The Student Room Group

People who can't speak proper English

Am I the only one who gets ridiculously triggered when someone can't use proper grammar? Like my mum will say "No one will do nothing for me" or "I can't find my keys nowhere" people use "should of" instead of "should have" it just triggers me and I needed to rant about it.

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Some people can't speak proper English because it's not their mother tongue?
Reply 2
Original post by Xopher_
Am I the only one who gets ridiculously triggered when someone can't use proper grammar? Like my mum will say "No one will do nothing for me" or "I can't find my keys nowhere" people use "should of" instead of "should have" it just triggers me and I needed to rant about it.


For me it depends on the environment. At work I get really angry / annoyed when professionals write up documents with bad grammar or spelling. I think in casual conversation it's different. For example instead of 'give it to me' I say 'give it me'. But I know it's not right and I wouldn't use it in a formal setting. So long as you can put your posh voice on when required I don't see the problem.
Reply 3
Original post by abc:)
For me it depends on the environment. At work I get really angry / annoyed when professionals write up documents with bad grammar or spelling. I think in casual conversation it's different. For example instead of 'give it to me' I say 'give it me'. But I know it's not right and I wouldn't use it in a formal setting. So long as you can put your posh voice on when required I don't see the problem.


Yeah I know what you mean, but that's not even that bad. It's just people who don't understand the concept of double negatives. "I don't have no money".

Instead of saying "I don't know" you can sometimes just say "don't know" because it means the same thing like you said.
Original post by Xopher_
Am I the only one who gets ridiculously triggered when someone can't use proper grammar? Like my mum will say "No one will do nothing for me" or "I can't find my keys nowhere" people use "should of" instead of "should have" it just triggers me and I needed to rant about it.


Why would you get triggered? Dont you think that makes you look like a fool?

There are all sorts of reasons peoples grammar can be sub par. It might not be their native language or they might have had a poor education. How are your second and third language skills?
Reply 5
Original post by Anonymous
Some people can't speak proper English because it's not their mother tongue?


I mean people who are born English and just didn't pay attention in English class. Except that isn't even a valid argument because I didn't go to secondary school.
Reply 6
Original post by 999tigger
Why would you get triggered? Dont you think that makes you look like a fool?

There are all sorts of reasons peoples grammar can be sub par. It might not be their native language or they might have had a poor education. How are your second and third language skills?


Multiple languages isn't the point. I'm talking about people who are born in the UK and still can't speak their language properly. I didn't have a secondary school education yet I can still speak proper English.

I don't know how people not speaking proper English makes me look like a fool, considering people can't read minds yet.
Original post by Xopher_
Multiple languages isn't the point. I'm talking about people who are born in the UK and still can't speak their language properly. I didn't have a secondary school education yet I can still speak proper English.

I don't know how people not speaking proper English makes me look like a fool, considering people can't read minds yet.


Yo get actually triggered over something as menial as this, then yes I think it makes you look foolish. Do carry on though. What will you be doing about it?
Reply 8
Original post by 999tigger
Yo get actually triggered over something as menial as this, then yes I think it makes you look foolish. Do carry on though. What will you be doing about it?


Not really planning on doing anything tbh. I did say it was just a rant. People just need to be lectured on double negatives. Oh wait, that's in maths class.
Reply 9
Original post by Xopher_
Yeah I know what you mean, but that's not even that bad. It's just people who don't understand the concept of double negatives. "I don't have no money".

Instead of saying "I don't know" you can sometimes just say "don't know" because it means the same thing like you said.


Interesting point: in other languages a double negative isn't a problem. In Spanish for example they use double negatives and it is grammatically correct.

Also 'give it me' is pretty incorrect - essentially you are saying 'give me to it' which is obviously wrong. It's not just a case of shortening like 'don't know'; it is grammatically incorrect.
Reply 10
Original post by Xopher_
Multiple languages isn't the point. I'm talking about people who are born in the UK and still can't speak their language properly. I didn't have a secondary school education yet I can still speak proper English.

I don't know how people not speaking proper English makes me look like a fool, considering people can't read minds yet.


Are you a student?
Sorry, I don’t speak English.
Reply 12
Original post by abc:)
Interesting point: in other languages a double negative isn't a problem. In Spanish for example they use double negatives and it is grammatically correct.

Also 'give it me' is pretty incorrect - essentially you are saying 'give me to it' which is obviously wrong. It's not just a case of shortening like 'don't know'; it is grammatically incorrect.


I know it's incorrect, but you can still understand what you're asking for. Whereas if someone says "I don't have no one to talk to" it means they have someone to talk to? Like what's your problem then?

When I said shortening, I meant that you don't need to say "I don't know" in order for someone to understand what you mean. "Don't know" means the exact same thing, if the question is directed at you in an informal manner.
Reply 13
Original post by Kevin Hodge
Sorry, I don’t speak English.


Hi (sorry for my English)
Reply 14
Original post by abc:)
Are you a student?


I'm going to college on a level 2 motor vehicle course, with English on the side because I got an E at gcse. For some reason I'm doing level 1 functional skills English.
I’m personally triggered when people use ‘week’ as a plural instead of ‘weeks’.

My dAD iS gOINg on hOliDAy iN 8 WEeK.

Then again, speaking English is not easy for everyone. Especially if it’s your second/third/fourth language.
It’s very easy to drop into colloquial language when speaking.
I do the same but my English is much better, spoken and written, in a professional environment
It’s just easy and lazy. We all do it
Reply 17
Original post by Xopher_
I know it's incorrect, but you can still understand what you're asking for. Whereas if someone says "I don't have no one to talk to" it means they have someone to talk to? Like what's your problem then?


Are you trying to say that when someone says 'I don't have no-one to talk to' you actually don't understand what they're saying?

I'm asking because I'm struggling to see why you make a distinction between 'give it me' being ok, but 'I don't have no-one' not being ok? It seems arbitrary.
I could join this discussion but the list of words and phrases used by native English speakers that irritate me would be too long.
Original post by Xopher_
Am I the only one who gets ridiculously triggered when someone can't use proper grammar? Like my mum will say "No one will do nothing for me" or "I can't find my keys nowhere" people use "should of" instead of "should have" it just triggers me and I needed to rant about it.


Err... Just so you know, "Should've" is a contraction similar to "Can't" or "Won't". It's not "should of", but when people are speaking it is pronounced very similarly.

Should've is perfectly fine.

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