Using “a” instead of “an” before a “silent H.”
Example—
It was a honor to meet you (incorrect)
VS.
It was an honor to meet you (correct)
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Using “a” instead of “an” before a “silent H.”
Example—
It was a honor to meet you (incorrect)
VS.
It was an honor to meet you (correct)
by Anonymous | reply 324 | March 20, 2023 5:11 AM |
I was taught to say "an historical," because the "h" was silent. Today every publication uses "a historical,". Maybe a grammarian can explain reason for change, unless we're victims of the ignorant prevailing.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | February 25, 2023 6:00 PM |
How is H in historical, silent?
by Anonymous | reply 2 | February 25, 2023 6:02 PM |
I don’t need no grammar
by Anonymous | reply 3 | February 25, 2023 6:11 PM |
"Had went."
by Anonymous | reply 4 | February 25, 2023 6:19 PM |
R2, years ago, yes, the “H” in “historical” was silent, as R1 states.
I enjoy languages, though, so I tend to prefer the time-honored pronunciations vs. popular usage.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | February 25, 2023 6:21 PM |
"Me and her went"
by Anonymous | reply 6 | February 25, 2023 6:37 PM |
I like literally can't stand the literal combo of bad grammar and ignorance.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | February 25, 2023 6:44 PM |
"Brad and I's" house.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | February 25, 2023 6:47 PM |
"An" is used before an H when the H is silent, as in "honor". "A' is used when the H is pronounced as in "historical".
by Anonymous | reply 9 | February 25, 2023 6:49 PM |
I akse him his number
by Anonymous | reply 10 | February 25, 2023 8:00 PM |
"Should of"
Arggghhhh!!!
by Anonymous | reply 11 | February 25, 2023 8:00 PM |
Their wasnt
by Anonymous | reply 12 | February 25, 2023 8:03 PM |
They're vs. Their vs. There Your vs. You're
by Anonymous | reply 13 | February 25, 2023 8:05 PM |
Alot
by Anonymous | reply 14 | February 25, 2023 8:05 PM |
Anyways
by Anonymous | reply 15 | February 25, 2023 9:08 PM |
I'm annoyed at the misuse of transitive verbs.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | February 25, 2023 9:28 PM |
I can't bear illiterate people bringing in scatalogical words to cover the gaps in their vocabulary.
by Anonymous | reply 17 | February 25, 2023 9:38 PM |
[R2], years ago, yes, the “H” in “historical” was silent, as [R1] states.
Uh, and how far back are we going? And like, where?
by Anonymous | reply 19 | February 25, 2023 11:29 PM |
R5 "My wife and myself went."
by Anonymous | reply 20 | February 25, 2023 11:34 PM |
Alot of people misuse apostrophe’s.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | February 26, 2023 12:14 AM |
The current Marie Osmond weight loss commercial. “As women, our bodies change….”
by Anonymous | reply 23 | February 26, 2023 12:16 AM |
R18 Yes, I said scatological and I meant it.
by Anonymous | reply 24 | February 26, 2023 3:54 AM |
R19 r21 the use of "an" with "historical" is fairly common but does not indicate the H was silent
by Anonymous | reply 25 | March 4, 2023 11:08 PM |
I seen
Her and I
Anyways
by Anonymous | reply 26 | March 5, 2023 12:11 AM |
What about acronyms that with the letter “N”?
Which is correct: “A NFL player” or “An NFL player”?
by Anonymous | reply 27 | March 5, 2023 12:32 AM |
* begin
by Anonymous | reply 28 | March 5, 2023 12:33 AM |
Fewer vs Less Than:
“There were less cars on the road.”
by Anonymous | reply 30 | March 5, 2023 12:35 AM |
R27, "an NFL player" would be correct, IMO.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | March 5, 2023 12:36 AM |
R30 -Yes! There was less traffic. There were fewer cars.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | March 5, 2023 12:38 AM |
I resonate with this thread.
by Anonymous | reply 33 | March 5, 2023 12:47 AM |
Some soeak well. I speak weller.
by Anonymous | reply 34 | March 5, 2023 12:48 AM |
R34 here, Guess I'm not a weller speller :)
by Anonymous | reply 35 | March 5, 2023 12:51 AM |
Are kids still taught conjugation?
by Anonymous | reply 36 | March 5, 2023 12:52 AM |
Me/I/Myself. These are slaughtered repeatedly in emails, presentations, Zoom meetings, social media posts and the list goes on. Misuse angers myself.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | March 5, 2023 12:55 AM |
To paraphrase Aaron Sorkin in The Newsroom, many dictionaries are including a definition of “literally” the way many misuse it. That is to say, “virtually”. So, now there is literally no word that means “literally”.
by Anonymous | reply 38 | March 5, 2023 1:29 AM |
"Come meet David and I for dinner Friday!"
by Anonymous | reply 39 | March 5, 2023 1:40 AM |
The second someone uses the word "literally" I know that they are retarded.
by Anonymous | reply 40 | March 5, 2023 1:41 AM |
"Wade could of killed me on that jet ski!"
"Their running late!"
"Your drunk again, Kimmy!"
"I wish I was still pissing clean, so I could of got that hospital job!"
by Anonymous | reply 41 | March 5, 2023 1:42 AM |
Annoying grammatical errors, OP?
ALL OF THEM.
by Anonymous | reply 42 | March 5, 2023 1:43 AM |
There are several common grammatical errors that can be annoying to some people. Here are a few examples:
Misusing apostrophes: This can include adding an apostrophe to indicate plural, such as "banana's" instead of "bananas," or using an apostrophe incorrectly to indicate possession, such as "its' fur" instead of "its fur." Confusing "your" and "you're": "Your" indicates possession, while "you're" is a contraction of "you are." Mixing them up can lead to confusion and make your writing look unprofessional. Using double negatives: Using two negative words in a sentence, such as "I don't have no money," can create confusion and make the sentence harder to understand. Using "they" as a singular pronoun: While some people use "they" as a gender-neutral singular pronoun, it can be confusing to others and may not be grammatically correct. Using "less" instead of "fewer": "Less" refers to things that cannot be counted, while "fewer" is used for things that can be counted. For example, "less water" and "fewer cups." It's important to remember that everyone makes grammatical errors from time to time, and it's not always necessary to correct them. However, being aware of common errors and striving to improve our writing and communication skills can be helpful in avoiding confusion and improving clarity.
by Anonymous | reply 43 | March 5, 2023 1:49 AM |
Ahistorical is a word.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | March 5, 2023 1:53 AM |
I just learned not to use a comma after a mid-sentence quotation that ends with a question. The added comma looked awkward, but its absence also made the sentence appear incomplete.
by Anonymous | reply 45 | March 5, 2023 1:58 AM |
"Apart" does not mean the same thing as "a part", people!
I feel wounded by such errors. Attacked, in fact.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | March 5, 2023 1:59 AM |
R46 Your sentence structure is horrid. You should never criticize others.
by Anonymous | reply 47 | March 5, 2023 2:01 AM |
When Dionne went all bipolar in the 1970s and temporarily added an "e" to her last name "Warwick."
by Anonymous | reply 49 | March 5, 2023 2:25 AM |
"Alright."
by Anonymous | reply 50 | March 5, 2023 2:53 AM |
The popularity of "y'all". It just feels dumb and poor.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | March 5, 2023 3:06 AM |
I had excellent teachers growing up. The best way to teach the difference between "They're, there and their" is so simple.
They're = the conjunctive of "they are." There = Here or there. The word has "here" in it. Their = Possession. It has the word "heir" in it meaning they own something.
