This thread makes me happy. Another one that irritates me: could of, should of, would of, etc.
Agree agree agree. But is v expecting me to use colons and semicolons on GBCN? I think I have to change keyboards for colons on the ipad. I am way too lazy for that!
And I started to reread the above to check for errors, but then thought, "whatevs, I am typing with 2 fingers here"
I apply different rules to you (and septimus) because I know how you guys roll
I always love a good grammar/vocab/shaming post. So many things annoy me. I think all have been posted here.
Among the legal set, the inability to use which v. that correctly is a problem.
I've given up on this issue. Apparently the British just use "which" all the time. It seems to have bled over to NPR. If NPR hosts can't get it right, there's little hope for the general population.
I always love a good grammar/vocab/shaming post. So many things annoy me. I think all have been posted here.
Among the legal set, the inability to use which v. that correctly is a problem.
I've given up on this issue. Apparently the British just use "which" all the time. It seems to have bled over to NPR. If NPR hosts can't get it right, there's little hope for the general population.
Ok, despite my insecurities I'm chiming in. A FB friend (in her second year of vet school) posted this tonight:
"'I'm gonna make something so crazy you'll never forget it... Like, you won't be able to get it out of your head unless you get a lobotomy... I do those too if you're interested.' LOL [my husband] helping me come up with a pneumonic for the DNA viruses..."
I've given up on this issue. Apparently the British just use "which" all the time. It seems to have bled over to NPR. If NPR hosts can't get it right, there's little hope for the general population.
Never give up!
The partners in my group work so much with our British colleagues and clients that they use all sorts of Britishisms in their writings (even to American tribunals). I'll admit that I use "proper" a lot (I swear there isn't a good American English equivalent!), but for a which v. that Nazi, and someone who thinks it is ridiculous to use all sorts of British-only expressions when filing things in, say, the SDNY, it is incredibly frustrating to edit their work.
The partners in my group work so much with our British colleagues and clients that they use all sorts of Britishisms in their writings (even to American tribunals). I'll admit that I use "proper" a lot (I swear there isn't a good American English equivalent!), but for a which v. that Nazi, and someone who thinks it is ridiculous to use all sorts of British-only expressions when filing things in, say, the SDNY, it is incredibly frustrating to edit their work.
Ah yes, I bet that's annoying. I've haven't thought much about proper, but I agree it is a good word without a good American English equivalent.
Post by chickadee77 on Sept 4, 2013 20:54:07 GMT -5
I heart this thread. I must chime in, though, about how many people on these boards want loose weight. I thought the idea was generally to either lose it, or tighten it! Lol.
I always love a good grammar/vocab/shaming post. So many things annoy me. I think all have been posted here.
Among the legal set, the inability to use which v. that correctly is a problem.
I've given up on this issue. Apparently the British just use "which" all the time. It seems to have bled over to NPR. If NPR hosts can't get it right, there's little hope for the general population.
lots of sectors overuse which. My ugrad advisor has a one-page style cheat sheet for technical writing. One of the items is "find every use of 'which' in your paper and try replacing it with 'that'. if 'that' sounds correct, keep it". Which sounds more formal but really it just makes you harder to comprehend.
Post by Velvetshady on Sept 4, 2013 22:26:14 GMT -5
Back in the Dark Ages, I was taught that the "that/which" fight was the grammar version of the US East Coast/West Coast rapper war. The East Coast cares about using that/which properly, the West Coast doesn't. Damn West Coasters and your lazy standards.
The effect is how I remember it. (When you can put the in front of it, it's the noun version. Effect.)
but! effect can be a verb meaning "to bring about", e.g. "to effect change in the company culture, we will be bringing in new upper management and doubling the morale budget." It's a pauncy usage tho
Affect - is a verb (unless you're talking psychology stuff - like reactions and expressions). (Courtesy of the Oatmeal...replace it with another verb and if it works, it's Affect. theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling- which I think was previously posted)
Effect: Noun (unless you're talking making changes) (Courtesy of moi...if you can put THE in front, it's Effect.)
I love Grammar Girl and The Oatmeal. They answer all the questions of the universe...or at least grammar world.
The effect is how I remember it. (When you can put the in front of it, it's the noun version. Effect.)
but! effect can be a verb meaning "to bring about", e.g. "to effect change in the company culture, we will be bringing in new upper management and doubling the morale budget." It's a pauncy usage tho
That is a much less common usage than effect as a noun.
Affect can also be a noun meaning disposition or body language, but again, it's much less common than affect as a verb.
I'm not going to go through all my posts for 100% correct spelling or the proper placement of a commas and semicolons.
Ain't nobody (with a life) got time for that!
If you know the rules and get used to using them, it takes no extra time to use words and punctuation marks correctly. And it really isn't a bad skill set to have for your professional life. People judge people who don't write well.
