22-08-2015, 01:42 PM
Now, now, that's enough squabbling over semantics - it's almost always a bad idea 
A lot of these 'mistakes' have become common usage in English, and I don't really mind people using them. It's often difficult to find alternative phrases which convey the same meaning, although Alan's 'somewhat unique opportunity' could be replaced with 'rare opportunity'
However, even the links Mike gave don't always inspire confidence. This, for example, 'While it’s common to hear or read, “Practically nobody went to the concert,” consider an alternative like “Only a few people went to the concert.” The first, although grammatically incorrect, might convey the speaker's message much better - only the band's family members turned up perhaps? Which phrase would convey that in a better way?
A lot of these 'mistakes' have become common usage in English, and I don't really mind people using them. It's often difficult to find alternative phrases which convey the same meaning, although Alan's 'somewhat unique opportunity' could be replaced with 'rare opportunity'
However, even the links Mike gave don't always inspire confidence. This, for example, 'While it’s common to hear or read, “Practically nobody went to the concert,” consider an alternative like “Only a few people went to the concert.” The first, although grammatically incorrect, might convey the speaker's message much better - only the band's family members turned up perhaps? Which phrase would convey that in a better way?