Rule: You couldn’t care less.
There is an incorrectly used phrase that seems to transcend social class, education level, age, and IQ — “I could care less”. I’ve heard it spoken by politicians, professors, and executives alike as they carelessly attempt to state their lack of concern for a particular matter.
Obviously, people use this phrase when they do not care about something. They intend to claim that they care so little that it is not possible for them to care less than they currently do. As such, they could NOT care less.
This rule falls under a more general rule, which is that we should pay attention to what we say! Think about the words you choose and their meanings. And if you hear someone say “I could care less”, make sure you reply, “Well great! Then you care!”
And if you’re wondering why I nitpick regarding language or any of the other rules on this site, well, it’s because I could care less.
I correct people all the time when I hear this! I didn’t know there was someone else out there that ever caught this! Ha ha. Great.
Should be rule #1, but that would not make as catchy of a web page name. This is easily my biggest grammatical pet peeve. Your observation of the transcendence of class is dead on. I might expect it from those who pepper “ain’t”s and “y’all”s in their speech, but not from my educated colleagues. And yet, there it is.
I could care less about this article…
I could care less, but I care more instead.