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Yes, it is truly dead. I've seen professional writers and journalists misuse it all the time.
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Isn't it great that American English is a living language which is used extensively outside of a Harvard Language Lab, by many for whom english is not a primary language.
Isn't diversity great ?
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I am going to have to count myself among the people who use it incorrectly. I've always thought it meant that the statement one made could be challenged by a question. Like, say, I believe that Noah's ark is real, and you say "that begs the question, how did they fit all those animals onto it?" This may be the first time I've ever heard about its proper use.
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....'beg'......to differ....??
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To me, standards have meaning. There should be standard English, ev n though languages change over time. Grammar especially needs a standard. And vocabulary, e.g., awesome has about lost its power as a word.
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No one seems to be able to manage correct subjunctives anymore, either. Instead of saying "If I had known, I would have...", you hear "If I would have known, I would have..." which is nonsense.
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The question is moot.
Another misused word.
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raz wrote:
The question is moot.
Another misused word.
The Joey character in "Friends" once used the phrase "It's a moo question." When asked about it, he said " It's like a cow's opinion. Nobody cares."
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This begs the question: What makes the "incorrect" use incorrect, rather than new?
