Attention, "alot" is not a word. (1 Viewer)

[Jacinto]

A similar one is the use of an apostrophe before the "s" to indicate a plural: driver's wanted.

I just saw this on a big sign in a store yesterday and almost fell over: RESTROOM'S.

 

[David Williams]

The majority of the things I've seen people complaining about in this thread should have been taught in elementary school, or as it used to be more commonly called, GRAMMAR school. I don't understand why those who complain about such things should be labeled as "Grammar Nazis", when it is about something so rudimentary in our educations.

I couldn't have said this better! We should all take pride in the ability to successfully express ourselves with the written word.

 

[BrettB]

What's a fraction?

 

[David Lawson]

For some reason, you never hear about the dreaded "Math Nazis".

I heard about it on a number of occasions in high school, since I was the only grocery store employee who could determine the individual cost of a 4/$1.00 item without the aid of a cash register.

Jacinto hit the nail on the head. The level of your education has nothing to do with it. The effort you put into getting your education has everything to do with it.

 

[Malcolm R]

I think it's when two items rubbing against each other generate heat.

 

[BrettB]

Thanks alot Malcolm.

 

[Paul_Sjordal]

Thank you, Jacinto.

I know I make my share of spelling and grammar errors, but I do try. Really. (*blaring sirens* The previous sentence is incomplete! Where's the verb? Where's the noun?)

I can overlook most simple mistakes but there are people who clearly don't take the English language seriously. This is fine if English is a second language for you. If it is not, then English is something you've theoretically been practicing since before attending kindergarten. It is not unreasonable to expect someone to get it somewhat right after a couple of decades of practice. If you spent 20 years playing baseball I would expect you to know the difference between a bat and a glove, and that expectation hardly makes me a Nazi.

The occasional grammar or spelling error is easy to overlook, but if your posts contain a lot of basic language errors, then people will think you're not very bright. Either learn to correctly use your own language or learn to live with people thinking you're stupid. Either way, calling people "elitist" for expecting you to grasp fairly basic skills is not going to accomplish anything.

OMG OMG UR n0t L33T!!111!!! I aM L33T!!!!111!1!

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

This forum is nothing when it comes to grammar or spelling errors. Whenever I go to a game forum to find out some info I have to sort through the typical "AOLer" post. For example, if the original post was written on those boards it would look like this:

IM SORY I CUD NOT TAEK IT ANY MORE!!!1!1! OMG I SE IT AVARYDAY AND IT IS DRIVNG ME MAD1!!!111! OMG WTF LOL TEH PROPER PHRAES IS A LOT!!!1!1 OMG AN EXMPLA IN A S3NT3NCE WUD B

A LOT OF PEOPLE MAEK THIS MISTAEK

COM311!!1! LOL ON P3OPLE LETS USE TEH SP3L THEIR1!!! OMG WTF I GOT IT OF MAH CH3ST111!!!1 WTF FEL FRE 2 LIST UR OWN SP3LNG PAT PEV3S!!!1 WTF LOL


Anyway, next time you see "alot" just ask them what they mean about Adaptive Large Optics Technologies or Airborne Lightweight Optical Tracking.

There, Their, and They're are my biggest pet peeves.

 

[Eric Kahn]

the signature is fixed, the web page will take longer because my ISP changed the publishing system from "easy to use" to "need special computer nerd software to update it"
and called it an improvement

told you I could not spell or type

BLEEP!!!! it worked on the first try, amazing!!
wep page link fixed

 

[Reginald Trent]

I am surprised no one has mentioned noone.

Expecting errorless post is like expecting courteous perfect drivers. It ain't gonna happen. However, my expectations might be different if I were reading post from a Harvard or Yale forum.

BTW Perhaps I should have said it is not going to happen. Given the topic of this thread.

 

[BrianW]

Grammar Nazi Confession: I just put a lengthy post in another thread, proofread it before submitting it, and after submitting it, found at least three glaring errors.

Eh.

