Grammarians UNITE!

[BeckyLa]

Text messaging is the bane of and will be the down fall of the English language.....

 

[mom'sfolly]

I think we all have our pet peeves. I find when I've doing this type of wring things slip quite a bit. I also have trouble spelling. I think my brain dumped spelling when I was in college. I think it figured there was room for the degree or correct spelling, but not both.

The problem with would've, could've and should've is that they sound like would of, could of, should of.

Mine is data, only because it was drummed into my head, and literally.

The data show that people literally love there chickens to death. EEEEWWW!!!!!

I have a huge gripe with the way writing is being taught to my grade schoolers. They are taught that big words are better, and not to use words like "nice", "good", "fine", etc. For them, saying a hamburger is incredible would be better than juicy and tasty. They are teaching how to write purple prose, not English. Hemmingway would fail and Steinbeck would be given a thesaurus!!

 

[beak]

You guys sound like my wife and 2 oldest kids. I like to use incorrect grammar just to annoy them. However I have learned a lot from their constant corrections. I just don't let them know.

 

[suebee]

I bought a personalized sign for my son's teacher. (From Lillian Vernon catalog). The sign said, "Ms. Hopkin's Class." The teacher said it should of read, "Ms. Hopkins' Class." I was SO embarrassed! But did I misspell it or did Lillian Vernon misspell it? I've always had a problem with this type of grammar. Is it suebee's chickens? Or suebees' chickens?? Or "my son's teacher's shirt?" or my sons' teachers' shirt"?

 

[PortageGirl]

Through and thru!

It drives me crazy when people use thru, which isn't even a word! Though threw is of course, and I've seen that used now and then too!

If using a chat program, I'm very forgiving of minor things. Even people using 'thru' *shudders* though it’s far from my favorite. IM-ing on a full sized computer with a real keyboard means that text-speak is not in the least necessary.

But any time there's the possibility that people could type in a word processing application, using a spell checker and or at least a little grammar check ability, they could improve things. And no, this isn’t aimed at BYC members either, it is an insidious thing that is creeping across the world. Can we communicate without perfect grammar? Yes, but it is starting to get very ugly!

Oh, and that reminds me, to, too, and two.

Now, occasional oopses, no problem, we're all only human. But over and over and over... *sigh* Though, I also try to remember that not everyone on any site is from an English speaking country. That's another reason to try to be understanding.

 

[AhBee01]

I'm glad no one is slamming BYC's posters! One of the things that keeps me from posting a lot is I have never been very good at learning. I can read, I can do basic math, but ask me to write a basic paragragh, and fear runs over me! I'm a run on sentence person. I try to correctly use commas and such to no avail!
I hate writing notes to my children's teachers for fear they will think I'm an idiot!
I need to go back to school just to help my youngest child get through school. It is maddening.
I mean I am not a mentally challenged person by far, but often feel that way.
Proper grammar, is not an easy thing to learn, or even remember for that matter. At least for me, and I'm sure there are other people out there that feel as I do.
I studied my but off in school, still just passing by the skin of my teeth.
I've had teachers and school concealers tell me to just be a homemaker, because I wouldn't amount to anything else!
So I never tried to go to collage. I did become a homemaker, with three children.
My oldest boys also struggled through school. Had some learning disabilities diagnosed early in school, which helped them. I wish I had the help they did, I might have learned to learn better!
My one boy is going to collage, and his twin just moved to Columbus to find work, and with a little luck, he will go to collage too.
My youngest seems to be doing well in the learning department. He is in Kindergarten.
He seems to get things. We held him back from school till he was six, to give him some time to get a handle on learning. I sent him to a pre kindergarten class, which I think set him up to do much better in Kindergarten. Some people said I was nuts to hold him back, but he would have been a young five year old, in school and I believe that is where my older sons started their struggle.
So I do not regret waiting for my youngest!!!
All in all I like posts like this, because it helps me to brush up on things.
Anyone know of some good books to help me keep up with thing for my youngest? It is going to be a long thirteen years!!!
Brenda

 

[wishin4chicken]

When my daughter was 10ish, her favorite saying was "it's a true fact!"

Still makes me smile.

 

[Kesta]

noooooooooo stop the grammar! im not in school!

 

[key west chick]

Sale and Sell get me. I know I'm not the best typist so many times my punctuation and spelling look worse than it really is. My MIL says waked. I didn't know there was such a word. But she "waked" up from her nap all the time. Can someone clarify this for me? Is it "I waked up" or "I woke up"?

 

[Amyable]

Quote:
Does that mean she tied his shoelaces?

I hate double negatives, too.

DH misuses "succumbed" all the time and it drives me mad! "I don't want to be succumbed to that." WHAT!?! Over and over, I tell him he needs to use "subjected." I don't want him looking like an idiot out there.

key west chick, I would use "I woke up." Or "I awoke." No such thing as "woked".