Internet grammar?

[spiderman2]

I dont care but I guess that is because I fell like a lot of grammar makes zero sense and also I cant spell worth crap and I get tried of hearing about it from people I known I cant spell.

 

[Hotwire]

I dont care but, I guess that is because I feel like a lot of grammar makes zero sense. Also, I never bothered to learn how to spell worth crap and I get tried of hearing about it from people. I known I can't spell!

Fixed. If you're really tired of people telling you you can't spell kindergarten level words, learn how to spell! It will put an end to it rather quickly. I've made this point to you before. The post you made makes you look lazy and uneducated. That's the impression it gives. If that's not the impression you want to give, you're going to need to do something about it. Stop expecting others to lower their expectations of you .

 

[Dr.]

I sometimes use slang or use terms like wanna or gonna or aint just because i feel like it. I can just as easily type perfect grammar but I tend to type as i speak in ppaces like this.

Yeah, pretty middle-road on this. It's casual discussion, not English class, too much scrutiny on it is getting a little anal.

Typically, there’s an unspoken etiquette (or even formal rules) about correcting someone’s grammar, spelling, usage, etc. on social media. For good reasons. Sometimes a user might be dashing off a quick response on their phone. Or perhaps English is a second (or third or fourth) language. Or perhaps there’s a disability (autism/dyslexia) involved. Alternatively, sometimes a single typo is so obviously inadvertent (a repeatedly used word is misspelled only once) that it would be utterly petty to draw attention to it. Also: some platforms don’t have a preview function or allow editing. Finally, some posts are so chockfull of errors that it’s clear the post-er (for their own reasons) doesn’t care about spelling or punctuation. And in those situations, it would be rude and presumptuous (and pointless) to correct or “lecture.”

All that said… I’ve been on message boards for years; and I’ve seen some really excellent writing. Truly. I’ve read posts that are so thoughtfully organized and so well articulated that they put many “professional” writers to shame. So it’s clear that at least some folks do care about how well they express themselves - including using proper spelling, syntax, etc. Moreover, message boards are an almost ideal venue for practice. (Bonus: you’re anonymous! - hidden behind a cutesy username.) But unless someone corrects a mistake (hopefully politely), how are you supposed to improve and learn?

On one occasion, I was in a serious conversation about surveying political opinions. And I kept using the word “pole.” Finally, someone made the obvious joke: that “poling” a person could be very painful. Of course, I meant “poll.” And I was embarrassed at my error. But I was also grateful for the correction. (I never made that particular mistake again. )

Anyhoo… By my reckoning, the point of this thread isn’t to encourage Grammar Policing in other threads. It’s a dedicated place for likeminded individuals to discuss the topic in a general way. So, posting helpful tips (e.g., the difference between “pole” and poll” ) is welcome. Likewise, listing your personal grammar pet peeves can often be educational to others. But let’s stay positive and courteous.

 

[Teelie]

On one occasion, I was in a serious conversation about surveying political opinions. And I kept using the word “pole.” Finally, someone made the obvious joke: that “poling” a person could be very painful. Of course, I meant “poll.” And I was embarrassed at my error. But I was also grateful for the correction. (I never made that particular mistake again. )

There is a "rule" of the internet that any time you try to correct someone's grammar or spelling you will inevitably make a mistake yourself in doing so.

I've been on the internet for so long that I just don't care anymore. There are some people who obviously could not care about grammar or spelling and there are people who try but for the reasons above make mistakes. Unless they are particularly lazy or bad about it I don't mention it and just skip past their nigh unreadable text.

 

[Hotwire]

Seriously though, the easiest proof reading you can do, is read aloud what you've typed. Read it carefully to avoid your brain making automatic corrections. You should easily pick out most errors.

 

[Dave McFly]

 

[Hotwire]

I love that song!

 

[Dr.]

There is a "rule" of the internet that any time you try to correct someone's grammar or spelling you will inevitably make a mistake yourself in doing so.

Sometimes called “Muphry’s Law” (a jokey, deliberate misspelling of “Murphy’s Law”).

