Irregardless isn't a word book

A seemingly knowledgeable friend tells you irregardless isnt a word. To my surprise, there is an entry for irregardless in the oxford english dictionary. Irregardless is a word sometimes used in place of regardless or irrespective, which has caused controversy since the early twentieth century, though the word appeared in print as early as 1795. Whether something is a word or not isnt a very meaningful question it simply depends on how you choose to draw the lines around what counts as words. Top synonym for irregardless another word for irregardless is despite. That scenario was just one of the examples of common communication mistakes twin cities author schwietz used as he presented his book irregardless. Mar 10, 2014 im not sure why im being asked this, but yes, it is a word. Learn whether irregardless is a word and what the difference between standard and nonstandard english is. Throwing an ir in front of normal, less badass words that begin with r changes the meaning to the opposite of the word. A journey into the merriamwebster word factory the new. By blending these words, an illogical word is created. Originally the sidekick to radioactive man in the radioactive man comic series on the simpsons. It might make you cringe, but irregardless is in use.

Irregardless definition in the cambridge english dictionary. Irregardless went up against the rules of grammar, stickbythe book lexicographers, and the fact that its a completely redundant word. Should you be using it in your writing, or shouldnt you. It could be a blend of irrespective and regardless, but its wrong to use. People say these 15 words arent wordsbut they actually are.

Irregardless definition of irregardless by merriamwebster. Whether something is a word or not isn t a very meaningful question it simply depends on how you choose to draw the lines around what counts as words. The debate over irregardless was reignited by a mississippian who wrote to the author. The term has been in use in english for over a century, but whether or not its a real word or one you should use in daily conversation continues to be the subject of debate. Oct 09, 2016 but death, irregardless of tenderest ties, resolved the good betty, at length, to breathe as to the traditional criticism that irregardless is not a word, shea considers this sentiment to have no greater chance of success than if you stepped into traffic and yelled that is not a car in the hopes of not being run over. But no point drew as much ire as my claim that irregardless is a word. Mar 26, 2008 no regard for irregardless posted on march 26, 2008 by languageandgrammar i had a relative who used to say irregardless every time she should have been saying regardless, but because i was a child, i knew that i wasnt allowed to correct her. Pick up the key ideas in the book with this quick summary. Its the only word where attaching the ir prefix to the root word has the exact same meaning as the root word. No authoritarian authority exists that determines whether a given word is valid or bogus.

And now weve got jumanji on the list, which has 1800. Irregardless is a word, but its not a proper word, and your students assertion that its in some dictionaries is a great opportunity to talk about the different kinds of entries in dictionaries. This is for several reasons, which i will now explain. No regard for irregardless everything language and grammar. Like irregular and irregardless, conversate isnt a word. According to the renaissance learning website, which gives word counts for books for which it makes quizzes, harold has 657 words. Synonyms for book at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. The secret life of dictionaries and millions of other books are available for instant. Irregardless is a nonstandard synonym for regardless, which means without. Created by writers write at someecards writers write offers the best writing courses in south africa.

So a bunch of people noted in yesterdays ebonics thread that conversate wasnt a word, because it wasnt in the oxford english dictionary. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a. Many scholars maintain there is no such word as irregardless because regardless already means without regard. Word by word was a well done, and at times quite funny, overview of what its like to work at merriamwebster, and the intricacies that go into adding words to and defining words for a dictionary. Now, we have no problem with making up words if a particular scent can only be described as fartalicious, we reserve the right to call it so. When someone uses it, you know what they are saying, even though you dont like how they are doing it.

Merriamwebster staff have been accused of playing politics with definitions in recent months. And as i said above, for all intents and purposes is the correct usage. This really sums up the book, which is a lighthearted look at numerous aspects of the watch tower society from the perspective of a practising jehovahs witness in the us. Im sorry to break it to you, but irregardless is a word. Its not particularly useful it means regardless and a lot of people hate it, but it is real. Its sort of a thing, but mostly it just leads to arguments. The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. He told me to look it up and i need to know that there is meaning or use of this word and prove him wrong, hes such a mister smarty pants, i cringe every time i hear it. Even though 74 percent of respondents in a grammarly poll were convinced irregardless is not a word, it actually does show up in the dictionary. Irregardless, on the other hand, is in almost every dictionary labeled as nonstandard. You dont have to like it, and you certainly dont have to use it, but you also dont have to worry about it becoming acceptable anytime soon. If youre changing a single word or a short phrase, especially a pronoun, and the word isn t especially interesting in its own right, its okay to omit the original and replace it with the bracketed interpolation. The girls wanted to conversate with me about which concert they wanted to see. Regardless of the school of awordisawordifthepeopleutilizeit, there is no such word as irregardless, except when used for hyperbolic humor, and even then it isnt very funny.

