NWFlyer 2 #51 July 21, 2006 QuoteBut . . . what . . . about . . . these . . . little . . . dots? We grammar police call them ellipsis. Officially, using them means you are omitting some information. The way people around here use them, though, there is usually not information omitted, just actual thought. (And I will confess I am guilty of overuse of those little dots, sometimes when I just can't think of a way to end things...)"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #52 July 21, 2006 Quote We grammar police call them ellipsis. And that reminds me of another one! "Us grammar police call them ellipsis." And the related ones: "My friend and me are going to the store." "Just between you and I, grammar police are anal-retentive freaks." And don't even get me started on the general lack of subject-verb agreement in this world. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #53 July 21, 2006 Quote"For all intensive purposes" "Ect" instead of "Etc." - how people get "ect" out of et cetera boggles the mind. "Women" when referring to a single woman. I have no idea how this came about, but it seems to be a pretty common problem. NUCULARMy photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #54 July 21, 2006 QuoteThe worst ones for me are the technical ones that end up having an entirely different meaning:- Decent vs Descent Break vs Brake Yolk vs Yoke. There is an article on the home page where at least two of the above are used.... And then there is the drouge. What exactly is a drouge? what about desert and dessert? (I always fuck that one up)My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
briguy 0 #55 July 21, 2006 documentation. as in "do you have any documentation for that problem" instead of "do you have any information (or documents) regarding that problem" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #56 July 21, 2006 Here's one I see on this forum all the time: "Loose" instead of "Lose" as in "I am going to loose my mind." Read a fucking book once in a while, people! Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kbordson 8 #57 July 21, 2006 weird and wierd. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveStMarys 0 #58 July 21, 2006 I LOVE my dots!! Actually I use them because it is a habit...help me please...anyone...anyone. Its that silent pause....that I like so much. BobbiA miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #59 July 21, 2006 QuoteHere's one I see on this forum all the time: "Loose" instead of "Lose" as in "I am going to loose my mind." Read a fucking book once in a while, people! Yea I fuck that one up too. but THAT is a fat finger problem.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douva 0 #60 July 21, 2006 "Orientate" is in the dictionary as an alternative to "orient." I've never heard "conversate" used. "Irregardless" annoys me. I cut people a little more slack with "who" and "whom" because even I sometimes fail to pay close enough attention to the subject/object relation in my sentences. I get annoyed when somebody frequently misuses "there"/"their"/"they're" or "your"/"you're" or "then"/"than" or "to"/"too"/"two" or "a lot"/"alot," but I do mistype those occasionally, when I'm typing too fast, so I have to forgive the occasional slipup. Placing commas and periods outside the quotation marks annoys me; however, I agree with the British that there are times when it is more appropriate to place dashes, question marks, and exclamation points outside the quotation marks. I think "y'all" should be accepted throughout the English speaking world, since the English language has no plural specific form of "you." The fourth definition of "infer" is "HINT, SUGGEST," and the second definition of "imply" is "to express indirectly : hint at : SUGGEST," so even though I think it sounds better to use "imply" in certain situations, such as when the subject of the sentence is a non-human, I think the idea that "infer" must only be used to mean "GUESS, SURMISE" is more of a guideline than an actual English grammar rule. Speaking of guidelines versus rules, not splitting infinitives and not ending sentences in prepositions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules of the English language. The teaching of these guidelines as rules stems from Latin, where they are rules. In English, however, splitting an infinitive or ending a sentence in a preposition is sometimes more appropriate than the alternative.I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindercles 0 #61 July 21, 2006 QuoteSpeaking of guidelines versus rules, not splitting infinitives and not ending sentences in prepositions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules of the English language. The teaching of these guidelines as rules stems from Latin, where they are rules. In English, however, splitting an infinitive or ending a sentence in a preposition is sometimes more appropriate than the alternative. What cracks me up is when people go out of their way to change the order of their preposition when it's not even at the end of the sentence anyway. Example: "The pen with which you are writing is black." When "the pen you're writing with is black" would be perfectly acceptable. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