 

[Dr.]

More word trivia: career and careen

Career, of course, means job or occupation. But it has a second definition: “to proceed rapidly, often in a reckless or out-of-control manner.”

But that’s also the definition of careen. Well… it is nowadays. Originally, careen was a nautical term; it referred to turning a ship on its side for cleaning or repairs. Subsequently, it was used to describe a (side to side) rocking or tipping motion.

Gradually, however, careen became conflated with career. Perhaps this was due to the near-identical spelling. Or perhaps it was because the two actions could often coincide. E.g., a speeding car might be careering down the road and then careen around a turn.

In any case, feel free to use careen to indicate “reckless speed.” But if you come across someone using career to mean the same thing, know that they’re not wrong.

 

[Dr.]

A (bad) grammar meme. I count 13 (arguably 14) errors. Have I missed any?

 

[gohei_]

Hmm. I only spot 12 errors, but english is not my main language.

Also, I think proper grammar and spelling is super important, especially online when talking to strangers.
I most likely make mistakes every now and then, but I try to be as correct as possible.

 

[Teelie]

I definitely count 14 if you include improperly used words (as opposed to just plain wrong ones). I was an English major in college though so...

(But clearly not worried about appropriate usage most of the time).

 

[Asr]

A (bad) grammar meme. I count 13 (arguably 14) errors. Have I missed any?

I'm not sure what it says about poorly-written English that the sentence is still "readable" anyway and still gets the point across.

 

[Dr.]

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

 

[Dr.]

A fun, quirky bit of linguistics: The so-called “garden-path sentence.”

This is a sentence that is grammatically correct… technically. But its construction is so odd that it usually leads the reader astray. Thus, typically, the reader has to back up and try again in order to make sense of it.

Classic example: The complex houses married and single soldiers and their families.

Here, most would interpret “complex” as the adjective, which modifies the noun “houses.” But as such, the rest of sentence is baffling. However, if you read “complex” as a noun (i.e., another name for a building) and “houses” as a verb (to house - to provide shelter), then everything else makes sense.

Other examples (some trickier than others):

- The horse raced past the barn fell.
- The old man the boat.
- The cotton clothing is made of grows in Mississippi.
- The raft floated down the river sank.
- When Matt eats food gets thrown.
- Fat people eat accumulates.
- The man who whistles tunes pianos.

 

[Dr.]

Affect vs. effect - and how to keep them straight.


A common memory aid is to use “raven.”

The “av” tells you that affect is a verb; the “en” tells you that effect is a noun. Affect means to “influence” or “cause a change” (verb). Effect means “result” or “product” (noun). Examples:

That movie deeply affected (influenced) me.

The effect (result) of the movie was profound.

Unfortunately, there are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes affect can be a noun and effect a verb. In psychology, for example, affect refers to an apparent mood. He exhibited a strange affect (pronunciation is slightly different). And when effect is a verb it means “to bring about” - usually taking the form of effect a change, effect an escape, etc.

However, these exceptions are relatively rare. So even if you don’t remember them and only follow the “raven” trick, you’ll be right most of the time.

 

[terry78]

I ain't gonna let some crow tell me how to talk good.

 

[Dr.]

Punctuation humor:

 

[zeptron]

I'm usually not a grammar nazi, but my issue is the "this is the internet, not school" mindset some people have. Because I find it to be a rather lazy excuse for someone to type like they're still in elementary school. A few mistakes are okay(hell I type pretty fast and tend to make some myself), but it becomes a problem when the post is pretty unintelligible and I can't understand what they're saying or if someone makes a long post without using paragraphs and instead makes a huge wall of text with little or no punctuation. In the case of the latter, I tend to skip over them since they make my head hurt.

There's a time and place for everything. If someone sends you a text and you respond with, "k", that's fine. But when someone is communicating with strangers whether it's in public or on the internet, one needs to understand that how they speak or type can have a bit of an impact on how their message is perceived. Now if English isn't someone's first language or if they have some sort of a disability, then it's understandable.

