Everyone has pet peeves. You know, those little things that annoy you, sometimes for no reason. Of course, being the complete nerd I am, my biggest pet peeve has to do with words. To be specific, it has to do with one particular word and people who use it improperly. That word is “whenever”.
I know it sounds crazy, but when I hear someone use ‘whenever’ incorrectly, it annoys me to no end. Usually it’s a simple case of “You should have said when, not whenever”.
For example, if someone were to tell me that they had the chickenpox as a three-year old, they could say it in one of two ways:
A) “When I was three, I had the chickenpox.” or
B) “Whenever I was three, I had the chickenpox.”
Most people probably don’t notice the difference, but believe me, I do. Option A is the correct way of saying it. Option B implies that anytime the speaker was three years old, he (or she) had the chickenpox. That would mean the person had the chickenpox for a whole year! While I don’t deny it’s possible, it isn’t something I’ve run into.
Wow. Reading that makes it seem a little petty, but it’s something that bugs me. It’s a simple word. Just shorten it already! Anyway…now you all know a little bit more about me.
Kate G. Jameson 