[turtle777]

Originally Posted by besson3c

No need to be a jerk about this man... You need to work on your bedside manner, you are almost as abrasive as Kevin.

Nah, if he'd just tone it down a bit.

If you are a n00b, play it safe in the Lounge, or stand the heat.

-t

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by besson3c

No need to be a jerk about this man... You need to work on your bedside manner, you are almost as abrasive as Kevin.

You're projecting.

[climber]

I think we should just make it a law. Bad grammar should mean immediate loss of computing privileges and then your arms should be cut off!

But there should also be another law that has the same consequences for people who attack grammar because there minds are to simple to attack the actual message.




But then again nobody would be left to post

[besson3c]

CATS/USB Hub,

Isn't there a clause that says these forums are for 18+, or was that another forum?

I'm not trying to get rid of you, as far as I'm concerned I have no problems with you or your presence, but if I'm right about the age requirement maybe this is something you'll want to work out with your parents?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by besson3c

Isn't there a clause that says these forums are for 18+

Don't recall there ever being any such thing.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Don't recall there ever being any such thing.

Good idea though

-t

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

You're projecting.

Hehehe.... hyperbole.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Yes, and people will find other words to use incorrectly until over the years those uses are accepted.

Fixed.™

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Originally Posted by besson3c

CATS/USB Hub,
Isn't there a clause that says these forums are for 18+, or was that another forum?

No tooki said that the forums are alowed under age members. Plus im not acting like a 14 y/o now am i .

PS, my USB HUB user name was given to my mom. Ask what_the_heck if you have any questions.

[kd]

My favorite internetism is "bonified". It cracks me up every time I see it.

[voodoo]

In my experience it is the English native speakers who make the most blatant errors.. possibly because they *think* in English and the *hear* what they want to write. Therefore errors such as hear/here, they're/their, it's/its etc are common with native speakers, but with us who don't speak English as a first language.. they're difficult to make.

We learned to read, write *and* speak English at the same time. Native speakers started with speaking only.

Um.. I hope you know what I mean.. it's kinda difficult to explain. Just a thought, I'm sure some linguists have a more educated opinion.

V

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by voodoo

In my experience it is the English native speakers who make the most blatant errors.. possibly because they *think* in English and the *hear* what they want to write. Therefore errors such as hear/here, they're/their, it's/its etc are common with native speakers, but with us who don't speak English as a first language.. they're difficult to make.

We learned to read, write *and* speak English at the same time. Native speakers started with speaking only.

Um.. I hope you know what I mean.. it's kinda difficult to explain. Just a thought, I'm sure some linguists have a more educated opinion.

V

Nope, I'm a native English speaker and I "think" in English and "hear" what I want to write and I don't make those types of mistakes. It's laziness, pure and simple. Good theory, though.

I'm also a native Greek speaker (learned both simultaneously) and the only time it gets hard for me to write in English is when I'm listening to Greek music or being spoken to in Greek

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Person Man

Nope, I'm a native English speaker and I "think" in English and "hear" what I want to write and I don't make those types of mistakes. It's laziness, pure and simple. Good theory, though.

I'm also a native Greek speaker (learned both simultaneously) and the only time it gets hard for me to write in English is when I'm listening to Greek music or being spoken to in Greek

Well.. us bi/tri/quadro/etc linguals are perhaps just better at languages!

V

[mydog8mymac]

*Ahem*

Q "Hey, how are you?"

A "I'm good."

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by mydog8mymac

*Ahem*
Q "Hey, how are you?"
A "I'm good."

Well, but that's accepted day-tp-day speech.

-t

[namannik]

Great thread! While we're at it, let's talk about comma usage. The very first reply in this thread contained this "sentence":

Originally Posted by besson3c

Request: please do not start nitpicking my grammar now, this sort of deflection is counter-productive.

I've noticed this type of improper comma use a lot lately. The portion before the comma and the portion after the comma are seperate, self-contained statements. There is no reason that they should be joined by a comma. These should be two sentences, separated by a period!

[namannik]

Originally Posted by cybergoober

Get over it. If you knew what someone meant, then they communicated effectively.

The problem is that those of us who use punctuation properly can get confused when reading poorly-written posts.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by namannik

Great thread! While we're at it, let's talk about comma usage. The very first reply in this thread contained this "sentence":



I've noticed this type of improper comma use a lot lately. The portion before the comma and the portion after the comma are seperate, self-contained statements. There is no reason that they should be joined by a comma. These should be two sentences, separated by a period!

