Something I never noticed before

[My Dream]

This has got to be the most typing or writing for that matter that I have ever done in I don't know how long. I never realized how much my spelling and grammar plain and simple sucks. Since I've been on this forum, I have corrected approximately 256 spelling errors, and I can't count how many grammar mistakes. You can tell I didn't do well in communications in college, hell high school for that matter. I wish there was spell check on this forum. If you took the time to view my posts you would see that I've edited most of them since when I reread them after posting I still find errors. When my DW reads them she just shakes her head and says, “ you’re sad look at them all”.

How many can you count in this post alone........................don't tell me!........Noooo don't rub it in..............come on, be nice.

 

[Khan]

Firefox browser has a spellcheck add-on.

 

[astromeria]

No worries, My Dream. I'm a retired editor ( ) and a terrible typist, world class. I reverse letters in about one word out of every 5, put the space between words in the wrong place, and even make grammatical errors when I type. I usually type a semi-colon instead of an apostrophe--and even a semi-colon instead fo the letter "L". Sometimes I even type the wrong your/you're or there/their/they're...and I always type friend as freind and of as fo. I use the Preview feature (when I don't click Post instead of Preview-) and pre-edit my posts, but when you have to correct a mistake every few words, it gets too tiresome so I end up leaving in some mistakes. Eh. If I can stand the embarrassment, so can you

 

[retire@40]

...instead fo the letter "L". ...

Did you mean "instead of the letter?"

Also, it should be "L." instead of "L".

 

[donheff]

One of the problems with typing at a keyboard is that your muscle memory can hardwire errors. I always mispell "necessary" and "the", like Atro mispells "of." On the other hand I always get the " on the outside of the ".". Go figure.

Posted without preview. I too use the modify button on most posts.

 

[d]

Also, it should be "L." instead of "L".

actually, "L". is correct; similarly, in donheff's "of.". the practice of placing the punctuation inside the quotation mark is a function of typesetters ... the dangling punctuation point would often break, so printers preferred that it be within the quote ... those days being long gone, it is, i believe, preferable that we return to that which makes sense.

 

[donheff]

actually, "L". is correct; similarly, in donheff's "of.". the practice of placing the punctuation inside the quotation mark is a function of typesetters ... the dangling punctuation point would often break, so printers preferred that it be within the quote ... those days being long gone, it is, i believe, preferable that we return to that which makes sense.

Darn. I wish I had known that earlier. Years ago I used to put the quote before the period because the common practice didn't make sense to me. I got corrected often enough that I finally gave up, assuming that everyone else was right. I used to get the same finger-wagging for starting a sentence with a "But..." or an "And...". <- But I stuck by my guns and now it is beginning to emerge that my practice is OK (in moderation, of course).

One of the ironies with knowing some arcana like the typsetter bit is that if you put your knowledge into practice everyone else will think you don't know what you are doing. I know my ands and buts cause raised eyebrows.

 

[bpp]

What's this? Putting the period outside the quote is considered legal now? I hate it when the rules change after painstakingly calcifying my brain cells around them. I think I'll just stick with the older usage, along with the correct meanings of "comprise" and "beg the question," and see if it all doesn't just blow away.

And don't anyone dare use that horrid non-word "pro-active" in my presence...

Harumph.

 

[Martha]

I also cannot stand the word "pro-active."

I know someone who always says, "don't be re-active, be pro-active." Huh?

Asto, Trombone Al, your opinions on the period before the quote rule?

 

[Sheryl]

Anyone who loves a good punctuation debate must read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.

My significant other could not understand how someone could be laughing out loud about a punctuation guide, but I'm a little odd. In addition to punctuation, it explains many of the differences between British English and American English (mostly without taking sides).

 

[cube_rat]

Oh boy, I could just imagine the cringing going on by some of you folks reading my posts. Even I cringe when I read my posts.

 

[bpp]

Another one that gives me a mental wedgie: "If I would have," for "if I had." I call this the "California subjunctive," because I had never heard it growing up on the East Coast but suddenly started hearing it all the time in California as an adult. It may be more widespread than that, however.