I usually fix such errors, but there's a lot of formatting in the post, making it difficult to fix without causing more errors, so I'm not going to bother. (Gasp!) Besides, the earlier post I made in the same thread is much, much worse, grammar- and spelling-wise, so this more recent post actually comes off as a big improvement!

As for what we do in this thread, I think it's open season. If the topic invites discussions about usage and grammar, then discussions about usage and grammar are to be expected. Therefore, Grammar Nazis are truly Grammar Nazis only if they can't keep their fascist ways contained in threads like this one. If you catch me correcting someone in another, non-grammar thread (and I'm not merely trying to seek clarification of something that is truly indecipherable), then I give you the authority to call me a Big Fat STINKER! ...And right to my face, too!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Jason, I haven't laughed that hard in weeks!

My new sig: OMG WTF LOL!!!!!

 

[Jon_Are]

I can't wait for next month's "irregardless" discussion.

No, I think next month is the discussion about irony; 'irregardless' is slated for January.

For the record, my pet peeve is advice/advise.

And anyone who takes offense at being corrected - you should welcome the free advise advice and opportunity to learn.

Unless, of course, you're into that whole ignorance thing.

Jon

 

[Keith Mickunas]

The irony discussion already happened this past week. Although I don't think it ever reached a good conclusion on what irony is/isn't.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

The irony discussion already happened this past week. Although I don't think it ever reached a good conclusion on what irony is/isn't.

Isn't that what you do to a wrinkled shirt?

 

[Jacinto]

This morning I thought about this thread when I ran across this:
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Featur...aspx?QuizID=51

 

[larry mac]

And anyone who takes offense at being corrected - you should welcome the free advice and opportunity to learn.

Please allow me to pose a question. If one were to go around trying to correct strangers (or even friends, family, and co-workers) speech, do you think they would welcome the free advice and opportunity to learn? I'll bet they would be insulted, possibly hurt, and maybe angry. One often feels inclined to do things on the internet that they would never dream of doing in real life; I know I do.

And a comment on poor grammar being indicative of stupidity and ignorance. Some are more educated than others in such matters, but that does not necessarily make them smarter or more intelligent. It certainly makes them THINK they are however.

I have known some that have very poor speech habits that are actually sharp people. Other very well educated people I have known hardly had the sense to get out of the rain. There are all kinds of combinations.

There's nothing wrong with airing a pet peeve about a slang word being misused, or incorrect grammar, but when it goes much beyond that it becomes a problem IMO. I get on here for fun, not for an exercise in penmanship.

 

[Paul_Sjordal]

I have known some that have very poor speech habits that are actually sharp people. Other very well educated people I have known hardly had the sense to get out of the rain. There are all kinds of combinations.

I know exactly what you're talking about. I went to I.I.T. and was surrounded by smart people with abysmal language skills. But that's still irrelevant. If you want to exchange ideas, you should have good communications skills. If you convey your ideas poorly, don't get huffy when your ideas are poorly received.

Like the physicist said, if you can't explain what you've done, then you've done nothing.

 

[larry mac]

If you convey your ideas poorly, don't get huffy when your ideas are poorly received

The "ideas" are not the issue here. They should be the only issue, but they aren't. And the ones getting huffy don't have any right to. If you don't like the way someone conveys something then you have the right to ignore the post. If someone receives my ideas poorly because my grammar is not perfect; that's really their problem.

 

[Jon_Are]

If one were to go around trying to correct strangers (or even friends, family, and co-workers) speech, do you think they would welcome the free advice and opportunity to learn?

I'll cite a personal experience here:

A few months ago, a co-worker corrected my misuse of the word "irregardless". Until then, I hadn't known that "irregardless" is not a proper word. I truly appreciated that she had corrected me.

I recognize that not everyone would react in this manner - and I may not have had she been uppity about it - but, speaking for myself, I'm usually pretty receptive to an opportunity to learn.

Jon

 

[Cary_H]

Guilty as charged.....I use alot quite frequently.

I have to agree that the folks that frequent this Forum are head and shoulders above the vast majority of ones I regularly visit.

You just wouldn't believe what goes on at some of the Canadian Junior Hockey forums out there, and I can only imagine what skateboarding forums must be like.