Why should they be separated? What would you say is the proper usage of the comma?

[namannik]

Originally Posted by besson3c

Why should they be separated? What would you say is the proper usage of the comma?

They ought to be separated because they are two independent thoughts. A comma has many uses, but none of them include joining two phrases that can, when separated, create two independent sentences.

If you really wanted to write only one sentence, you could have written, "Please do not start nitpicking my grammar now because this sort of deflection is counter-productive." You could have also used a semicolon to separate these thoughts.

More reading: "Clauses"

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by namannik

They ought to be separated because they are two independent thoughts. A comma has many uses, but none of them include joining two phrases that can, when separated, create two independent sentences.

If you really wanted to write only one sentence, you could have written, "Please do not start nitpicking my grammar now because this sort of deflection is counter-productive." You could have also used a semicolon to separate these thoughts.

More reading: "Clauses"

My understanding is that you can choose to separate independent clauses, or you can combine them into a single sentence, as long as the sentence does not end up being run-on or awkward. I see commas used this way all the time, and have been taught that this is a matter of style and preference. In essense, a comma is a pause that is used in a sort of organic way to reflect how a thought might be spoken, but also to create some seperation between thoughts.

For instance:

I like cats. I also like dogs.

Is fine, but so is:

I like cats, and I also like dogs.

or even:

I like cats, and, I also like dogs.

[namannik]

Originally Posted by besson3c

For instance:

I like cats. I also like dogs.

Is fine, but so is:

I like cats, and I also like dogs.

or even:

I like cats, and, I also like dogs.

You're absolutely correct, but the original sentence in question doesn't contain a conjunction such as "and".

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by namannik

You're absolutely correct, but the original sentence in question doesn't contain a conjunction such as "and".

Or, in my case "as". I see your point here. Perhaps an elipses would have been more appropriate.

[namannik]

Here's another perfect example. I just sat down to go over my vehicle registration renewal. The form contains this horrible sentence:

"Emission test results are immediately sent electronically to MVD, it is not necessary to wait when renewing online or by phone."

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by namannik

Great thread! While we're at it, let's talk about comma usage. The very first reply in this thread contained this "sentence":



I've noticed this type of improper comma use a lot lately. The portion before the comma and the portion after the comma are seperate, self-contained statements. There is no reason that they should be joined by a comma. These should be two sentences, separated by a period!

Actually, this looks like a job for... the semicolon! There's a reason it looks like a period on top of a comma; it's weaker than the former but stronger than the latter.

Please do not start nitpicking my grammar now; this sort of deflection is counter-productive.

Emission test results are immediately sent electronically to MVD; it is not necessary to wait when renewing online or by phone.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by voodoo

Well.. us bi/tri/quadro/etc linguals are perhaps just better at languages!

V

Well, knowing Greek certainly helped me with my other two languages.

Hablo Español... comes in handy for the Mexican patients I see in my office (10% of my patients are Hispanic).

Ich kann auch Deutsch sprechen. (German, for people who aren't OreoCookie, what_the_heck, or TETENAL... apologies to any other German speakers I may have forgotten).

[Lew]

Originally Posted by climber

But there should also be another law that has the same consequences for people who attack grammar because there minds are to simple to attack the actual message.

Their minds.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by Lew

Their minds.

Not to mention “too simple”

(Though for now, given the content of that particular sentence, I’m willing to give climber the benefit of the doubt and choose to believe that he included those little ‘mishaps’ on purpose, to see if anyone would start correcting him... or am I just being naïve? )

[besson3c]

It is very nice to know that I'm not the only one concerned with sounding intelligent... thank you guys! !


If only our (US) president was as concerned as we are

[Lew]

Originally Posted by Oisín

Not to mention “too simple”

(Though for now, given the content of that particular sentence, I’m willing to give climber the benefit of the doubt and choose to believe that he included those little ‘mishaps’ on purpose, to see if anyone would start correcting him... or am I just being naïve? )

Heh! I never even noticed that one, which is unusal for me.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by besson3c

If only our (US) president was as concerned as we are

Since this is, after all, a grammar thread, allow me to strike a blow (as I have done in the past, also) for the most unfortunately ailing-to-the-point-of-being-on-its-death-bed subjunctive mood:

“If only [y]our (US) president were as concerned as we are ”

The use of the indicative in especially that particular type of sentence really grinds my bones and makes the little hairs on my neck stand up.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

They had to find time to teach "global warming."