I will never understand why schools don't teach it this way.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | March 5, 2023 3:11 AM |
Y’all need to get a copy of Ilene Kranshaw’s best-selling album:
by Anonymous | reply 53 | March 5, 2023 4:28 AM |
Monty Python discussed this grammatical controversy.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | March 5, 2023 4:51 AM |
"Her and Phil went to the movies."
by Anonymous | reply 55 | March 5, 2023 5:01 AM |
Apostrophes signify that something is missing or owned.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | March 5, 2023 5:11 AM |
“I use to be bad at grammar”.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | March 5, 2023 5:18 AM |
I say an historical and I will continue to say an historical. Fight me.
by Anonymous | reply 58 | March 5, 2023 5:24 AM |
Laughing at all of you. Any armchair linguist knows how foolish futile and intellectually provincial grammar nazism is.
by Anonymous | reply 59 | March 5, 2023 5:31 AM |
You did that on purpose, r59.
by Anonymous | reply 60 | March 5, 2023 5:38 AM |
Yep. 😘
by Anonymous | reply 61 | March 5, 2023 5:56 AM |
🤗 I blame my Amazon Fire Tablet Spell Check.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | March 5, 2023 6:42 AM |
[italic] I seen it
Axe me bout it
Man goes up into the man
by Anonymous | reply 63 | March 5, 2023 6:45 AM |
I should of.
by Anonymous | reply 64 | March 5, 2023 6:50 AM |
^ Definately!
by Anonymous | reply 65 | March 5, 2023 7:17 AM |
Op, in another thread I just read “an hatchet.” I assume they’re British.
by Anonymous | reply 66 | March 5, 2023 7:23 AM |
Abit, asmuch, aswell.
by Anonymous | reply 67 | March 5, 2023 7:44 AM |
Speaking of Grammer, there's the Hungarian Goose conundrum
by Anonymous | reply 68 | March 5, 2023 7:50 AM |
Irregardless
by Anonymous | reply 69 | March 5, 2023 7:51 AM |
Gifted, costed, recasted, etc...
by Anonymous | reply 70 | March 5, 2023 8:03 AM |
Some of that is autocorrect, R41. I never learned to type, so do a lot of dictation instead; I may be lousy at catching those before posting, but know the difference between there and they're, it's and its, etc.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | March 5, 2023 8:22 AM |
Alot
by Anonymous | reply 72 | March 5, 2023 9:10 AM |
Your welcome.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | March 5, 2023 9:30 AM |
Does anyone have any advise? It's advice. You give advice to someone by advising them.
Also, people who use "funner" should be slapped viciously.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | March 5, 2023 9:56 AM |
It's hanged, not hung, if you're talking about the manner of death.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | March 5, 2023 9:58 AM |
As in, "Once he was hanged, he hung there for hours."
by Anonymous | reply 76 | March 5, 2023 10:00 AM |
Yes, because hanged refers to the manner of death and hung refers to a period of suspension.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | March 5, 2023 10:03 AM |
In just gonna leave this Jack in the Box as here ...
by Anonymous | reply 78 | March 5, 2023 6:14 PM |
“Cringe” as an adjective.
by Anonymous | reply 79 | March 5, 2023 6:16 PM |
I could care less
by Anonymous | reply 80 | March 5, 2023 7:27 PM |
R27 Follow the common pronunciation. So it's "an NFL player" but "a NASDAQ ruling."
by Anonymous | reply 81 | March 5, 2023 7:40 PM |
Something I’ve noticed mostly on UK-based news sites is the convention of not capitalizing acronyms, like NASA. Instead, The Guardian, i..e., will write Nasa.
That really bugs me for some reason.
by Anonymous | reply 82 | March 5, 2023 8:32 PM |
Speaking "on" when they mean speaking "of" or "about".
Speaking "to" when they mean speaking "of" or "about".
by Anonymous | reply 83 | March 5, 2023 9:52 PM |
Diffuse a situation
by Anonymous | reply 84 | March 6, 2023 1:16 AM |
These are the ones that make me want to hurl my pumpkin-spice potpourri accent bowl the hell across my cubicle:
The chair needs painted. It's not that big of a deal. It's quite/rather/somewhat (insert qualifier) unique.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | March 6, 2023 1:30 AM |
Most people is dumber than an box of used condoms.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | March 6, 2023 1:31 AM |
“Swole”, “mirin’”, “thicck” and all those other non-words that closeted gymbros use when they think that they’re fooling others.
by Anonymous | reply 87 | March 6, 2023 2:09 AM |
Anything coming out of the cotton patch since about 1992.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | March 6, 2023 2:11 AM |
Actually make that “thicc”.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | March 6, 2023 2:29 AM |
Anyways
by Anonymous | reply 91 | March 6, 2023 3:31 AM |
I swear half of the folk on Reddit pluralise Bradley as Bradley's. Bradley's what, bitch? How is this not the first grammar rule you learn in English class, native or ESL? And don't blame it on the autocorrect either. Reread your shit before you post!
by Anonymous | reply 92 | March 6, 2023 4:25 AM |
[quote] Reread your shit before you post!
No.
Place it in the toilet immediately.
by Anonymous | reply 93 | March 6, 2023 5:07 AM |
I'm a true believer in AN before "historical" but not 'hysterectomy.'.
by Anonymous | reply 94 | March 6, 2023 5:21 AM |
[quote]mirin
Why do they call each other sweet cooking rice wine?
by Anonymous | reply 95 | March 6, 2023 5:50 AM |
Using "an" before a word starting with a vowel only exists in English because it enables speakers to speak faster, without awkward glottal stops. Many words that start with h have only the barest minimum of puff to start the word. Historical is one of those. Put your hand in front of your mouth and say "hue" . Now say the word "historical". You'll see that the amount of aspiration or puffing is considerably less with historical. This is what leads people to say an historical, and I tend to do that myself. Some words have a pronounced h only in some accents. Americans say "urb" for "herb", whereas the British pronounce that hell out of that h. The word itself comes from French and the h is not pronounced by the French either. We have a ton of those French loan words starting with h - honest, honor, hour, heir. I'd give people a pass on this one, based upon their accents.
by Anonymous | reply 96 | March 6, 2023 6:36 AM |
R95 you obviously missed the single inverted comma before the second set of quotation marks - as if a gymbro would know about mirin!
by Anonymous | reply 97 | March 6, 2023 6:37 AM |
I can't stand the misuse of "myself" when "me" is the correct word.
It's really prevalent among young people on competition reality tv shows and drives me NUTS.
"Who was chosen to lead your team"
"Well, Rupaul, we chose myself and Squirrel Interrupted as co-captains"
Me! YOU chose ME! It's a reflexive pronoun. You only use it when the subject and the object of the sentence are the same!!
by Anonymous | reply 98 | March 6, 2023 6:50 AM |
“That” and “which” when describing people. The correct words are “who” or “whom”.
“Casted” - no, it’s “cast”. And while it’s Awards Season, please stop using “nom” instead of “nomination”. I know that it has four syllables but it’s really not that difficult, especially if you don’t want to sound eight years old.
by Anonymous | reply 100 | March 6, 2023 7:42 AM |
Every illiterate fucking moron in 'merika says that when referring to people. People are just stupid, so best be fucking getting over it.
by Anonymous | reply 101 | March 6, 2023 7:50 AM |
I’m not in America particularly often but I do have access via “the internet” so am exposed to the illiterate fucking morons on a daily basis. But thanks for your valuable input, R101.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | March 6, 2023 8:00 AM |
"An" goes before words beginning with a vowel sound.
by Anonymous | reply 103 | March 6, 2023 8:01 AM |
All intensive purposes
by Anonymous | reply 104 | March 6, 2023 8:18 AM |
"Add two tablespoons full of sugar."
"America's had more than a dozen postmaster generals."
