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H.E. Pennypacker
April 17th, 2007, 05:17 AM
There are lots of grammar and usage errors that annoy me, the one that I hate the most at this time must be pronoun/antecedent disagreement. I can't believe how common making pronoun/antecedent agreement mistakes are. It is UNBELIEVABLE. As a matter of fact, I don't think I know of any other single grammatical error that is more common and widely used than not matching pronouns and antecedents.

It is truly remarkable, because every single person you know has made this mistake. It doesn't even have anything to do with intelligence, because you'll find people who know almost everything in the world making these mistakes.

Whenever I make these mistakes myself, they can't really be called mistakes, because I purposely make them, and I know I am doing it. I guess, when everyone else is doing it, it seems strange to not follow everyone else.

Sometimes I say "I am good" to "How are you?" knowing very well it should be "I am well." You can't always be a rebel. When you see a teenager making a common mistake (their/they are), don't say anything. You should be more concerned with intelligent people making the mistake I've mentioned in the first part of this post.

So, how about you guys? What are your annoyances?

FuturePilot
April 17th, 2007, 05:21 AM
Grammar annoys me. Too many rules and exceptions to worry about. If this word comes before a noun it's this. If it comes after an adjective it's this. But if it comes after a pronoun it could be this, this, or that. Arrgggh! #-o I never got good grades in grammar. Never understood it, never will.

FoolsGold
April 17th, 2007, 05:21 AM
My number one: the confusion between It's and Its.

Goddamn, how bloody hard is it to put in a little effort to know the difference?

I also have a massive hatred for people using "lol" to terminate a sentence instead of a full-stop.

aysiu
April 17th, 2007, 05:29 AM
What annoys me most is this kind of over-correction:
She was just making it very difficult for Gina and I to get our work done
Thanks for giving that gift to Jimmy and I! In other words:
She was just making it very difficult for we to get our work done
Thanks for giving that gift to we!

bwhite82
April 17th, 2007, 05:35 AM
There is indeed one spelling error that I often come across which almost always causes me to loose my cool when I see it. I can't seem to remember what it is at this time. :D :D :D

FoolsGold
April 17th, 2007, 05:45 AM
I also dislike people's lack of effort when typing. How hard is it to think before you hit submit? Don't you care about how others judge you by the way you post?

Just now on another forum, I read someone who wanted to say "I don't like Labor's policies" write it as:

i dont like labors poicys

](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

23meg
April 17th, 2007, 05:45 AM
We have another thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=336676) about common spelling errors.

bwhite82
April 17th, 2007, 05:58 AM
I also dislike people's lack of effort when typing. How hard is it to think before you hit submit? Don't you care about how others judge you by the way you post?

Just now on another forum, I read someone who wanted to say "I don't like Labor's policies" write it as:

i dont like labors poicys

](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

I would suspect that since this is an international forum, but almost exclusively English-speaking, that many ESL speakers are having a hard time with the language. Your example looks like a prime example of this. These folks do not bother me, it is those that know better but choose not to who bother me.

KiwiNZ
April 17th, 2007, 05:58 AM
English is not necessarily the prime language of our members

aysiu
April 17th, 2007, 05:59 AM
I would suspect that since this is an international forum, but almost exclusively English-speaking, that many ESL speakers are having a hard time with the language. Your example looks like a prime example of this. These folks do not bother me, it is those that know better but choose not to who bother me.
I would suspect it's lazy native English speakers.

kvonb
April 17th, 2007, 06:10 AM
pronoun/antecedent disagreementwassat mean? Me not unstand dem big werds ;)

The use of "you" instead of "your" is really getting up my nose, ie "move you mouse", or "couple" instead of "a couple" as in "add a couple eggs", instead of "add a couple of eggs".

But the biggest toothache of all is when I see a fellow Australian using a "z" instead of an "s" in words like "realised" and "recognised", and my damned Firefox supposedly Australian spelling checker that still reports them as mistakes! That to me is an insult to my national identity of which I am somewhat proud.

I believe it's the result of our "fast food" generation, everything is done quick, fast, and extremely badly!

FoolsGold
April 17th, 2007, 06:14 AM
I would suspect it's lazy native English speakers.
You would be correct, Mr. Cat... thing.

