The Grammar Thread (updated)

[Mister Matt]

Updated to include affect/effect.

[Mister Matt]

It's back and it's pissed.

Read it
Print it
Memorize it

THERE, THEY'RE, THEIR

It's not that hard, people.

[elphiesmagic]

What a great thread! Apparently it should be bumped on a daily basis. I found it because I was hoping there were more people who were as annoyed as I by the ridiculous overuse of apostrophes and crazy misspellings ("definately"?? Come on!!)and stunningly epidemic misuse of homophones.

Thanks, Mister Matt!

ETA: Here's another one I see a lot around here - "hun" is not a term of endearment, sarcastic or not. I think people using it here mean "hon", which is a shortened version of "honey". From Webster's Online:


Main Entry: Hun
Pronunciation: ˈhən
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English Hunas, plural, from Late Latin Hunni, plural
Date: before 12th century
1: a member of a nomadic central Asian people gaining control of a large part of central and eastern Europe under Attila about a.d. 450
2 aoften not capitalized : a person who is wantonly destructive : vandal busually disparaging : german; especially : a German soldier

[javero]

I ain't got no need for no gramma' police when I ain't gettin' paid for the copy.

[elphiesmagic]

Good to know, javero. Now we are all clear on who not to ask any questions of math, geography, history, politics, Broadway, etc., since you're not getting paid to answer correctly.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Actually, it should be "whom not to ask."

[elphiesmagic]

You are correct.

It's no wonder I don't get paid for posting!

[tazber]

Well, since "hon" isn't a word or gramatically accepted colloquialism either, does it really matter?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Sure it is.

From Webster's Collegiate, 11th edition:

Main Entry:1hon
Pronunciation:*h*n
Function:noun
Date:circa 1906

: HONEY 2a

[miss pennywise]

If you can now "google" people, you should be able to call them "hon"!

[elphiesmagic]

Only after you Xerox their a** and hand them a Kleenex!

[tazber]

Pronunciation:*h*n


Reg, could you phonically spell out *h*n for me?

[Reginald Tresilian]

The schwa disappeared when I pasted, post-cutting, from Webster's.

They don't have all the b*gs out, I guess.

[PalJoey]

Yikes. Strolling through pages 1-4 of this thread is like visiting the BroadwayWorld Morgue.

So many former posters who have left, been banned or gone into rehab!

[Mamie]

Exactly my thought, PJ. It's also a sad commentary on the 'dumbing down' of America. I remember when all children learned these basic grammar lessons in the second grade. I also remember a grade school teacher telling us that we should read the newspaper every evening because they always used proper grammar in their articles. In those days, she was right.

[tazber]

And we all love how superior this thread makes us feel too!

[javero]

All jokes aside, it never ceases to amaze me how many times I encounter [sic] embedded in print media quotes from US-born professional athletes these days.

[rowlinvale2]

It's pretty astonishing that it's been almost four years and no one has noticed that in the original post there was a horrifying mistake involving quoatation marks and the placing of a period...

Yikes.

All examples will also work if you replace "Wicked" for "Brooklyn".


But also, please add GOOD vs. WELL
I cringe daily over this one.

[Mister Matt]

As long as we're resurrecting the past, we might as well learn something. And learn it well!

[doodlenyc]

Seems that if you mention something on bww today, an old thread on topic will appear!

The search engine here must be exhausted!

[tazber]

It's a nice sign that we have seasoned posters online this week.

[D2]

The calm before the summer storm, Taz?

[tazber]

As always!

[doodlenyc]

If I'm seasoned, I hope it's with cayenne Jackson.

[mauriposa]

I saw a sign on the train the other day that could use this thread. It advertises the positive effects of foster parenting by telling the story of a former foster child. At the end of her tale, the woman on the sign tells us, "I'm doing GOOD" because of the help she received. It drives me crazy.

[Yero my Hero]

Just noticed this slightly old post:

It's pretty astonishing that it's been almost four years and no one has noticed that in the original post there was a horrifying mistake involving quoatation marks and the placing of a period...

Yikes.

All examples will also work if you replace "Wicked" for "Brooklyn".

One way is correct in American English, the other is correct in British English. Since this is an international message board, I don't think that counts as a "horrifying mistake."