"Jesus's soul is eternal."
by Anonymous | reply 105 | March 6, 2023 8:30 AM |
I'm generally not annoyed when someone makes a honest mistake. My own recurring mistakes annoy me though. Two big issues: The prefixes un-and in-give me trouble still because often (but not always) they are just the opposite of their use in German which is my first language. E. g. "unacceptable". (Why? It's a Latin root! That it is "in-" in Italian and French too in this case doesn't help one bit.) Another thing: prepositional phrases/verbs. (Why is it "arrive in time"?) Of all the interesting peculiarities English has, I find these two the most challenging.
by Anonymous | reply 106 | March 6, 2023 9:03 AM |
"On accident" instead of "by accident". This is now epidemic, especially among younger people. I guess they're modeling the phrase on "on purpose", but it sounds stupid.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | March 6, 2023 9:39 AM |
R94: “An” is still occasionally used before a word that starts with “h” when the first syllable is unstressed. “An hotel”, “an historical event”, etc. At one time, the “h” in these words was only barely pronounced or even completely elided, so the word seemed to start with a vowel sound and thus called for “an”.
In “hysterectomy”, however, the first syllable receives secondary stress and is the "h" is fully aspirated, so “an” would not be appropriate.
All of this is somewhat outdated now, at least in American English, but if you want to stay in “an hotel” located in “an historic neighborhood”, go right ahead.
by Anonymous | reply 108 | March 6, 2023 9:41 AM |
R100, I agree with everything you say, except that “nom” for “nomination” is journalese. You can love it or hate it, but it’s a long tradition in popular journalism to use supposedly clever, breezy abbreviations. This is especially true in entertainment, where, for example, “biopic” for “biographical picture” and “sitcom” for “situation comedy” have been around for a long time.
by Anonymous | reply 109 | March 6, 2023 9:43 AM |
R106 Hope you don't misunderstand "inflammable."
by Anonymous | reply 110 | March 6, 2023 9:48 AM |
Hi, Dr. Nick!
by Anonymous | reply 111 | March 6, 2023 10:02 AM |
To NYT today, it's "an Hermès handbag." Is there any justification for this?
by Anonymous | reply 112 | March 6, 2023 10:27 AM |
[quote]Is there any justification for this?
Yes! It's a French word, that H is completely silent and that's not up for debate. Saying it out loud just makes you sound like an ignorant hick. Same for Hervé Leger.
This is one instance where I do approve of such use.
by Anonymous | reply 113 | March 6, 2023 11:30 AM |
“Cause” or “cos” for “because”, cos I’m just a little whittle kid who doesn’t like big words.
by Anonymous | reply 114 | March 6, 2023 12:35 PM |
This morning, Noam Laden, News Director of New York's WABC did story on a fire in Spring Valley. "The house was completely engulfed."
by Anonymous | reply 115 | March 6, 2023 5:41 PM |
The single most annoying grammatical mistake hands down is when people say “I could care less.” No, moron, you mean “I couldn’t care less.”
by Anonymous | reply 116 | March 7, 2023 1:58 AM |
I don’t get why people are upset over plural proper nouns ending in s’s, such as Charles’s, it’s technically correct as stated in the MLA. Common nouns end in just the apostrophe (snakes’).
by Anonymous | reply 117 | March 7, 2023 4:45 AM |
^possessive not plural.
by Anonymous | reply 118 | March 7, 2023 4:46 AM |
I'll be the first to admit that I *do* know the difference between they're, there, and their. But my thumbs are much slower than my brain and I fuck those up ALL the time when I'm quickly typing or texting on my phone.
by Anonymous | reply 119 | March 7, 2023 5:44 AM |
^and I don't proofread unless I'm getting paid.
by Anonymous | reply 120 | March 7, 2023 5:45 AM |
R120 probably applies that same logic to wiping his ass.
Why do anything for free?
by Anonymous | reply 121 | March 7, 2023 12:12 PM |
Today, kids say "Me and her went to dinner together." It makes me cringe
by Anonymous | reply 122 | March 7, 2023 12:31 PM |
[quote] I don’t get why people are upset over plural proper nouns ending in s’s, such as Charles’s, it’s technically correct as stated in the MLA. Common nouns end in just the apostrophe (snakes’).
I'm a grammar Nazi but I hate the " 's " after proper names that end it s. Don't know why--maybe I'm too lazy to add the s.
by Anonymous | reply 123 | March 7, 2023 12:33 PM |
Ect instead of etc
by Anonymous | reply 124 | March 7, 2023 4:30 PM |
Mary & I went to the movies.
by Anonymous | reply 125 | March 7, 2023 4:38 PM |
^ Wrong example. My bad. I’m thinking of those sentence structures where people refuse to say, “me,” instead using “I.”
by Anonymous | reply 126 | March 7, 2023 4:42 PM |
To and Too
I want to go to the store. I want to go TOO.
by Anonymous | reply 127 | March 7, 2023 4:48 PM |
There's a big difference between a while and awhile.
The past tense of lead is led, NOT lead.
The past tense of plead is either pleaded or pled.
by Anonymous | reply 128 | March 7, 2023 5:07 PM |
I’m annoyed at the misuses of words/verbs such as—
1. This music track slays…
2. Jon Stewart CRACKS THE FACE …Nathan Dahm nurses his burns…
by Anonymous | reply 129 | March 7, 2023 10:20 PM |
"I seen" irritates me.
"Gifted" used as a verb instead of "gave" or "given."
"Arial" or "Ariel," when what they really meant was "aerial."
"Their" vs. "there" vs. "they're," as well as "your" vs. "you're."
Misuse of the apostrophe.
by Anonymous | reply 130 | March 9, 2023 3:23 AM |
"Would of" instead of "would have."
by Anonymous | reply 131 | March 9, 2023 3:23 AM |
Atleast
by Anonymous | reply 132 | March 9, 2023 3:57 AM |
This isn't a grammatical error so much as an annoying idiom.
I grew up in the South. Whenever people mishear something and instead of saying "could you repeat that", "excuse me", "what", or even "huh?" they'll say "Do what?"
Dowhut?
It drives me bananas.
by Anonymous | reply 133 | March 9, 2023 4:50 AM |
“Based off of” instead of “based on”
by Anonymous | reply 134 | March 9, 2023 5:11 AM |
Using “whenever” instead of “when.” I’m not criticizing but I’ve only heard this from Southerners, describing a one-time incident as “whenever I was…”
I first heard this on Big Brother, the season Nakomis was on (she was the one who said it) & I’ve been hearing it more often of late.
by Anonymous | reply 135 | March 9, 2023 5:57 AM |
“Definately”.
by Anonymous | reply 136 | March 9, 2023 6:41 AM |
Discrete for “discreet”
by Anonymous | reply 137 | March 9, 2023 6:43 AM |
Language is not static. Grammatical constructions become obsolete and die. So will you. There's no escape. There's an easy way and a hard way to deal with this, and it seems many of you have chosen the hard way.
by Anonymous | reply 138 | March 9, 2023 6:48 AM |
DL geezers that haven't gotten any sex for decades will obsess over the stupidest most repulsive things. Grammar and the Golden Girls and now Pedro Pascal. Make me puke.
by Anonymous | reply 139 | March 9, 2023 7:00 AM |
Oh great. All the retired English teachers on DL get to show off on this thread and act superior. How thrilling!
by Anonymous | reply 140 | March 9, 2023 7:14 AM |
Could of, would of, should of
by Anonymous | reply 141 | March 9, 2023 1:38 PM |
alot of this bothers me....
by Anonymous | reply 142 | March 9, 2023 2:09 PM |
^ It shouldn't be that difficult to remember, but I seem to see more "alot" than "a lot."
by Anonymous | reply 143 | March 9, 2023 2:15 PM |
From Grindr
I'm a very dominate man.
by Anonymous | reply 144 | March 9, 2023 3:36 PM |
“Everyday” and “every day” are not the same thing.
by Anonymous | reply 145 | March 9, 2023 5:09 PM |
“An” for “and”.
by Anonymous | reply 146 | March 9, 2023 5:20 PM |
When someone says "My sister and I" when it should be 'me.'
