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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2007 : 13:02:50
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it annoys me when people ALWAYS leave out the s after a possessive apostrophe just because the name they're adding it to ends in s. although it can be quite acceptable to do that in some cases (e.g. mrs jones' cat) there are other cases where it just doesn't sound right when you read it back (e.g. mr thomas' cat).
add an s if you think you can say it without sounding like homer simpson trying to say the flanders's (another example of a name that's fine without an extra s).
yours?
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
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darwin
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
USA
5454 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 13:12:15
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Does the "s's" versus "s'" alter how you pronounce the phrase? I thought you said it same either way.
I think the history in US was that the proper way was to always use "s'". However, Strunk's Elements of Style recommends always using "s's".
Similar peeve. It use to be you should always use 2 spaces after a period, but I learned somewhere that that was a relic of typewriters and that we should now only use 1 space. However, most people seem to still use 2 in papers that they write. |
Edited by - darwin on 08/03/2007 13:21:51 |
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The King Of Karaoke
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3759 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 13:33:42
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Ooo! A thread I could use to my benefit. Welfare mom was to busy drinking, popping qualudes, smoking doobies and entertaining her male friends to help liltte KOK with his homework when he was young. If only I had been put in daycare instead of sat infront of the tv.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRZmzf7WiNg |
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coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 13:34:46
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As darwin alludes to, that's a style thing, Steve. Where I work, our stylebook call for s-apostrophe with words or names ending in s. Other publications do it the other way. Personally, I prefer it your way. But neither is wrong, per se.
One of my big peeves is placing the word "only" in the wrong part of a sentence. Take these two sentences, for example:
1. I only have sex with men.
2. I have sex with only men.
The first sentence implies that the only thing you do with men is have sex with them. You don't play tennis with them, you don't have beers with them, you just screw them. The second sentence is a statement about your sexual preference: that you don't screw women, just men.
There's a big difference in the meanings of those two sentences. And the problem is that people will often use sentence 1 when they mean sentence 2, putting "only" in front of the verb instead of the noun.
And though people probably would understand what you're getting at if you said it the wrong way, precision is still important. If we let the language slide in cases like that, it will erode completely in a few hundred years.
 There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know. |
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 14:03:12
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That example was soooo unexpected, Coasty. 
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His name is Dalton. He's got a degree in philosophy.
-bRIAN |
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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 14:49:50
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quote:
Originally posted by darwin
Does the "s's" versus "s'" alter how you pronounce the phrase? I thought you said it same either way.
well, i kinda think people should just spell it the way they say it. it makes it easier for slower readers.
i'm guilty of shitty word placement :(
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
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jimmy
= Cult of Ray =
USA
876 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 17:27:02
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I agree, PixieSteve, about the 's.
coasty, I like the first sentence better, and I disagree about it being incorrect. Sentence 2, while it might be correct, is awkward, plus the person hearing it might think they heard you wrong- "What? You have sex with lonely men?"
A friend of mine ( who is in her fifties ) gets very annoyed with me for using the word "texted", as in: "I texted him, and he texted back saying he'll have some 80mg OCs in twenty minutes."
Sure, it's probably not a real word, but someday it will be. Text messaging is a pretty new thing.
check out my friend's paintings at http://myspace.com/landspeedsong |
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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 17:42:14
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actually i think sentence 2 is wrong, i think it should be "i have sex only with men"
oh, i don't know now. does it matter?
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
Edited by - PixieSteve on 08/03/2007 17:45:40 |
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jimmy
= Cult of Ray =
USA
876 Posts |
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coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 20:53:32
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The sentence as I wrote it was correct, but I did complicate matters a bit with that example. I wish I'd said: I fuck only men. Or oily men, for that matter.
There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know. |
Edited by - coastline on 08/03/2007 20:59:25 |
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Srisaket
= Cult of Ray =
Thailand
313 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2007 : 23:11:37
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quote:
Originally posted by coastline
Or oily men, for that matter.
There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know.
Freudian slip ?? |
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Homers_pet_monkey
= Official forum monkey =
United Kingdom
17125 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 03:48:24
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You guys should read this.
I'm pretty sure the only time you should not add the 's' is when dealing with plurals. So for example, "the boys' changing room".
