The Thread To End All Grammar Mistakes (hopefully) (meaning, sentence, quote)

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

Let's not forget the that/which issue.

I've always found an easy way to remember how to proceed: which follows a comma!

The apple which is on the table...WRONG!

Thanks for bringing this one up. I'm not sure that's ahard and fast rule though.

Obviously,
'I must decide which is right.' does not need a comma after 'decide' and 'I must decide that is right.' changes the meaning altogether. O know there are some obvious wrong uses, like the one that (or which?) you pointed out, but there's a degree of freedom in some cases.

[linicx]

Did anyone mention the twins *Who* and *Whom* ? Technically whom is the "objective case" of who. For a dictionary discussion of whom: whom: - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whom: - broken link)

Who is he?
It is she for whom the bell tolls.

I think we speak in one manner and write with the belief a stranger knows what we mean. Not so. If you say what you mean and mean what you say, the reader *gets* it. However, putting this into practice is not easy as it is always easier to read about a topic of interest than it is to write about the topic.

[cruxan]

Originally Posted by ECG1951

Good Morning Mr. Cat.........

I guess, I need to sign up for lessons.~~ I am one of those persons that I am sure make a million mistakes in my spelling...and forget about those little critters called Apostrophes....I think my computer ate them all up LOL

When I write in the forum...sometimes my fingers go to fast..and opps..the mistakes come in LOL

Plus I think~~ in 3 languages so sometimes I get all 3 of them missed up and I get to invent a new word.

Do you think Mr.Cat..That I might be able to write a New dictionary of unsual words?

Have a fun day with this thread!!!

Signed, Yours truly!!

Meowwwwww!!!

nobody can take my crown i'm the king of no grammer!!!! i'm a terrible speller too..


but i did save 189 dollars by switching to geico

i use the new google drop down spelling or phrase checker.. it's great you can check phrases and words in seconds!! i highly recommend it for people with bad spelling like me>>>>> it's definitely the fastest way to check spelling it's amazing how much words names and phrases tec terms etc that are on that drop down list

goood treead mrr catt wheen ddo thes lesssons staart myy finngeers aree readdy forr thee tyyping yeeee haaa

[jtur88]

I just posted this as a part of a reply on a different forum---apologies to anyone who also saw it there.


I've even had heated arguments with English teachers on this one. On a cold morning, you dress your kids warm. Not warmly. You hug them warmly. But you dress them warm--i.e., in such a way that they will be warm. "Warm" is an adjective that modifies children, not an adverb that modifies the verb dress. If you hug a person to show affection, you hug them 'warmly'. But if an EMT hugs a person suffering from exposure in order to restore body heat, the EMT had better be hugging the patient warm, not warmly. Just as you dress your kids warm on a cold winter morning. Even when they're late and and recalcitrant and your car won't start and you're in no mood do to anything warmly.

You also saw the end of a board square, not squarely. You tie a knot tight, not tightly. A dog climbing into your boat shakes himself dry, not drily. I'm driving you mad, not madly.

[fbbertusa]

Education or the lack of it seems to be the problem I am one of the worst with grammar & punctuation.But if You think it is bad now Just wait another decade.I know We are talking about writing
but recently My Wife and I had the job of trying to educate our Nephew that is 24 yrs. old but has a 12 yr. old mind and very little formal ed.So We went to the library and checked out books on several subjects on the 5th & 6th grade level.The book I found most confusing was Math,In subtraction the book teaches You to borrow from both the top number and the bottom number.I am not the smartest kid on the block and never would be using the new books of today.If anyone is familiar with this Please enlighten Me.Thanks !

[Fred314X]

...Which reminds me, I don't think we've brought up the issue of capitalization and its misuse. Unless I'm very much mistaken, when writing in English one generally capitalizes proper nouns (as opposed to Random Words and Phrases).

[Rob Allen]

Just recently on another message board, I explained the difference between "less" and "fewer". "Less" is used with aggregate nouns, while "fewer" is used with nouns for individually discrete things.

Less money, fewer dollars
Less gravel, fewer pebbles

I seem to be losing on this point, though - people seem to use "less" in both cases nowadays. That's unfortunate; it's a useful distinction.

PS. I just realized that I used another often-confused word above - "discrete". Not the same as "discreet".

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by dmarie123

Wow, for someone who wants to end all grammar errors, you should have proof read your post. Semicolons are not used to interject an incomplete sentece into a complete sentence. Even in your example, both are actually COMPLETE sentences. A semicolon is used for two independant clauses not connected by a conjunction. You have three choices.

I ate the big burger. It was delicious. (Two complete sentences)
I ate the big burger, and it was delicious (comma and conjunction)
I ate the big burger; it was delicious (Two independent clauses).

I think they meant to spell english (sic) with a capitol...oh, or is that capital...E? And I bet they meant to say they bought an apple FROM a store, not OFF AT a store.

And I think you meant to say sentence and not sentece, and indepenEnt and not independAnt.

But this is a useful thread, and I'm glad he/she/it got us to thinking.

BTW, does it irritate anyone to see BTW instead of by the way? Oh, and should it be by-the-way? I know that I mentally reach out and slap those who use LOL at the end of everything. Is a little internet short hand OK as long as it's not serious writing?

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

PS. I just realized that I used another often-confused word above - "discrete". Not the same as "discreet".

Jeez, I never knew that. I'm glad I have my American Heritage Talking Dictionary loaded on the computer for quick reference or that would have driven me crazy.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Fred314X

Let's not forget the that/which issue.

I've always found an easy way to remember how to proceed: which follows a comma!

The apple which is on the table...WRONG!

Hmmmm. No necesita, señor:

which (hwich, wich)pron. 1. What particular one or ones: Which of these is yours?
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Excerpted from American Heritage Talking Dictionary
Copyright © 1997 The Learning Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.