TALK STORY

New FFF.net Grammar Brigade...join here!

POSTED BY: CAITE
UPDATED: Monday, April 18, 2005 01:22
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 12919
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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 6:29 PM

CAITE


Since so many people in another thread expressed an interest in grammar and in starting a shiny grammar "club" here's the chance! Post all about your grammar pet peeves, desires, admonishments, etc here




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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 6:36 PM

STARRBABY


Hooray!
I'll begin with the word "complected", as in, "She was dark complected."
Ugh, people, the word is complexioned. Complected is not a word.

Wow, feels good to say that. Okay, it's someone else's turn. I'll think of more things to gripe about later.

Love ya'll!

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 6:55 PM

CAITE


Okay, here's my pet grammar peeve: I really don't like people who overgeneralize grammar rules. The one that I am thinking of (that I hear most often) is when people want to say something like "Kaylee came over to talk to Mal and me," but because they've always heard that it's "Mal and I" they say that even though it's not correct.

The best way to keep from making this mistake is take out the other person. Would you say "Kaylee came over to talk to I?" No, you wouldn't. You'd say "Kaylee came over to talk to me."

Next person, por favor.

p.s. this is fun in a really sick and twisted way.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 7:08 PM

TALLGRRL


One of my biggest grammar pet peeves is miscongugation (is that a word?) of the verb "see":
If you've watched TV or read books or newspapers or even print ads all of your life, there is no way in hell you'd think that "I seen" is correct grammar.
I seen, you seen, he seen, she seen they seen...
It makes me flinch to hear it, and it almost makes my fingers cramp to type that abuse of the language.
Ahhhh...I feel better.


"Take me, sir. Take me hard." -- Zoe

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 7:12 PM

TALLGRRL


Oh! There's also "good" and "well".
Ay caramba!!
Doesn't everyone know the difference?
One feels well.
One does good.


"Take me, sir. Take me hard." -- Zoe

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 7:40 PM

RAT


Quote:

Originally posted by Rat on the ask ndugu thread:
*Sneaks out back door.*



*Stumbles head first into this thread.*

Goshdarnit! Who put this here???

-Ratboy

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 8:36 PM

BLINKER


Now, uh: am I the only one thinkin' it's all kinds of ironical to be talkin' grammar peeves on a Firefly site?

Quote:

I seen, you seen, he seen, she seen they seen...
It makes me flinch to hear it, and it almost makes my fingers cramp to type that abuse of the language.
Ahhhh...I feel better.



Not for long, you don't!

KAYLEE: The only place I seen somethin' so nice is some of the things Inara has.

SAFFRON: I seen my sisteren paired off with ugly men. Vicious or blubberous.

KAYLEE: I seen the trouble plain as day when I was down there on my back before.

MAL: I seen you without your clothes on before. Never thought I'd see you naked.



_________
Sliders: Gate Haven - http://slidersweb.net/blinker

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 8:56 PM

THRAWN


I'm a linguistics major, and the linguistics point of view is that anything is valid, more or less, so long as it's intelligible to those around you. The thing is that language is a very personal thing, and so it's extremely easy for differences that you feel are wrong to irritate the crap out of you even though they don't really cause any difference in meaning.

Objectively, there's nothing any more right about "I have seen" than there is about "I seen" - both get the point across just the same. The key is that each one expresses a different kind of (for lack of a better term) social class. Part of the point of the language in Firefly is to note specifically that these people are outlaws, not exactly rich and prosperous members of society (except Book and Simon and River when she makes sense - they're clearly much more highly educated).

So think of it that way. People aren't screwing up the language, they're not saying it wrong, they're modifying it so that it expresses part of their own identity as well as the meanings of the words. You're allowed to not like it, and insist you'll never use it yourself, but that still doesn't make it wrong.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2005 11:51 PM

GROUNDED


Quote:

Originally posted by Thrawn:
People aren't screwing up the language, they're not saying it wrong, they're modifying it so that it expresses part of their own identity as well as the meanings of the words. You're allowed to not like it, and insist you'll never use it yourself, but that still doesn't make it wrong.