I was reading an Australia forum at the time, and even though the guy was a teenager, he should have at least tried.

Lux Perpetua
April 17th, 2007, 06:18 AM
The one that annoys me the most is probably the use of apostrophe's to form plural's. :o

tbroderick
April 17th, 2007, 07:52 AM
Who cares. All that matters is if you can get the gist of what someone is saying, irregardless of grammar or usage.

jfca283
April 17th, 2007, 08:00 AM
sorry, but i'm chilean and english is not my mother language
i think that all errors you describe i make them
sorry

bwhite82
April 17th, 2007, 08:04 AM
sorry, but i'm chilean and english is not my mother language
i think that all errors you describe i make them
sorry

You just proved my earlier point. It's not people like you who annoy me. Heck, it is very difficult to learn a new language and I respect those that do and/or are trying. It is those that simply do not care how dumb they sound, when they have the capacity to write better, that really annoy me.

jfca283
April 17th, 2007, 08:13 AM
is "that really annoy me" or "that really annoys me"?
i always confused that rule

samjh
April 17th, 2007, 08:24 AM
What annoys me most is this kind of over-correction: In other words:Ironic that your "correct" examples are actually wrong. ;) You should have used "us", instead of "we". :p


She was just making it very difficult for us to get our work done

Thanks for giving that gift to us!

:)

My two pet peeves are run-on sentences (too long!) and bad paragraphing (ugh!).

Other stuff I just chuckle at. BTW, English is my 2nd language, but I can use it better than my native tongue. :o

use a name
April 17th, 2007, 08:29 AM
Since I'm getting a bit more active in these massive forums, my vocabulary has increased quite a bit, but my grammar needs more attention, as subconsciously I'm adopting some of the common 'mistakes'. Usually I catch 'm before clicking the button, but I can't promise I always do. Moreover, I wouldn't get an A+ for spelling or grammar anyway.

The ones I now need to check before posting and did not have to check a few years ago:
you're - your
they're - their - there(!)
quite - quiet - quit
too - to

Spr0k3t
April 17th, 2007, 08:37 AM
One I find hard to choke on is disjointed meaning. Such as the "Rare collection of pictures", is the collection rare or the pictures rare...

FoolsGold
April 17th, 2007, 08:47 AM
Who cares. All that matters is if you can get the gist of what someone is saying, irregardless of grammar or usage.
For what it's worth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless

bwhite82
April 17th, 2007, 08:52 AM
One I find hard to choke on is disjointed meaning. Such as the "Rare collection of pictures", is the collection rare or the pictures rare...

In that example, the collection is rare, as it directly precedes one of the nouns in question.

To say the pictures are rare, you would type the following:

"...collection of rare pictures."

Shroomer
April 17th, 2007, 09:05 AM
I hate it when people use They're/their/there in the wrong way.

saulgoode
April 17th, 2007, 09:14 AM
I by no means consider myself a grammar nazi but if I hear someone use "disconnect" as a noun, there will be some jackbooted goose stepping taking place up someone's backside.

karellen
April 17th, 2007, 10:21 AM
I probably make a lot of grammar mistakes when I write, but at least I have the excuse that English it's not my native language :D. anyway I try to improve as much as possible my knowledge about foreign languages

zoogTHOMzoog
April 17th, 2007, 10:31 AM
The grammatical errors that annoy me the most occurs when people mix street / colloquial phrasing with proper verse, fo' shizzle.

aysiu
April 17th, 2007, 05:15 PM
Ironic that your "correct" examples are actually wrong. ;) You should have used "us", instead of "we". :p When did I ever say the second set of sentences was correct?

