Sup with the extra 'S'?

[ThankQ]

This seems to cross all regions and groups throughout the US. People just stick an extra "s" at the end of a word when it is simply not needed, at best--tellingly ignorant at worst. Even well-educated people (though obviously not in language) carry with them a bag filled with extra letters "s" should some poor unsuspecting word seem to require one.

A common one around this time:
"Happy New Years!"
No, just one. Happy New Year.

Many people will be watching the World Cup this summer:
"Hey referee! He's offsides!"
No, he's offside. There's only one side to be off. If he were on the other side, he wouldn't be offside! (Not to mention the uber-trained, beyond elite FIFA Assistant Referee is far more likely to be right than you).

There are worse examples, such as "...going to Wal-Marts."

A million more examples. So why the extra "s"? Any exampleses that are commons in yours necks of the woods?

 

[Neroon]

"New Years" is an abbreviated form of "New Year's Day".

 

[ThankQ]

"New Years" is an abbreviated form of "New Year's Day".

Even if that were true, it wouldn't apply when someone tells me "Happy New YearS" on January 3rd.

But it's not true, to begin with. The intent of the wish is to bestow blessings for the course of a full year, not simply one day. If you're only wishing me only a happy New Year's Day, you can keep your blessing, greedy guts! Also notice, people will usually write, "Happy New Years", not "Year's". "Year's" would imply the "Day" the " 's " posesses.

 

[Kestra]

I say "Can you get waters for everyone?" when I mean glasses of water. It drives my husband nuts.

 

[Chaos Descending]

This seems to cross all regions and groups throughout the US. People just stick an extra "s" at the end of a word when it is simply not needed, at best--tellingly ignorant at worst. Even well-educated people (though obviously not in language) carry with them a bag filled with extra letters "s" should some poor unsuspecting word seem to require one.

A common one around this time:
"Happy New Years!"
No, just one. Happy New Year.

Many people will be watching the World Cup this summer:
"Hey referee! He's offsides!"
No, he's offside. There's only one side to be off. If he were on the other side, he wouldn't be offside! (Not to mention the uber-trained, beyond elite FIFA Assistant Referee is far more likely to be right than you).

There are worse examples, such as "...going to Wal-Marts."

A million more examples. So why the extra "s"? Any exampleses that are commons in yours necks of the woods?

As Neroon pointed out, it's not "New Years" but rather "New Year's", short for "New Year's Day".

I have no problem with the usage of "Offsides" as opposed to "Offside". It's just too common for me to care.

As for "Walmarts", I have never, ever heard anyone say that. It must be a regional thing.

 

[ThankQ]

I delt with the other point, already. But on this one, it's simply incorrect. The Law is called "Offside". There is offside position, and there is an offiside infraction. There simply is no "offsides".

 

[Chaos Descending]

"New Years" is an abbreviated form of "New Year's Day".

Even if that were true, it wouldn't apply when someone tells me "Happy New YearS" on January 3rd.

But it's not true, to begin with. The intent of the wish is to bestow blessings for the course of a full year, not simply one day. If you're only wishing me only a happy New Year's Day, you can keep your blessing, greedy guts! Also notice, people will usually write, "Happy New Years", not "Year's". "Year's" would imply the "Day" the " 's " posesses.

Christmas is only one day, December 25th (in the Western World), yet people say "Merry Christmas" in the days and weeks leading up to it and often the days afterward.

I have no problem with the usage of "Offsides" as opposed to "Offside". It's just common.

I delt with the other point, already. But on this one, it's simply incorrect. The Law is called "Offside". There is offside position, and there is an offiside infraction. There simply is no "offsides".

I really don't care. The NHL rulebook also refers to "offside" as "offside", yet the players, the referees, the announcers and color commentators, and the fans all say "Offsides". It's simply the common usage and it bothers me not one bit.

 

[Kestra]

Does "Legos" drive you crazy too?

 

[ThankQ]

"New Years" is an abbreviated form of "New Year's Day".

Even if that were true, it wouldn't apply when someone tells me "Happy New YearS" on January 3rd.

But it's not true, to begin with. The intent of the wish is to bestow blessings for the course of a full year, not simply one day. If you're only wishing me only a happy New Year's Day, you can keep your blessing, greedy guts! Also notice, people will usually write, "Happy New Years", not "Year's". "Year's" would imply the "Day" the " 's " posesses.

Christmas is only one day, December 25th (in the Western World), yet people say "Merry Christmas" in the days and weeks leading up to it.

And we don't say Merry Christmases now, do we?

 

[Amaris]

When I was in elementary school, I asked one of my friends at the time why he'd always say "one cents" but would always speak the plural as something like "20 cent". He had no idea what I was talking about.

J.

 

[trampledamage]

To me, New Year's has always been the American way of saying it, and New Year is the British way. Just one of those differences, like Americans say "math" and Brits say "maths"

 

[Chaos Descending]

Even if that were true, it wouldn't apply when someone tells me "Happy New YearS" on January 3rd.

But it's not true, to begin with. The intent of the wish is to bestow blessings for the course of a full year, not simply one day. If you're only wishing me only a happy New Year's Day, you can keep your blessing, greedy guts! Also notice, people will usually write, "Happy New Years", not "Year's". "Year's" would imply the "Day" the " 's " posesses.

Christmas is only one day, December 25th (in the Western World), yet people say "Merry Christmas" in the days and weeks leading up to it.

And we don't say Merry Christmases now, do we?

No, because that would be silly, as it's not called "Christmas's Day". "New Year's" makes sense, because the holiday is called "New Year's Day".

 

[ThankQ]

Christmas is only one day, December 25th (in the Western World), yet people say "Merry Christmas" in the days and weeks leading up to it.

And we don't say Merry Christmases now, do we?

No, because that would be silly, as it's not called "Christmas's Day". "New Year's" makes sense, because the holiday is called "New Year's Day".

Is the intent to wish someone a happy day or a happy year or a happy period of time during the early part of the new year?

 

[Kestra]

The intent is to acknowledge that it's a holiday, and wish the person a happy one.

 

[Chaos Descending]

See, the thing is that it's never bothered me to overthink it enough to even contemplate these questions.

It's always just seemed kind of obvious that the holiday and the greeting go hand in hand, and since the proper name of the holiday is "New Year's Day", and no one bothers saying all that, then "New Year's" is an acceptable truncation.

The intent is to acknowledge that it's a holiday, and wish the person a happy one.

Win!

 

[ThankQ]

The intent is to acknowledge that it's a holiday, and wish the person a happy one.

Then perhaps I've been doing it wrong. I suppose I've been far too generous in dolling out blessings. I've been offering them for the whole year, thinking I was getting the same in return. You mean to tell me that all this time I've been giving people a year's worth of happy they've only been offering to me a single day? And the one very same day that everyone else has already given me happy?

 

[Chaos Descending]

Well good for you, sir. Keep spreading the cheer! A year's worth is better than a day's worth for sure.

 

[Galactus]

It is definitely not a regional thing. I know people from New York to California that add an "s" to the end of everything. I can tell you that most people neither know nor care about the proper use of grammar. If it sounds ok and everyone else uses it, then no one notice. Correct grammar usage just is not high on anyone's priority chart. If you read most articles of magazines and newspapers this will become painfully apparent.

 

[StolenThunder]

I've never heard 'offsides' used before. I think it might drive me insane.

 

[ThankQ]

I've never heard 'offsides' used before. I think it might drive me insane.

Yes, yes it will. Like, 90% of Americans say "offsides". It's maddening.