I can just imagine a lot of teenagers nowadays failing English assignments in school because they use a lot of text speak in their essays.

 

[Dr.]

Coming down the pike… or pipe?

At this point, either is acceptable.

Pike was the original term (derived from turnpike); and it means “in due course” or something “to be encountered” in the relatively near future. However, the word pike isn’t universally familiar. So it was easy to confuse/conflate it with pipe (perhaps evoking the notion of a metaphorical “pipeline”).


Home… or hone?

Home or home in means to “aim at” or “close the distance to” a target. See “homing missile.” Or “After a few false starts, I homed in on the correct answer.”

Hone means to sharpen. “I honed the knife blade.” Or (metaphorically), “She honed her debating skills at university.” Thus, strictly speaking, one can never “hone in” on anything — because that would mean “sharpen in.”

Hone, it might be said, is the fancier and more hifalutin word. So it’s ironic that it’s often used in error. I.e., the plain sounding home was right after all.

Of course, languages evolve. So it’s just a matter of time before hone in becomes more acceptable (if it isn’t already).

 

[Dr.]

John Richards, bulwark for the apostrophe against grammatical 'barbarians,' dies at 97 | Ap | fredericknewspost.com

Mr. Richards and his most enthusiastic comrades set about collecting photographic evidence, which they posted on their website, of the extent of modern apostrophe abuse: a line declaring that “Diamond’s Are Forever,” a handwritten store sign advertising “LOT’S MORE TOY’S INSIDE” and a newsstand where readers could find “NEW’S AND MAGAZINES.” They discovered a body art salon that announced itself as offering “TATTOO’S,” a concerning error for an establishment whose primary service was the permanent inking of skin.

See also superfluous apostrophe or "greengrocer's apostrophe":

Apostrophe - Wikipedia

RIP Mr. Richards

 

[Prison Mike]

Coming down the pike… or pipe?

At this point, either is acceptable.

Pike was the original term (derived from turnpike); and it means “in due course” or something “to be encountered” in the relatively near future. However, the word pike isn’t universally familiar. So it was easy to confuse/conflate it with pipe (perhaps evoking the notion of a metaphorical “pipeline”).


Home… or hone?

Home or home in means to “aim at” or “close the distance to” a target. See “homing missile.” Or “After a few false starts, I homed in on the correct answer.”

Hone means to sharpen. “I honed the knife blade.” Or (metaphorically), “She honed her debating skills at university.” Thus, strictly speaking, one can never “hone in” on anything — because that would mean “sharpen in.”

Hone, it might be said, is the fancier and more hifalutin word. So it’s ironic that it’s often used in error. I.e., the plain sounding home was right after all.

Of course, languages evolve. So it’s just a matter of time before hone in becomes more acceptable (if it isn’t already).

This was very informative!

 

[Teelie]

John Richards, bulwark for the apostrophe against grammatical 'barbarians,' dies at 97 | Ap | fredericknewspost.com

Mr. Richards and his most enthusiastic comrades set about collecting photographic evidence, which they posted on their website, of the extent of modern apostrophe abuse: a line declaring that “Diamond’s Are Forever,” a handwritten store sign advertising “LOT’S MORE TOY’S INSIDE” and a newsstand where readers could find “NEW’S AND MAGAZINES.” They discovered a body art salon that announced itself as offering “TATTOO’S,” a concerning error for an establishment whose primary service was the permanent inking of skin.

See also superfluous apostrophe or "greengrocer's apostrophe":

Apostrophe - Wikipedia

RIP Mr. Richards

I know language is fluid and all but yikes, he really did a service for educating people on how to properly use it.

 

[Dr.]

Words that no longer mean what they used to.

Obviously, there are many. Here’s one to start:


Decimate - Originally, this meant reduce by 1/10 (“deci” is Latin for tenth). Therefore, 9/10 is left. But nowadays, decimate connotes near-total eradication or destruction. So it’s hardly possible to use the prior sense of the word, since that would convey the wrong (indeed, opposite) intended meaning.