![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I Could Careless
May. 28th, 2010 08:21 amIt's a phrase mangle I have seen more and more and I'm so befuddled by it.
"I could careless."
1) It's "could NOT." Because if you could, then why don't you? The meaning of the phrase is to indicate there is nothing worse than your contempt at that given point, so by saying you could care less you've stripped the power right out of it.
2) Careless is not the same as care less. In this instance, you have GOT to keep the words separated. The most common definition of careless is, roughly, reckless. Sub the words and you can see why "I could reckless" makes absolutely no sense at all. Neither does "I couldn't reckless" make sense, for the record.
Also: Intact is one word, people! If you are intending "remaining sound, entire, or uninjured; not impaired in any way" then it's one freaking word. Most probably this is the intent. I cannot really come up with an instance anyone would say in tact. It just doesn't make much practical sense. If you want to keep it together: intact.
Loathe is not the same as loath. Yes, I, too, think it's rather silly to have a missing E make such a difference, but that's English for you. Learn it, use it. ;)
That's it for now. Hehe.
"I could careless."
1) It's "could NOT." Because if you could, then why don't you? The meaning of the phrase is to indicate there is nothing worse than your contempt at that given point, so by saying you could care less you've stripped the power right out of it.
2) Careless is not the same as care less. In this instance, you have GOT to keep the words separated. The most common definition of careless is, roughly, reckless. Sub the words and you can see why "I could reckless" makes absolutely no sense at all. Neither does "I couldn't reckless" make sense, for the record.
Also: Intact is one word, people! If you are intending "remaining sound, entire, or uninjured; not impaired in any way" then it's one freaking word. Most probably this is the intent. I cannot really come up with an instance anyone would say in tact. It just doesn't make much practical sense. If you want to keep it together: intact.
Loathe is not the same as loath. Yes, I, too, think it's rather silly to have a missing E make such a difference, but that's English for you. Learn it, use it. ;)
That's it for now. Hehe.