PartisanEntity
April 17th, 2007, 05:58 PM
Our manner of typing is our 'face' on a forum. In real life I can take into account your face expressions and body language as well as your voice. But here, all we have to go by are words. So when the written language is sloppy or bad this reflects negatively on some, of course only if you are pedantic like me :)

spinflick
April 17th, 2007, 07:34 PM
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa

I am a dull and simple lad
Can not tell water from champagne
And I have never met the queen
And I wish I could have all that he has got
I wish I could be like david watts

Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa

And when I lie on my pillow at night
I dream I could fight like david watts
Lead the school team to victory
And take my exams and pass the lot

(wish I could be)
Wish I could be like david watts
(wish I could be)
Wish I could be like david watts
(wish I could be)
Conduct my life like david watts
(wish I could be)
I wish I could be like david watts

Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa

He is the head boy at the school
He is the captain of the team
He is so gay and fancy free
And I wish all his money belonged to me
I wish I could be like david watts

Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa

And all the girls in the neighborhood
Try to go out with david watts
They try their best but cant succeed
For he is of pure and noble breed

Wish I could be like
Wish I could be like
Wish I could be like

Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa ;)

forrestcupp
April 17th, 2007, 07:45 PM
What annoys me most is this kind of over-correction: In other words:

I totally agree. When someone says, "He gave the gift to my wife and I." when they should say, "He gave the gift to my wife and me." You wouldn't say "He gave the gift to I." would you? The reason it gets on my nerves so much is because people like that are trying to be proper, but they don't know what they are talking about.

It doesn't bother me when people make grammatical mistakes without trying to be proper.

aysiu
April 17th, 2007, 07:50 PM
The reason it gets on my nerves so much is because people like that are trying to be proper, but they don't know what they are talking about.

It doesn't bother me when people make grammatical mistakes without trying to be proper. Exactly. It's pretentious... and wrong.

I don't mind people just being wrong, but being pretentious and wrong... annoying!

When Jenny and me went to the park, we met a nice park ranger doesn't offend me as much as The park ranger was so nice to Jenny and I does.

daynah
April 17th, 2007, 08:04 PM
Sometimes I say "I am good" to "How are you?" knowing very well it should be "I am well." You can't always be a rebel. When you see a teenager making a common mistake (their/they are), don't say anything. You should be more concerned with intelligent people making the mistake I've mentioned in the first part of this post.


Wow that was amazing. Four pages later and no one corrected you...

Good is a adjective. Adjectives describe nouns.
Well is an adverb. Adverbs describe verbs.

Thus in the sentence "I am good," 'good' is correctly describing the noun 'I' and in the sentence "I am feeling well," 'well' is correctly describing the verb 'feeling.' But, because 'well' is an adverb and is not allowed to describe nouns, it should not be used to describe the word 'I' as in, "I am well."

Looking it up pulls up this...


In the USA, adjectives are used where adverbs would be used in the UK. The form I am well (UK - adverb), becomes I am good (USA - adjective). The form the car travels quickly (UK) becomes the car travels quick (USA). http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:9-yiijy0TPkJ:www.krysstal.com/grammar.html+%22I+am+good%22+grammar&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=opera

This doesn't completely explain the issue. Why in the UK were you people using adverbs there in the first place? Maybe you have weird rules for adverbs. Point is, if you live in the US and you're trying to force yourself to say "I am well" you're not just trying to act like something you're not, you're making yourself look "bloody silly" by using incorrect grammar in public.

The ever growing misunderstanding with "good" and "well" constantly annoys me about grammar. That and my own dependency on parenthesis.

Another link on it: http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:YCjEmTTIr-cJ:recoveringoverachiever.blogspot.com/2007/02/grammar-lesson.html+%22I+am+good%22+grammar&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=7&gl=us&client=opera

aysiu
April 17th, 2007, 08:07 PM
Well can be an adjective, too:

–adjective
11. in good health; sound in body and mind: Are you well? He is not a well man.
12. satisfactory, pleasing, or good: All is well with us.
13. proper, fitting, or gratifying: It is well that you didn't go.
14. in a satisfactory position; well-off: I am very well as I am.

ahaslam
April 17th, 2007, 08:08 PM
Well I'm dyslexic & couldn't care less about spelling or grammer. As long as there is no doubt as to what is being said, I fail to see the issue.

PS. wow I spelt grammar wrong, did that p1ss you off?

daynah
April 17th, 2007, 08:10 PM
I conceed Aysiu. :) But "I am good." is still just fine grammar.

ahaslam
April 17th, 2007, 08:14 PM
[rubbish] - clicked the wrong button, I wanted to edit, not reply ;)
Dyslexia goes out the window when you've been drinking, you're simply stupid ;)

saulgoode
April 17th, 2007, 08:32 PM
Well can be an adjective, too:

"Well" has the rather rare quality of being usable as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb. At one time, I knew of two other English words that fit this criteria (not to say there are not more); at the moment I can recall only one.

tbroderick
April 17th, 2007, 09:21 PM
For what it's worth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irregardless

That's my point. When I say irregardless, everyone knows it means the same as regardless. I was born and raised in the Boston area and still live in MA. Around these parts the usage of irregardless is very common.