I can't stand when I see posts from seemingly intelligent people and they write, "Look at this picture of my mother and I when I was 7."
It's so easy to remember this rule. All you have to do is eliminate the "and" person and see if you'd say the sentence that way. Would you say, "Look at this picture of I when I was 7"? Of course not, so 'me' is correct.
by Anonymous | reply 147 | March 9, 2023 5:53 PM |
Those are good little tricks, R52, thank you. Unfortunately, some will have difficulty differentiating "here" from "hear" and, as for knowing how to spell "heir"...
by Anonymous | reply 148 | March 9, 2023 5:57 PM |
I grew up white trash but tastefully educated, and mother always said proper grammar was one sure way to distinguish yourself from the herd.
When you're dirt-poor, people will assume you're ignorant trash. But poverty and ignorance are not the same thing.
by Anonymous | reply 149 | March 9, 2023 5:57 PM |
Rogue comma in R148. Désolé.
by Anonymous | reply 150 | March 9, 2023 5:57 PM |
"My bad" R26 - Ugh
by Anonymous | reply 151 | March 9, 2023 5:59 PM |
Obsolete belief, R149. It's somewhat true, but not as much as it used to be
by Anonymous | reply 152 | March 9, 2023 6:03 PM |
OMG
by Anonymous | reply 153 | March 9, 2023 6:36 PM |
Sussex - singular: “Sussex is a delightful place”.
Sussexes - plural: “The Sussexes have traveled by private jet, again, but again, not to visit Sussex”.
Sussexes’ - possessive: “The Sussexes’ hypocrisy and sense of entitlement continue to astound”.
by Anonymous | reply 154 | March 9, 2023 6:41 PM |
"I'm presently working." When they mean "currently."
by Anonymous | reply 155 | March 9, 2023 10:09 PM |
R139 you sound rather sensitive.
by Anonymous | reply 156 | March 9, 2023 10:14 PM |
You don't stand AT a Podium. You stand ON a podium. Think Feet, Podiatrist.
by Anonymous | reply 157 | March 9, 2023 10:19 PM |
The past tense of sneak is sneaked, not snuck.
by Anonymous | reply 158 | March 9, 2023 10:23 PM |
The past tense of dive is dived, not dove.
by Anonymous | reply 159 | March 9, 2023 10:24 PM |
These are spelling errors but very common and annoying -
"Per say' instead of 'per se'. 'Peaked' instead of 'piqued.' 'Poured over' instead of 'pored over.'
by Anonymous | reply 160 | March 9, 2023 10:35 PM |
Hyperfixated Klan Granny at R154.
by Anonymous | reply 161 | March 9, 2023 10:36 PM |
[quote] ... cos I’m just a little whittle kid who doesn’t like big words.
R114, that's what I always think when I see or hear "veggie".
by Anonymous | reply 162 | March 9, 2023 11:23 PM |
R149 speaks the truth. If you are from a trashy background but would like to rise above that, speaking well is the first and most important step. Use grammatically correct English, have a reasonably wide vocabulary without sounding eccentric, and lose as much of your regional accent as you can. (Slight regional accents are fine, but a strong regional accent is a negative class marker. Middle- and upper-middle class people under 50 have slight or no accents.)
by Anonymous | reply 163 | March 9, 2023 11:36 PM |
Saying daylight savings time is a marker of stupidity.
by Anonymous | reply 164 | March 9, 2023 11:43 PM |
R157, oh, dear. That is, oh dear to me because I've definitely (not to say definately) been guilty of this.
The thing in front of the speaker is the [bold] lectern [/bold], right? The lectern stands on the podium, as does the speaker.
The problem is that "at the podium" is so common, even among well-educated people who make their living talking to the public (that is, journalists and pundits) that I wonder if people will even know what I mean if I say "at the lectern".
by Anonymous | reply 165 | March 9, 2023 11:43 PM |
R163 Are you suggesting a wide vocabulary is a sign of eccentricity?
by Anonymous | reply 166 | March 9, 2023 11:47 PM |
"Me and Cher ate dinner" vs "Cher and I..."
by Anonymous | reply 167 | March 9, 2023 11:49 PM |
Taken back, rather than taken aback.
by Anonymous | reply 168 | March 10, 2023 12:34 AM |
R166, no. I'm suggesting that using long or obscure words where simpler, more common words will work is eccentric. Also, using many long words increases the chance of using one of them incorrectly, which makes one seem ridiculous.
by Anonymous | reply 169 | March 10, 2023 12:42 AM |
I use to pronounce 'gibberish' as 'jibberish'.
But the great Evelyn Waugh pronounces the 'g' as a hard 'g'.
by Anonymous | reply 170 | March 10, 2023 12:48 AM |
[quote]I use to pronounce
Here's one right now.
It's useD to do something.
by Anonymous | reply 171 | March 10, 2023 12:52 AM |
Maybe and may be are not the same thing.
by Anonymous | reply 172 | March 10, 2023 12:53 AM |
“Hyper fixated”, R161? That’s rather a large word for someone of your humble background.
by Anonymous | reply 173 | March 10, 2023 1:22 AM |
“Workout” is not the same as “work out”.
by Anonymous | reply 174 | March 10, 2023 1:25 AM |
“amount of” instead of “number of”
“less” instead of “fewer”
by Anonymous | reply 175 | March 10, 2023 1:30 AM |
KG Troll it’s way past your bed-time - have one final swig of the Polish vodka that you picked up down at the offy then crawl into your single bed with the rancid sheets that you wash once every year.
by Anonymous | reply 176 | March 10, 2023 1:31 AM |
Not using a possessive pronoun in front of a verbal phrase drives me crazy.
HIS being a grammar nazi.
MY whining about grammar errors.
DLers mocking HIS dying.
by Anonymous | reply 177 | March 10, 2023 1:38 AM |
R170 "use to"
Oh, dear!
by Anonymous | reply 178 | March 10, 2023 1:58 AM |
Adults who write "cuz"nstead of "because" sound like they're still in junior high.
"In to" is not the same as "into."
by Anonymous | reply 179 | March 10, 2023 3:00 AM |
Instead
by Anonymous | reply 180 | March 10, 2023 3:03 AM |
"Irregardless" is NOT a word. I am not bending to the unwashed masses. I don't care how many of them say it despite being wrong!
by Anonymous | reply 181 | March 10, 2023 3:04 AM |
It's "toward." NOT "towards."
by Anonymous | reply 182 | March 10, 2023 3:05 AM |
[quote] Reread your shit before you post!
R92 Place it in the toilet before you post.
by Anonymous | reply 183 | March 10, 2023 3:09 AM |
I refuse to end a sentence with a preposition. It makes MAAAAAD!
It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. It makes me live, it makes me die for you. It makes me sing, it makes me sad. It makes me glad, it makes me MAAAAAD for you. I love you, hate you, love you, hate you. But I want you 'til the world stops turning. For whatever you do, I never, never, never want to be in love with anyone but you.
by Anonymous | reply 184 | March 10, 2023 3:16 AM |
R179 I’ll see your cuz and raise you cos!
