By that, I mean what’s thing have you done that’s the most likely for someone to react with “how the heck could you have done that on accident?”

My example: I successfully cooked a prime rib on accident. I was in charge of the house while everyone else was gone, and there was a prime rib slow-cooking in the oven. The problem was that a mist was coming out of the vents, and I didn’t know it was normal. So I’d see the mist, turn off the oven, call my parents and grandfather, they would assure me it’s normal, I’d turn the oven back on, and the cycle would continue because I don’t risk that stuff. When they finally came home, we had the prime ribs for dinner, and the way I caused it to cook actually improved it. They bit out of it and immediately said “this is the best prime rib I’ve ever had”. Thus I accidentally cooked a good prime rib. That’s a positive experience anyways.

What some might say is my most profound negative example: There was a Minecraft level that was a replica of the whole nation of Denmark, and while the features that would allow it to otherwise be destroyed were disabled, I accidentally found the glitch that led to its demise and eventual conquest by America.

  • DiddlydeeEnglish
    3611·
    12 hours ago

    *by accident. On accident grates like nails on a blackboard. It’s like saying by purpose.

    • Mr_Blott
      114·
      11 hours ago

      Nails *by a blackboard

      I did that for purpose

    • MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      812·
      8 hours ago

      On accident definitely still works. I’ve heard it plenty times.

      Turns out English grammar has always been an ever changing thing and different regions that speak it, speak it differently. All that matters is that the recipient understood you. You knowing the “correct” grammar means that they succeeded in that, so it’s fine.

      Do you read shakespeare and critique him on his grammar? Do you critique a Geordie on their grammar for speaking like everyone else they grew up around? English is a great language where there is no ONE way to speak or write it, so don’t perpetuate that myth of proper grammar. That’s just formal grammar, a product of the posh cunts that wanted to differentiate from the working class.

      • Mr_Blott
        102·
        6 hours ago

        All that matters is that the recipient understood you.

        Ah, the siren song of the ill-educated

        • MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          31·
          5 hours ago

          If you ever took an English language class you’d learn that this is essentially 90% of the course with it focusing on various different dialects of English with MLE and pidgin usually being the main focuses to drive this point.

          • adam_y@lemmy.worldEnglish
            112·
            7 hours ago

            I did. Quite a few. Even taught a couple.

            Here’s the thing. You aren’t entirely wrong.

            Language can be studied and taught in two distinct ways.

            There’s prescriptive language, which teaches, “this is how language should be used”.

            And there’s descriptive language, which teaches, “this is how language is actually used”.

            You are clearly leaning into the latter there, and that is fine. However, it does miss the point that for effective and articulate communication, rules are pretty useful.

            Think of it like a programming language where you have to be very specific around syntax to get the exact thing you want.

            Obviously, spoken and written English is far more forgiving. In fact we can say something really specific without saying it at all due to cultural and situational inference.

            But prescriptive English forms a baseline for effective communication across what should be the broadest scope of a population.

            Anyway, “on accident” is an Americanism. Thought to exist because of a conflation of “on purpose”. If anything this conflation is an attempt to enforce a rule, to make language more prescriptive than allowing for the differences in “by” and “on”.

            Now, let’s deal with that jibe in your comment that I never took English class.

            Class.

            You talk about the working class. Then you talk about prescriptive language and being all cool with that. Then you seek to belittle me by undermining my education. You say that the correct way of speaking is for posh people yet you criticise my understanding of language.

            That would make you a hypocrite, wouldn’t it?

            • Mr_Blott
              3·
              6 hours ago

              You could’ve just replied “Wank”, Adam

              aLl tHaT mATTerS iS the reCiPieNT unDeRStAnDs yOu

              😂

            • MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
              22·
              5 hours ago

              Fair points, I was judgemental in the way I said it all, I apologise. Seems like were mostly on the same page though and you do understand my point a lot and yeah I do think descriptive is way more important than prescriptive, even more so on a social media platform.

    • Call me Lenny/Leni@lemm.eeOPMEnglish
      58·
      10 hours ago

      As someone who grew up in the commonwealth, I can’t remember ever hearing it as “by accident”. I’ll keep that in mind.

      • th3dogcow@lemmy.worldEnglish
        13·
        9 hours ago

        As someone who also grew up in the commonwealth, I can’t remember ever hearing anyone say “on accident”. And it seems that “on accident” is grammatically wrong (not that we all have to speak with perfect grammar, but just pointing it out). I’m sure I’ll get downvoted for this but whatever. “On accident” also grated at me lol.