Nils Olav
April 17th, 2007, 09:30 PM
When people use wu instead of mandarin. I'm not sure if that constitutes as an error but it sure is annoying.

dbbolton
April 17th, 2007, 10:12 PM
1. failure to use the subjunctive mood in a conditional clause.

If I was rich, I would buy a new houseI'm not going to list all the situations that require the subjunctive mood, but this is one of them. The present subjunctive, in English, is formed by pairing the unconjugated infinitive form of the verb (minus "to") with the subject. Example:
It is necessary that he turn in his homework on time. Colloquially, it is formed a bit differently:
It is necessary for you to be quiet.
I want you to be quiet. In the case of a conditional or hypothetical situation, the past subjunctive is used. Most of the time, it goes unnoticed because this conjugation is identical to the past conjugation of regular verbs.

Past: He jumped over the bushes.
Past subjunctive: If he jumped over the bushes, he would have fallen.
Pluperfect subjunctive: If he had jumped...

Most English verbs have a singular and plural form in the present tense (singular: I jump [a singular pronoun that takes a plural verb in the present], he jumps; plural: you [although "you" is both singular and plural, both numbers take the plural verb] jump, we jump, they jump) with the exceptions of "be," which is highly irregular. But, most verbs have only one form in the past tense (he ran, they ran...[again, "be" is an exception]) and in the past perfect (he had been, they had been...).

The past subjunctive uses the plural form of the past tense of the verb. So, the example sentence should read "If I were..."

2. use of objective, rather than genitive, pronoun before a gerund phrase.

She heard me walking up the stairs.She did not hear "him." She heard "walking up the stairs," which was done by "him." Therefore, he owns it, and a posessive pronoun must be used.
"She heard his walking up the stairs."

3. juxtaposition of there/their/they're and your/you're.

Your on there land. Their mad.This is obvious.

4. use of objective pronouns in the nominative case.

Me and John went to the moon.When in the subject of a sentence, pronouns must be in the nominative case. Also, first person pronouns must appear last.

"John and I..."

5. improper combination of genitive nouns and pronouns.

Me and Eva's car is red.
Jim's and my car is yellow.
Luke's and I's car is blue.The correct forms are "Eva and my" and "Luke and my." With joint possession, the first owner appears in the nominative case, the second in the genitive. Of course, these examples could easily be replaced with "our."

6. use of strict adjectives as adverbs.

You draw real good.A better way to express this thought is "You truly draw well."

7. improper verb conjugation.

We was headed up the mountain.
Are Ted or Ely here?The number of times that I've heard mistakes like this disturbs me.

8. flagrant preposition use

Who are you going with?
Where are you at?With whom will you go? (note the change of case.)
Where are you? (adding "at" ia redundant.)

9. use of two (or more) negative words per clause.

I don't owe you nothing.This is another obvious, common error.

10. "Aren't I?"
I are not - no. I am not. Am I not?

11. juxtaposition of "which" and "that"

I want the guitar which is in the box.
I'm going to Paris, that is the capital of France.
There are many guitars. When specifying which guitar is desired, one must use "that". I want the guitar that is in the box.
There is only one Paris, which is the capital of France.

mssever
April 17th, 2007, 11:17 PM
The one that annoys me the most is probably the use of apostrophe's to form plural's. :o
That one bugs me, too. So does using quotes for emphasis.

I totally agree. When someone says, "He gave the gift to my wife and I." when they should say, "He gave the gift to my wife and me." You wouldn't say "He gave the gift to I." would you? The reason it gets on my nerves so much is because people like that are trying to be proper, but they don't know what they are talking about.
Incidentally, this is one reason why I think that there should be a much stronger emphasis on foreign language study. I didn't learn the why's of English grammar until I studied Greek. Now, I find it easier to correctly make those distinctions.

