Is it just a losing battle?
I have a pet peeve.
Okay, I’ll admit that maybe I have more than one pet peeve, but there is only one plaguing me today. While I am hoping I do not lose too many of you with my bit of ranting, I really feel the need to let loose.
Somewhere along the way, something has been lost. Seriously, the word lose is on the loose and it is causing me great annoyance and frustration.
This morning I had a Facebook response regarding a post about the passing of an old school friend.
The response read, “It is always difficult to loose some one we love!”
It was very nice and I really appreciated the comment but… and here comes the soapbox part.
Several times a week, I receive email or press releases in which the word loose has been used incorrectly. Now I am not talking about isolated incidents that are few and far between. I am not exaggerating when I say it occurs several times a week. It completely annoys me to read how much weight someone wants to loose or that a CHS team loosed a game.
Sadly, much of this correspondence comes from people with higher level degrees, or worse yet…, schoolteachers. However, this is not limited just to teachers. In all fairness, I have seen journalists that are just as bad. On a positive note, I have observed that most coaches use the correct word when it comes to losing… those guys and gals often get a bum rap.
A look at Merriam Webster will reveal many definitions for both the word lose and the word loose. They both may be used as verbs (transitive and intransitive). Loose may also be used as an adverb but is most commonly used as an adjective. Lose on the other hand is only an adjective in a lose-lose situation.
The incorrect usage of these two words has long been a source of irritation to me. However, I think improper usage has become more prevalent over the past few years. My staff and family are well aware of my pet peeve, and often find amusement in poking a bit of fun at me.
Not long ago I received an email from my husband that said, “Check out the write-up on this web page. Apparently the ‘big boys’ at Fox News entertainment have the same problem as some of your former writers.”
I checked the website and sure enough, he was right. A Reuters report stated, “After ‘Night Court,’ Anderson starred in series ‘Dave’s World.’ He once owned a magic shop and nightclub in New Orleans. Anderson wrote a book about games and gags called ‘Games You Can’t Loose: A Guide for Suckers.’” (By the way, a check on amazon.com revealed that Anderson did not make a usage blunder in his book title.)
I just don’t get it. How difficult is it to understand?
If you don’t win a game, you lose. If you are looking like a fool with your pants on the ground it is because they are too loose.
While I realize that incorrectly using the word loose is not major in the grand scheme of life, I believe it is an indication of lower grammar expectations and standards that have evolved through the years as evidenced, for example, by my constant correcting of my daughter’s usage of “may” and “can,” and “me and Amanda.” That’s an entirely different soapbox, better left to another day.