 I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
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TRANSMARINE
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
2002 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 13:16:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Homers_pet_monkey
So for example, "the boys' changing room".
I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
This was on purpose, right? It just gets better and better!
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His name is Dalton. He's got a degree in philosophy.
-bRIAN |
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misleadtheworld
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
1222 Posts |
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toeknee
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
281 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 15:50:28
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I used to be a grammar nazi, correcting other people's mistakes, but have since had a change of heart.
Now I believe that as long as the other person can understand what you're saying, you should be able to say and spell it however you want. Txt messaging is much-maligned because it is quite a jump from the normal slow process of language change (due to technology), but it is completely natural to want to eliminate certain parts of the English language that are unnecessary, and spellings which are non-phonological.
Besides, how many of these 'grammar nazis' actually use and write the word 'gonna' or put a smiley face in a text? I'm sure Shakespeare would be mortified at our language today, but no language stays the same (apart from French which has remained 95% the same since the seventeenth century!)
Most of the people who correct others are simply trying to show how much more intelligent they are, that they can master intricate spelling and grammar rules, in my opinion, whereas in reality there is no 'wrong' and 'right', just as BBC English is not superior to Black English Vernacular. |
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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 16:10:44
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just want to make clear, this isn't a thread for grammar nazis, just particular things that especially get on people's nerves. i can't do grammar for fuck all.
although, in defence of such nazis... grammar really is all about being understood. so whilst i agree that it's not such a big deal if it can be understood, grammar is what makes things understandable. so we need a few nazis to keep us straying too far.
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
Edited by - PixieSteve on 08/04/2007 16:14:38 |
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coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 17:06:46
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I had an editor who would always correct me when I spoke incorrectly, and I'd argue that we all use two languages: conversational and written. I admit, I'm a little sloppy in my conversational English. I haven't gotten much better in all my years as an editor. But when it comes to committing the language to print, or even to an Internet board like this one, I aim to use perfect English.
So I'm not a language nazi when I'm talking to my friends (except kfs, whom I berate constantly), because I agree that the key to conversation is comprehension, not perfection. But I do think people should be a lot more careful with the written language. (The exception is texting; it's a ginormous pain in the ass to tap out every word, use punctuation, and bother with articles and such when you're using a phone keypad. And yes, texting is a word.)
There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know. |
Edited by - coastline on 08/04/2007 17:08:06 |
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toeknee
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
281 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 17:13:02
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Fair enough.
Maybe it's not a grammar peeve, but I fecking hate hearing the word 'fresh' every five seconds. It was an unconscious hatred until I saw Ulrika or whoever it is in that Asda or Morrisons advert going on about wanting fresh bread, freshly baked in a freshly freshened oven, and fresh this and that.
I mean, I can understand the difference between frozen and non-frozen and milk that has just been delivered and milk that has been out for too long, but I don't want it rammed down my throat as a 'mark of quality' - in fact, I'd like Ulrika to swallow freshly-made poison. Same goes with 'air fresheners' - if you want fresh air, go outside, they should be called 'sprays to mask foul smells with lovely chemicals.' |
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Homers_pet_monkey
= Official forum monkey =
United Kingdom
17125 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2007 : 05:00:53
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quote:
Originally posted by TRANSMARINE
quote:
Originally posted by Homers_pet_monkey
So for example, "the boys' changing room".
I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
This was on purpose, right? It just gets better and better!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
His name is Dalton. He's got a degree in philosophy.
-bRIAN
I couldn't resist keeping it going.
I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
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coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2007 : 07:49:48
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Another (homers) pet peeve, another homoerotic reference ...
It drives me crazy when people say "each other" when they mean "one another." Use "each other" when it's two people or things: "The two young men eyed each other." Use "one another" when it's three or more: "The smokin'-hot lesbians tried on one another's new outfits." (There are exceptions to this rule, but they're rare.)
There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know. |
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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2007 : 08:01:00
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just for cheeseman...