It’s a fucking lettuce, people!
by Anonymous | reply 185 | March 10, 2023 4:54 AM |
R159, the past tense of "dive" can be either "dived" or "dove". Both are acceptable.
by Anonymous | reply 186 | March 10, 2023 6:58 AM |
So it’s correct to say: last night I muff dove?
by Anonymous | reply 187 | March 10, 2023 7:07 AM |
Not sure, R187. You'd have to ask a lesbian.
by Anonymous | reply 188 | March 10, 2023 7:09 AM |
People who pronounce the silent T in often. Like nails on a chalkboard. Some of these people seem smart too but this instantly makes me think they’re dumb.
by Anonymous | reply 189 | March 10, 2023 7:16 AM |
I don't pronounce the T in often but whether you do or not, both are correct.
by Anonymous | reply 190 | March 10, 2023 8:30 AM |
There's no such thing as 'correct'. There's standards that language may or may not follow, but there is no such thing as a universal 'correct'.
by Anonymous | reply 191 | March 10, 2023 8:35 AM |
[quote]There's standards that language may or may not follow...
R191 Wrong. For example, it's grammatically CORRECT to say "The are standards...." and INCORRECT to say "There's standards...." as you just did.
by Anonymous | reply 192 | March 10, 2023 8:40 AM |
Not grammatical, but still irritating: walla when they really mean voilà.
by Anonymous | reply 193 | March 10, 2023 9:02 AM |
[quote]For example, it's grammatically CORRECT to say "There are standards...."
FIFY, R192.
by Anonymous | reply 194 | March 10, 2023 9:04 AM |
Grammar is a standard, dear, and it's not universal. It's subjective. I know it's difficult for many of you to unclench those control issues to get this. Too bad — it's a truly limiting lens to apply to life, no matter how good self-stratification feels.
by Anonymous | reply 195 | March 10, 2023 9:09 AM |
R163 Not one word you said is true. Not when the best job that most can aspire to in America is a dollar store. LOL. So fuck all you Nazi assholes. No one cares how you speak.
by Anonymous | reply 196 | March 10, 2023 9:21 AM |
"Pointless bitchery"
by Anonymous | reply 197 | March 10, 2023 10:34 AM |
Grammar is subjective? What bullshit. I guess the alphabet is subjective, too.
by Anonymous | reply 198 | March 10, 2023 10:41 AM |
Lol, R198, the alphabet is, too. Is Y a vowel? Do we use umlaut in double vowel constructions, like the New Yorker does? What about tildes and accents? Are these required or not?
Please expand your conceptual mind and drop your addiction to so-called 'correctness'. It's much better and more fun over here.
by Anonymous | reply 199 | March 10, 2023 10:50 AM |
People who pronounce "important" as imporTANT.
by Anonymous | reply 200 | March 10, 2023 11:05 AM |
People who pronounce button as BUH IN should be punched as well, R200
by Anonymous | reply 201 | March 10, 2023 11:09 AM |
R164, Savings go into bank. The change is Daylight SAVING Time.
by Anonymous | reply 202 | March 10, 2023 11:38 AM |
[quote] Saying daylight savings time is a marker of stupidity.
THAT is your marker of stupidity?! I could think of others.
by Anonymous | reply 203 | March 10, 2023 11:43 AM |
R191, your are right With two pronunciations, one is "Preferred," not "correct."
by Anonymous | reply 204 | March 10, 2023 11:43 AM |
[quote]Not grammatical, but still irritating: walla when they really mean voilà.
Then, it must bother you immensely that "walla, all of a sudden" is a long-running DL joke.
by Anonymous | reply 205 | March 10, 2023 11:55 AM |
R199 If the alphabet and any word spelling are subjective, then we can spell anything the way we want. So how are teachers to grade a student's spelling test? Is Y a vowel? Yes, sometimes. Is that difficult? Why does it have to be absolute, control freak?
So your way of understanding is correct, I guess. What a nutcase. I spell your name CUNT.
by Anonymous | reply 206 | March 10, 2023 12:26 PM |
Talking about receiving your tax return when what you actually mean is your tax refund.
by Anonymous | reply 207 | March 10, 2023 12:34 PM |
Pronounciation is subject to regional variations, which makes it subjective. But grammar is not, aside from slang (which is not actually grammar).
by Anonymous | reply 208 | March 10, 2023 12:46 PM |
Calm down, R206. It's causing issues with your comprehension skills and you're projecting your control issues on me. Control of language is an illusion. It's constantly evolving, oftentimes in ways that annoy us... especially as we age or gain status. .You're communicating more to us about your attachment to the world revolving around your viewpoint, and it just plain doesn't. You also are a complete and utter fool to anyone who has studied linguistics for five minutes. Who's the cunt now?
The teacher is grading the test based on agreed collective standard they follow. There is no ultimate authority on the English language — only agreements on style, and none of them universally binding.
by Anonymous | reply 209 | March 10, 2023 12:46 PM |
Get some help, R209. We don't have to continually or annually agree that the first number is spelled ONE. You've done too much poppers in your day, that's for sure.
by Anonymous | reply 210 | March 10, 2023 12:56 PM |
Hahahahaha! Can't take the heat, just hurl an insult and ignore rather than open your mind to other views. Good riddance!
by Anonymous | reply 211 | March 10, 2023 1:01 PM |
R208, the correct spelling is "pronunciation", not "pronounciation".
by Anonymous | reply 212 | March 10, 2023 1:41 PM |
^ When spoken, it is the most ironic mispronunciation. It often lets you know that you're dealing with someone who overrates their own intelligence.
by Anonymous | reply 213 | March 10, 2023 1:44 PM |
Lol, R213. I do love it when snobby grammarians are proved wrong.
by Anonymous | reply 214 | March 10, 2023 1:48 PM |
R187, I guess "muff dove" is correct, even though it sounds odd. Maybe I'd say: "Last night I went muff diving." (Not me personally. I've never been that close to a vagina.)
by Anonymous | reply 215 | March 10, 2023 1:53 PM |
He's my sister's and I's brother.
by Anonymous | reply 216 | March 10, 2023 2:02 PM |
I just saw an ad on television advertising the "Lost 80's Live Concert Tour. Is it 80's or 80s?
by Anonymous | reply 217 | March 10, 2023 2:17 PM |
[quote] Is it 80's or 80s?
'80s.
by Anonymous | reply 218 | March 10, 2023 2:35 PM |
“Bored of” instead of “bored with”.
by Anonymous | reply 219 | March 10, 2023 5:09 PM |
Actually, I prefer bored by ....
by Anonymous | reply 220 | March 10, 2023 9:20 PM |
"Enamored OF" not "Enamored WITH".
by Anonymous | reply 221 | March 10, 2023 11:53 PM |
Here is the biggest grammar mistake that has surfaced in the past few years...
Using "they" to describe those who identify as nonbinary. "They" is plural, goddammit. "They" cannot be used to identify one, singular, individual person.
Think up another word or make one up..e.g., zee, zed or something else! But "they" is plural !!!
by Anonymous | reply 222 | March 11, 2023 1:27 AM |
^ Agreed. I’m a supporter, but so wish(ed) “they” would not co-opt the existing English language like this.
by Anonymous | reply 223 | March 11, 2023 6:32 AM |
^ Speaking of which, “agreeance.”
by Anonymous | reply 224 | March 11, 2023 6:51 AM |
You're not a supporter, really, if these are y'all's priorities around these issues. How hard is it, really, to let it go for the sake of the greater good? "They" was already evolving in usage anyway, so it's a bit easier for people to adopt than a coined pronoun that take more cognitive load to put into use like "zhem".