I'd say that applies more to the spoken word than the written word. Saying 'I seen' and writing 'I seen' are two entirely different things.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 12:40 AM

ZOOT


Quote:

Originally posted by Caite:
Since so many people in another thread expressed an interest in grammar and in starting a shiny grammar "club" here's the chance! Post all about your grammar pet peeves, desires, admonishments, etc here





Oh Gawd! Please don’t get me started! I’ll join, I’ll join!!

I had grammar lessons when I was at school and I did classics (Latin and Greek) at university, so I have a pedantic and thoroughly annoying obsession with correct grammar. At least, I obviously don’t consider it pedantic and annoying, but I’m told, unreservedly, by everyone else I know, that it is! (Bast*rds!)

My serious pet hate is the grocers’ apostrophe. I.e. where an apostrophe appears for no reason in plurals e.g. “carrots’ for sale”. Grr! Makes me mad as hell!

My other peeve is that I dictate letters to my secretary where I say, “I should be grateful if you would” do such and such and I get them back with: “I shall be grateful if you will”! Mad I say, mad as hell!


Okay, I'm lost, I'm angry, and I'm
armed.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 2:39 AM

KNIBBLET


http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html

I love Anu Garg's, "A Word A Day". Subscribe and get a tasty word every morning.

What bothers me isn't so much improper grammar as the complete lack of an attempt at grammar.
I'd rather see someone try to construct a sentence than someone who just throws a bunch of random words out in the black.

If you try and get it wrong, that's sad.
If you don't even try, that's simply lazy and stupid.

"I'm gonna rip you a new puppet hole, bitch!"

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 3:50 AM

CAITE


Well, now that you mention it, it is rather ironical hahah.

I thought of another grammar thing of mine. Homonyms. Since you are all grammar nuts, you probably know that homonyms are words that sound the same, but are spelled different and mean different things. Son and sun, their they're and there, witch and which, its and it's, etc. I don't know why, but I hate when people write and they don't know which one to use.

Quote:

Originally posted by Blinker:
Now, uh: am I the only one thinkin' it's all kinds of ironical to be talkin' grammar peeves on a Firefly site?


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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 4:01 AM

STEVETHEPIRATE


For the longest time, I wrote in a much more intelligible manner than I spoke. I think that's starting to reverse itself.

My biggest pet peeve (and I know I'm playing Mr. Obvious here) springs up almost every minute on just about any message board I frequent. I can get over people typing in all lowercase or, depending on my mood, all caps. I cannot, however get ovr ppl who spell some words without a few letters in the misguided thought that it saves them some time or *shudder* makes them look cool. And I'm not really talking about multi-word phrase abbreviations (IMO for in my opinion, etc.), but to an extent, I guess I am - like the ones who go nuts with it. Teenage girls who start a post with "OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG!" before jumping into a mass of unintelligible baby-babble. Makes me want to toss my head through my monitor.

Wow. I'm a mean old man.

----------------------------------------------
An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never seen an "Escalator temporarily out of order" sign, just "Escalator temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience."
- Mitch Hedberg, 1968-2005

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 4:21 AM

TALLGRRL


Quote:

Originally posted by Knibblet:
http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscribe.html

I love Anu Garg's, "A Word A Day". Subscribe and get a tasty word every morning.

What bothers me isn't so much improper grammar as the complete lack of an attempt at grammar.
I'd rather see someone try to construct a sentence than someone who just throws a bunch of random words out in the black.

If you try and get it wrong, that's sad.
If you don't even try, that's simply lazy and stupid.

"I'm gonna rip you a new puppet hole, bitch!"



First, thanks for the link to wordsmith.org!
Second, an Amen for "If you don't even try..."
Third, where is that great quote from?!

As I said, what with TV, radio, printed media, there is NO excuse to EVER use "seen" incorrectly.
It shows that you're either uneducated or lazy...or using it for effect. Like swearing.
(I don't swear as a rule, unless I'm doing it for effect. If I swear seriously, it's Hammer Time.)
I believe Joss chose to show that Kaylee may be undereducated--"I seen it when I was on my back..."---but she's gifted and brilliant in other ways.
Mal as well. Zoe may drop and "ain't", but her grammar seems to be spot on. (Thank you, writers. I am personally happy not to see black people be grammar morons on TV.)
Simon (obviously),Inara and Book are the only deeply "book-learned" onboard.
But hey, it's all good. This is lots of fun, though.


