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Word Peeves

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Please familiarize yourself with the differences in usage between the following words:

Your
You're
Their
There
They're
There's
Its
It's
----------------------------------------
Also, please be aware of the following:

The phrase 'a lot', as in a large amount or quantity, is two words. Not one. 'Alot' is not a word, unless you meant to write 'allot', as in an allotment, and made a spelling error.

Likewise, 'no one' is two words, not one. I'm seeing an increasing number of incidences where it is being spelled 'noone' and am concerned.

Thank you.

@TickTockMan,

I write no-one, is this acceptable.
My spelling is terrible.

And infact is in fact.

@TickTockMan,

Aren't there some members of PF whose first language is not English? Do we really want to inhibit their ideas over a few pedantic rules of the English language? Or did your OP apply only to native English speakers?

@TickTockMan,

People who notice misplaced apostrophes read too slowly :p

@TickTockMan,

TickTockMan;158008 wrote:

Likewise, 'no one' is two words, not one. I'm seeing an increasing number of incidences

Thank you.

The plural of "incident" is "incidents". There is no such word as "incidences".

@melonkali,

melonkali;158059 wrote:

Or did your OP apply only to native English speakers?

Yes. I wondered if I should have made that clear initially.

I have a great deal of respect for anyone who learns English as a second
language. As the examples I used in my post indicate, it's a b!tch of a
language to learn.

My intent is not to be a pedantic word-snob, but language is important
to me, and I often disheartened to see its descent into LOL-Talk and
Text-Speak.

But speaking of inhibiting, how about that auto-censor feature that made me
cheat to be able to say what I wanted to say by using a ! instead of an i?

@melonkali,

melonkali;158059 wrote:

Aren't there some members of PF whose first language is not English? Do we really want to inhibit their ideas over a few pedantic rules of the English language? Or did your OP apply only to native English speakers?

Speaking and writing correctly is not inhibiting. It is enhancing.

@kennethamy,

kennethamy;158065 wrote:

The plural of "incident" is "incidents". There is no such word as "incidences".

Yikes. How embarrassing.... I think I must have meant
'instances'.
Thanks.

---------- Post added 04-29-2010 at 02:51 PM ----------

Jebediah;158062 wrote:

People who notice misplaced apostrophes read too slowly :p

Thank you for using the word 'too' rather than 'to' correctly.

@sometime sun,

sometime sun;158021 wrote:

My spelling is terrible.

.

Nothing to boast about, nor even to be complacent about. Something to correct, though.

@TickTockMan,

We all can heed the good advice of correctly wording. I believe that taking some pride in one's writings - and carefully re-reading (which I don't always do) - are the best first steps towards this.

And yes, while I'll also hail the "The Message is More Important"-judgment, we often do our ideas a disservice when we don't take the time and effort to communicate them carefully and perspicuously.

@Khethil,

Khethil;158083 wrote:

We all can heed the good advice of correctly wording. I believe that taking some pride in one's writings - and carefully re-reading (which I don't always do) - are the best first steps towards this.

And yes, while I'll also hail the "The Message is More Important"-judgment, we often do our ideas a disservice when we don't take the time and effort to communicate them carefully and perspicuously.

The medium also conveys a message.

@kennethamy,

kennethamy;158095 wrote:

The medium also conveys a message.

According to Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message.

@TickTockMan,

TickTockMan;158096 wrote:

According to Marshall McLuhan, the medium is the message.

Yes, I know. But I would not go so far as that.

@kennethamy,

kennethamy;158095 wrote:

The medium also conveys a message.

Isn't that the truth. I work very hard at being my own editor.
I don't want to advertise my stupidity, if I can help it.
Of course, if my word salads are complex enough, I can claim brilliance.

@TickTockMan,

It is the community that for all intents and purposes establishes its own "manual of style" that best fits it purpose. While the nature of internet forums seems to tolerate a certain level of spelling and grammar mistakes, it seems that in a forum more or less dedicated to philosophical and intellectual discussions, these standards would be higher than in many other internet forums where chit-chat, babble about sexual adventures and personal feelings attendant upon them, and shouting of opinions seems hold sway. I suppose there is a need for them, since there are so many of them; but I am convinced, especially in today's world, there is a absolute need for forums such as this, where intellectual issues are considered important enough to be discussed philosophically.

