mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
Trust me.
Affordable luxury.
Affordable luxury.
Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
"I am liking," instead of "I like". Where did that come from?
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
Whatever....
LCpl Boiled Egg
Three word soundbite
Methinks
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
Gotten!
I know it's old English, but until recently only turned up in USAish. Now I keep hearing it here.
Two times!
What's wrong with twice? I do know what's going on here, a bit. My Grandad, young enough to have fought in WWI used Thrice whereas I'd use Three times, So it's illogical of me to react but whenever I here 'two times', where 'TWICE' WOULD DO!!!!!!!! It annoys me.
I know it's old English, but until recently only turned up in USAish. Now I keep hearing it here.
Two times!
What's wrong with twice? I do know what's going on here, a bit. My Grandad, young enough to have fought in WWI used Thrice whereas I'd use Three times, So it's illogical of me to react but whenever I here 'two times', where 'TWICE' WOULD DO!!!!!!!! It annoys me.
RichardB
Slightly retro
- Location
- West Wales
Sometimes called the continuous tense, it has for a long time been a feature of Indian English. The first Western example I can think of is the McDonald's slogan 'I'm loving it', and I think it has spread to the West from there. I'm not keen on it, but what can you do?
newfhouse
Resolutely on topic
I am thinking I am not liking it much.
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
The present continuous has lots of legitimate uses in British English too.
RichardB
Slightly retro
- Location
- West Wales
Not sure what to call the 'I am liking' construction. The tense which most people understand as 'present continuous' is something like 'I am swimming' or 'I am riding', but it is normally used with an active verb. It's the use with a stative (non-action) verb that is unusual - I am being, I am thinking, and so on. Use these a lot and you start to sound like Peter Sellers in The Millionairess.
DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
I'm thinking of going for a ride tomorrow but, given the weather forecast, am I being too optimistic?
mudsticks
Obviously an Aubergine
Aaarrggh if you're on a long, oft stopping train ride this really grates.
You start to anticipate the intonation.
And "Please ensure you take all your belongings with you, when you leave the train "
Oh no really??
Dargnabit, I thought I'd leave my slightly dubious looking frayed rucsac, full of my belongings right here, and make off with that nice looking leather satchel from the guy over there instead ...
I do say that, I'm afraid..
Say I'm hovering over a particularly spectacular cake, for instance. .
"I am liking the look of this"
Ah, this may explain the above..
I've been taught by many teachers from the Indian subcontinent.
I've also subconsciously picked up their pronunciation of 'buttocks' - it's so much better
RichardB
Slightly retro
- Location
- West Wales
It's a very subtle distinction, for sure.
'I'm thinking of going for a ride' is normal British English.
'I am thinking he is a strange man', is not.
In the first, 'think' is something you are actively doing. In the second, it is more akin to a state you are in - the state of thinking about something. I don't know enough to be able to distinguish the two in more precise terms.
I am thinking that I have gone as far as I can in this discussion.