briguy 0 #62 July 21, 2006 i was watching a powerpoint presentation given by a VP in my company and in one slide he was discussing the impact of hurricane katrina on operations in a particular district. the title of the slide was "katrina reeks havock". ugh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #63 July 21, 2006 I have a sort of adopted Mom. She was an English major and when someone ends a sentence with a preposition, it really annoys her. When someone asks her "Where are you at?", she answers "Just before the at." 50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Douva 0 #64 July 21, 2006 Quote [Lindercles] QuoteSpeaking of guidelines versus rules, not splitting infinitives and not ending sentences in prepositions are guidelines, not hard and fast rules of the English language. The teaching of these guidelines as rules stems from Latin, where they are rules. In English, however, splitting an infinitive or ending a sentence in a preposition is sometimes more appropriate than the alternative. What cracks me up is when people go out of their way to change the order of their preposition when it's not even at the end of the sentence anyway. Example: "The pen with which you are writing is black." When "the pen you're writing with is black" would be perfectly acceptable. The premise behind not ending a sentence in a preposition is to keep the preposition as close as possible to its object. Your first example does move "pen" and "with" closer together, but I think we can probably all agree that it does so at the cost of making the sentence a little too wordy and convoluted. [monkycndo] QuoteI have a sort of adopted Mom. She was an English major and when someone ends a sentence with a preposition, it really annoys her. When someone asks her "Where are you at?", she answers "Just before the at." In that example, the preposition "at" has no object, so its use is grammatically incorrect. Most of us are guilty of throwing in a lot of extra prepositions when we speak.I don't have an M.D. or a law degree. I have bachelor's in kicking ass and taking names. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MF42 0 #65 July 21, 2006 QuoteQuoteBut . . . what . . . about . . . these . . . little . . . dots? We grammar police call them ellipsis. Officially, using them means you are omitting some information. The way people around here use them, though, there is usually not information omitted, just actual thought. (And I will confess I am guilty of overuse of those little dots, sometimes when I just can't think of a way to end things...) I must confess...I am an ellipsis junky. I think an informal medium such as this forum can tolerate technical imperfection when the goal is expressing a personal "voice" through the written word. I use the ellipsis to indicate a pause longer than a comma. Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MF42 0 #66 July 21, 2006 QuoteThe worst ones for me are the technical ones that end up having an entirely different meaning:- Decent vs Descent Break vs Brake Yolk vs Yoke. There is an article on the home page where at least two of the above are used.... And then there is the drouge. What exactly is a drouge? Yup, saw that. You'd think Germain would know better. Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #67 July 21, 2006 ok, I am often but not always omiting things when I use them. generally I put them in because my train of thought is lost and I am changing direction. Fuck, my grasp of grammar sucks. I might as well just admit it. ok, who's going to flog me, cause I need a good flogging. Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #68 July 21, 2006 Quote "Orientate" is in the dictionary as an alternative to "orient." I remember seeing the film "Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii". The film was made about 1971. At one point there's an interview with a very long-haired, red-eyed David Gilmour, who is saying "...I know we have a reputation of being a sort of a drug-orientated band. 'Course we're not. You can trust us!" Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MF42 0 #69 July 21, 2006 QuoteI have a sort of adopted Mom. She was an English major and when someone ends a sentence with a preposition, it really annoys her. When someone asks her "Where are you at?", she answers "Just before the at." When I moved from OK to the IL/WI area, this particular habit became much more common. Somebody would ask, "Hey Matt, we're all going to the show, you wanna come with?" I stand there for a second, waiting for the sentence to be completed, then realize my friend thinks the sentence is done and he's waiting for an answer. It was a little bit awkward until I caught the rhythm. Matt Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelel01 1 #70 July 21, 2006 Yeah, "come with". I say that now, but the first several times I heard it, it sounded SO WEIRD. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
goodnplentygirl 0 #71 July 21, 2006 Remember that one chick I used to work with, that you said looks like a frog, lectured myself and another girl about how she could "totally tell we are not from Texas because we spelled y'all - Y'ALL and only true native Texans know it is spelled YA'LL" Give me a break And yes Douva, you are a f'n grammar freak my body, my choice Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legalart 0 #72 July 21, 2006 A woman once told me she never forgot anything because she had a "photogenic" memory. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #73 July 21, 2006 Quote ok, who's going to flog me, cause I need a good flogging. Actually, I am going to give you credit for not saying "ok, whose going to flog me." No flogging for you! Gold star for the appropriate use of the apostrophe and the contraction of "who is.""There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,026 #74 July 21, 2006 QuoteI have a sort of adopted Mom. She was an English major and when someone ends a sentence with a preposition, it really annoys her. When someone asks her "Where are you at?", she answers "Just before the at." Easily fixed: "Where are you at, Mom?"... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #75 July 21, 2006 QuoteNo flogging for you! Shit, and here I was looking forward to the whipping, figures I'd fuck it up. Livin' on the Edge... sleeping with my rigger's wife... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
