Handy Forum Words

[timo2]

Could someone please develop a electronic random (grammatically correct) post generator so we don't have to bother thinking up the posts ourselves and risk drawing the attention of any stray grammar police that may be wandering by?

[Tailgate]

live in an Army base area that is home to the 1st Cavalry Division.... Calvary vs. Cavalry comes up occasionally... had local news reporter screw it up... Jesus wasn't in the Cavalry.

[Marita40]

their, they're, there
it's, its Lots of people simply can't learn this one!
rod iron vs. wrought iron. Craigslist is often a hoot grammar-wise.

[Marita40]

There's an Emily Dickinson poem that mentions Calvary. I once had a student read it as Cavalry and write an entire essay on the (non existent) martial theme of the poem.

[H2ODude]

Irregardless of what you say, I'm not understanding the thread.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 Craigslist is often a hoot grammar-wise.

+1

Of coarse theyres a thread on that: http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...tml#post691664

[freebird5825]

Can we make up words ?

[MRG]

Thought that's what compilers were for, syntax checking. Apologies to all for my poor grammar.
MRG

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Maybe so, but why would someone resist learning a few simple things that may make a difference in many areas of life? Ha

It's not simple for everyone. Look at the link to the principal/principle subject - it goes on for two pages!

I've never had any trouble with they, their, and there, or to, too, and two, but people far above my pay grade routinely made that mistake. If I've made a mistake on those, it was a typo, not a lack of understanding of the proper usage.

But on the other hand, I do struggle with lots of others. I actually did look it up when posting to a recent 'Risk Averse' thread, at least my thinking was right, I just needed to verify it.

I've finally taught myself lose/loose with that 'loose rope' thinking. I know 'your principal is your pal', but after that? And I've got a mental block on possessives - just too many nonsensical rules (two would be two too many to me ). I've got ' -its- ' as possessive and ' -it's- ' as a contraction of ' -it is- ' , but after that it's a muddle to me.

So I try not to shake my head when others make mistakes that I think are simple, I'm sure the tables are turned on me with other words/phrases.

But I do get angry at the source. How did we end up developing a language with so many words pronounced the same with the same or similar spellings, that mean very different things? Would it really be that hard to keep things unique? We could start with the alphabet, why do we have a soft 'c' and an 's'? A hard 'c'and a 'k'? And on and on.

I really have to work on affect/effect. I can get it most times, but it's hard for me.

People's brains are wired differently, I don't think we can assume this is just laziness, or carelessness. Though it probably is in many cases.

-ERD50

[robnplunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird5825 Can we make up words ?

Shure.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ERD50 But I do get angry at the source. How did we end up developing a language with so many words pronounced the same with the same or similar spellings, that mean very different things? Would it really be that hard to keep things unique? We could start with the alphabet, why do we have a soft 'c' and an 's'? A hard 'c'and a 'k'? And on and on.

I think we should all speak Italian. It would greatly simplify things.

[chilkoot]

Did this turn into a thread on grammatical pet peeves?
If so, I nominate "few". Apparently not many people are aware of its existence so they incorrectly use "less" in it's place.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby I think we should all speak Italian. It would greatly simplify things.

I don't know enough Italian to know how this simplifies things. Do they have far fewer of these similar sounding words, and more rule based grammar (I understand that English is pretty tough in this regard)?

I could live without puns!

But then there's all that gender stuff for in-animate objects, I never got that. Isn't the whole LBGT thing going to get super confusing for the language?

-ERD50

[Gumby]

In Italian, the same letter or combination of letters is always pronounced the same way. The concept of a spelling bee would be foreign to them; if you can say a word, you can spell it. The rules of grammar (including verb conjugations) are also much more regular than English. There are very few homophones.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby I think we should all speak Italian. It would greatly simplify things.

But if that led to us all driving like Italians it would might make things worse

[marko]

Actually got this email once: " I won't be into work today, I fell of my hoarse and I'm vary soar"

[Rpharmer]

CD's ($$$) vs CD's (he's singing their blues).
An IRA vs the IRA... or Uncle Ira, who loves his CD's (both kinds).

Maybe not dyslexia, but when I was a child, I could never remember right from left. I kept asking "why isn't it left from right?" Mother pointed out that I have a little mole on my left hand, and I learned to look at it to know which way to turn. (And to stop asking why so much) To this day, if I'm driving and the passenger suddenly shouts "Turn left!" I reflexively glance at that mole as I make the turn -- and think of her. It's goofy, but it makes me smile.

[14thMed]

Add my 2 scents here moot vs mute worked with a guy that never could figure out the difference

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rpharmer Mother pointed out that I have a little mole on my left hand, and I learned to look at it to know which way to turn.

A similar device has long been used to help some new army recruits learn to march on the same foot as the rest of their group. You have them hold a pebble in their right hand, and a blade of grass in their left hand. When the drill instructor tries to keep them all in step, the normal commands are "Left, right, left, right." The hapless stumbling recruit is taught to hear it as "Leaf, rock, leaf, rock."

I know, but I've actually seen this done, and it works!

[Gumby]

My young wife told me that when she was in kindergarten, the teacher was trying to teach them which hand was their right hand so they could say the flag pledge. The teacher said to the class "It's the one closest to the door" (of the classroom). For some time after that, whenever my wife was asked to do something with her right hand, she looked for the nearest door.