Where Are You?

Notice the title of my post has no dangling modifier at the end of it. With the disappearance of grammar, and kids and even adults my age and older speaking so horribly, it scares me to think how Lyla will speak and write when she is older. Hopefully my Journalism degree will be good for something.

My worst complaint lately is this commonly misused phrase: “Where are you at” or even worse, "Where you at"
“Where are you” is no more difficult to say, has no more syllables, and is correct. To me, ending a sentence with the word at is painful to my ears. It screams ignorance. It is one of the worst offenders in terms of speech in my opinion.

Shall I explain further?

The word where means at what location. Therefore, Where are you at is the equivalent of At what location are you at? Never use where and at in the same question; just ask Where are you instead.

At my job this is almost exclusively used by my co-workers and clients alike.
"Where are we at with this project?"
"This is where we're at in terms of making our deadline..."
"Can you tell me where you're at (with this task)?"
I want to correct it so much, but I don't want to be the corrector (all the time--hee). Even though I tend to be a harsh editor with copy for work, since I'm tasked to correct it.

Other favorites in my office and beyond include:
"Let's touch basis next week on this issue." Instead of let's touch base (as in baseball).
"Whatevers, we'll just leave without her." This pluralization drives me mad, even though it's clearly slang.
"Do whatever is more easier." Umm, easier is more easy. Enough said.
"Supposebly or supposively, the project is going to be done next week." I'm not going to even go into this one. I can only recount that great Friends episode with Ross and Joey, where Joey says, "Supposebly. They went to the zoo, supposebly."

Last week Ali and I were discussing the Duke Senior English major (a broadcaster during the pitiful Duke/Maryland basketball game) who said more better during her broadcast. Could she have misspoke, or is it possible this soon-to-be graduate of a very respectable university thought that sounded correct went it left her lips?

Listen, I'm no expert of the spoken word, I say like and you know, but that's nothing compared to kids today. They say like so much you don't even know what they're trying to say in between. Shamefully, Trent and I watch the Real Housewives of Orange County. Not only are all the kids on that show the most spoiled, disgusting children, but none of them can speak. The new lady's kids literally talk like the old school 80s valley girls. It sounds like a joke. They're also drunk all the time, lazy, stupid, and ungrateful. Talking is probably the least of their problems.

Now, in an age where email, texts and quick communication are more dominant, I can let a lot of things go, but when it comes to formal writing or speaking, you have to get on the stick.

While I'm on my rant, can you please stop sending mail addressed to us as The Walter's
There is no apostrophe. You have pluralized our names, not given possession of anything to us. If your own address labels from Lillian Vernon say this, they are also wrong. Next year, when I send Christmas cards, you'll see all of this flawless grammar in action. Until then, I'll edit all of yours in red pen.