Our English pronouns are a class unto themselves. If you know a language that uses noun/pronoun cases (e.g., Greek, German, Russian, etc.), you know why these distinctions are the way they are. You can also easier understand the often-misunderstood distinction between who and whom.

Speaking of pronouns, one other thing that gets me is using they in the singular. Unfortunately, there often isn't a good alternative. If only we could use it to refer to a person, life would be simpler. It's a wonder that even though English has one of the largest lexicons of any language, we're missing a simple pronoun.

Another pronoun we're missing is a distinction between the singular and plural forms of you. At one time, we had you/ye/thee/thou, but you has assumed all functions. So, while purists might object, I maintain that y'all (and other regional variants) is a necessary part of English as the plural form of you.


1. failure to use the subjunctive mood in a conditional clause.
<snip>
2. use of objective, rather than genitive, pronoun before a gerund phrase.
<snip>
6. use of strict adjectives as adverbs.
A bit pedantic? The English language is continually evolving, and if a change simplifies the grammar without sacrificing meaning, then it's a good change, as far as I'm concerned.

7. improper verb conjugation.
The number of times that I've heard mistakes like this disturbs me.This is one of the hardest aspects of English grammar for non-native speakers to master.

10. "Aren't I?"
I are not - no. I am not. Am I not?Interestingly, my grandfather argues that this ain't should be used in this situation. I prefer aren't, because there isn't any other more acceptable alternative; I insist on using contractions whenever possible.

dbbolton
April 18th, 2007, 01:08 AM
A bit pedantic? The English language is continually evolving, and if a change simplifies the grammar without sacrificing meaning, then it's a good change, as far as I'm concerned.

i feel that amalgamating the subjunctive and indicative moods creates obscurity (as though english were not obscure enough).

the gerund phrases- granted; it really doesn't matter.

adjectives/adverbs- also doesn't really matter. it might make some things a bit ambiguous. but in German, adjectives can function as adverbs without orthographic modification, and its speakers seem to be doing all right.



This is one of the hardest aspects of English grammar for non-native speakers to master.

when non-native speakers make mistakes, it doesn't annoy me at all. when residents of west virginia perpetually butcher the english language, it's a bit trying.



Interestingly, my grandfather argues that this ain't should be used in this situation. I prefer aren't, because there isn't any other more acceptable alternative; I insist on using contractions whenever possible.
there are many ways to indicate this without using non-standard verb conjugation. "this" being, asking a question when the speaker is pretty sure that the anser will be positive.

instead of "I'm going to jail, aren't I ?"
"I'm going to jail, right ?"
"I'm going to jail, huh ?" (downward inflection on the 'huh')
you could even change to a more active voice (if you consider 'I'm going to jail' to mean the same as 'They are taking me to jail.') :
"Aren't they taking me to jail?"

qpieus
April 18th, 2007, 02:18 AM
Most annoying for me is the incorrect use of 's instead of the plural s
All television's on sale now!

Detonate
April 18th, 2007, 02:41 AM
Ending a sentence with a preposition.

Where's that web site at?

"Revert back".

No one seems to care that the words anxious and eager have different meanings, and those that should know better misuse anxious frequently.

Do you know when to use "a" and when to use "an" when the following work begins with the letter "h"?

Hint. A house. An honor.

Irregardless, have a good day.:D

Quillz
April 18th, 2007, 02:44 AM
For the most part, most grammar mistakes aren't a big deal to me, but the common mishap of there/their/they're is always annoying.

Detonate
April 18th, 2007, 02:50 AM
Here is another laugh.

My wife, looking in the refrigerator. "Do we not have any milk"?

My answer. "Yes".

She replies. "Where is it"?

I say. "We don't have any".

She says. "You just said we did"?

I say, "No, You asked if we did not have milk, and I answered your question in the affirmative".

This conversation usually ends with me sleeping on the sofa.

dbbolton
April 18th, 2007, 02:59 AM
Here is another laugh.

My wife, looking in the refrigerator. "Do we not have any milk"?

My answer. "Yes".

She replies. "Where is it"?

I say. "We don't have any".

She says. "You just said we did"?

I say, "No, You asked if we did not have milk, and I answered your question in the affirmative".

