"A language "error" not wrth fighting over" Topic

That would be the proper use of "begging the question". NOBODY gets it right!
It does not mean what you think it means.

The fallacy of petitio principii, or "begging the question", is committed "when a proposition which requires proof is assumed without proof".

Does anybody get right? To be honest, I have to keep looking it up to understand it. But I know when it's wrong when I see it.

I would rather devote my TMP Grammer, and, Speling Facscist Emeritus street cred on "less and fewer" and Apostrophe Abuse™.

There is that.

Meh. The only one that really bothers me is the misuse of calvary.

I once picked up some "Calvary Movement Trays" (as the they were laser printed underneath). They were on for a fantastic discount! :-)

If it's not wrth fighting over, then it's not wrth anything.

I avoid using it just so I cannot use it wrong
saves me at least some aggravation

my button is the use of thEn in place of thAn
arrrrg!

calvary is a very close second

I try never to misuse cavalry. but things have gone wrong…

link

It bugs me, but then, I taught philosophy and logic classes and logical fallicies (the 'proper' use of 'begging the question' is one) was a topic we covered. When I hear it I usually inwardly shudder, but rarely say anything because it appears to be a losing battle. Shame that, because it is actually an important concept to distinguish.

Misuse doesn't bother me. I use that one correctly. Most of the time. I hope. One thing teaching rhetoric taught me is that there is a difference between structured and casual speech. Certainly, one (see … I said "one" instead of "you") should train himself (artifact of English grammar, not misogyny) on the rules in order to make fewer (yeah) mistakes which leads to less (yeah, yeah) ambiguity.

That said, fewer/less always piques me for some reason. In the fast check-out grocery line, I always feel like I should eat half a peach or drink one of the beers from the case in order to qualify…

On the other hand … I have been known to commit occasional ellipsis abuse. By occasional, I mean frequent.

The creep, mostly due to media misuse, of 'infer' when
'imply' is correct.

The media, supposed to be among the most educated of the
GP, is certainly guilty of many crimes against language.

My bete noir: many gamers who say the Peninsular War happened in the Peninsular. No, it happened in the Iberian Peninsula.

Peninsular is an adjective, not a noun, proper or otherwise. And I will draw my sword over that one.

Your begging the question, John ;0

Hey Patrick R, I just spent half an hour wasting time on the oatmeal, what a great site!
--
Tim

I am with Calvin Trilling on the who/whom question. "'Whom' is a word designed to make us sound like butlers."

I am also with Winston Churchill on a preposition being a terrible thing to end a sentence with.

Actually, I thought Winnie had said 'That is the sort of
thing up with which I shall not put !'