It may be dialectical, but it is just... illogical. Doesn't mean what it is intended to mean.

Anybody else noticed that one?

 

[Nords]

Anyone who loves a good punctuation debate must read Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.

Great book!

Anybody else noticed that one?

My pet peeve is "You've got mail!!"

 

[haha]

Also, it should be "L." instead of "L".

I think you are wrong about this. She is setting apart the letter "L". She is not suggesting that her sentence is a quote, as for example, "Astro said the other day that she really likes the letter L."

Ha

 

[haha]

Anybody else noticed that one?

Like I dunno, maybe?

 

[astromeria]

HaHa's got mail--I mean, he's right This was one of the (minor) things I had to deal with as a technical editor. In conventional US English, a sentence-ending period belongs inside quotation marks--except when the quoted text must be referred to exactly as is without the presence of a period (or comma-). For example, a URL or line of programming code would be changed by the presence of a period--as would a bit of text (as in the letter "L"). In British English, the convention is to leave all punctuation ouside the quotation marks. In US English, ?s and : go outside (IIRC--too lazy to use a reference, and I haven't thought about this stuff for a long time!) Hey, I retired coz I didn't want to deal with fussy details any more!

 

[retire@40]

Then is this university website wrong?

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/puncquotes.html

The comma and period always go inside the closing quotation mark when there is no parenthetical reference.

"Really, there is no excuse for aggressive behavior," the supervisor said. "It sets a bad example."

The comma and period always go inside a quotation within another quotation when there is no parenthetical reference.

According to the film critic, "One of the most widely acclaimed actors in history, Humphrey Bogart, is quoted as saying, 'I don't like acting.'"

 

[youbet]

I attended Chicago public schools K - 12, so reading and writing are clearly not my strong points. But, it still seems silly to say "your" instead of "you're" when you mean the contraction of "you are."

 

[astromeria]

Then is this university website wrong?

No--they just aren't dealing with minor fields like technical editing. English isn;t really a set a hard & fast rules, more a set of conventions that can be tweaked for specific effects/needs. Writers and editors adjust the conventions as needed.

Which is correct:

e-mail or email
Web site, web site, or website
Internet or internet

Answer: it depends on the organization's style guide! These are the kinds of decisions that editors make.

 

[astromeria]

it still seems silly to say "your" instead of "you're" when you mean the contraction of "you are."

No kidding--it's wrong! When I said that I typed the wrong your/you're, I meant I occasionally TYPE it wrong, not "I don't know the difference" or "there isn't a difference" or "editors don't give &^&%."

 

[retire@40]

I attended Chicago public schools K - 12, so reading and writing are clearly not my strong points.

I've heard many people say things like that and I've never understood it. I went to Boston public schools K-12 and I think I can read and write reasonably well. Are Chicago public schools much different than Boston public schools or any other public schools for that matter? Are reading and writing not strongpoints for everyone that goes to Chicago public schools?

You may have intended it to be a joke, so I may be taking your words too seriously, but I have heard many people say things like this as a statement of fact to try to explain why they haven't succeeded in something.

 

[donheff]

I attended Chicago public schools K - 12, so reading and writing are clearly not my strong points. But, it still seems silly to say "your" instead of "you're" when you mean the contraction of "you are."

What schools youbet? I went to Sutherland Grammar School and Morgan Park HS.

Don

 

[My Dream]

And I thought this was going to be around a 10 post thread at the most. Now you're making me more concious of my spelling and grammer, what have you done to me? As for Firefox, never heard of it. And I'm not rechecking for spelling this time. pffft.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

My great uncle was a high school principal. After that gig he got into selling
feed/seed to farmers (lots of those around here). My Dad noticed his
speech and grammar got a bit fractured after a while. Uncle sez..........
"Yep, I just talk so they can understand me".

JG

 

[BOBOT]

I think you are wrong about this. She is setting apart the letter "L". She is not suggesting that her sentence is a quote, as for example, "Astro said the other day that she really likes the letter L."

Ha

Ha beat me to it, and is correct.