This conversation usually ends with me sleeping on the sofa.
that brings up something i like about french- two words for yes. si means "yes" as an affirmative answer to a negative statement (like in the example you gave), where as oui means "yes" in every other situtation.

futons rule.

Nils Olav
April 18th, 2007, 03:00 AM
Here is another laugh.

My wife, looking in the refrigerator. "Do we not have any milk"?

My answer. "Yes".

She replies. "Where is it"?

I say. "We don't have any".

She says. "You just said we did"?

I say, "No, You asked if we did not have milk, and I answered your question in the affirmative".

This conversation usually ends with me sleeping on the sofa.

I do something similar but in my case people just pause for a second.

mssever
April 18th, 2007, 04:09 AM
i feel that amalgamating the subjunctive and indicative moods creates obscurity (as though english were not obscure enough).I'm curious, now. Can you give an example? (As a bit of nitpicking on my part, English should be capitalized.)


Ending a sentence with a preposition.Prepositions are perfectly good words to end sentences with. :) See Winston Churchill's famous statement at http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/nonerrors.html (http://www.wsu.edu/%7Ebrians/errors/nonerrors.html). That page brings up something also: I like to occasionally split infinitives; it adds variety. :)


Do you know when to use "a" and when to use "an" when the following work begins with the letter "h"?

Hint. A house. An honor.

Irregardless, have a good day.:DTrue, which reminds me of a usage I encounter sometimes that bugs me: "an historian."
(I've heard a several people from the Houston, Texas area say "umble", instead of "humble." You could just drop every initial h sound and always use an...)

Sef
April 18th, 2007, 04:16 AM
Well the disagreements with usage errors mostly are the difference between prescriptive grammar and descriptive grammar. Prescriptive grammar is the way langauge is supposed to be; descriptive language is the way people actually use it. I definitely tend to be a descriptive speaker and writer.



I by no means consider myself a grammar nazi but if I hear someone use "disconnect" as a noun, there will be some jackbooted goose stepping taking place up someone's backside.

Well disconnect is a noun as well as a verb. From Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=disconnect):


dis·con·nect /ˌdɪskəˈnɛkt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[dis-kuh-nekt]

–noun
4. an act or instance of disconnecting, esp. the suspension of telephone or cable TV service for nonpayment of service charges.

dbbolton
April 18th, 2007, 04:19 AM
I'm curious, now. Can you give an example? (As a bit of nitpicking on my part, English should be capitalized.)
i didn't capitalise it out of BLATANT CYNICISM !!!
just teasing.

to people who don't understand the subjunctive mood, it makes no difference at all. to those who do understand and use the subjunctive, combining two moods into one would leave questions about what the speaker attempted to convey. for instance, was it objective or subjective? is it an opinion or a self-evident quality?

there are few cases in spanish in which there is a choice to use the indicative or subjunctive mood in a question. if the indicative mood is used, the recipient is (on a rhetorical level) compelled to agree, but the subjunctive leaves the answer open to the recipient.

machoo02
April 18th, 2007, 04:21 AM
One thing that bothers me is the addition of "from" before words such as whence, thence, or hence where the meaniing of the word already includes the "from"

whence - from where
thence - from there
hence - from here

dbbolton
April 18th, 2007, 04:25 AM
One thing that bothers me is the addition of "from" before words such as whence, thence, or hence where the meaniing of the word already includes the "from"

whence - from where
thence - from there
hence - from here
yes, it is redundant, but...


—Usage note Although sometimes criticized as redundant on the grounds that “from” is implied by the word whence, the idiom from whence is old in the language, well established, and standard. Among its users are the King James Bible, Shakespeare, Dryden, and Dickens: Hilary finally settled in Paris, from whence she bombarded us with letters, postcards, and sketches. From thence, a parallel construction, occurs infrequently.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

WiseElben
April 18th, 2007, 04:28 AM
There is indeed one spelling error that I often come across which almost always causes me to loose my cool when I see it. I can't seem to remember what it is at this time. :D :D :D

Haha, good one!

Iandefor
April 18th, 2007, 05:06 AM
For some reason, ending sentences with prepositions really annoys me. I'm hardly a grammar snob, but there you go.

