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Time for another language rant
Aug. 22nd, 2010 02:27 pmBecause I was reading a story that I really enjoyed *except* that the author consistently used 'that' instead of 'who', when describing people, eg Merlin was revealed as a sorcerer that had lied to hide his secret.
If Merlin was a table, fine, but Merlin is a person and so should be who.
'That' and 'which' can be difficult, but 'that' and 'who'? It's okay in dialogue, but not in narrative.
And, while I'm on a roll, there are other words and phrases that I wish I could avoid:
He/she can't help feeling, always make me ask why they were trying to.
In fact, why do fanfic characters always *have* to do so many things? -- He had to smile at her joke -- Was he fighting the urge, until it proved too strong for him? Why doesn't he simply smile at her joke? Why this constant need for compulsion?
( Cut, because this turned into more of a rant than I expected )
Am I being intolerant? Yes, I guess I am. But hey, I have enough trouble finding the time to read good fic. If I read the stuff that irritated me too... *g*
So, dear flisties, especially my American flisties, what are your thoughts? Does 'gotten' get to you, or do you not notice it?
What about 'drug' and 'instinctual'?
What are the things that drive you up the wall?
As always, none of these examples are prompted by anything written by anyone on my flist, so come on, you lot, you know it's good to share. Do your good deed for the day and help me feel less of a pedant. *g* Or, at least, less of a solitary pedant.
If Merlin was a table, fine, but Merlin is a person and so should be who.
'That' and 'which' can be difficult, but 'that' and 'who'? It's okay in dialogue, but not in narrative.
And, while I'm on a roll, there are other words and phrases that I wish I could avoid:
He/she can't help feeling, always make me ask why they were trying to.
In fact, why do fanfic characters always *have* to do so many things? -- He had to smile at her joke -- Was he fighting the urge, until it proved too strong for him? Why doesn't he simply smile at her joke? Why this constant need for compulsion?
( Cut, because this turned into more of a rant than I expected )
Am I being intolerant? Yes, I guess I am. But hey, I have enough trouble finding the time to read good fic. If I read the stuff that irritated me too... *g*
So, dear flisties, especially my American flisties, what are your thoughts? Does 'gotten' get to you, or do you not notice it?
What about 'drug' and 'instinctual'?
What are the things that drive you up the wall?
As always, none of these examples are prompted by anything written by anyone on my flist, so come on, you lot, you know it's good to share. Do your good deed for the day and help me feel less of a pedant. *g* Or, at least, less of a solitary pedant.