Some serious issues exhibited by people in this thread. Y'all think you're enforcing the rules, but you're really enforcing the forces enforcing the rules. Not all of those forces are benevolent.
by Anonymous | reply 225 | March 11, 2023 6:59 AM |
Normalcy instead of normality.
by Anonymous | reply 226 | March 11, 2023 7:05 AM |
^ Tell that to Warren Harding.
by Anonymous | reply 227 | March 11, 2023 7:18 AM |
Dinning room
by Anonymous | reply 228 | March 11, 2023 7:25 AM |
R225, there’s loyalty & then there’s blind loyalty.
by Anonymous | reply 229 | March 11, 2023 7:29 AM |
Conversate.
by Anonymous | reply 230 | March 11, 2023 7:31 AM |
"A" is when the first letter of the following word is a consonant. "An" is when the first letter of the following word is a vowel.
A historical moment. An odd moment.
by Anonymous | reply 231 | March 11, 2023 7:52 AM |
“Lady’s” Room
by Anonymous | reply 232 | March 11, 2023 7:59 AM |
That reminds me, R225: "y'all".
by Anonymous | reply 233 | March 11, 2023 7:59 AM |
I ❤️ precise second person plural pronouns and fucking with people who are insecure.
by Anonymous | reply 234 | March 11, 2023 8:20 AM |
[Quote]“Lady’s” Room
I actually saw something similar on a store's awning in New York: "Ladie's Handbags"
by Anonymous | reply 235 | March 11, 2023 8:40 AM |
You "actually" saw that? WOW
by Anonymous | reply 236 | March 11, 2023 9:03 AM |
R235 Oh, dear!
by Anonymous | reply 237 | March 11, 2023 9:43 AM |
For mateur audiences only
by Anonymous | reply 238 | March 11, 2023 12:00 PM |
[quote] For mateur audiences only
There can be no excuse, then, for such violaters to misspell "amateur."
by Anonymous | reply 239 | March 11, 2023 1:14 PM |
Pardon, r212?
by Anonymous | reply 240 | March 11, 2023 1:51 PM |
[Quote]You "actually" saw that? WOW
R236 Yes, I "actually" did. What's your problem with the word "actually"?
R237 Same question, since you "Oh, deared" me.
by Anonymous | reply 242 | March 11, 2023 2:11 PM |
[quote]For mateur audiences only
So, they only want professional audiences instead of "amateur" audiences?
by Anonymous | reply 243 | March 11, 2023 2:28 PM |
“Can you loan me some money?”
Ugh. As a verb, the customary usage is lend.
“No, I will not lend you any money, you parasite!”
by Anonymous | reply 244 | March 11, 2023 3:53 PM |
What obsolete cunts most of you are!
by Anonymous | reply 245 | March 11, 2023 4:30 PM |
I sense that there’s a handful of Linguistic Relativists present, but the DL contingent of Linguistic Absolutists is much more prevalent
by Anonymous | reply 246 | March 11, 2023 4:32 PM |
[quote]R236 Yes, I "actually" did. What's your problem with the word "actually"?
R242, this thread attracts super pretentious people like R236. Just ignore them.
by Anonymous | reply 247 | March 11, 2023 4:44 PM |
Indeed, R246. The grammar, spelling and punctuation on this website are far superior to what you'd find on most websites/comments sections and, let's face it, it's at least partly because we're all a bit afraid of the "Oh, dear!" queens.
by Anonymous | reply 248 | March 11, 2023 4:56 PM |
R245 and obtuse!
by Anonymous | reply 249 | March 11, 2023 5:00 PM |
I'm not obtuse, r249. I'm not fat at all.
by Anonymous | reply 250 | March 11, 2023 5:04 PM |
r248, very true, which is one of the reasons I love DL.
It's also why I don't understand when people get their britches in a bunch when someone oh, dears them. I always found it comical, like a schoolmarm tsk-taking under her breath in the corner as she watches.
by Anonymous | reply 251 | March 11, 2023 5:05 PM |
I’m finding lots of Gen Z YouTube influencers say “Your guyses” when addressing their audience (as in “I’ve seen a lot of your guyses suggestions…”) instead of saying “you guys’,” and it grates.
by Anonymous | reply 252 | March 11, 2023 5:08 PM |
[quote]"An" is when the first letter of the following word is a vowel.
However, English language learners sometimes make the mistake of applying this rule to "vowel" graphemes that don't actually begin with a vowel sound:
A one-ton truck <-- "one" actually starts with the semivowel [w]
A unicorn; a ukelele; a united front <-- long "u" starts with the semivowel [y]
by Anonymous | reply 253 | March 11, 2023 6:02 PM |
woah instead of whoa
It’s being used frequently. I saw that proscribed spelling in a tv commercial.
by Anonymous | reply 254 | March 11, 2023 6:40 PM |
Most people are linguistic relativists, whether they know it or not, and I love how threads like these bring out the psychological issues in you dime a dozen linguistic absolutists. You're small thinkers who need to get out more, the lot of you.
by Anonymous | reply 255 | March 11, 2023 7:14 PM |
[quote] A unicorn; a ukelele; a united front <-- long "u" starts with the semivowel [y]
The Hawaiian pronunciation of "ukulele" would actually start with a vowel sound, sort of like an "oo" sound.
The spelling is actually "ukulele," not "ukelele."
But, you're correct in that you-kulele, which is an accepted pronunciation (in English), does start with a consonant or Y sound.
by Anonymous | reply 256 | March 11, 2023 7:23 PM |
[quote]Most people are linguistic relativists, whether they know it or not, and I love how threads like these bring out the psychological issues in you dime a dozen linguistic absolutists. You're small thinkers who need to get out more, the lot of you.
Talk about small thinkers. You're so convinced that the sum total is pedantic rule following rather than seeing the bigger picture of how language shapes thinking and in turn shapes language in a virtuous circle , how good communication is clear and precise communication and how grammar errors lead to all sorts of poor communication which ultimately stifles new ideas, creativity, and critical thinking, and how you clearly type fat.
by Anonymous | reply 257 | March 11, 2023 7:26 PM |
R2 If you want to know why the H in Historical is silent, ask people in Massachusetts why the H in Amherst is silent?
by Anonymous | reply 258 | March 11, 2023 7:27 PM |
I want r257 in me quite deeply.
And I'm a top!
by Anonymous | reply 259 | March 11, 2023 7:38 PM |
Would you prefer to live in the Singular or Plural region? ....
The North - "You can fuck me." The South ..- "Y'all can fuck me."
by Anonymous | reply 260 | March 11, 2023 7:39 PM |
R257, lol if you think that's the case here. You're too generous. Not one poster in this thread has acknowledged regional differences, style differences, etc. This all about self-aggrandizing, finger pointing at "the other" and not much more.
by Anonymous | reply 261 | March 11, 2023 8:03 PM |
R206 Your writing skills are atrocious.
by Anonymous | reply 262 | March 11, 2023 8:06 PM |
R260 It would be "you guys"
by Anonymous | reply 263 | March 11, 2023 8:06 PM |
R261 Intelligent adults don't type "lol."
by Anonymous | reply 264 | March 11, 2023 8:10 PM |
Says who, R264?
by Anonymous | reply 265 | March 11, 2023 8:22 PM |
R265 Everyone who has graduated high school
by Anonymous | reply 266 | March 11, 2023 8:38 PM |
[quote]threads like these bring out the psychological issues in you dime a dozen linguistic absolutists
Dime a dozen? Nothing could be more commonplace than those who declare, "It's all relative! I heard that in my Linguistics 101 class." If anything, being something of a prescriptivist is now a revolutionary act. As R255 says, these rules contribute to clear communication, which is a positive good. Yes, people may appear to be overdoing it in their defence of those rules but, if no-one policed boundaries, how long before clear and productive communication would disappear?
by Anonymous | reply 267 | March 11, 2023 9:16 PM |
[quote]"They" was already evolving in usage anyway, so it's a bit easier for people to adopt than a coined pronoun that take more cognitive load to put into use like "zhem".