"Take me, sir. Take me hard." -- Zoe

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:35 AM

ODDNESS2HER


Thank you for Grammar Brigade!
I was just fuming about people who write "then" when they mean "than". Now I feel better.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:44 AM

MAUGWAI


Quote:

I believe Josh chose to show that Kaylee may be undereducated


Not to be a turd head, but since we are talking about grammar and pet peeves, it's "Joss" not "Josh". I'll wager that's one of his pet peeves, since it happens so often.

I'm with Zoot on the apostrophes. It makes me unreasonably irritated when I see an apostrophe used to pluralize. I always tell my students, "When you were in elementary school, how did you learn to pluralize words? Add 'es' or 's'. So why would you ever think it needs an apostrophe?"



"Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy."

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:45 AM

SEVENPERCENT


I'll join. As someone working on their Masters in English as well as their Secondary Ed. teaching cert., I'd be happy to take my place in the front lines of the grammar wars (or Grammar Wars, as they will be written down many years hence, after we win them ).

My personal, end-all, mind-wrenching pet peeve? 'Alot.' For the love of Pete, it's not one word, it's TWO. 'A lot.' What is going to drive me really batty (and since there's a linguist posting on this thread, he'll know what I mean) is when it becomes accepted usage. When that happens, and the Descriptivists consider it acceptable, I will officially surrender my pencil and chalk.

Two words, people, two words. A lot.

------------------------------------------
He looked bigger when I couldn't see him.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:47 AM

HELL'S KITTEN


Quote:

Originally posted by Tallgrrl:
Oh! There's also "good" and "well".
Ay caramba!!
Doesn't everyone know the difference?
One feels well.
One does good.

That's not entirely correct. For example: I did well on my exam. Good vs Well all depends on the useage of the word; I could "do good" when "good" is used as a noun.

I hates grammar anyhow.

无 党派 人士

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:49 AM

PHOEBE


What really drives me crazy is almost all related to the written word and not the spoken.

"Your not being fair", for example. I see 'your' and I take it to mean that I own 'not being fair'. How can a person own 'not being fair'. It's YOU'RE not being fair.

"There grammar is awful." No, it's really not. THEIR grammar is awful.

Its/it's, your/you're, their/they're/there, are probably THE most misused.


How about the misuse of lent/borrowed? "Can you borrow me your pen" or "Can I lend your pen?" The person who's GIVING lends, the person who's TAKING borrows. So it would be "Can you lend me your pen" or "Can I borrow your pen."

I'm a grammar nut, I never cease to point out such mistakes to people.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:51 AM

SHAMBLEAU


People who don't know the past tense of "lead" is "led" bug the bejesus out of me, for some reason. (And now I'm like Buffy, puzzling over what "hand over fist" means after she's used it. What's a bejesus anyway? Well, guess I'm off to google an answer to that.)

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 8:18 AM

SHINYGODDESS


Hi. I was gently told the other day, by my wonderful boyfriend that there is no word " COM-Promise" in the real world language. ( I was pronouncing it as Cumpromise.)and I was free to use it all I like in my bubble world. *sigh*...
I really and truly thought it was a word. Kinda like Potato and tomato.



"Have good sex "

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 8:20 AM

CALLMEATH


I liked this better when everyone was just listing their grammatical pet peeves, not arguing over whether or not people are allowed to mess with the language. However, as there are billions of people who speak English, some sort of standard must be maintained. I mean, it took me two weeks to find out what "krunk" meant. I sometimes think that half of the population will soon speak in nothing but slang, while the other half will speak perfect english, with neither side understanding the other.

Alright, enough babbling. Here are some of my pet peeves:

"conversate" It's converse!! Is this just a Virginia thing? I pray it hasn't spread to the rest of the world.
People who say conversate

"I could care less" Is the extra "n't" really that hard to say?