Irregardless has a fine flow about it, with a stronger negative feel than regardless that some people obviously find attractive. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that there is no such word. The word was coined in the united states in the early 1900s, presumably from a blend of irrespective and regardless, and was perhaps popularized by. Its a thing said by people, so of course its a word. But im going to focus mostly on the good since the bad isnt any fault of stampers. Do you have strong feelings about the word irregardless. According to a grammarly poll, 74 per cent of voters say irregardless is not a real word, though we all know how much weight the popular vote has. The secret life of dictionaries by kory stamper, who spent almost two decades writing dictionaries at merriam webster, is a mustread for all those interested in the english language. I told them that irregardless of what you read in books, theys some members of the theatrical profession that occasionally visits. Impactful, irregardless, snuck and so on simply dont qualify, people say, and anyone who uses them is making a. Regardless of what you have heard, irregardless is a redundancy.

But that doesnt help you, the person being hollered at on twitter that mines isnt a real word. Many wordsmiths either totally love it, or completely hate it. Tom harleys tom irregardless and me has been described as a romping and riotous defense of jehovahs witnesses and their place in todays world. Mar 22, 2017 a journey into the merriamwebster word factory kory stamper, a merriamwebster lexicographer, in a basement storage area at the companys springfield, mass. The book fold layout sets you up for printing your masterpiece automatically in the correct order, ready for folding and binding. If the end of the world is as entertaining in real life as it is in this book, sign me up. Get grammar girls take on irregardless versus regardless. So even though it is a word, irregardless is still far from being widely accepted. Irregardless has great ideas, hilariously funny scenes, a wonderful ending, and a slew of big words that the author isnt afraid to use. Why do the words irregardless and regardless mean the. Irregardless some words in the english language are so overused that we. But its not a word because my teachers told me it wasnt truth. Mar 09, 2015 or that some other person said that some word isnt a word.

Which is grammatically correct regardless or irregardless. Irregardless is a real word youre just using it wrong business. Irregardless is in the same classification of other words like aint, conversate, and lol. Well, i had nothing better to do today, so i decided to. Those who use it, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a. Irregardless was popularized in dialectal american speech in the early 20th century. He slogged through questions about health care, immigration and, in at least one instance, word choice.

I trust my teachers, but i dont trust you, so i will disregard the evidence of its use and merely bleat over and over again that irregardless isnt a word until you shut down your computer and pray for a. Besides, theres already a fine book on that subject. It might be a useless word, a redundant word, even an unpleasant word, but it is a word. Apr 27, 2016 i have always used the word irregardless, my son have informed me that there is no such word. It doesnt need the negative prefix ir added to make it even more negative. Irregardless some words in the english language are so overused that we dont. The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the consensus among references is that it is a blend of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted standard english words. Irregardless is a word, but a bad one chad comello.

Floogetyflop isn t a word i just made it up and you have no idea what it means. As the oeds jesse sheidlower said in an interview with tnc, of course its a word. Teachers and textbook writers often invent rules which their students and readers repeat and. Its born out of the same market processes we see in commerce. An educated language user would not use it in formal discussions and respectable publications. Most dictionaries list it as nonstandard or incorrect usage, and recommend that regardless should be used instead.

Language evolves as a product of peoples desires to communicate. One commenter, the same who said, irregardless is not a word, noted rather aptly, there is absolutely no value to irregardless except to recognize people who didnt study. Apr 02, 2019 irregardless isnt a word gretchen wieners. This means that they recognize the word has common use, but really isnt a proper word. Smashwords tom irregardless and me a book by tom harley.

The secret life of dictionaries, lets me in on all the dirty little secrets of dictionarymaking a lot like making sausages, it turns out. And if you are a fan of john grisham, buy this book because you need something good to read for a change. Today, we communicate with more people much faster. This list comprises widespread modern beliefs about english language usage that are documented by a reliable source to be misconceptions with no authoritative language academy, guidance on english language usage can come from many sources. Feb 02, 2012 but its not a word because my teachers told me it wasnt truth. Well, not a standardnevermind, read the book to get the full scoop. I dont know where it came from, and i dont know what youre thinking, but for heavens sake, please read a book in your lifetime. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. The origin of irregardless is not known for certain, but the speculation among dictionary references suggests that it is probably a blend, or portmanteau word, of the standard english words irrespective and regardless. Depending on the word processing tool you use, it sometimes gets the red squiggly underline treatmentbut not always. This means that the word is in common use but not exactly a proper word. Weve learned that arguing with people about whether something usually irregardless is a real word is a sisyphean exercise in futility, and lexicographers get enough of that at work. The suffix less on the end of the word already makes the word negative.

