Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Username

Jacynth

Member Since

January 10, 2013

Total number of comments

1

Total number of votes received

19

Bio

Latest Comments

You Joking Me?

  • January 10, 2013, 9:27am

What has happened to good grammar?
"You are joking me" is grammatically incorrect. I cringe every time I hear some one say it, I dispair when I hear it on television, especially on the BBC. They should know better.

Joking is an intransitive verb and therefore should not be used in this way. It's as ridiculous as saying "you are laughing me". You can neither laugh me nor joke me. You can make a joke or say you are joking but please do not use "joking me".