"Whom" Where is it? Why is it so hard to use?

Also, people are starting to use "lol" and "brb" in real life. I have a friend who uses them all the time and I have to constantly tell him that we are not in a chat room. New speak, here we come.


Invader's blood marches through my veins like giant radioactive rubber pants. The pants command me! Do not ignore my veins!

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 8:43 AM

KNIBBLET


Tallgirl asked: "...where is that great quote from?!"

"I'm going to rip you a new puppet hole, Bitch!"
"Angel", 5th Season, "Smile Time".
The evil puppet says it to puppet Angel during their epic battle.



"I'm gonna rip you a new puppet hole, bitch!"

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 8:55 AM

MONTANAGIRL


Quote:

Originally posted by Phoebe:
Its/it's, your/you're, their/they're/there, are probably THE most misused.


Hallelujah! People misuse those all the time, and it drives me up the frelling wall.

This isn't really a pet peeve, but when did we stop using semicolons? I love semicolons.

Packer fans welcome.
All others tolerated.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 9:01 AM

KNIBBLET


The use of semicolons has all but ceased in personal letters; however, it is alive and well in business correspondence.

*Gregg's Reference Manual ROCKS!*

"I'm gonna rip you a new puppet hole, bitch!"

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 9:24 AM

ODDNESS2HER


Actually, wouldn't that be "May I borrow your pen?"
Sorry, I couldn't resist.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 9:29 AM

ODDNESS2HER


Maugwai asked about apostrophes used in plurals.
They're appropriate if you're talking about possesive plurals, for example, "The cars' exhaust permeated the air." As in, the exhaust of more than one car.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 9:30 AM

MALICIOUS


Caite!

I just LOVE when people say the wrong words when using cliches:

I have a friend who says she had a "world wind day," when she means "whirlwind." When she does something spontaneously she did it on the "spare of the minute" instead of on the "spur of the moment."

Another friend said in an email that a certain gentleman "peaked" her curiousity. The pervert.

I second the "a_______lot," the "their/they're/there" and the "you're/your" rants.

When someone types "Your back!" I reply, "What about it??" and then look behind me to see if I have a "kick me" sign taped to it.

But I forgive other ppl who ain't as classy and learned up as me. There ppl to.

Mal-licious

I think I will add cursing and the hurling about of things to my repertoire.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 9:39 AM

ODDNESS2HER


Ooh, I just thought of another one that drives me batty: when people say things like "Everyone can't be a saint." This means that noone can! The proper way is to say, "Not everyone can be a saint.", meaning that some people can, and some people can't.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 10:09 AM

MAUGWAI


Quote:

oddness2her wrote:
Wednesday, April 06, 2005 09:29
Maugwai asked about apostrophes used in plurals.
They're appropriate if you're talking about possesive plurals, for example, "The cars' exhaust permeated the air." As in, the exhaust of more than one car.



Actually, that's using an apostrophe to indicate possession. You used the "s" to pluralize. The apostophe on the end shows that your plural object owns something.

What I mean by using an apostrophe to pluralize is something like "Kid's eat free" or "We sell watermelon's"

It's good to see that I'm not the only one who gets worked up over stuff like this. Otherwise I'd think I was crazy. Or perhaps we all are. And perhaps I'm using fragment sentences and liking it.



"Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy."

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 10:51 AM

INDIGO


May I jump in?
Thanks, I'll take that as a given that I can. Easily enough this could be stated the other way around; I can jump into the grammar thread because it's implied that I may.

A very good friend of mine is an editor and writer, and since knowing her I take greater pains now than ever to mind my writing skills. Although I find something new nearly every day that I've done wrong! Poor grammar, spelling and editing have always made me cringe like nails on a chalkboard.

Hmm, pet peeves: as a sometimes writer for a local independant Pagan newspaper I groan and shudder when I run across "alter" for "altar". One is a change, the other is a sacred space.
Signage and advertisments that are misspelled. People, dictionaries aren't expensive and they might just keep you from looking like a dumb-ass. One of my favorites: our little community college advertised for a "Heed Secritary" job opening. Obviously they really needed one.
Thirdly, well while I really think that it is wonderful that the internet is getting people to *write* more, it is also breeding junky, sloppy, and lazy writing habits.
Now please, in all seriousness, edit me!


