ASF spelling and grammar lessons

[2020hindsight]

I think I've gone mad!

I think "I think I've gone mad!"!

I think "I think "I think I've gone mad!"!"!

I think (ahhh sHUddup!).

PS just that it's an example of ending in "!

 

[Michael9]

Hi
I just checked out that site referred to above and it's great. Thanks for that .
I find myself a little flummoxed lately. As we move from latin plural forms to anglicised forms e.g., minima and maxima to minimums and maximums, I wonder who is making those decisions? It would be OK if the change was consistent but I'm yet to hear people talking about phenomenons, datums and agendums (mind you, the word agenda has been comprehensively misrepresented as singular for yonks anyway). Any more anomalies you've run across? You've gotta love language doncha!
Michael

 

[noirua]

They now recognise my efforts and application to my trade and I have so applied to the Institution to both affiliate myself, and for them to fully reconcilliate the present position and in being so reconciled, both award me an Honorary Degree and a Guinea. Or failing that, I take my so honourable right to protest the lack of the same and so look forward to your decision accordingly.

I am your most honourable servant in the Lord

Master Joseph the Carpenter 3rd March 1391

 

[Wysiwyg]

I think I've gone mad!

I think "I think I've gone mad!"!

I think "I think "I think I've gone mad!"!"!

I think (ahhh sHUddup!).

PS just that it's an example of ending in "!

After the third thought (think) I know you know you are (mad).

 

[Wysiwyg]

An interesting phenomena I encounter is the written word understanding and the spoken word understanding.A written word is easily understood by the majority of people who know english.Yet when I speak to someone I can see they are churning my words to suit their interpretation.

I think it is something to do with being lost in the context of a spoken conversation and homophones being the derailer.

A Homophone is heard in our day-to-day life in different conversations, speeches and even in television. Some of these words have three different spellings and meanings but sound absolutely the same. Words such as carat, caret and carrot or two and too are examples of Homophones. These words include homonyms, which sound the same but are spelled differently. Every human being at times confuses the terms.

For example; a border inn knew flats was maid too mussel his weigh threw a throng of reporters witch had gathered outsighed.

Yet it would be written as this; a boarder in new flats was made to muscle his way through a throng of reporters which had gathered outside.

It is refreshing talking to people that understand the english language and `hear` words in the context of the conversation.

 

[ColB]

Originally posted by NunTheWiser

i wood like to take the opportoonity to thank everyone here for learning me great grammer and spelling stuff , i am doing real gooder now
thankyou , thankyou very much

Elvis is alive!!

 

[noirua]

Wedecidedtogoandseeafilmintown. Oldstylecountryandwesternspaggettijunction. Loveditsomuchwewillgobackandseeitagaintomorrow. WillbreakawayfromASFfortwoeveningsquiteaneffort. Worthitallthesame.

 

[Calliope]

The problem with correcting other people's grammar is that it is so easy to put your own foot in it. A few weeks back in a letter to The Australian the writer suggested to a previous correspondent that she should "take a peak in the dictionary." Perhaps Spellcheck was to blame.

 

[2020hindsight]

not wrong Calliope lol.
Still I'd be as likely to use "peak" as "peek" under those circumctances - so thanks for mentioning it
a) We write so little these days, letters have become brief emails etc; and
b) when we do it it usually in the form of notes that are trivial and/or abbreviated, "back soon", "thkx", "lunch in the dishwasher" etc

so it's good to keep reminding ourselves of this better english / spelling / word-use etc (imo)

PROGRAM / PROGRAMME
On another subject - "more phonetic spelling" - I have to admit I (often) prefer the American spelling. For instance, why on Earth spell "program" "programme"?
Incidentally both lead logically into adjectives etc like "programmable" - so no problems there.

CENTER / CENTRE
I personally prefer "center" to "centre".
Likewise I prefer "centerless-ground" to "centreless-ground" etc

APOLOGIZE / APOLOGISE
Lazy = good, the spelling makes sense
lasy = (??)

why then spell "apologise" when it's pronounced "apologize"? (as spellcheck also prefers).

Think of the fantastic scores you could get in Scrabble for a start

Incidentally, these days, writers of technical papers are asked to conform to "program" rather than "programme".

I think we can safely say that
" "Programme"'s days are numbered."

Or should that be
" "Programme's" days are numbered."?
or even
" "Programme's" days are numbered?"

i.e. as usual one question leads to the next ..

or as they say in the NZ Railway Club Magazine...
“Hills peep o'er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!”-Pope.

 

[noirua]

Zero tolerance approach to punctuation:

A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. "Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up." The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

 

[noirua]

Everyone knows the basics of punctuation, surely? Aren't we all taught at school how to use full stops, commas and question marks? And yet we see ignorance and indifference everywhere. "Its Summer" says a sign that cries out for an apostrophe. "ANTIQUE,S," says another, bizarrely. "Pansy's ready," we learn to our considerable interest ("Is she?"), as we browse among the bedding plants.

 

[Spaghetti]

All a thing of the past. I was reading a forum once where an old guy was posting. Was beautiful writing and he indented each paragraph! On a message board lol. Seemed more like art than writing. Was nice to read and I also recall looking at penmanship some years ago and lamenting it's loss. History now.

Now it is and this and sometimes this

We move on, not necessarily forward, but move we do.

