Pedants' Paradise

[MrGongGong]

Why is contactless called contactless when the card comes into contact with the machine?

It doesn't have to

[Lat-Literal]

It doesn't have to

Doesn't it?

That answers my question.

Thank you.

[kernelbogey]

I'm probably a bit hehind the curve here, but the subject and object versions of pronouns seem to have become virtually interchangeable, even among (ahem) educated writers, such as (ahem) journalists on national newspapers.

Made up, egregious illustrative example:

When confronted by these pedants, us journalists need to stick together; basically, they're attacking you and I.

[kernelbogey]

...Made up, egregious illustrative example:

When confronted by these pedants, us journalists need to stick together; basically, they're attacking you and I.

There is a name for this (which I've forgotten) - the outcome of teachers over-enthusiastically correcting 'John and me went to the shops' to John and I went to the shops; leading subsequently to the unfortunate correctee assuming that I is better in all cases .

[french frank]

There is a name for this (which I've forgotten)

Hypercorrection?

[kernelbogey]

Hypercorrection?

Not sure that's what was lurking somewhere in the back of my mind... but it'll do fine .

[vinteuil]

.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypercorrection

.

[kernelbogey]

the unfortunate correctee

My Dad, who taught French in a very academic way (not sure he actually liked the French) used to bemoan the lack of grammar teaching in the work of his English teacher colleagues....

[Serial_Apologist]

Hypercorrection?

Subject/object confusion? Reminds me of the old story about when the two psychiatrists meet in the street, and the first one says to the other, "You're OK; how am I?"

[gurnemanz]

There is a name for this (which I've forgotten) - the outcome of teachers over-enthusiastically correcting 'John and me went to the shops' to John and I went to the shops; leading subsequently to the unfortunate correctee assuming that I is better in all cases .

Also encountered are utterances like: Myself and John went to the shops" which shows no grasp of either subject/object or reflexive pronouns.

A related misuse is "attendee". For me the suffix "ee" denotes that the person concerned is the object of the verb as with "employee", "nominee". It could also imply that the person is the indirect object as in "dedicatee" "amputee". The person should surely not be the one actually performing the verb.

[Serial_Apologist]

Also encountered are utterances like: Myself and John went to the shops" which shows no grasp of either subject/object or reflexive pronouns.

A related misuse is "attendee". For me the suffix "ee" denotes that the person concerned is the object of the verb as with "employee", "nominee". It could also imply that the person is the indirect object as in "dedicatee" "amputee". The person should surely not be the one actually performing the verb.

Unless I misunderstand you, employees can still be working, can't they?

[gurnemanz]

Unless I misunderstand you, employees can still be working, can't they?

But not employing.

[Serial_Apologist]

But not employing.

I see.

[ahinton]

But not employing.

But it is surely possible to be both employee and employer simultaneously, n'est-ce pas?...

[greenilex]

In a cooperative.