Japanese Windows error msg:
Screen.
Mind.
Both are Blank.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 11:49 AM

CALLMEATH


Just remembered; I also hate it when people can't use superlatives properly. I actually heard someone say "worster" once.

Knibbet: I love semicolons; they rock my world.

"Invader's blood marches through my veins like giant radioactive rubber pants. The pants command me! Do not ignore my veins!"

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 11:50 AM

CAPTAINCDC


Quote:

Originally posted by CALLMEATH:
...."I could care less" Is the extra "n't" really that hard to say?....




I second this one! It drives me crazy every time I hear or read it, which is quite common.

Another pet peeve is when people say irregardless. I'm amazed every time I hear it used!

---------------------------------------

The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason!

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 12:27 PM

NIKNAK


The thing that annoys me most is using commas instead of full stops. People often lump multiple things into one long sentence when two would be better. I think it's a case of typing like you talk.

I agree with most of the complaints but I think being clear and understandable is more important than being grammatically correct. People complain about split infinives and misuse of who/whom but I have not seen a case where breaking those rules makes a sentence ambiguous or harder to understand. Also, on the Internet, you have to be tolerant of mistakes because english is not everyone's first language.

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 12:28 PM

STARRBABY


Just gotta throw another one in for good measure. (yes I know "gotta" is wrong, but I like it *grin*)
A book, article, song, whatever is TITLED. I'm so sick of hearing, "Have you read the book entitled XYZ."
AAAAAAARGGGGGH! They are not alive!!!! They are not ENTITLED to ANYTHING.
Whew. That felt good. Lemonade, anyone?

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 12:55 PM

MALSDOXY

I know what did this...


I live in Texas so i could fill this thread.
One is pronunciation...
short-lived and long-lived rhyme with hive...
The pronunciation is etymologically correct since the compound is derived from the noun life, rather than from the verb live.

The next is grammar hell.
"Where are you located at?

I wish i could strike the word 'like' from the english language...challenged a co-worker to speak without using the word 'like'...she couldn't complete a sentence without using it 3 or 4 times..sad.

Here is a truly great site...
http://www.worldwidewords.org

Shouldn't we have a slogan or mantra?


"Haven't you killed me enough for one day ?"
- Mal, War Stories

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 12:58 PM

MALSDOXY

I know what did this...


We in the colonies call full stops periods...

England and America-two countries separated by a common language

"Haven't you killed me enough for one day ?"
- Mal, War Stories

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 1:33 PM

HELL'S KITTEN


Quote:

Originally posted by CALLMEATH:
I liked this better when everyone was just listing their grammatical pet peeves, not arguing over whether or not people are allowed to mess with the language. However, as there are billions of people who speak English, some sort of standard must be maintained. I mean, it took me two weeks to find out what "krunk" meant. I sometimes think that half of the population will soon speak in nothing but slang, while the other half will speak perfect english, with neither side understanding the other.

Alright, enough babbling. Here are some of my pet peeves:

Never mind those crazy people who use "alright" instead of "all right".... (I have many grammatical pet peeves, the worst of which is people who end sentences with "so"....)

Language is a living thing, constantly changing as time goes by. The way we speak now would be considered slang years ago. So while I find some slang incredibly annoying, I try not to begrudge it its place in the language.

Regarding spoken versus written word, whenever I read posts on boards like this, I'm not expecting to read a thesis on any given subject. I'm expecting to read your thoughts; what you would have said were I there to hear it. The point is communication, and grammar gots nuthin to do with that. Unless there actually is something on "your back"....

Now I have a question for you grammar fiends: What is the proper use of punctuation around quotation marks? I thought I used to know, but I'm now certain I've forgotten. When writing a standard sentence and using a word, phrase, or title in quotations, where do you put the punctuation - inside or outside of the quotes? Or does it depend?