Many good browsers (e.g. Firefox) have spell-checkers that provide help in posting here, and one can if desired, compose a post in a world-processor and then paste it into a message box. Mistakes in grammar, if the result of carelessness, can be avoided by copy-reading one's own posts before the reply button is used, and in some cases by rereading the post and using the edit button. If one wants to write well as a courtesy to others as well as to more perfectly express one's thinking, then one must take the time and effort to teach oneself the language.

@wayne,

wayne;158304 wrote:

Isn't that the truth. I work very hard at being my own editor.
I don't want to advertise my stupidity, if I can help it.
Of course, if my word salads are complex enough, I can claim brilliance.

As the wise man said, it is better to keep quiet and let others think you are a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

---------- Post added 04-30-2010 at 09:54 AM ----------

jgweed;158398 wrote:

It is the community that for all intents and purposes establishes its own "manual of style" that best fits it purpose. While the nature of internet forums seems to tolerate a certain level of spelling and grammar mistakes, it seems that in a forum more or less dedicated to philosophical and intellectual discussions, these standards would be higher than in many other internet forums where chit-chat, babble about sexual adventures and personal feelings attendant upon them, and shouting of opinions seems hold sway. I suppose there is a need for them, since there are so many of them; but I am convinced, especially in today's world, there is a absolute need for forums such as this, where intellectual issues are considered important enough to be discussed philosophically.

Many good browsers (e.g. Firefox) have spell-checkers that provide help in posting here, and one can if desired, compose a post in a world-processor and then paste it into a message box. Mistakes in grammar, if the result of carelessness, can be avoided by copy-reading one's own posts before the reply button is used, and in some cases by rereading the post and using the edit button. If one wants to write well as a courtesy to others as well as to more perfectly express one's thinking, then one must take the time and effort to teach oneself the language.

The trouble is that although there are spell-checkers that do an excellent job, what about grammar checkers?

@kennethamy,

Sun: Bad spelling is often not a real sign of being uneducated. And it is certainly not a sign of stupidity. Many of the most intelligent people I know in fields that one would intitially assume to have good spellers are not. Spelling is an arbitrarily concocted system, that has little to do with the actual phonology of a language as spoken. There are many different reason why someone who is intelligent and highly educated can not spell correctly. The same goes for prescriptive grammar. So there is no real shame in writing as such, since this is not a venue where there should be lasting consequences of the unorthodox grammar/spelling, assuming that it is not simple laziness that is the cause of the bad usage.

That being said, Weed: It is true that one is often judged by his/her usage of proper grammar and spelling. It has become a hallmark of written language. The prescription of such is a milestone is one of of prestige building and maintenance. One such milestone of an erudite community is to conform to the proper prestige building functions of written language setting this forum apart from so many others on the net. Thus proper grammar and spelling are almost requisites to being accepted as a peer on this site.

@kennethamy,

kennethamy;158401 wrote:

The trouble is that although there are spell-checkers that do an excellent job, what about grammar checkers?

Yes, I'm sure a grammar checker would correct the anacoluthon in your sentence. Smile

@ACB,

ACB;158466 wrote:

Yes, I'm sure a grammar checker would correct the anacoluthon in your sentence.

Did not do so in this sequence of words.

@TickTockMan,

English orthography is so terribly that I'm surprised anyone at all can do it flawlessly or near flawlessly. Sure, some people are bad at spelling because they are lazy or stupid or both, but many errors are due to the inadequacy (that word is so annoying to spell, I don't think I've succeeded ever, I always have to rely on a spell-checker for that) of the language.

I used to get really annoyed when people failed at the above words. Now I sympathize a lot (!) with them. How on earth is one supposed to know (!) that the words are lose and loose? The first is an abomination! Compare its spelling with close, suppose, nose.

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