I know for a fact that irrugardless is as you say a word that people use when trying to sound clever. For best results, change the document layout before you start your writing project. So yes, irregardless is a word, even though its nonstandard. The point of the irregardless is to shut down conversation.

If you want to learn how to write a book, write for social media, and improve. Definition of irregardless in the idioms dictionary. In any language, theres a complex and imperfect vetting procedure. Even though 74 percent of respondents in a grammarly poll were convinced irregardless is not a word. Bush may have sensitized your ears to that pronunciation but he isnt the first to use it. I trust my teachers, but i dont trust you, so i will disregard the evidence of its use and merely bleat over and over again that irregardless isnt a word until you shut down your computer and pray for a meteor to smash into your office. The book ends with a 46page glossary of grammatical, rhetorical, and other languagerelated terms, and a 10page time line of books on usage. But absent that, beautilul is indeed a word in the strictest sense, but not as an acceptable synonym of beautiful. Irregardless and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Theres even an entry for it in merriamwebsters dictionaries. If people use irregardless as a word, it is a word. While there are some clever observations, the book isnt worth the price. Irregardless, ill keep using the word broken window media. Oct 07, 20 that said, all of these dictionaries are careful to note that the use of irregardless is nonstandard and not recommended.

Its a portmanteau a combination of irrespective and regardless. Jul 10, 2012 irregardless is a hotbutton word among grammarians, and that makes it confusing for writers. Dec 12, 20 we talk about the word irregardlessmostly just to complain about itfar more than we actually use it. The word that by far gets the most entries is irregardless. Stamper reminds me of just how much fun people have with language, and how deeply we as readers are delighted when we are surprised by writersspeakers who are having. Irregardless is used by some as though it means the same as regardless but actually is not a word at all, while you can reassure someone who was assured but then lost faith again, necessitating that he be reassured. Im not sure why im being asked this, but yes, it is a word. A book like harold and the purple crayon could have been wordless, but it isn t.

However, there is a problem with the assertion that irregardless is not a real word. Its increasingly widespread spoken use called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. Indeed, the stress pattern of the word probably influenced the addition of the prefix, as the stress in regardless is on gar, which makes it sound insufficiently negative, despite the. According to a grammarly poll, 74 percent of voters say irregardless is not a real word, though we all know how much weight the popular vote has. Those who use the word, including on occasion educated speakers, may do so from a desire to add emphasis. Mar 14, 2017 or, the man who believed that irregardless isnt a word. In the film version of radioactive man starring ranier wolfcastle milhouse was cast in the role of fallout boy. Irregardless definition of irregardless by the free. Volume 1 steve harmon, john schwietz, patrick hawkins, the way we communicate is changing. Regardless of what some may think, irregardless is not a word. Its always dangerous to say that something isnt a word.

Brimming with intelligence and personality, a vastly entertaining a. Jan 25, 2018 and yes, language does evolve, so sometimes new words and phrases come to the fore, or their usage changes over time like, literally. Stamper describes is a situation where the word regardless isnt sufficient. His book is the best of its kind in that it simply reports the facts in an engaging way. Some words in the english language are so overused that we dont notice that they are incorrect or dont even exist. Bremners entry under irregardless in his book words on words, however. For all intents and purposes, irregardless is not a word. I am not endorsing the use of irregardless, but its silly to suggest it isnt a word. Learn whether irregardless is a word and what the difference between standard. Irregardless is a nonstandard synonym for regardless, which means without concern as to advice, warning, or hardship, or heedless. Humour in contemporary northwest coast art is a marvelous book summarizing the first art exhibition to focus on. Somewhat surprisingly, irregardless is a word that has been around since at least 1795 and was created in rural america and is used more heavily in the south.

But we have some earthshattering news for grammar nerds. Irregardless is a word that many people mistakenly believe to be correct in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. I recently read a book about the most common mistakes in speech and writing, and that was one of the most common mistakes. Dictionaries that list the word irregardless list it as nonstandard. Republicans charge into resistance at tumultuous town. Jul 23, 2007 10 wording blunders that make you look stupid. Irregardless versus regardless grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Irregardless is considered nonstandard because of the two negative elements ir and less.