Why do people on this forum have atrocius grammar?

ladder

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2013
Messages
7,255
Likes
12,207
Country flag
Moral of the story; Never bring up the topic of grammar when a Bong is around. One among their hobbies is to find grammatical errors in a book of grammar. :thumb:


(Even the above praise wouldn't deter them from grammatically dissecting this post.)
 

sayareakd

Mod
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
17,734
Likes
18,951
Country flag
Not my mother tongue, but at time ARTH KA ANARTH happens.............
 

nimo_cn

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2009
Messages
4,032
Likes
883
Country flag
Your statement is grammatically incorrect. You said, "I keep seeing people confusing their and there, putting it's instead of its, and other rudimentary errors".

The sentence ought to be: "I keep seeing people confusing their and there, putting it's instead of its, and making other rudimentary errors".

You will not be able to crack the GMAT if you don't comprehend these obscure rules of grammar.

But then, I agree with SGU that we don't need grammar Nazis on this forum. :thumb:
For an English learner, I would like to see a grammar Nazi like Bangalorean.

Is it ok to say "i keep seeing people confusing their WITH there"?

Sent from my HUAWEI T8951 using Tapatalk 2
 
Last edited:

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
Still errors remain. Every single quoted word should have been, (1) quoted with single quotes, and (2) the closing quotes should not have separated the word from the following punctuation.

:D
Well, not to hold it against him, but he is Canadian (AFAIK).

Americans (continental) always do try to differentiate themselves from Europeans, specially in their logic of English grammar.

You keep following the Hybrid way! European: Quote with single quotation marks; American: Comma within quotation marks.

It's a matter of choice really, unless and untill Europe and America fight it out over WWIII! :troll:
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
Well, not to hold it against him, but he is Canadian (AFAIK).

Americans (continental) always do try to differentiate themselves from Europeans, specially in their logic of English grammar.

You keep following the Hybrid way! European: Quote with single quotation marks; American: Comma within quotation marks.

It's a matter of choice really, unless and untill Europe and America fight it out over WWIII! :troll:
Europeans use double quotes to quote, and single quotes to highlight, except when there is a quote within the quote. Double quotes are used to quote in both European and American English.

English: ". . ."
German: "ž. . ."
Russian: «. . .»

It is double quotes for Europeans, and ditto for Americans.

:troll:
 

Eastman

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2013
Messages
405
Likes
233
Country flag
You think English speaking is like rice plate eating :fkidding:
 

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
Moral of the story: never bring up the topic of grammar when a Bong is around. One among their hobbies is to find grammatical errors in a book of grammar. :thumb:


(Even the above praise wouldn't deter them from grammatically dissecting this post.)
There you go! :rofl:

The colon delivers the goods that have been invoiced in the preceding words.

The semicolon joins two sentences which are topic-wise related, but are not dependent on each other.
 

Apollyon

Führer
Senior Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
3,134
Likes
4,573
Country flag
Me parents no habing monies so me studied in Govt. school. Me no english good :(

Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2
 

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
Europeans use double quotes to quote, and single quotes to highlight, except when there is a quote within the quote. Double quotes are used to quote in both European and American English.

English: ". . ."
German: "ž. . ."
Russian: «. . .»

It is double quotes for Europeans, and ditto for Americans.

:troll:
Don't defend the indefensible! Americans use double quotation marks for every bloody thing! :angry: :truestory: :troll:

 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
Don't defend the indefensible! Americans use double quotation marks for every bloody thing! :angry: :truestory: :troll:
I agree that Americans use double quotes for everything. I just don't agree with your earlier assertion that Europeans use single quotes to quote.

Good attempt at obfuscation. :p
 

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
For an English learner, I would like to see a grammar Nazi like Bangalorean.

Is it ok to say "i keep seeing people confusing their WITH there"?

Sent from my HUAWEI T8951 using Tapatalk 2
"I see people confusing 'their' and 'there'" = people confuse and interchangeably use 'their' and 'there'

"I see people confusing 'their' with 'there'" = people use 'there' for both 'there' or 'their'

Not sure... @pmaitra?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
"I see people confusing 'their' and 'there'" = people confuse and interchangeably use 'their' and 'there'

"I see people confusing 'their' with 'there'" = people use 'there' for both 'there' or 'their'

Not sure... @pmaitra?
and - conjunction: There are two objects that are confused. What they are confused with is unclear.
with - preposition: There are two objects that are confused with each other.

This is my understanding.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
I agree that Americans use double quotes for everything. I just don't agree with your earlier assertion that Europeans use single quotes to quote.

Good attempt at obfuscation. :p
I meant, Europeans use single quotes to highlight... not quote. :scared1:

A three-way distinction is occasionally made between normal use of a word (no quotation marks), referring to the concept behind the word (single quotation marks), and the word itself (double quotation marks):

When discussing 'use', use "use".​
 
Last edited:

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
Europeans use single quotes to highlight... not quote. :scared1:
An ellipsis is not a pause. It is an omission, but different from et cetera. For a pause, use a comma.

:troll:


Edit:
For ............. many DFIans ................ a sequence of dots means ................ forgetting to lift their finger from the keyboard ................... while thinking what to write next.
 

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
An ellipsis is not a pause. It is an omission, but different from et cetera. For a pause, use a comma.

:troll:


Edit:
For ............. many DFIans ................ a sequence of dots means ................ forgetting to lift their finger from the keyboard ................... while thinking what to write next.
Apart from "omission" or "falling short", an ellipsis is also used in the following circumstances in modern English:
  • to imply an unstated alternative indicated by context (Eg: Count Dracula said "I never drink... wine")
  • to identify a sentence fragment to denote afterthoughts (Eg: I will never hit anyone... unless he truly deserves it)
  • to represent an intentional silence, perhaps indicating irritation, dismay, shock or disgust (Eg: So you kicked him... whatever!)
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
Apart from "omission" or "falling short", an ellipsis is also used in the following circumstances in modern English:
  • to imply an unstated alternative indicated by context (Eg: Count Dracula said "I never drink... wine")
  • to identify a sentence fragment to denote afterthoughts (Eg: I will never hit anyone... unless he truly deserves it)
  • to represent an intentional silence, perhaps indicating irritation, dismay, shock or disgust (Eg: So you kicked him... whatever!)
Speaking of "modern" English (read grammatically-wrong-and-needs-to-offer-an-excuse English), here is what the Modern Language Association has to say:
The MLA now indicates that a three-dot, spaced ellipsis ( "¦ ) should be used for removing material from within one sentence within a quote. When crossing sentences (when the omitted text contains a period, so that omitting the end of a sentence counts), a four-dot, spaced (except for before the first dot) ellipsis (. . . . ) should be used. When ellipsis points are used in the original text, ellipsis points that are not in the original text should be distinguished by enclosing them in square brackets (e.g. "text ["¦] text").
Afterthought? Don't think so. Thought? Yes. As I said, some people use the ellipsis, or a series thereof, when they are lost in their thoughts pondering about what to write next, with their finger stuck onto the keyboard. Rather thoughtless, IMHO.
 

arnabmit

Homo Communis Indus
Senior Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Messages
6,242
Likes
7,522
Country flag
Speaking of "modern" English (read grammatically-wrong-and-needs-to-offer-an-excuse English), here is what the Modern Language Association has to say:


Afterthought? Don't think so. Thought? Yes. As I said, some people use the ellipsis, or a series thereof, when they are lost in their thoughts pondering about what to write next, with their finger stuck onto the keyboard. Rather thoughtless, IMHO.
Not 'wrong' grammar, but 'evolved' grammar. :namaste:
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top