Here is the exam you must pass to be a member of the Grammar Police

[Senator]

A+.

For someone that grew up speaking pidgin English (to da max), and had many, many teachers tell me that I better learn to speak correctly, not bad.

 

[Calico]

A+

It's depressing as h#ll to think so many people fail this test.

 

[HFWR]

A little too easy. A+ as well but then, we are all special in this forum

Easy A?

A cow-orker once told me that she hated something "more than life itself"...

 

[NW-Bound]

My own adult children, age 27 and 30, should also get these all correct. They are both college-educated, but that should hardly be a requirement to ace this test.

Did not say as much about people who ace the test as about the rest of the populace. I want to see the general test score in other English-speaking countries.

 

[Marita40]

A+ here. Sorry but I'd say that test is at a 3rd grade level. Of course it says a lot about the sorry state of writing in this country if so few can ace it.
"It's" vs. "its" is easy to learn. The apostrophe fills in for something missing--something taken out. In this case what is taken out is the "i" in "is."
So just ask yourself whether in the sentence you can use "it is." If you can say "it is" you can use "it's." For example, "It is a beautiful day" or "It's a beautiful day."

 

[aja8888]

A+ (and English wasn't my first language).

 

[marko]

Had a very well educated colleague who always used "vary" instead of "very". "It was vary cold out!".

Now, I just don't know how you can read a paper every day and not see that the word is "very", but.......he also would write "for all intensive purposes".

 

[NW-Bound]

"It's" vs. "its" is easy to learn. The apostrophe fills in for something missing--something taken out. In this case what is taken out is the "i" in "is."
So just ask yourself whether in the sentence you can use "it is." If you can say "it is" you can use "it's." For example, "It is a beautiful day" or "It's a beautiful day."

One would think it is easy to remember! I learned that at the age of 10, in a class of English as a foreign language.

Should I refer you to my past posts on this pet peeve of mine?

Yet, it is the most common mistake, not just here but all over the Web. This mistake is very common, and committed by people who would not confuse their with they're or there. And they would write a lot more eloquently than I can, and whose musings I like to read. So, I ask myself why, why, why...

 

[MichaelB]

One would think it is easy to remember! I learned that at the age of 10, in a class of English as a foreign language.

Should I refer you to my past posts on this pet peeve of mine?

Yet, it is the most common mistake, not just here but all over the Web. This mistake is most common, and committed by people who would not confuse their with they're or there. And they would write a lot more eloquently than I can, and whose musings I like to read. So, I ask myself why, why, why...

Its not the most common mistake, but it does have it's place amongst the most bothersome.

 

[Nemo2]

It's/its.....also used to drive a Hong Kong born Chinese Canadian co-worker crazy in Saudi...."What's so difficult to understand?" he'd (rightly) say.

 

[frayne]

Took the test a second time trying to miss most and got a 30% equaling an A+ ? Where were those grades in I was in school ? These internet tests are quite the BS.

 

[NW-Bound]

According to a Wikipedia article, Dyslexia is the most common learning disability, affecting 3–7 % of the population; however, up to 20% may have some degree of symptoms.

But from what we see, misspellings of simple words in the population occur at a higher rate than this. The above statistics could be outdated. Heck, it may be caused by too much soft drink, perhaps in conjunction with french fries. Maybe too much bacon too?

 

[NW-Bound]

It's/its.....also used to drive a Hong Kong born Chinese Canadian co-worker crazy in Saudi...."What's so difficult to understand?" he'd (rightly) say.

If I were Chinese, that could have been my long-lost cousin.

 

[powerplay]

I think they're, their, or maybe there trying to flatter all of us. A+ here.

 

[Gumby]

It is actually a vocabulary test, not a grammar test.

 

[Totoro]

Seems everyone here is part of the 1%

What a relief.

 

[Nodak]

Yet another A+

 

[audreyh1]

[-]Two[/-] [-]to[/-] too easy!

 

[ls99]

Often my spelling is atrocious, yet I got A+... A truly chicken $hit test. Else the population's spelling ability is dismal.

 

[REWahoo]

Often my spelling is atrocious, yet I got A+... A truly chicken $hit test. Else the population's spelling ability is dismal.

Was it a spelling test?

 

[Walt34]

Was it a spelling test?

No, it was a grammer test.

 

[REWahoo]

No, it was a grammer test.

Yes, it was lame, but I wouldn't refer to it as an "old lady" test...

 

[Lsbcal]

My high school English teachers would be smiling.

 

[Nemo2]

Awl aisle ascent two is that I didn't have a clew, maid a mistake, feared for the wurst and weighted at the gait with baited breath for ewes who gnu to Finnish a burgher with yore bier...watt a pane....now I feel sic....but I'm self taut and not vane, so I'll go for a wok.

 

[NW-Bound]

It is actually a vocabulary test, not a grammar test.

Yes, it's a spelling test.

A true grammar test would check for dangling participles, proper use of conjunctions, dangling modifiers, distinction of who and whom, etc... It would be harder and catch more casual writers.