R225. "They" was not evolving for those who identify as nonbinary. "They" had been used as a colloquial term in reference for "he or she" such as: "The plumber is coming to my house today, but I don't know when they are arriving." This is a simple statement said simply because you just don't know who is actually coming to your house.
However, "they" for a nonbinary person, (which is questionable anyway), is referring to an actual person who you know. "They" are not a plural '"they." They are an individual.
Nonbinary people need their own pronoun (zee, zhed or whatever might be created) as inconvenient as you make think it may be. Language has meaning, and "they" is plural--not for an individual standing right there in front of you.
by Anonymous | reply 268 | March 11, 2023 9:34 PM |
[quote]R265 Everyone who has graduated high school.
No, dear. Only the most laughable, pretentious twats think that way. I see this thread is full of them. You wouldn't use "lol" in business emails or other formal situations but it's perfectly fine for a chat forum such as this. Just who are you trying to impress, dear?
by Anonymous | reply 269 | March 11, 2023 10:02 PM |
R269 Bless your heart. You are quite offended over this! I'm guessing you also throw out "stay pressed," "lmao," "literally," etc. It's okay! It's hard to feel ashamed as you do here. It's happened to all of us before we knew better. I hope things improve!
by Anonymous | reply 270 | March 11, 2023 10:09 PM |
R270, you're adorable. I don't feel the least bit ashamed to be here. There's nothing wrong with my spelling and grammar. I wonder if the people who put on airs the most come from humble backgrounds and continue to have a humble station in life. Probably. You wouldn't fall into that category, would you?
by Anonymous | reply 271 | March 11, 2023 10:15 PM |
R271 You tried!
by Anonymous | reply 272 | March 11, 2023 10:21 PM |
Oh, dear R272. A ten year old could come up with a weak rebuttal like that. I'm so disappointed. I'll be ignoring you from now on. Please go talk to you pretentious friends. So you are a sales clerk who likes to pretend he's upper class. I thought so.
by Anonymous | reply 273 | March 11, 2023 10:29 PM |
R273 We don't start sentences with "So."
by Anonymous | reply 274 | March 11, 2023 10:35 PM |
People say "None of the students were injured." None means One. "None of the students was injured."
by Anonymous | reply 275 | March 11, 2023 10:43 PM |
None doesn't mean one.
by Anonymous | reply 276 | March 11, 2023 10:45 PM |
It's "None were ..." Not "None was ..."
by Anonymous | reply 277 | March 11, 2023 10:58 PM |
[quote]R273 We don't start sentences with "So."
I do. It's an effective way of showing you've reached a conclusion. It's a complete sentence not a phrase
Shouldn't your sentence be: R273, we don't start sentences with "So"?
Your grammar is appalling, R274.
by Anonymous | reply 278 | March 11, 2023 10:58 PM |
R278 You are incorrect. I sense that you are furious. I know you are stressed, and I genuinely hope things improve.
Your placement of the question mark is humorous. I will assume that was intentional, if that makes you feel better!
by Anonymous | reply 279 | March 11, 2023 11:02 PM |
Good heavens. Your knowledge of grammar is abysmal. I am asking a question, so there should be a question mark at the end, silly goose.
by Anonymous | reply 280 | March 11, 2023 11:05 PM |
R280 Sweetheart, we place the question mark inside the quotation mark.
by Anonymous | reply 281 | March 11, 2023 11:07 PM |
R273 "I'll be ignoring you from now on."
You can't. This is eating you a alive. I wonder if you will be able to sleep tonight, given this humiliation.
by Anonymous | reply 282 | March 11, 2023 11:09 PM |
Hahaha, R281. I'm the one asking the question. Why would I put a question mark inside your sentence? You must be trolling.
by Anonymous | reply 283 | March 11, 2023 11:10 PM |
R283 You are sweet. I often see those around me who struggle with self esteem. I'm a genuine person, and I wish you well. I have full confidence that you will feel equal one day!
by Anonymous | reply 284 | March 11, 2023 11:12 PM |
Good bye, R284. No point in engaging with a troll.
Oops. There's no point in engaging with a troll. I can't be writing phrases on this thread.
by Anonymous | reply 285 | March 11, 2023 11:15 PM |
[quote]Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself. Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence...Question marks should go inside of the quotation marks if the quote is a question. If the quote is not a question, but the sentence is, the question mark should be outside the quotation marks. Examples: The caterpillar answered, “Who are you?”
[quote]When a comma or period is needed after a quotation, publishers in the United States typically put the punctuation mark before the closing quotation mark. The reason for this convention is to improve the appearance of the text. The convention goes back at least to the nineteenth century.
I'll just leave that for anyone who needs it.
by Anonymous | reply 286 | March 11, 2023 11:16 PM |
R285 I'm the guy at a party that you want to befriend. You can't, because you think I'm too superior. You would be correct, but I'm still friendly. You should still try. I would engage, knowing it would be a favor!
by Anonymous | reply 287 | March 11, 2023 11:16 PM |
Girls, girls! You're both pretentious cunts.
by Anonymous | reply 288 | March 11, 2023 11:31 PM |
[quote]None doesn't mean one.
Correct. It means "not one."
[quote]It's "None were ..." Not "None was ..."
No. "None was" is correct, as in "Not one of them was seen at the theatre tonight." You wouldn't say "not one of them were seen at the theatre tonight," would you?
by Anonymous | reply 289 | March 12, 2023 12:24 AM |
Seems to depend on what you're talking about.
None of the pie was eaten. (Correct.)
None of the children were hungry. (Also correct.)
by Anonymous | reply 290 | March 12, 2023 1:11 AM |
R286. Place all punctuation marks inside the quotation mark including periods, commas, question marks and exclamation points.
At the end of the sentence, you would never place a period following the quotation marks.
.
by Anonymous | reply 291 | March 12, 2023 1:48 AM |
Why do DLers like the saying "I've had sufficient"?
The question mark goes on the outside, sometimes.
Or:
Can you believe he told me, "I've had sufficient"?!
Both the question and exclamation marks go on the outside.
by Anonymous | reply 292 | March 12, 2023 1:56 AM |
[quote][R286]. Place all punctuation marks inside the quotation mark including periods, commas, question marks and exclamation points...At the end of the sentence, you would never place a period following the quotation marks.
You can make that sweeping statement, but many style guides, such as AP and MLA disagree with you. Chicago Style guide agrees with you.
by Anonymous | reply 293 | March 12, 2023 2:03 AM |
R292 No
by Anonymous | reply 294 | March 12, 2023 2:04 AM |
r292 - as previously stated: "Place a question mark or exclamation point within closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the quotation itself. Place the punctuation outside the closing quotation marks if the punctuation applies to the whole sentence."
If the quoted material itself is a question (or exclamation), the question mark would go inside. In our examples, the question applies to the entire sentence, not just the quoted material - according to the AP and MLA guides while according to the Chicago Style Guide, it always goes inside the quotation marks.
by Anonymous | reply 295 | March 12, 2023 2:09 AM |
[quote]R285 I'm the guy at a party that you want to befriend. You can't, because you think I'm too superior. You would be correct, but I'm still friendly. You should still try. I would engage, knowing it would be a favor!
R287, I can't take you seriously if you still don't know how to use DL's quote format. That kind of thing is unforgivable. Bye.
