I hear daily a reasonably well educated person, Chris Matthews of MSNBC most recently, use reticent for reluctant, and it grates on my ears. He's only the latest. \nMy English teacher in high school frequently reminded us that language was dynamic, but I never equated that with using a wrong word.  Do you have an opinion?
202721
Reticence is generally considered a form of reluctance - the reluctance to speak - but I agree with you that it is often used more broadly as a synonym for reluctance in general.\n\nAt the end of the day, the dynamic nature of language means that a word is only "wrong" if it does not communicate clearly what the speaker intended.  If the speaker means "reluctant" and the majority of hearers understand that he means "reluctant", then reticence is not a wrong word.
223501
I hate the word "Whatever" when used as a phrase!  My kids were in their teen years when it became popular, and THAT was always the answer to anything I told them to do, or when I was getting on to them for doing something wrong!!  And they didn't use it nicely, but aggressively, or sarcastically!!\n\nGGGRRRRRRR!  If ONE word could make me see red...THAT was the word!  Thank goodness they're grown up now, and rarely use it!
672246
Regular verbs that accurately express one's meaning are stronger than verbs with "helpers."  The construction be + adjective is sometimes unavoidable or else handy, but not a strong form.\n\nDislike is not really the same as "be adverse to."  One may dislike something but not be adverse to it, as adverse means "in opposition" or "opposed."  Toward the opposite, in essence.\n\nBasically, if you want strong sentences and statements, avoid the passive tense, and find words that are fairly straight-forward.  "I wouldn't be adverse to..." really means "I am not against..."  Of course, people sometimes use circumlocutions ["a talking around"] purposely to soften a statement, and some people like to soften their statements.
533162
Too many people that didn't study in english class, I suppose. Way too many grammatical errors these days. But that seems to be the least of the problems now...its hard to find people who can actually spell! \nI think the book "Eats shoots, and leaves" should be required reading for EVERYONE!! \nSo, yes, I agree with you whole-heartedly! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving!
150449
The word I think I use most frequently is 'rather' and I think I use it the most because I pride myself on being able to effectively communicate my points and there's always a slightly better way to say it- unfortunately, my mouth sometimes gets ahead of my brain and I end up having to say 'rather'...\nMy favorite word is 'mo-mo', pronounced 'moe-moe'-- yes, it's of the made up variety but it's unusually versitile. It's a clean and 'rather' unoffensive way of expressing anger or bewilderment at someone else's extreme stuipidity. I like to use it when I'm driving; i.e. "What are you DOING?? You freaking MO-MO!"- see what I mean? It works 'rather' well!
155245
They're not playing at being morons, they really are!  I have never seen so many people who couldn't spell, use proper punctuation in the right places or who have totally ignored the rules of grammar until I joined Yahoo Answers.  To answer your question, yes schools are failing this badly but I think parents are too.  The hip-hop industry isn't helping either.  Kids see this and imitate it. ("fo schnizzle" is a perfect example)
19008
It amazes me that people judge a person by pulling out simple mis-statements and hanging them out as examples of IQ. \n\nTranscripts of ANY live event show over and over that NO ONE is immune to this. Lawyers, other politicians, newscasters/commentators, talk show hosts, interviewers and interviewees... Even newspapers flub frequently.\n\nObviously, mistakes like this happen. He juxtaposed two thoughts on the fly- mixing up asking about one child or a generic group of kids.\n\nFocusing on the minor grammatical flub rather than the actual text is a really, really poor way to evaluate someone. What was the content of the speech overall? THAT is what should be analysed and debated.\n\n\n\nBy the way- calling someone a 'baffoon' for poor grammer is a REALLY bad idea for someone who posts the comment with their own bad grammer.\n\nThe 'P' in President should be capitalized if you plan on using the rather rude 'all caps' format (all caps means 'shouting' in most on-line venues).\n\nAlso, it is either a 'Baboon', or a 'buffoon'. To use 'baffoon' is to commit EXACTLY the same error Bush did.
652894
It's a bastardizing of the English language.  People seem to judge you on your ability to spell as a measure of your intelligence.  Most doctors are bad spellers.  So are we saying we are risking our lives to unintelligent people?  Of course not.  Some of us love the English language, phonics and such and we wish it to be properly executed.