Also, I really hate one-line responses on forums/digg/slashdot that don't end with a period. It's still a sentence. Treat it like one.

darrenrxm
April 18th, 2007, 05:19 AM
Why does the English language have so many words that are difficult to spell?

The main reason is that English has 1,100 different ways to spell its 44 separate sounds, more than any other language.

http://www.say-it-in-english.com/SpellHome.html

jfca283
April 18th, 2007, 07:24 AM
i've learnt (learned in USA?) a lot of tips in english grammar
very interesting post

MonkeyBoy
April 18th, 2007, 07:46 AM
People who spell colour as color. They annoy me. :D

aysiu
April 18th, 2007, 04:18 PM
People who spell colour as color. They annoy me. :D
The ones in the UK? Or the ones in the US (where that spelling is actually correct)?

dbbolton
April 20th, 2007, 10:39 PM
the Americans specialise in spelling. one might call it their speciality.

saulgoode
April 20th, 2007, 10:53 PM
For some reason, ending sentences with prepositions really annoys me. I'm hardly a grammar snob, but there you go.

Yes, that really off me ticks!

dbbolton
April 20th, 2007, 11:21 PM
Yes, that really off me ticks!
if you use colloquial phrases, then colloquial grammar should fit.

but, if you consider "to tick off" to be a verb phrase, and the direct object must go after the verb phrase, then it should read "that really ticks off me."

check out that.

mssever
April 22nd, 2007, 03:53 AM
Yes, that really off me ticks!
Good one! Take a seat next to Winston Churchill (cited in an earlier post of mine).

Has anyone noticed that educated people have been ending sentences with prepositions for several hundred years? Doesn't it seem a bit odd to rule something that's been common practice among such people ungrammatical?

stokedfish
April 22nd, 2007, 03:55 AM
None, coz English is a foreign language for me.

%hMa@?b<C
April 22nd, 2007, 03:56 AM
I am a huge grammar nazi. I hate it when people use poor grammar, especially native english speakers. I hate when people use "real" as an adverb.
eg. That car was going real fast.
grrrrr the adverbial for is "really"

Detonate
April 22nd, 2007, 05:06 AM
Actually, to be correct, it should be "very fast". Could we say the car is going imitation fast?

As far as the ending a sentence in a preposition, it is sometimes required for clarity. Just no other way to express the thought. But I was specifically pointing out those that end a sentence with the word "at".

Sef
April 22nd, 2007, 06:44 AM
but, if you consider "to tick off" to be a verb phrase, and the direct object must go after the verb phrase, then it should read "that really ticks off me."


That is not correct. The correct form with object pronouns is 'tick me off'. To tick off is a phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs with direct objects come in two forms: seperable and nonseparable.

With separable phrasal verbs the direct object can go either after the particle (off in the case of to tick me off) or inbetween the verb and the particle. For example, Sam ticked Billy off, or Sam ticked off Billy. If the direct object is a object pronoun, then it must go between the verb and the particle.

With nonseparable verbs the direct object and the object pronoun must go after the particle. For example, Sue took care of her husband after he was injured, or Sue took care of him after he was injured.

dbbolton
April 22nd, 2007, 07:47 AM
That is not correct. The correct form with object pronouns is 'tick me off'. To tick off is a phrasal verb. Phrasal verbs with direct objects come in two forms: seperable and nonseparable.

With separable phrasal verbs the direct object can go either after the particle (off in the case of to tick me off) or inbetween the verb and the particle. For example, Sam ticked Billy off, or Sam ticked off Billy. If the direct object is a object pronoun, then it must go between the verb and the particle.

With nonseparable verbs the direct object and the object pronoun must go after the particle. For example, Sue took care of her husband after he was injured, or Sue took care of him after he was injured.
this link proves that i was not wrong:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/joke

dbbolton
April 22nd, 2007, 07:55 AM
I am a huge grammar nazi. I hate it when people use poor grammar, especially native english speakers. I hate when people use "real" as an adverb.
eg. That car was going real fast.
grrrrr the adverbial for is "really"
real-
12.Informal. very or extremely: You did a real nice job painting the house. (dictionary.com)

i agree that "really" is a better choice in that situation.


Actually, to be correct, it should be "very fast". Could we say the car is going imitation fast?