Btw, I don't have the slightest problem with self-esteem.
by Anonymous | reply 296 | March 12, 2023 4:59 AM |
So, since fags can't talk sports they have to talk grammar? Such littles Hitlers with grammar, too.
by Anonymous | reply 297 | March 12, 2023 10:32 AM |
[quote]Everyone who has graduated high school
R266, I hate to say this because I agree with your sentiment, but it should be "everyone who has graduated [italic]from[/italic] high school."
by Anonymous | reply 298 | March 12, 2023 10:33 AM |
How about ‘everyone who *was* graduated from high school’?
by Anonymous | reply 299 | March 12, 2023 10:35 AM |
R298 No, dear. You can say you "graduated high school" but you would say you "graduated from Jefferson High School" if you wanted to note that. Both are acceptable.
by Anonymous | reply 300 | March 12, 2023 10:36 AM |
[quote]At the end of the sentence, you would never place a period following the quotation marks.
In British English, you most certainly would if the period did not belong to the words in quotation marks. It's a much more sensible system that I prefer, even though I speak American English.
For example: At the Datalounge, we do not begin sentences with "so".
by Anonymous | reply 301 | March 12, 2023 10:42 AM |
R299, that is correct but outdated English. That's how the phrased started out.
R300, "graduated high school" in an "emerging" usage. That is, it's new and common, but careful writers and speakers still consider it incorrect. If you want to help it emerge, so be it.
by Anonymous | reply 302 | March 12, 2023 10:50 AM |
R302, since it ruffles your feathers, bitch, YES, I want to help it emerge.
by Anonymous | reply 303 | March 12, 2023 11:49 AM |
Specially instead of especially! Is this a new phenomenon?
by Anonymous | reply 304 | March 12, 2023 11:55 AM |
R301: hear hear
Logic and sense surely ought to take precedence over some outdated type-setting practice
by Anonymous | reply 305 | March 12, 2023 12:33 PM |
Harding? I thought normalcy was Harry Truman's word.
by Anonymous | reply 306 | March 12, 2023 12:43 PM |
R306, Harding started it. He was a good-looking man who lacked intellect & education. Truman just adopted what had become semi-common usage by the time he was speaking in public.
by Anonymous | reply 307 | March 12, 2023 2:47 PM |
Harding ran in 1920 on a Return to Normalcy platform.
by Anonymous | reply 309 | March 12, 2023 4:03 PM |
Harding used "normalcy".
[quote]Before his nomination, Warren G. Harding declared, “America’s present need is not heroics, but healing; not nostrums, but normalcy; not revolution, but restoration; not agitation, but adjustment; not surgery, but serenity; not the dramatic, but the dispassionate; not experiment, but equipoise; not submergence in internationality, but sustainment in triumphant nationality….”
by Anonymous | reply 310 | March 12, 2023 4:05 PM |
R308, to be fair, both of the posts to which you're replying said that "we" don't do that, i.e. it's a Datlounge thing, and the second post made that explicit.
A linguist being quoted in an NPR piece is the last person in the world I'd expect to be a prescriptivist, so that link is neither here nor there as far as DL goes.
Personally, I do use "so" at the start of spoken sentences - maybe because I'm young - but I don't write it here out of deference to my caftan-clad DLders. The old stalwarts are rather sensitive about such things, and I play by their rules.
by Anonymous | reply 311 | March 12, 2023 4:15 PM |
I like annoying the old stalwarts, R311. Sometimes DL's snobby grammarians really don't know what they're talking about.
I used "so" to express that I've reached a conclusion. This is what I wrote:
[quote]So you are a sales clerk who likes to pretend he's upper class. I thought so.
I'd like someone to prove to me that this usage is incorrect, using a reputable source.
by Anonymous | reply 312 | March 12, 2023 5:39 PM |
I'm with r312.
"So" as a conjunction: and for this reason; therefore; with the aim that; in order that
As an adverb: to such a great extent; to the same extent.
It's similar to starting a sentence with "and" or "but," upon which both are frowned by DLers. However, while not technically grammatically incorrect, the number of people who believe it is can make doing so a dubious stylistic choice.
So, since I don't care all that much about erroneously made corrections, I'll just keep using "so" at my discretion.
by Anonymous | reply 313 | March 12, 2023 5:47 PM |
[quote]It's similar to starting a sentence with "and" or "but," upon which both are frowned by DLers.
I'm just going to "Oh, dear" this now so someone else won't have to do it then!
In all seriousness, though, R313, I get what you're saying about not giving too much thought to erroneous "corrections", but my perspective - yours is different, and that's fine - is that I'm not going to say something which I know is likely to provoke a "correction" and thus potentially derail things.
by Anonymous | reply 314 | March 12, 2023 6:00 PM |
[quote]I'm just going to "Oh, dear" this now so someone else won't have to do it then!
As I previously stated: "I don't care all that much about erroneously made corrections."
We can debate whether the comma is extraneous, but I stand by it.
by Anonymous | reply 315 | March 12, 2023 8:07 PM |
R311, exactly right.
I am R301 and an eldergay besides, and I start sentences with “so”, too. I don’t do it at the DL much because it tends to provoke “oh, dears” that clutter up the thread. (It’s also not appropriate in business writing, which is the main kind of writing I do outside the DL.)
The sentence in R301 just happened to be the first thing that came to mind as an example of when to put the comma outside the quotation marks.
R313, I believe most of the objections to "so" arise when it's used more as a kind of introductory interjection:
"So, today it I decided to clean out the garage."
I don't mind this usage and do it myself sometimes, but it is provocative in some settings.
by Anonymous | reply 316 | March 12, 2023 8:07 PM |
Ladies need to relax. Sometimes language evolves and we learn to accept it. Didn't "awful" mean "full of awe" like it was something wonderfully inspiring? It doesn't mean that anymore, bitches.
by Anonymous | reply 317 | March 13, 2023 7:12 PM |
I find “and so” annoying. Just choose one and go with it.
by Anonymous | reply 318 | March 14, 2023 1:14 PM |
I don't know if this is a grammatical error or not, but saying "try and" instead of "try to" irritates me.
You don't try and do something, you try to do something.
by Anonymous | reply 319 | March 14, 2023 4:23 PM |
[QUOTE] KG Troll it’s way past your bed-time - have one final swig of the Polish vodka that you picked up down at the offy then crawl into your single bed with the rancid sheets that you wash once every year.
Love the way you project your own alcoholism and slovenliness on anyone who calls you out. Why the fuck did you bring up Meghan on a thread about grammar? You're a monomaniac.
by Anonymous | reply 320 | March 15, 2023 7:31 AM |
'Phase' instead of 'faze.'
by Anonymous | reply 321 | March 15, 2023 7:34 AM |
Anyone who is this concerned about grammar mistakes is an unhappy person.
by Anonymous | reply 322 | March 18, 2023 1:13 PM |
It’s true that language keeps evolving, but it also requires rules, just as math, science, sports, society, etc., do. Otherwise, we’ll all eventually sound like Tarzan, Tonto, Frankenstein, and Yoda.🤪
by Anonymous | reply 323 | March 20, 2023 3:56 AM |
"Bradley's" poster from upthread here again and I have another one -- ordinance instead of ordnance. Keeps popping up now with the war in Ukraine. Markos Moulitsas, founder of Daily Kos, insists on using the incorrect one in his (otherwise wonderful) analyses despite getting corrected every time in the comment section. It's like a sunk cost fallacy for him at this point, might as well keep doing it forever. Hailee Steinfeld also used the incorrect version when reciting that Volcanoes poem in her Dickinson TV show. No one bothered to correct her, apparently.
I don't mind when ammunition and munition get conflated, though. That's a technical distinction that not everyone is familiar with.
by Anonymous | reply 324 | March 20, 2023 5:11 AM |
Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Take a look at our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn site without all this bureaucratic nonsense, click ACCEPT. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site for your pointless bitchery needs.
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