RAF's Grammar Rant Wiki (1 Viewer)

Administrator Robert Fowkes has written an HTF wiki on improper grammar usage.

A couple of points intrigue me. The first is his use of a capital "I" when describing the internet.

Yes, the Internet can be a wonderful place for information and communication.

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While this has become an interesting topic of discussion among grammarians, I fall on the side of the argument that even though the word has evolved into a noun which refers to a specific thing, the English language doesn't currently capitalize similar nouns such as radio and television. We wouldn't say: "Yes, Television can be a wonderful place..."

The other involves the "quote/unquote" issue. It was always my belief that, rather than "unquote" the term was "endquote" to match the name of the second quotation mark used to close the quoted material. I think the evolution of the term to "unquote" is just another example of the sloppy diction/hearing which is responsible for my biggest grammatical pet peeve currently in vogue on the HTF: "of" in place of "have."

An example: "I 'should of' written that sentence differently so that I 'might of' had a funner time making my point." It seems to be showing up more and more often across the boards.

I find myself referring to this guide far too frequently...

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/621/01/
- Walter.

Mike,

Interesting. On a related note, my literary agent told me recently that ending sentences with prepositions seems to be acceptable (and in some case preferable) to publishers. She said that when a sentence becomes 'awkward,' then using a preposition at the conclusion is fine.

Example:
"... with which to keep track." (Perhaps grammatically correct, but not preferred)

" ... to keep track of." (Preferred)

I don't agree with it, but she's calling the shots and is promoting my book. So, I abide by her wishes in this matter.

Another one that is very ugly for me to hear (and it has become quite common even in print) is:

"Where's the cars?"

and


"There's the boys."

Sometimes, I reverse it when speaking to people, and they look at me in confusion:

For example, "Where are my car?" or "There are the dog."

Originally Posted by Ockeghem /forum/thread/293618/raf-s-grammar-rant-wiki#post_3613743

I assume you all know the famous observation attributed to Churchill?

Do not end a sentence with a preposition. That is something up with which I will not put.

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Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

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Mike,

Exactly. It may pay off (literally) for me in the long run.

Originally Posted by Ockeghem

Exactly. It may pay off (literally) for me in the long run.

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Good luck to you. It is very much a roller coaster ride of an experience.

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon




Good luck to you. It is very much a roller coaster ride of an experience.

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Thanks. I am enjoying it immensely thus far. Having an agent whom is very responsive and critical (in a positive sense) is enjoyable. It also pushes me to do my best work.

I have a contract for another book I'm working on, and I do not require an agent for that one as it is more academic in nature.

Originally Posted by Michael Reuben

I assume you all know the famous observation attributed to Churchill?

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LOL! Yes, I do.

Originally Posted by Ockeghem /forum/thread/293618/raf-s-grammar-rant-wiki#post_3613757

Let me make myself clear. I’m not talking about the special language that text messaging has foisted upon us due, in part, to the need for speed and brevity. Things like “RUOK? PCM. CU L8R. THNQ” were born out of necessity before unlimited texting was affordable and widespread

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I think it's funny that people always point to text messaging as the cause of these abbreviations. The truth is these started long before text messaging was even capable. These started on various chat boards in the BBS days. It was text messaging that brought it to the forefront of the general public, however. Personally I don't mind the "quote/unquote" usage that much. This originated from the hand signal usage of quotes, which can't be used when there's no visual to go with the speech. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "quote something unquote." That sounds really cumbersome to me. I don't think either of those terms are grammatically correct as it should never be used in printed text. It is strictly for verbal speech. As such I think "quote/unquote" gets the point across better than RAF's version. My personal rant for incorrect grammar is the usage of "loose" to mean "lose." This is clearly not a simple typo as it's usage is so common on the discussion boards. I could easily point to well over a hundred examples on HTF alone. One does not loose the game if they don't win, they lose it. The pronunciations are even different between these words, so I find it quite strange that this problem is so pervasive. I can easily forgive typos and unintentional grammatical mistakes. It's these (hopefully unknowing) intentional mistakes that annoy me.

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon /forum/thread/293618/raf-s-grammar-rant-wiki#post_3613765

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Mike,

I'd love to say that it was intentional on my part.

Myself, I don't care at all about spelling on the internet, it's just the internet. As long as I get the point, that's all that matters. I laugh a little at those who get upset and grammer issues on the net. Seriously, it's just the internet. It's not that important.

Originally Posted by Ron-P )

I agree, though, that there's no point in getting upset over other people's linguistic failings.

This:

An example: "I 'should of' written that sentence differently so that I 'might of' had a funner time making my point." It seems to be showing up more and more often across the boards.

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Makes me think of Benntt Brauer: http://www.hulu.com/watch/2331/saturday-night-live-update---bennett-brauer

Originally Posted by Michael Reuben )

I agree, though, that there's no point in getting upset over other people's linguistic failings.

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Oh, I admit, I completely suck at spelling and grammar, but I also don't care, that's just me. If someone has an issue with it, oh well. I don't spend, nor do I like to, hours on the internet at a time. I log on, post my thoughts and checkout. If somethings spelled wrong, oh well, as long as my point gets across, it's all good.

Back in my school days I was much more caring as I was being graded. For me it comes down to what I am doing and how careful I need to be. For the internet, I don't need to be careful or caring much about my spelling and grammar.

Originally Posted by Ron-P

One of the things I like about the HTF is that most members have a pretty good capacity with the language. I see misspellings, typos and the like all the time but don't feel the need to call people out on them. That's not my job.

The way I look at it is if someone wants me to take their opinions seriously they should take the time to write properly. I won't call them out on it but I'll probably just not read their post.

We usually don't have that problem here, for the most part.

People should write the same way that they talk. If everybody spoke and wrote with out breaking or bending the rules, language and cultures would have a hard time changing and evolving with the times. We would all be still speaking in colonial English in the USA. I was born and raised in NJ in between the Philly and NY accents and now live in KY with the southern and country ways of speaking. These differences are what gives the cultures their individuality and should be communicated in how they post.