Word Definitions

Now see I found the homely thing weird too.  But after visiting here and realizing that its not just Chris that says that I haven't had that conversation with him.  So I'll ask now after explaining it to your hubby's have they changed how they say that word.  I'm sure it doesn't come up often.  Just curious.

Nope...DH hasn't changed it.  I wouldn't expect him to, really.  But now I know what he means when he says it!   

I think 'cheap' is another one. I remember taking the DH around to my beloved Target on one of his first visits to the US and he said that everything there was cheap. I took immediate offence until we worked out he just meant inexpensive and a good bargain and not trashy.  It still bugs me a bit when it's used in a compliment sort of way.

Another one which irritates me is the way in which people use the word " Literally". has everyone forgotten what this word means??? How times a day do I hear people saying things like, " I'm telling you I literally died! " Er, no you didn't. I wish you had, but you literally didn't.

Another one which irritates me is the way in which people use the word " Literally". has everyone forgotten what this word means??? How times a day do I hear people saying things like, " I'm telling you I literally died! " Er, no you didn't. I wish you had, but you literally didn't.

Boy, do I agree with you on this one!  Argh!

One of the things that always throws me, and occasionally bugs me is the addition of '-tated' to certain words. Where we say oriented, the British say orientated. I know it's correct here (OK I haven't looked it up) but I just find it funny. Another thing, that I find weird is a statement like "and I was stood there" or "and I was sat there". This is as opposed to "and I was standing/sitting there". Now, this could genuinely be poor grammar but I hear it A LOT.

'cheap'

No need to be bugged about this.  'Inexpensive' is listed as the primary meaning of the word in both British (Oxford) and American (Encarta) dictionaries.

British say orientated

They also say oriented.  According to Encarta, Americans also say 'orientated'.

and I was stood there

It might be an idiom you are not used to, but it is still perfectly good grammar: why do you think it is not?

'As I was stood there', why it sounds wrong to me, is this; it has two words using past tense, from what I remember from English grammar in school, it should be 'as I was standing there',,,,,, or even 'as I stood there.'

Any English teachers out there to help out on this one?

Isn't is something about a passive verb?  I remember always wanting to write, " The award was given to James by the organization" and having my English teacher say I should write, " The organization gave the award to James".    

In regards to the word "cheap"...my father put it this way..."Liane, you should never say that you are a cheap date...you may have gone on an inexpensive date, but you, yourself, should never be considered cheap"...

From that point on I made certain to use the word inexpensive regarding personal stuff & cheap to mean things that were poorly made plus inexpensive...

"and I was stood there"

If someone picked you up and placed you, then I suppose it's perfectly fine grammar.
It reminds me of how I was taught the difference between 'done' and 'finished.' 
I used to say, 'okay, I'm done!' to which any member of my family would respond, 'oh good, let's stick a thermometer in you and make sure.'

Hee hee - I always say, "Stick a fork in me, I'm done."

 
No need to be bugged about this.  'Inexpensive' is listed as the primary meaning of the word in both British (Oxford) and American (Encarta) dictionaries.

I think this is one of those words where it's more the connotation than the actual definition that's different.

Isn't it something about a passive verb?

Yes it is!  In formal grammatical terms, "I was stood" and "I was sat" are examples of the imperfect passive, the passive meaning that something happens to someone/something, rather than the active, where someone does something.

Obviously neither expressions mean literally (to use that word in its most precise sense - see posts above!) that someone or something picked you up and either stood you or sat you; the use of the passive in these examples is purely figurative / metaphorical.  Thus "I was sat" carries more meaning than "I sat" - it could mean for example, that a waiter had shown you to a table, or that circumstances caused you to be sitting (quite often with the implication that the actual circumstances aren't relevant to the story).  Sometimes there is an implication that the person telling the story isn't entirely happy with the circumstances, e.g., "I was stood in the immigration queue for hours!" = "They forced us to wait for hours in the immigration queue". 

"I was stood at the corner when suddenly ..." could imply "It so happened that I was standing at the corner when ..." - with perhaps an idea that what happened next was beyond your immediate control.

So far as "The award was given to James by the organization" and "The organization gave the award to James", both of course are perfectly grammatical.  The point the teacher was making might just have been a stylistic one - use fewer words when possible.  Also there is a tendency to avoid the passive, if it is possible to use the active - it makes it livelier and more immediate, and often less pedantic.  Compare, for example "Patrons are reminded by the Management ..." with "The Management remind Patrons ..."

This is a generational one. My daughter's friends ( 10 years of age) all ask if their friends can " Sleep around". You should have seen my face the first time my daughter asked, " Daddy, Anna wants to know if I can sleep around".   

This is a generational one. My daughter's friends ( 10 years of age) all ask if their friends can " Sleep around". You should have seen my face the first time my daughter asked, " Daddy, Anna wants to know if I can sleep around".   

Hee hee - been there with my 10-year-old!