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 6:58 PM

CAITE


You put punctuation inside quotation marks...always

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Wednesday, April 6, 2005 7:00 PM

CAITE


Oh yeah, and I am really happy to have found my own little niche in the FFF.net 'verse!

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 12:52 AM

ADELE



Has anyone read the book "Eats Shoots and Leaves"?

Can't remember the author, but it seems to me it could be this thread's bible.

The title is from a joke about a Panda that walks into a pub. He goes in and orders a meal, then draws out a gun and shoots the person at the next table. Then he walks out. The barman chases him outside and yells "What did you do that for?" The panda reaches into his pocket (no, I don't know why a panda has a pocket) and pulls out a book on Pandas. He turns to the section on behaviour traits, where it says Pandas "eat shoots and leaves"

I hope I got the telling of that right, but you get the gist.

Also, I am a bit tired, so if I make any grammatical errors please put it down to that, and not a mistake on my part!

I think my pet peeve is people who put an apostrophe in it's when they are implying ownership, rather than a short version of "it is."

Also, I agree with everything that's been said about your/you're, they're/their/there etc. It always makes me cringe.

But one of the interesting things (well I think it's interesting) is the fact that while Australians, Brits and Americans have vastly different ways of SAYING things (which comes out in the threads cause we write like we talk) we are all annoyed by the same gramatical issues.

Mind you, I have to admit it bugs the hell out of me that Americans don't put a 'u' in words like 'colour' etc. Not that there's a need for the 'u' - just habit!

Ok, that's me done. Thanks for helping me let off steam - now it's time to get back to work. Cheers.

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 1:25 AM

SIMONWHO


It's Lynne Truss who wrote 'Eats, Shoot and Leaves', very enjoyable book.

My pet peeves? Well, 'effect' and 'affect'. 'Less' and 'fewer'. However, the word that annoys me the most is 'innit', used as a word at the end of every sentence that is a question by some. Note for those who say that word - the symbol '?' is not pronounced 'innit'.

Oh, and we all make typos now and then but when you start a new thread, why not double check your subject line, innit?

I feel much better now.

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 2:41 AM

UNCHARTEDOUTLAW


Finally!! Something for the English Teacher in the house to do!

Biggest pet-peeves:

Apostrophes

Capitalizing the first word of a title, but not the rest: Brave new world.

-Taylor

The Uncharted Outlaw!
Captain of Prosperity (99-K64)

Read My Words:
http://norcalriviera.blogspot.com
See my Firefly Store (new items! 1/05): http://www.cafepress.com/NorCalRiviera

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 3:10 AM

HELL'S KITTEN


Quote:

Originally posted by Caite:
You put punctuation inside quotation marks...always

I had to look this up because of your use of the word "always." Here's what I found:

* period and comma within quotes except when followed by parenthetical reference
* colon and semicolon outside quotes
* dash, exclamation mark, and question mark inside quotes if it applies to the quote itself, but outside quotes if it applies to the whole sentence

And people wonder why grammar is so tricky.... I still hates it.

无 党派 人士

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 4:54 AM

CHANNAIN

i DO aim to misbehave


Quote:

Originally posted by Thrawn:
I'm a linguistics major, and the linguistics point of view is that anything is valid, more or less, so long as it's intelligible to those around you. The thing is that language is a very personal thing, and so it's extremely easy for differences that you feel are wrong to irritate the crap out of you even though they don't really cause any difference in meaning.

Thank you - this is how I feel too, although I'm no where near being a linguistics major...obviously

What bugs me the most is when I see character dialogue in Firefly fan fics written with most of the words modified to follow Firefly syntax. For instance, Mal's "ing" words, where the "g" is left off and replaced with an apostrophe like, "I am forgettin' my manners." I admit I was writing it that way myself for a bit, then thought better of it for two reasons.

First, Mal hasn't been to grad school or anything, but he doesn't strike me as bottom of the barrel common by any means either. In fact, I'm sure he was rigidly home schooled.

Second, and on the more practical side as a writer, it's awfully hard to keep track of where the apostrophe was used and where it wasn't. I don't write that way normally, and it's hard to switch the brain over to think that way, so basically I gave up on it. I still have him and everyone else using words like "gonna" and "Wanna," but hey, Joss started it!

