typo that is ubiquitous here on TPF for some reason

[limr]

Well, since the language apparently has no rules, I have no idea what you're trying to say. You could mean one thing, but you could mean another. I don't know, it's hard to tell since there's no rules.

That said.............where's the bacon?

So, in other words, TL;DR?

Maybe... I'm not sure.

Don't worry your pretty little head. Just go make me a sammich :mrgreen:

 

[runnah]

Well I feel that since this forum is a place for fun and not a resume or essay I think a few errors should be tolerated.

 

[limr]

Well I feel that since this forum is a place for fun and not a resume or essay I think a few errors should be tolerated.

I agree. The errors that bother me here are unfortunately the same ones that I see in a lot of academic writing where they should not be tolerated But your point is quite correct: it is important to remember context.

(Edited: Though I will say that I do wish some would pay just a little bit more attention to things that can affect the clarity of their writing. Punctuation for example. It can be difficult to follow someone's ideas if they write an entire paragraph and never use any punctuation. I don't have anyone specific in mind, but I have seen a few posts like that and I just won't read them. Would it kill people to throw in a few sentence breaks once in a while? )

 

[runnah]

I agree. The errors that bother me here are unfortunately the same ones that I see in a lot of academic writing where they should not be tolerated But your point is quite correct: it is important to remember context.

Well and it's hard, unless you are writing every day your skills can slip. For my job I never have to write anything more complicated than an email.

 

[snerd]

I'm two scared too say something.

:er:

 

[limr]

I agree. The errors that bother me here are unfortunately the same ones that I see in a lot of academic writing where they should not be tolerated But your point is quite correct: it is important to remember context.

Well and it's hard, unless you are writing every day your skills can slip. For my job I never have to write anything more complicated than an email.

Yeah, I get that. I'm talking about students, however, who are writing tons of essays each week, not just for me but for other professors. You'd think they would be in the swing of things I meant that I will correct errors in my students' work because in THAT context, there is less tolerance and the errors annoy me when I specifically tell them to please correct x, y, and x" and they don't. But here? I might wince once in a while, but I'm certainly not going to go all grammar nazi on anyone because as long as it doesn't interfere with the message, then it's not as important.

(And believe me, I'm more forgiving than a lot of other professors. One of my former students - non-native speaker, mind you, and quite good - who got a paper back from one of her other professors a few semesters after she left my class. History, sociology, something like that. She had a few mistakes but it was nothing egregious. What did he write on the paper? "This isn't English!" I wanted to shove the paper down his throat.)

 

[limr]

I'm two scared too say something.

:er:

Shhhh, it's okay I'll protect ya

 

[JacaRanda]

I'm two scared too say something.

:er:

:lmao::study::study:

I am guilty of just being lazy at times, in combination with simply being too tired to give a ratsasss (where is he?). However, I do feel like a fool when I catch my mistakes; most often right after I click.....doggonit!

 

[480sparky]

I'm two scared too say something.

:er:

Shhhh, it's okay I'll protect ya

Or maybe not. We don't know. :er:

 

[limr]

I'm two scared too say something.

:er:

:lmao::study::study:

I am guilty of just being lazy at times, in combination with simply being too tired to give a ratsasss (where is he?). However, I do feel like a fool when I catch my mistakes; most often right after I click.....doggonit!

9 times out of ten, the reason why I edit my posts is because of some silly mistake I just caught after posting.

And yeah, where's ratssass? HE would make me a sammich!

 

[snerd]

I'm torn. I'm a grammar nazi too. But I'm also beginning to realize that language "does" change. I don't like it............ I like hard and fast rules when it comes to how we communicate. I was taught how to speak and write by the rules applicable at that time. (No smart-ass remarks by you whipper-snappers about the stone-age here!) But whatever prevails, I pretty much like all of you guys and gals.

ETA: I'm always editing my posts too. I usually see something wrong when I read it after posting. Like i the reply above........... that should probably be "whichever" prevails, huh?

 

[runnah]

I'm torn. I'm a grammar nazi too. But I'm also beginning to realize that language "does" change. I don't like it............ I like hard and fast rules when it comes to how we communicate. I was taught how to speak and write by the rules applicable at that time. (No smart-ass remarks by you whipper-snappers about the stone-age here!) But whatever prevails, I pretty much like all of you guys and gals. ETA: I'm always editing my posts too. I usually see something wrong when I read it after posting. Like i the reply above........... that should probably be "whichever" prevails, huh?

Well when you have to use a hammer and chisel to write you tend to get thing right the first time.

 

[snerd]

I'm torn. I'm a grammar nazi too. But I'm also beginning to realize that language "does" change. I don't like it............ I like hard and fast rules when it comes to how we communicate. I was taught how to speak and write by the rules applicable at that time. (No smart-ass remarks by you whipper-snappers about the stone-age here!) But whatever prevails, I pretty much like all of you guys and gals. ETA: I'm always editing my posts too. I usually see something wrong when I read it after posting. Like i the reply above........... that should probably be "whichever" prevails, huh?

Well when you have to use a hammer and chisel to write you tend to get thing right the first time.

Geezers get a pass. You'll note I specified whipper-snappers.

 

[The_Traveler]

Ugh, that drives me crazy! Everyone uses this phrase wrong. They think it means "raise the question."

The other thing that bothers me is: "If I would have told him to move, Uncle Harold would not have ruined my shot." This is wrong, The "would have" form belongs in the independent clause, not the conditional dependent clause. "If I HAD TOLD him to move, Uncle Harold would not have ruined my shot." Let's not even get into "would of"...

No, the term actually means something. It means that people decide that language is supposed to be completely logical and mean every single thing that it says, nothing more, nothing less. But of course, they only claim this for certain phrases that happen to bug them. Does anyone have problems with idiom such as at the end of the day? Step up to the plate? Raining cats and dogs? It took me forever? Other than them being overused cliches, does anyone suddenly get their panties up in a bunch and say, "But you're not literally stepping up to the plate, so I think it's totally wrong and idiotic to say that!" And yet, everyone is up in arms about a colloquialism that they have decided is "wrong" because *gasp* it doesn't mean exactly what it says! It's illogical! Unclean!

The fact is that language doesn't work in a logical fashion. Grammar rules and especially usage patterns do not always follow neat, predictable, rigid rules.

It all comes down to whether you pledge allegiance to prescription or description in language. If you want to say “I could care less” then go for it—lots of people will tell you it’s acceptable and lots of people will tell you it’s not. But please, don’t try to make it sound like we have anything resembling a consensus on this among English usage commentators.

Never said there was a consensus. I just said that it's not accurate to say that the phrase is wrong. It might not fit into a limited number of English grammatical rules that have become the canon that is "Standard English" but it's not a sign of ignorance or laziness when people do not use Standard English.

Selective something?

 

[Derrel]

I am a lousy by-sight typist, and some of the letters are wearing off on this keyboard, and I have ever worsening vision as middle age advances on me yearly, but even worse, my eyesight fluctuates, depending on my blood-sugar levels, day to day, and even throughout the day on far too many days, so I make a lot of silly typos basically because I cannot SEE what the f*** I am doing when I type. I have five different eyeglass prescriptions, one of which I will wear, depending on the day. Some days I wake up and I can see pretty well...other days it's like, whoa...gonna' be wearing the black-frame nerd glasses with the 5 year-old 'scrip lenses this morning...

My kid once asked me, "Why do you have this big cigar box with all these pairs of glasses in it,Dad? Mom only has one pair!"