SO what's it all about

[hughnique]

Something which really winds me up, doesn't take much, is this habit nowadays of starting any conversation with SO,, ask them a question and the first word on the reply is So. Is it just another modern language thing, such as "you are not wrong", instead of right, and while a rant is in order, a news reporter on the BBC last night came out with the fact that a particular person was not illegible for a grant or something, it's getting worse with the likes of Flog It or Antiques Roadshow, when they say that people have bought something in to be valued. Gone are the days of proper English, right ignorant load of buggers entertaining us nowadays

[niemeyjt]

I'm not sure I would use the word "entertaining" - more like poncing around thinking they're the bee's knees on a grossly inflated salary.

My bug bear, to broaden the discussion, is "of" - as in should of done something!

[Pathca]

Definitely the use of ‘of’ instead of have winds me up

[mysty]

On on twitter yesterday the guy who wonders about with the funny hat shouting stop brexit.
He was asking an MP why the conservitives were so corrupt. The MP kept saying f_ck off while being filmed.
It appears anything goes these days.
I use so. and have told people to fec off before even French understand that one.
I blame Trump.

[Doug]

Really hisses me of when I rarely watch they always ask "if you win/get what you want what are you going to do with the money?"
I always shout "SPEND IT"
Another thing these days both here and over there is the false yuppy titter, can't people laugh properly any more.

[Spardo]

Zoom. Can't abide it as a background for various shows, TV or radio. Sounds just like canned laughter to me and, due to it drowning out the next witticism, question or answer, it has all but destroyed the enjoyment for me of such programmes as Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The News Quiz. The last one I have cut altogether, I do realise though that the standard of guests is much lower than before, probably as the old originals die off or slowly fade away. Despite missing some of the best bits, I am hanging on with The Unbelievable Truth, the best thing on either platform for a long time. But that proves my point really, Mr. Victoria Coren ( ) is possibly the quickest wit on Earth and his rants strike such a personal chord with me. His guests are also above average currently.

Hasn't anybody invented subtitles for radio yet, shouldn't be difficult, and I would certainly benefit, listening as I always do on the telly.

[rsm]

The use of "of" when it should be off ,leaned instead of leant, there are many errors that wind me up but those two really do the trick.
Of course I never make mistakes

[Spardo]

I think leaned is acceptable, along with leant, in English and not an Americanism.

There are American usages that grate on me though, 'fill out' (a form) instead of 'fill in' is only one in common use today.

[exile]

"So" is just a thinking word - a word you insert while the mind conjures up its sentence - and just replaces Erm and or Well.

The one that gets me is the use of less when it should be fewer but I think the time to correct that is probably a decade or more ago.

[Doug]

The one that gets me is the use of less when it should be fewer but I think the time to correct that is probably a decade or more ago.

No! Less than that me thinks.
But on reflection is it that the world has passed on and we are still living in our past.