 

[Judd]

Everyone knows the basics of punctuation, surely? Aren't we all taught at school how to use full stops, commas and question marks? And yet we see ignorance and indifference everywhere. "Its Summer" says a sign that cries out for an apostrophe. "ANTIQUE,S," says another, bizarrely. "Pansy's ready," we learn to our considerable interest ("Is she?"), as we browse among the bedding plants.

Ah, wonderful signs. A few years ago, we stopped at Glenrowan in Victoria to visit the Ned Kelly museum.

One sign in the museum had on it a reference to relatives of Ned still living in the district and asked that "you respect the private property of his ancestors."

The attendant had absolutely no idea what was wrong with the statement when the error was pointed out.

 

[wayneL]

Everyone knows the basics of punctuation, surely? Aren't we all taught at school how to use full stops, commas and question marks? And yet we see ignorance and indifference everywhere. "Its Summer" says a sign that cries out for an apostrophe. "ANTIQUE,S," says another, bizarrely. "Pansy's ready," we learn to our considerable interest ("Is she?"), as we browse among the bedding plants.

I think many don't. I've even seem some appalling mistakes in highbrow corporate literature that nobody seems to have picked up.

I think we are too forgiving and willing to interpret the real meaning of poor English.

Some languages won't stand for it. Germans for example will stand for nobody ####ing with their language. They will sternly correct you or just refuse to understand and they are not alone. While sometimes they go a bit far with it, I think it's a good thing.

On the other hand, this forgiveness of English has probably been at least partly responsible for it becoming the world language... with a bit of help from Hollywood and the Internet.

 

[Julia]

Everyone knows the basics of punctuation, surely? Aren't we all taught at school how to use full stops, commas and question marks? And yet we see ignorance and indifference everywhere. "Its Summer" says a sign that cries out for an apostrophe. "ANTIQUE,S," says another, bizarrely. "Pansy's ready," we learn to our considerable interest ("Is she?"), as we browse among the bedding plants.

How about the fruit shops and roadside stalls which promote "banana's for sale"?
On this very forum it's sadly frequent to see apostrophes used incorrectly, especially with "its" and "it's".

 

[noirua]

This principal of "contrast" which Elliott described as "alternation" also appears in the "reactions" or "corrective waves" against the major uptrend (or downtrend) in Waves II and IV. Corrective waves fall into four basic categories of which the "flat" and the "zig-zag" are the most common. The "zig-zag" is steep and sharp. The "flat" is a sideways movement that can be many months in duration. If Wave II is a "zig-zag", it becomes highly likely that Wave IV will be "flat" and vise versa. As it happens, the "zig-zag" is most common to Wave II and the "flat" to Wave IV. ("POWER TIMING" by Robert Beckman)

 

[Doris]

The use of 'alternate' instead of 'alternative' bugs me, especially as an English teacher!
On the Ipswich motorway is a road sign "alternate route to..."
Every time I see it I think... no... alternative route.

Alternate is one then the other. (will I take it this time or next?)
Alternative is one instead of the other. (will I take it instead of the other?)


Julia, I agree with the use of the apostrophe. Why do some people think every S should be preceded by one?

An apostrophe indicates:

* 1. a character has been omitted e.g. don't ... or
* 2. ownership applies e.g. mango's skin... (its skin has no apostrophe. It's applies to * 1... it is) ... or
* 3. to separate initials to avoid confusion when used in the plural e.g. CD's

Definately definitely is often not spelt correctly also.

Their/there/they're is another interruption to the message when not used correctly.
Here - there - everywhere: indicate a place... spelt the same.

e.g. They're looking at their friends over there.

 

[Calliope]

Zero tolerance approach to punctuation:

A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air. "Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder. "I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up." The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

It is good know that somebody supports good punctuation. The little book by Lynne Truss is well worth reading for those who are interested. Did you know that in Australian slang the definition of a wombat is "somebody who eats, roots and leaves"?

 

[Speewha]

Hello,

Perhaps one of ASF’s resident English language experts can explain something to me. Normally words with a prefix of ‘in’ mean the opposite of words without the ‘in’
Such as hospitable – inhospitable, voluntary - involuntary etc.

However we have flammable – inflammable with as we know mean the same thing.

This has stuck in my mind as when in grade 6 I made the mistake of writing in an essay that an inflammable substance would extinguish a fire. I had to read out my essay to the class when I read the bit with my error, the whole class erupted in laughter.
The teacher however was not amused, and Speewha had to spend the rest of the lesson period standing on his chair with his hand on his head, in addition he had to write out 500 times, Speewha is a very silly boy disrupting the class is not funny.

My school was very good at punishment but it seems not very good at teaching as I still don’t know why we have flammable and inflammable meaning the same thing.

Would appreciate assistance

Regards

 

[GreatPig]

Alternate is one then the other. (will I take it this time or next?)
Alternative is one instead of the other. (will I take it instead of the other?)

Alternate and alternative can be used interchangeably as an adjective meaning other (eg. the alternate route / the alternative route). Alternative was originally the correct word, but alternate is used a lot and accepted now, especially in US English.

If you hunt around, you'll find people agreeing with your claim, but I think even more stating that alternate is now an acceptable alternative.

Take a look at item 4 in this Merriam-Webster entry.

GP