Green Oasis

Have you ever noticed a quirk in the way we use English which you then start noticing everywhere!

Well, this started to happen with “try and”. As in “I’ll try and send a letter” or “I’ll try and come to the party”. I don’t care how many lofty literary citations anyone can muster, it’s ugly and (what’s worse) it makes no sense. It only makes sense if you say “I’ll try to send a letter” or “I’ll try to come to the party”.

And people use all the time! It’s driving me bonkers. I’ll forgive it in speech since it’s slightly easier to say, but in writing it seems lazy.

So cut it out with “try and” and do your part to save my sanity.

Bonus: learn the difference between “jive” and “jibe”. I confess my own sins here. I only recently learned the difference myself.

Because I have a pedantic side, please bear with me whilst I get this off my chest: let’s set the record straight on the difference between sarcasm and irony.

Sarcasm is a remark intended to hurt someone, an insult.

Irony is a remark that says one thing on the surface, but given the context, conveys another contrasting idea.

That’s it, simple as that. Forget any definition of sarcasm that contradicts what I just said because it’s wrong. I’ll give you a moment to purge your memory of all heretical definitions—

As you and your friend walk out of the theater, if your friend slips on some ice and exclaims “I love New York in the winter!”, your friend is being ironic: saying one thing and meaning another.

If your friend sees a hated ex-lover getting out of a taxi with a new love and yells “Jane, you ignorant slut!”, then your friend is being sarcastic: intending to hurt someone.

If you had just seen the premier of Fool’s Gold, and Kate Hudson is within earshot when your friend says “Well, that was an evening well spent!”, your friend is being both ironic and sarcastic: saying one thing while meaning another and also trying to insult poor Ms. Hudson.

I’m glad we could get that straightened out.