297475
One thing to keep in mind is that the words that are okay today are the "non-PC" words of tomorrow. It's funny how terms come in and go out of vogue. \n\n(For example, people used to use the word, "dwarf" for someone suffering "dwarfism" -- now the term is "little person." Eventually people will tire of that, the term will be decried as bad, and another one will be chosen.)\n\nSome people understand this and see terms like "retarded" as just words, and aren't offended by its general usage. Other people are more sensitive and will become heavily offended. It's strange how different the sorts of reaction can be -- sometimes VERY strong in either direction, all over the same word. \n\nI usually just try to remain aware of why I use certain words, and which situations might demand a higher level of sensitivity even if the word doesn't bother me particularly.
620484
I'm in my 50s and this sort of inflection was rarely heard before maybe the mid 1980s. Until then, it was pretty much associated with "Valley Girl" speaking style. And yeah, it's confusing and annoying. I find myself constantly asking "Was that a question or a statement?"
506037
Actually, in most places the correct verb for this context is "speak", but you'll hear "talk" substituted by some speakers.  Some people may think of such a speech pattern as "uneducated", but it could well be a dialectal thing.
169423
Yes, you can say the word "moron" on the radio.  Words you have to avoid using are those cited by George Carlin's "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television."  However, I have heard one of those words used frequently nowadays, so I guess the standards have relaxed a little.
144867
Why don't you ask your mom how to spell 'attend', 'etc' and 'alternative'? (And the grammatically correct version of 'thanks you' is 'thank you'.) \n\n(You have now asked this question three times, and every time I have corrected you.)
247957
Get off your high horse...this is a forum for anyone who wants to participate in it, not just for smart people who proofread.  Misspelled words aren't necessarily a sign of poor education as much as laziness (not to suggest that laziness is any better).  Just get over it.
95537
Hi there- being that I have OCD (obsessive/compulsive disorder), I can empathize with how you are bothered by the poor grammar and spelling of other users. Actually, it doesn't bother me at all- which is uncanny. Since I am obsessive-compulsive, it seems counter-intuitive that I would not be bothered by people's mistakes in writing. Of course, I make an occasional faux pas myself. I love the English language...poetry, books, etc. But I do understand that there are other people who may not have an affinity for the written word. I believe that in some instances, the individual may be in a rush, and as a result, they are negligent when it comes to constructing their sentences. Some people may be very young people, or may be people who have recently started using the English language, and don't yet have the same proficiency as some native speakers/writers. From that vantage point, I think that many people, even highly intelligent ones, may have some degree of difficulty assimilating. Ostensibly, English is a difficult language to learn for speakers of other languages. There may be mulitiple reasons for this- such as idiomatic expressions, sarcasm, internet/chat terminology, et cetera. \n\nAt all events, I do understand your concern. I have heard of people with OCD who are greatly perturbed by poor grammar, or using incorrect numbers, and so forth. It stands to reason that there are people who do not have OCD who will also have this sort of pet peeve. I used to correct people when they failed to speak properly- for example, if someone were to say "Where is the car at"? I would chastise them for using a preposition at the end of a sentence. I don't know what aspects about me have changed since that time, but I don't normally try to correct people anymore. Please be assured that there are still people out here that love proper writing, as I am one of them. :)
237033
I think I tend to use adjectives very selectively, and the ones I choose depend on my audience.\n\nWith children I use cool and neat a great deal.\n\nWith teens I use cool and awesome.\n\nWith adults, I try to match their speech so they feel comfortable. If they curse a lot, and that seems to be the type of language with which they are most comfortable, I am more likely to curse a great deal, as well. If they have a bigger, more well-developed vocabulary, I use what you fancifully refer to as "big guns". \n\nFor the most part, I do tend to stay away from fabulous. Where I live, a tremendous number of people are extremely homophobic. For some reason, they tend to associate the word fabulous with gay men, and once they hear that word used in conversation, the conversation usually turns juvenile and offensive, with a lot of vulgar humor about homosexuals. (Well, they consider it humor, I consider it tripe.)\n\nI apologize for being unable to provide you with an actual list. I guess somewhere along the line I really internalized the maxim about "When in Rome..."\n\nLater:\n\nAfter checking with my husband and several friends, I can report that adjectives I use frequently include delightful, wonderful, lovely and wonky. I also tend to use metaphors instead of adjectives.
444822
I am a High School English teacher, my sister is and Elementary School teacher and our cousin teaches special needs so I think I can answer this with a degree of knowledge.....the answer is a definitive ....YES.  newyorkgal 71 says that she believes that most teachers just don't care anymore but I can tell you that those of us who do care see a drastic down slide in the grammatical structure of most individuals writing and speech. I believe it is because we as a society have made it acceptable to use slang as a substitute for appropriate speech, until we as a whole make a change we as teachers can teach and instruct as much as we can and want but  what is learned at home will usually prevail.