"i could care less"
which isn't actually grammatically incorrect... let's jsut make this about.. language
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
Edited by - PixieSteve on 08/05/2007 09:13:21 |
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houstonguthrie
- FB Fan -
187 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2007 : 09:08:22
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i get irritated by the hip hop boys when they say "knowhatimsayin" at the end of every sentence. knowhatimsayin? knowhatimsayin? It seems people don't do that as much any more - thank god - but when they were doing it that was really really annoying. plus besides the "knowhatimsayin" just the whole shtick that goes with it - "aw yeah aw yeah you know how we do" and all that crap.
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Edited by - houstonguthrie on 08/05/2007 09:08:43 |
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mr.biscuitdoughhead
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1729 Posts |
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houstonguthrie
- FB Fan -
187 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2007 : 15:33:49
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| that was rich - I enjoyed that |
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mr.biscuitdoughhead
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1729 Posts |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 11:04:26
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VH1 is bisexual.
"I hate how the reptile dreams it's a mammal. Scaley monster: be what you are!!" - Erebus. |
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mr.biscuitdoughhead
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1729 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 11:07:50
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yes it is.
"I have sex with only men." - Coastline |
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debaserrr
- FB Fan -
121 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 20:11:14
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OHHHHH this is why Pixy stevo hatses m'e!!
"The arc of triumph!" |
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jimmy
= Cult of Ray =
USA
876 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 20:22:29
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So, coast, you're an editor? That sounds like fun. How long have you been doing that?
check out my friend's paintings at http://myspace.com/landspeedsong |
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coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 20:31:54
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quote:
Originally posted by jimmy
So, coast, you're an editor? That sounds like fun. How long have you been doing that?
check out my friend's paintings at http://myspace.com/landspeedsong
I've been doing it for a spell. How long have you been an advice columnist?
There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know. |
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Jose Jones
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1758 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 20:38:33
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quote:
Originally posted by toeknee
Besides, how many of these 'grammar nazis' actually use and write the word 'gonna' or put a smiley face in a text?
i say 'gonna.'
here are some of my peeves:
-"do to" instead of "due to"
-"alot" when it should be "a lot"
-"alright" (i'll have you know it's "all right," and only until recently did the rule get thrown out the window DUE TO the citizenry's atrocious grammar)
-not using the contraction "it's" incorrectly
ie- it's mouth was full of food.
its time to play baseball.
-incorrectly/not using "too"
ie- it's to cold to wear a tube top.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
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Jason
* Dog in the Sand *
1446 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 22:05:31
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The use of "what" instead of (the correct) "who" when referring to a human being ("What's your favorite songwriter?"... presently the title of a thread on another forum I read).
Also the incorrent use of "that" instead of "who" is annoying ("The person that hit me.") |
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coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 05:56:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Jason
Also the incorrent use of "that" instead of "who" is annoying ("The person that hit me.")
Hear! Hear! That's the one I correct people most for. I even do that one in the middle of conversation, it bugs me so much. I do have a friend who charmingly says it this way, though:
"The person what hit me."
There's a perfect explanation for the shit that I've been in. As soon as I find out, I'll let you know. |
Edited by - coastline on 08/07/2007 05:56:28 |
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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 06:13:28
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sounds like west country dialect
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 06:33:48
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One thing someone might be able to tell me is about acronyms. Let's use the example:
"David Beckham plays for a MLS club".
Is that correct because the M stands for Major, therefore it reads as:
"David Beckham plays for a Major League Soccer club". Nothing wrong with that.
Or is it wrong because you pronounce M with a vowel 'E' sound, so it should be:
"David Beckham plays for an MLS club"? That's much easier to say.
I don't know if I've expressed that as well as someone else might but I'm basically asking whether you should read the full name of something, or just the acronym. If so, should this make any difference to the preceding word?
"The arc of triumph" |
Edited by - pixiestu on 08/07/2007 06:35:19 |
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PixieSteve
> Teenager of the Year <
Poland
4698 Posts |
Posted - 08/07/2007 : 06:40:06
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maybe you're meant to read out major league soccer club every time you come across MLS, just like darwin suggested that perhaps you're meant to put the "s" in yourself when you come across, say, "thomas' cat". but i have a tendency to read things how they are written, which i don't think is a crime. i would write "an MLS" but i'd be interested to know what's proper.
it's down to using this forum too much that i know refer to teenager of the year as "totty" :(
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
Edited by - PixieSteve on 08/07/2007 06:40:54 |
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grammar peeves