"very" comes from either the german wahr or the french vrai which both mean "true."

to say "really fast" isn't wrong, it just emphasises that the running was, in actuality, truly, undeniably fast, whereas "very fast" would indicate a high degree of speed. either one can convey the idea.

really-
2.genuinely or truly (dictionary.com)

Sef
April 22nd, 2007, 11:45 AM
this link proves that i was not wrong:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/joke

This is from that site:


1. something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act: He tells very funny jokes. She played a joke on him.

It does not. There are two different grammar functions here: direct and indirect objects. Joke is a direct object. Him is an indirect object.

M$LOL
April 22nd, 2007, 11:57 AM
I don't really get annoyed at bad grammar, as long as it's not coming from me, but I would have to say that the worst sort of bad grammar to look at is when people use apostrophes for plurals, eg car's, computer's etc.

Although, they do have competition from the people who say "you're" instead of "your" etc.

lakersforce
April 22nd, 2007, 12:32 PM
Three things really annoy me:

when people does not care to use any punctuation it is almost impossible to read if no pauses are there dont you agree its just plain anoying

And When People Capitalize Every Single Word They Spell. It Is Just Horrible To Look At.

a |\|d 13375p34k a |\| 0y5 |\/|3 \/3ry |\/|uc|-|

That's about the three things about incorrect grammar that annoys me :)

illogical
April 22nd, 2007, 12:43 PM
Worst offenders are the English and Americans.
In fact it amazes me that so many from around the world manage to comunicate on some forums.
What annoys me most, lots of things, much of which is slang, like Americans saying, "My bad", at some point some fool said "my bad" instead of "my fault" or "my mistake", now we all know you can't have a bad, so therefore you can't claim a bad as yours, therefore the expression "my bad" sounds to all the world just stupid, yet the whole of the USA use it, all down to some illiterate abusing it.
It's a bloody adjective which is a descriptive word, not an object so you can't have one!!!, in a nutshell its; "bad slang"
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/useavaj.html

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rlz=1B3GGGL_enGB213GB218&q=bad&btnG=Search&meta=

Another favourite hate,-(contradiction in terms there)- is noone, no such bloody word, should be, "no one".:roll:

dbbolton
April 22nd, 2007, 04:18 PM
This is from that site:



It does not. There are two different grammar functions here: direct and indirect objects. Joke is a direct object. Him is an indirect object.

wow.

i meant that i was joking when i said that "tick off someone" was correct.

Tmi
April 22nd, 2007, 05:01 PM
In my language (Swedish) and quite a few other languages we "contract" words that together form a new word. For example, while in english you would write "car owner", in swedish we would contract the two into "carowner", It is very annoying how a large part of the Swedish youth today can't seem to get that right anymore. It might not seem all that annoying, but it is - especially since sometimes the meaning might change if we don't contract the words together.

To mention a pretty often stated example would be the difference between the Swedish "Rödhårig sjuksköterska" (red haired nurse) and "Röd hårig sjuk sköterska" (red hairy sick caretaker).

dbbolton
April 22nd, 2007, 05:53 PM
In my language (Swedish) and quite a few other languages we "contract" words that together form a new word. For example, while in english you would write "car owner", in swedish we would contract the two into "carowner", It is very annoying how a large part of the Swedish youth today can't seem to get that right anymore. It might not seem all that annoying, but it is - especially since sometimes the meaning might change if we don't contract the words together.

To mention a pretty often stated example would be the difference between the Swedish "Rödhårig sjuksköterska" (red haired nurse) and "Röd hårig sjuk sköterska" (red hairy sick caretaker).
that would not only be annoying, but confusing. in german, new nouns can be made by combining a noun in the genitive case with one in the nominative. for example, Repräsentantenhaus means "house of representatives" and Orangensaft means "orange juice."

in the first example, the english equivalent requires the use of a prepositional phrase to indicate the genitive case of "representative," as it is both an adjective and a noun. "representative house" indicates a house that represents something, not one that representatives occupy.

the second example demonstrates one of the dumbest ideas of all time- a colour named for a fruit. if you go to the store, you can find many juices that are orange, but not all of them are made from oranges. so, you can have "juice that is orange" (orange Saft) and "the juice of oranges" (Orangensaft).