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In reply to the discussion: Words and usages I am sick and tired of [View all]wnylib
(21,346 posts)I get lazy, or just pick up habits from other people.
There are things that bother me, too, when I notice them.
"Effect" vs. "affect"
"i" instead of "me" with prepositions, e.g. "for you and I" or "between you and I."
OTOH, things like "hopefully" don't bother me at all. The ways we use words and the meanings we give them change over time.
Shakespeare created new expressions, meanings, and ways to use words, including the use of nouns as verbs. He broke rules and created new ones.
We are not all of his caliber, so most of us benefit from following grammatical standards. But sometimes, changes in common usage become the new standard. We no longer have two forms of "you" for example. Our entire syntax changed when Old English speakers dropped most changes in verb endings and the need to have adjectives agree with nouns in gender and number.
Language is fluid. So when a word usage is convenient and useful for expressng a meaning that people easily understand, like "hopefully," I'm ok with it.'