"I couldn't care less" - Let's set the record straight

[Max Powers]

I was lucky enough to have some good English teachers in the past, one especially who did a unit on commonly misused words and phrases that I still remember today. Some were simple, such as they're/their/there, or your/you're (I'm amazed that people still screw those up), but he also covered affect/effect, who/whom, good/well, lie/lay and so on. Maybe I just had a good teacher, but it's probably the only academic thing I remember from 9th grade (roughly 7 years ago). I think things like this need to be stressed at an earlier age, because it amazes me how many people (even intelligent ones) make simple grammar mistakes.

Also, a lot is two seperate words, not one.

 

[Famine]

Why? Theres nothing freally wrong with that statement, if it was "I won't let it affect you" then sure I could see a reason to not like it. The wouldn't implies that if he could he would not that he will.

I mixed up affect & effect. It really, really annoys me, so I figured it'd be good for a laugh or two.

 

[Sage]

Theres nothing freally wrong with that statement […]

Oh yes there is – that’s why Famine wrote it. Effect != affect. Totally different parts of speech.

[edit]: Of course, Fast Famine has to tree me again, the big bum.

 

[Danoff]

I was lucky enough to have some good English teachers in the past, one especially who did a unit on commonly misused words and phrases that I still remember today. Some were simple, such as they're/their/there, or your/you're (I'm amazed that people still screw those up), but he also covered affect/effect, who/whom, good/well, lie/lay and so on.

I'm set with they're/their/there, hear/here, your/you're, and even its/it's. I stil get screwed up with who/whom, and lie/lay.

Maybe I just had a good teacher...

Don't you mean "well teacher"... j/k.

 

[Dave A]

Ahh I'm with you, I didn't notice that, I thought you meant that phrase in general 👍.

Lear to levitate, you can tree yourself then and be a bit more gentle.

 

[exigeracer]

It's not a figure of speach though. "I could eat a cow" means you are very hungry, but the exaggeration of eating an entire cow isn't taken to its literal meaning.

But I couldn't care less means exactly that, you could not care less about the subject. There is nothing that is valued lower than what you are talking about. There are no nuanced metaphors or alternate meanings to the wording of the phrase.

But with I could care less, this following schematic in fact applies, am I not correct?



If this is true to the meaning of I could care less (which it is), then using the phrase I could care less is entirely incorrect.

 

[Max Powers]

I'm set with they're/their/there, hear/here, your/you're, and even its/it's. I stil get screwed up with who/whom, and lie/lay.



Don't you mean "well teacher"... j/k.

Lie/Lay are mixed up all the time, I couldn't count how many times I hear girls say that they're going to go "lay out."

From what I learned, you use lay if the subject is something other than yourself, i.e. "Please lay the books on the table", and lie if the subject is yourself i.e. "I'm going to lie down now."

 

[Keef]

Dude, the ultimate English etiquette thread has arrived.

I totally agree with Exigeracer, and I've actually thought about that saying rather than paying attention in school. It annoys me that much.

I'm sure I screw up the affect/effect thing often, mainly because I've never been taught the proper use of the two. I find it odd that I have no clue when to use those very common words, but Danoff's saying helped me understand tremendously:

Everyone should just remember that you can affect an effect, but you can't effect an affect. I think that effectively clears things up.

So, as I may misunderstand it, an effect could be something like that sound effect, or the effect of that earthquake, or the effects chemotherapy had on my grandpa. But, of course, chemotherapy affects you in ways both positive and negative. An effect is a consequence, and affect is to act upon something.

 

[Pupik]

In fact, we shouldnt set the record strait; its much more likely to avoid braking if it's set upright, and in it's jacket.

Actually, where I live, the word "whom" is not used in everyday speach. Weeks could go by without hearing or reading it, except for the phrase "To Whom it May Concern".

 

[Danoff]

It's not a figure of speach though. "I could eat a cow" means you are very hungry, but the exaggeration of eating an entire cow isn't taken to its literal meaning.

But I couldn't care less means exactly that, you could not care less about the subject.

It's never used that way. "I couldn't care less" is almost always an exaggeration. It is almost always possible to care even less about something than you do. It exaggerates how little you care.

 

[Keef]

Exaggeration is the point. To get that person to stfu as quickly as possible. And speaking of bad English...

 

[exigeracer]

It's never used that way. "I couldn't care less" is almost always an exaggeration. It is almost always possible to care even less about something than you do. It exaggerates how little you care.

Yes, but the meaning the words isn't altered, which I said in the sentence which you did not quote. Using I could care less proves to me you are an undeucated senseless pig who fails to meet even the most basic expectations of the English language.

 

[Sage]

From what I learned, you use lay if the subject is something other than yourself, i.e. "Please lay the books on the table", and lie if the subject is yourself i.e. "I'm going to lie down now."

Yup, very close – lie can be used for anything though, not just oneself. And lay is used with the object, not the subject.

The technical defintion is that lay always takes an object (He will lay down the books, I laid down the pen), while lie does not take an object (I will lie down, I was lying in bed).

The really tricky part though is that the past tense of lie is lay (!). So you don’t say When I lied down, I fell asleep, but rather When I lay down, I fell asleep. Very tricky and confusing.