I assure you that my use of semicolons when appropriate has not negatively impacted my social life.
I'm not going to go through all my posts for 100% correct spelling or the proper placement of a commas and semicolons.
Ain't nobody (with a life) got time for that!
I don't think it's the occasional spelling error or comma splice that annoys (most) people in informal communication. For me, it's incorrect usage that suggests one doesn't know the meaning of the words she is speaking/writing.
I'm not going to go through all my posts for 100% correct spelling or the proper placement of a commas and semicolons.
Ain't nobody (with a life) got time for that!
I don't think it's the occasional spelling error or comma splice that annoys (most) people in informal communication. For me, it's incorrect usage that suggests one doesn't know the meaning of the words she is speaking/writing.
Ding ding ding.
"Bad spellers of the world untie!" -- clearly a typo, and not one worth fixing. not a sign that the poster doesn't know how to spell. no judgment there.
"Can you please recammend you're favorite Boden dress. I defanitely need to buy new dresses, I just started a new job." -- the poster doesn't know how to write.
... have we reached the point where the thread is just pedants being pedantic about how pedantic other pedants should be, and which things it's acceptable to be pedantic about?
... have we reached the point where the thread is just pedants being pedantic about how pedantic other pedants should be, and which things it's acceptable to be pedantic about?
4 pages and my 2 pet peeves aren't on here? Shocking!
Everyone seems to have forgotten there is a difference in that vs who. Although a quick google search shows the rules have relaxed over time
It drives me nuts when people ask about washclothes instead of washcloths. See, I had to type it twice because autocorrect spelled it properly for me.
I am another person embarrassed to say I didn't know it was "for all intents and purposes" until I was in my 20s. Thanks Mom for clearing that up for me
And I agree with RBP, it's the clear case of incorrect usage that bothers me more than the occasional typo or brain fart.
If you know the rules and get used to using them, it takes no extra time to use words and punctuation marks correctly. And it really isn't a bad skill set to have for your professional life. People judge people who don't write well.
I assure you that my use of semicolons when appropriate has not negatively impacted my social life.
GBCN isn't my professional life. Of course grammar and spelling is important in a professional setting. I literally spend no time thinking/worrying about whether or not my grammar or spelling is correct when I'm writing posts. Since I'm lucky to be decently educated it's pretty easy for me to at least put together a coherent sentence on a message board. I'm sure I get judged then for not always making things grammatically correct, but I really don't care that much lol.
I re-read and edit all of my work emails and other writing in professional settings.
I guess the way I see it is that if you make a bit of effort at grammar/puncutation/spelling in personal life instead of being all "It's just a message board and I don't give a fuck whether I write correctly here," it will become second-nature and you won't have to worry as much about re-reading and editing your work emails and other professional writing. You'll still need to edit, but at least the basic grammar/punctuation stuff will be taken care of without thought, so you can focus more on "Is this the clearest way I can write this? Does my audience spell "traveling" with one L or two? Maybe I should break this thought into to several paragraphs? Is this sentence too long? Oh shit -- I typed untie instead of unite! stuff"
I don't think it's the occasional spelling error or comma splice that annoys (most) people in informal communication. For me, it's incorrect usage that suggests one doesn't know the meaning of the words she is speaking/writing.
Ok got it.
I saw a post that switched the roll and role, which I'm guessing is maybe where this PSA post came from. It's not like the whole post was filled with misspellings, so it seems this PSA might've come from that one small mistake.
Sometimes I mix up their and there or principle and principal, etc if I'm typing quickly. I guess I just don't see it as a big deal on a message board.
I am pretty sure y4m started this post as a response to the gazillions of annoying usage errors we see every day and not to call out one particular poster for making one mistake once. We all know that you get flamed for correcting someone's usage within that post, so this is a repository for months of banked usage error annoyance.
And I agree with RBP, it's the clear case of incorrect usage that bothers me more than the occasional typo or brain fart.
My brain farts often and my spelling and typing skills suck. And it usually happens when I'm correcting someone else
On here and other boards, it only really bugs me to the point of calling out mistakes in the following cases:
1) The person is attempting to claim they are a professional writer/editor/English teacher/etc and they are consistent in their misuse of the language. 2) The person posts something so bad it isn't understandable then gets in a huff when people try to make sense of their mess. 3) The person is being a snot in general and I decide to be a snot back. 4) I'm in a super snotty mood and am being a nit-picky snot to someone I don't particularly like for no real reason (yes, I admit I've done this more than once on here, but I've been making an effort to not do it anymore). And usually this is coupled with #1.
And I didn't take this thread as attacking/calling out anyone specific, just general whining about pet peeves. So, please, no one take any posts here as a personnel attack.
I literally saw the specific error I called out three times yesterday - once at work and twice on this board in two different contexts. I would never correct within a post or call someone specific out - it could be a typo or whatever. But 3 times is an epidemic. Something had to be done