A point of grammar
Dec 15, 2019 23:08:06 #
Dec 15, 2019 23:18:59 #
After having been a writing educator for forty years, including directing a college writing program for about fifteen years, many of these posts about grammar, usage, spelling, and the like amuse me. As I stated before, the language is ever-changing, and none of us is going to stop it, not even over a dead body.
Just for the fun of it, I’d like to grade many of these posts like I did the writing of my college students. I won’t, but it would be revealing, to say the least.
Again, cheers.
Just for the fun of it, I’d like to grade many of these posts like I did the writing of my college students. I won’t, but it would be revealing, to say the least.
Again, cheers.
Dec 15, 2019 23:30:35 #
John N wrote:
Even the BBC is slipping. Place names change in delivery and readers often read without comma's. Comma's are useful in the spoken World as well as the written because they not only change the sentence, they give the brain the time to comprehend what the speaker is saying.
I now know why my English Teacher used to try to pull out what was left of his hair.
I now know why my English Teacher used to try to pull out what was left of his hair.
Sadly, commas are too often used where they don't belong, as in confusing the plural with the possessive.
Dec 15, 2019 23:34:19 #
10MPlayer wrote:
Sadly, commas are too often used where they don't belong, as in confusing the plural with the possessive.
That’s an apostrophe you’re referring to, not a comma.
Dec 15, 2019 23:39:24 #
foathog wrote:
OK, I'll vent too. how did we come up with pronou... (show quote)
It's like the word nuclear being pronounced noo klee ur versus noo cue lur. It's just the difference in how people speak in different regions. It always bothered me the way people from OK pronounced water - warter or worter. I don't believe that kind of thing is bad grammar, just regional dialect.
wrangler5 wrote:
For some reason I find the misuse of rain, rein and reign especially annoying, and am much more inclined to think the writer ignorant than when they get there, their and they're mixed up. Admittedly, some of it is abetted, if not nearly forced, by spell-checkers, which can be quite difficult to override sometimes. Still, it reflects poorly on the writer (not that many of them probably care.)
That's a good one. Another one that bothers me is when some says their interest was peeked or peaked when they meant piqued.
Dec 15, 2019 23:53:00 #
jaymatt wrote:
That’s an apostrophe you’re referring to, not a comma.
You are so right. I stand corrected. It's late and I just got back from a Christmas party if you know what I mean. I'm probably guilty of using too many commas. I'm not sure what the rule is anymore. I see a lot of famous writers crafting long sentences where I would have put some commas just to break it up, but neither they or their editors saw the need. I'm not clear if the rules are changing. Of course if you have a dependent clause you need commas, but if you have a long sentence that needs to be broken up to add clarity the rule seems to be in a state of flux, tending toward less rather than more.
Dec 15, 2019 23:57:25 #
Dec 16, 2019 06:47:44 #
JayBuzz
Loc: Melbourne Australia
In Australia, we used to believe that the Australian Broadcasting Commission had standards that were adhered to. My pet peeves, heard almost daily, are first and best preceded by very.
Dec 16, 2019 07:07:05 #
Many need to work on the proper use of "A" and "AN". I see many , many mistakes.
Dec 16, 2019 07:10:48 #
I am a retired pastor. I was fortunate to have a fine education. I had a dearly loved high school English teacher who was a stickler for grammar. She would fail any submission that contained a split infinitive. After 4 years of college and 4 of grad school, I figured I was pretty well prepared. My volunteer secretary for the first small church I served was a professional copy editor. I learned more from her than from anyone. That was a true gift.
My personal pet peeve is the current trend to confuse "then" and "than."
My personal pet peeve is the current trend to confuse "then" and "than."
Dec 16, 2019 07:49:13 #
Yes, bad grammar and incorrect word usage are universal, and people justify it by saying that since so many people speak that way, it is, or soon will be, correct.
"Try and do something," rather than "try to do something," saying "the apple," rather than "thee apple." I could go on for the next hour with examples, but I'm not gonna.
"Try and do something," rather than "try to do something," saying "the apple," rather than "thee apple." I could go on for the next hour with examples, but I'm not gonna.
Dec 16, 2019 07:52:32 #
10MPlayer wrote:
That's a good one. Another one that bothers me is when some says their interest was peeked or peaked when they meant piqued.
Or baited breath, rather than bated.
"Bated breath" means you're holding your breath in anticipation.
"Baited breath" means you've eaten carrots in preparation for hunting rabbits.
Dec 16, 2019 07:56:06 #
10MPlayer wrote:
That's a good one. Another one that bothers me is when some says their interest was peeked or peaked when they meant piqued.
"It's like the word nuclear being pronounced noo klee ur versus noo cue lur. It's just the difference in how people speak in different regions. It always bothered me the way people from OK pronounced water - warter or worter. I don't believe that kind of thing is bad grammar, just regional dialect."
"Noo cue lur" is never correct, but "warter," "wahtah (Boston)," and "water" are correct for where the person lives. I worked in NH for a couple of years, and people were amused by my "NY accent."
Dec 16, 2019 08:16:08 #
Dec 16, 2019 08:21:06 #
ottopj
Loc: Annapolis, MD USA
Pronouncing often with or without the "t" is acceptable, although without is preferred. Similar to soften, fasten or listen.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+pronounce+often&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS768US768&oq=how+to+pronounce+often&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l6j69i60.14366j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+pronounce+often&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS768US768&oq=how+to+pronounce+often&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l6j69i60.14366j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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