As for who/whom, it’s just a matter of one who being the subjective case, and whom being the objective case (actually, there are a couple of exceptions, but nobody cares about those). If you can’t handle subjective and objective cases, just remember that he correlates with who and him correlates with whom (Who did it? He did it? She gave it to whom? She gave it to him?). Even though the rule is fairly simple, I think whom will be entirely replaced by who, even within academic circles, within this century. It’s already quickly fading into obscurity.

 

[Keef]

Why aren't you an English professor already? Sheesh.

 

[Sage]

Because I’d rather do three hours of calculus than write a one-page, double-spaced essay. I’m fine with grammar, but I suck at just about every other aspect of writing.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I'm so happy I didn't take English Language.

 

[Keef]

It doesn't appear that you needed to.

 

[Dave A]

I couldn't care less means exactly that, you could not care less about the subject. There is nothing that is valued lower than what you are talking about. There are no nuanced metaphors or alternate meanings to the wording of the phrase.

No it doesn't, like I said before, how many things can you not care less about. Ultimately there can only ever be one thing, and it's likely that even with the thing in life that you care the least about you could actually care less about it. It's an eexaggeration just the same as "I could eat a cow", I'm starving" and "I can't be bothered to do anything else" well stop breating and die then. They're all exaggerations, they're all figures of speech, none are taken in general speech as factual statements.

But with I could care less, this following schematic in fact applies, am I not correct?

Not entirely, it leaves it open to how much less you could care and how much more you could care, what you couls care less about could be at the very bottom of the scal, the fact it's the thing you care about least does not mean you can't care less about it.

If this is true to the meaning of I could care less (which it is), then using the phrase I could care less is entirely incorrect.

Only saying "I could care less" is by far the more accurate statement.

 

[Danoff]

Yes, but the meaning the words isn't altered, which I said in the sentence which you did not quote.

Sorry, I think this is just wrong. The meaning of the words "I couldn't care less" and "I could eat the ass out of a dead horse" are just as altered. You don't mean either one, but they convey lesser meanings (ie: you don't care much, and you are hungry). You don't mean either one literally, but you mean both figuratively.

Using I could care less proves to me you are an undeucated senseless pig who fails to meet even the most basic expectations of the English language.

I'm fine with this ^^ part.

Edit:

Only saying "I could care less" is by far the more accurate statement.

Perhaps, but it doesn't convey the thought you intend, so it's simply improper to use. Pointing out that you care about the subject a little doesn't help convey the point that you don't care about it.

 

[Danoff]

How rediculous.

I just now got that. 👍

 

[Dave A]

Well that depends on interpretation, I interpret it as "I could care less but I don't care about it much at all", with emphasis on the could in speach you get that meaning across better. It's factually a correct statement with regards to interpretation that depends on the person interpreting I guess. But by that same logic someone could interpret "I couldn't care less" as literal and that would then make that comment incorrect.

Most figures of speech arn't used literally and many make a point without making the phrase itself making that point. Does that make it incorrect well it can do but figures of speech arn't correct, if a point is made then a point is made if you don't see the point then you don't see it. It doesn't make either of these phrases more meaningful than the other one, it's just one also can be used literally far more than the other.

 

[Sage]

Ask any English teacher and they’ll tell you that “I could care less” is completely wrong.

 

[Dave A]

Not for any of the reasons mentioned so far, and factually it's a very correct statement. What defines a correct figure of speech?

 

[Duke]

Sorry, I think this is just wrong.

Perhaps, but it doesn't convey the thought you intend, so it's simply improper to use. Pointing out that you care about the subject a little doesn't help convey the point that you don't care about it.

I'm with danoff on this one. I think it's perfectly possible to not care at all about more than one subject at a time. And I think L4S is missing the point about fundamentally altering the meaning of the expression, not just rendering it inaccurate by degree.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in this thread.

 

[Dave A]

Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with the usage of I couldn't care less as a figure of speach, but I don't see anything wrong with people using I could care less as well as or instead of. Both ultimately are said to convey the message that you don't care much about something. figures of speech sometimes convey a point that they don't actually make sometimes this is by deduction sometimes by sarcasm saying I could care less can be interpreted by either method, working it out by deduction that you don't care about the topic makes it no less accurate a figure of speech as saying I couldn't care less imo. If you want to take either of them literlaly then only one is correct and most of the time that would likely be "could" not couldn't. As I said, I accept the use of both of them as figures of speech, but I don't see what the fuss over it is.

 

[Danny]

I can't recall ever seeing "I could care less" anywhere on GTPlanet.

Maybe I havnt been looking hard enough.

 

[Keef]

I bet if your were in an argument with a person who was actually paying attention to what you were saying and you said "I could care less", you'd get that "look" for a split second, like "wtf did you just say!?" Even without thinking about it people realize that that doesn't have any impact what so ever. I know I've done it many times.

 

[donbenni]

Yeah I've seen that used here. It annoys me ALOT.

 

[skip0110]

Yeah I've seen that used here. It annoys me ALOT.

Alot is a town in India. A lot, on the other hand...

Was that intentional? Or a typo?

 

[Zrow]

Irregardless of the correct way to say it, people aren't going to stop using it.