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No one here was saying that "graduated high school" is correct. That is why your posts are confusing.
Copanut is the one who started the thread. He or she obviously has an interest in grammar and spelling. That is why most of us got the use of "no" for "know" as intentional. It does not matter whether or not the general public makes the mistake frequently.
The intent of the thread is to play with words while we provide examples of the foibles of writers of the English language. If you see one homonym substituted for another here, you can pretty well assume it was done on porpoise.
Just relax and enjoy it.
OMG - I get it. I really do. But no for know was completely lame. Porpoise, on the other hand, is kind of cute.
As to the whole graduation issue, southward bound seemed to be implying that I had been in error by writing "graduated from" instead of "were graduated from". Did I miss something?
OMG - I get it. I really do. But no for know was completely lame. Porpoise, on the other hand, is kind of cute.
As to the whole graduation issue, southward bound seemed to be implying that I had been in error by writing "graduated from" instead of "were graduated from". Did I miss something?
It was in good spirits. I myself have slipped into the habit of saying "graduated" as a verb. Maybe I'm showing my age? ("old school")
Please disposal of your trash in the "reciprocal."
Still can't believe it...Saw this in Providence, RI, last week.
Just before I sold my condominium, the president of the Condo Association proudly posted new signs for all to see, on the front of the dumpsters.
The signs stated, "Garbage Dispensers Are For The Use Of Condo Owners Only".
Sorry, it said "please dispose," not disposal. Typo. But that, too, would seem possible, if written by an immigrant.
While it is certainly true that many immigrants have problems expressing themselves in grammatical English, a far bigger problem--IMHO--is the apparently large percentage of native-born Americans who have great difficulty with their native language.
After 35 years as an educator, I can tell you that immigrant kids almost always rise to a decent level of English proficiency after just a few years in US schools.
But...what is the excuse for US-born kids (and, later--adults) who can't seem to distinguish between there/their/they're, hear/here, lead/led, your/you're, to/too/two, break/brake, or any number of other homonyms?
Why do so few Americans seem to know the difference between, "its", and "it's"?
Why is there so much general confusion regarding the correct usage of an apostrophe?
Why do so many Americans not know how to construct a complete sentence?
Last edited by Retriever; 11-30-2012 at 07:04 AM..
While it is certainly true that many immigrants have problems expressing themselves in grammatical English, a far bigger problem--IMHO--is the apparently large percentage of native-born Americans who have great difficulty with their native language.
After 35 years as an educator, I can tell you that immigrant kids almost always rise to a decent level of English proficiency after just a few years in US schools.
But...what is the excuse for US-born kids (and, later--adults) who can't seem to distinguish between there/their/they're, hear/here, lead/led, your/you're, to/too/two, break/brake, or any number of other homonyms?
Why do so few Americans seem to know the difference between, "its", and "it's"?
Why is there so much general confusion regarding the correct usage of an apostrophe?
Why do so many Americans not know how to construct a complete sentence?
Maybe it's that English is a difficult language, with lots of rules that aren't always consistent..."i" before "e" except..."
Pronunciation is just as inconsistent: Why is it "mouse" and "house" in the singular, but "mice" and "houses" in the plural? Why not "hise"? We own two hise, one is in the mountains. It bugs me when people say "fishes" instead of "fish" for plural.
I'm plannning on a potato salad, with tomatoes on the side. Or, should I change that to "potatoe" ?
English is my second language, and I agree with your assessment that immigrant kids seem to have a better grasp of English than native born kids. Maybe they concentrate more on the rules? Maybe their native language skills help them learn? Sometimes immigrant kids have knowledge of more than one language, which also helps.
English is my second language, and I agree with your assessment that immigrant kids seem to have a better grasp of English than native born kids. Maybe they concentrate more on the rules? Maybe their native language skills help them learn? Sometimes immigrant kids have knowledge of more than one language, which also helps.
Not just immigrant kids actually. I don't think I ever mentioned it here, but I'm French, and I started learning English in middle school. I haven't spent any time in English speaking countries before I was in my 20s. I graduated in English and American studies in college, which might explain my good level as far as grammar and spelling are concerned. I then started teaching English at high school level.
When you study a foreign language, a lot of emphasis is put on respecting the rules. If you write its instead of it's, you are given a hard time! So you tend to pay more attention when you write.
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We own two hise, one is in the mountains. 