On a general note, I personally find that the "s" on the end of words like "upwards", "downwards," and especially "towards" superfluous and downright silly. If you're already going toward something, why go towards it? Does it make the motion faster or more effective? No, not really.

I see "towards" used by the pros quite a bit, though, so I know for a fact it's really just me.

Fans come and fans go...but zealots are with you until the bitter black end.
I draw...therefore I am. http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=7922
Minnesota Meetup - join us! http://firefly.meetup.com/45/

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 6:36 AM

JAKE7


Quote:

Originally posted by CALLMEATH:
"I could care less" Is the extra "n't" really that hard to say?



Well, now, that depends on what they mean.

Maybe they *could* care less (meaning they still care a little and they could lower their opinion).

If you *couldn't* care less, well, then that's the end of it.

While I don't state I am the most perfect person when it comes to grammar, spelling and punctuation, I am known (affectionately, I hope) where I work as "the Email Nazi" I am constantly having to correct work done by others to make their sentences "legible" before their emails are sent to customers.

As for pet peeves, my big one is "peoples." Drives me completely insane!! The word "people" is already plural!!!! Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure! I've noticed it used most with newspeople. Makes 'em sound like idiots!

My other pet peeve is when I find typos in newspapers or books. I mean, come on! You're in publishing! If you can't check to make sure things are spelled right, there's a real problem!

Though I do admit, typos can be quite fun. They do make me laugh. Even my own! Can't be said I'm not equal opportunity when it comes to laughing at typos!

--------------
MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 6:41 AM

JAKE7


Quote:

Originally posted by captaincdc:
Quote:

Originally posted by CALLMEATH:
Another pet peeve is when people say irregardless. I'm amazed every time I hear it used!



I argued with my brother on this one. In our dictionary, it is considered a real word.

I just did a search on www.dictionary.com and came up with:

"ir·re·gard·less ( P ) Pronunciation Key (r-gärdls)
adv. Nonstandard
Regardless.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Probably blend of irrespective, and regardless.]
Usage Note: Irregardless is a word that many mistakenly believe to be correct usage in formal style, when in fact it is used chiefly in nonstandard speech or casual writing. Coined in the United States in the early 20th century, it has met with a blizzard of condemnation for being an improper yoking of irrespective and regardless and for the logical absurdity of combining the negative ir- prefix and -less suffix in a single term. Although one might reasonably argue that it is no different from words with redundant affixes like debone and unravel, it has been considered a blunder for decades and will probably continue to be so.
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


irregardless

adv : regardless; a combination of irrespective and regardless sometimes used humorously"


--------------
MAL: Everybody's makin' a fuss.

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Thursday, April 7, 2005 6:41 AM

JAKE7


Sorry, accidentally double-posted.

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Friday, April 8, 2005 8:54 AM

MONTANAGIRL


Question: When do you use "lay" versus "lie?" Specifically, do you lay down or lie down? I've never been sure about that.

If you can be an idiot, I can be an idiot. - D'Argo

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Friday, April 8, 2005 5:39 PM

CALLMEATH


Quote:

Originally posted by Hell's Kitten:
Quote:

Originally posted by CALLMEATH:
I liked this better when everyone was just listing their grammatical pet peeves, not arguing over whether or not people are allowed to mess with the language. However, as there are billions of people who speak English, some sort of standard must be maintained. I mean, it took me two weeks to find out what "krunk" meant. I sometimes think that half of the population will soon speak in nothing but slang, while the other half will speak perfect english, with neither side understanding the other.

Alright, enough babbling. Here are some of my pet peeves:

Never mind those crazy people who use "alright" instead of "all right".... (I have many grammatical pet peeves, the worst of which is people who end sentences with "so"....)



Oops...

Since you made the point about language constantly changing, I'd thought I'd let you know that "alright" IS in Webster's dictionary. Definition: adv: all right

However, I'll be sure to do it right from now on.


"Invader's blood marches through my veins like giant radioactive rubber pants. The pants command me! Do not ignore my veins!"

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