Is this a word?

[Dr. Who]

Yeh, my mum says the same thing about 'gifted' - what's wrong with given? She says gifted should be used when we are describing a very talented person or child, not when someone is given something. She also says people make up unnecessary words when perfectly good ones exist. Words like 'nuanced' instead of 'subtle', or 'inspirational' instead of 'inspiring'.

One of my pet peeves is the word invite, which conventional wisdom and every grammar book in the world defines as a verb i.e. to invite. Yet people continually use it as an noun i.e. did you get an invite, rather than, did you get an invitation? I too have never "gifted" anyone with anything, though I have given gifts.

[GrassrootsConservative]

"Irregardless."
"Inflammable."
And, more recently, "Meme" pronounced "Me-me."

Heard these all within the last week, can't help but cringe even just thinking about it.

[Crepitus]

How about "same difference"? That one drives me nuts.

[Dr. Who]

"Irregardless."
"Inflammable."
And, more recently, "Meme" pronounced "Me-me."

Heard these all within the last week, can't help but cringe even just thinking about it.

Inflammable is actually correct and older than the word flammable. They are synonyms. The explanation for the duplication is as follows:

With all this confusion behind the definition of the word inflammable, the National Fire Protection Association urged Americans in the 1920s to start using the word flammable to avoid confusion and prevent fires because they thought people may mistake inflammable as meaning not being able to burn. http://mentalfloss.com/article/61201...ean-same-thing

I had the same reaction to the word orientate, which sounds wrong to me, but is the British way of saying orient.

[whatukno]

It's a Bushism, the add is targeting conservatives. lol.

[donttread]

Where did I say that? Link it to me.

I have links of you talking about English classes like you're running them.

C'mon Grass, the kid zinded you. Just admit it and laugh with him.

[GrassrootsConservative]

It's a Bushism, the add is targeting conservatives. lol.

That would be "ad."

Whatukno? Not a whole lot, evidently.

[GrassrootsConservative]

C'mon Grass, the kid zinded you. Just admit it and laugh with him.

"Zinded" is not a word.

I will not laugh with him, but I will laugh at you.

[Peter1469]

Lol

[Refugee]

One of my pet peeves is the word invite, which conventional wisdom and every grammar book in the world defines as a verb i.e. to invite. Yet people continually use it as an noun i.e. did you get an invite, rather than, did you get an invitation? I too have never "gifted" anyone with anything, though I have given gifts.

English grammar, interesting. Aren’t they just colloquialisms? Yes, invite is also a tense. There again, ‘gotten’ is an Americanism unused elsewhere.
I would use the word ‘orientate’ as meaning to find my way around.
As soon as I pick up a school book I can spot the American content within seconds.