Fixed. Periods go within quote marks unless the whole sentence, including punctuation, is quoted.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

Fixed. Periods go within quote marks unless the whole sentence, including punctuation, is quoted.

... in American English. In British English, punctuation that isn’t part of the phrase or sentence quoted goes outside the quotation marks (by far the more logical way of doing it).

[andi*pandi]

Last I checked, spliffdaddy wasn't British.

Now let's compare Chicago to the AP stylebook.

[ghporter]

Technically, one is supposed to apply the same (noted as British by Oisín) rule wherever one is. Functionally there is less stress on this rule in the U.S. than there should be, which can lead to a lot of confusion.

According to the APA standard, punctuation that is not part of the quoted text should go outside the quotes-and APA stands for American Psychological association. The ironic part is that using APA standards for writing papers makes a person crazy.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by Oisín

Since this is, after all, a grammar thread, allow me to strike a blow (as I have done in the past, also) for the most unfortunately ailing-to-the-point-of-being-on-its-death-bed subjunctive mood:

“If only [y]our (US) president were as concerned as we are ”

The use of the indicative in especially that particular type of sentence really grinds my bones and makes the little hairs on my neck stand up.

You beat me to it. Good job.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

Now let's compare Chicago to the AP stylebook.

Done that.
Undergrad in APA, grad-school in Turabian-Chicago style.
I prefer Turabian-Chicago.

-t

Just to get back on track, I also don't like it when people can't speak a rate properly.

"20 miles per hour" is correct. "20 miles an hour" is not correct.
"Feed a starving child for a dollar a day" is not correct. "Feed a starving child for a doller per day" is correct.

[CharlesS]

"20 miles an hour" is just short for "20 miles in an hour." IOW, if you're going that speed, you travel 20 miles in an hour.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by hayesk

Just to get back on track, I also don't like it when people can't speak a rate properly.

"20 miles per hour" is correct. "20 miles an hour" is not correct.
"Feed a starving child for a dollar a day" is not correct. "Feed a starving child for a doller per day" is correct.

That's colloquial English. Personally, I think "32 kilometres an hour" sounds better. Actually, to be honest, I was never taught that "32 km an hour" was incorrect.

In terms of colloquial English... "It's me" is technically incorrect, but "It is I" frankly just sounds stupid.

P.S. You spelled "dollar" wrong.

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by Eug

In terms of colloquial English... "It's me" is technically incorrect, but "It is I" frankly just sounds stupid.

"It is I" sounds just fine to me; however, "It's I" sounds awkward.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Please let this thread die

[lavar78]

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

Please let this thread die

Why?

[Lew]

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

Please let this thread die

Don't read it if you don't like it. The rest of us are having fun here.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

Please let this thread die

I thought you wanted it sticky.

[besson3c]

As long as we are putting in our requests, I wouldn't mind some flapjacks.

Thank you.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

I thought you wanted it sticky.

*sigh*

It's not gonna be the last time he changes his mind within a couple of hours.

-t

Originally Posted by CharlesS

"20 miles an hour" is just short for "20 miles in an hour." IOW, if you're going that speed, you travel 20 miles in an hour.

That doesn't explain "feed a starving child for a dollar a day". "A dollar in a day" doesn't make much sense.

[Chuckit]

What is incorrect about the idiom "a dollar a day"? It makes as much sense as any other word or string of words given arbitrary meanings.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by hayesk

That doesn't explain "feed a starving child for a dollar a day". "A dollar in a day" doesn't make much sense.

Stands for a dollar PER day. Duh.

You also say that something costs $ 5 a pound, meaning PER pound.

-t

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Stands for a dollar PER day. Duh.

That’s his whole point: that using ‘per’ is correct, using ‘a(n)’ is not. Duh.

I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t be, though—the indefinite article has been used in this way for centuries, and this usage is listed in any dictionary I’ve looked at as one of the basic, regular uses of the indefinite artcle, as well; nowhere have I even found notes saying that using ‘per’ is more correct.