Death of English

[djmcmath]

Sorry, didn't mean to come across like I was taking it personally. I love the grammar-Nazi flower, though.

[Zeke]

I have used the apostrphe incorrectly many, many times on purpose. I remember a thread about the use of the apostrophe regarding plural 911s. See, it doesn't look right because of the 911S model. Sometimes it is correct, though, as in the "911's carpet." Another example is talking about cars made in the 60s. But the apostrophe is correct, IMO, when you say, That was a thing of the 60's." That shows possesion of fads belonging to the 60's. If we know the difference, I think we are allowed the latitude of breaking the rules. I think you can tell when someone doesn't know the difference.

Now, shall we talk about the word "who" when used as a direct object?

Heh, he, I had to go back and edit my spelling, twice.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by djmcmath
Sorry, didn't mean to come across like I was taking it personally. I love the grammar-Nazi flower, though.

No, no, I meant, "Don't take it personally that I am quoting your mis-use of the apostrophe." All in good fun.

[CamB]

I think it completely depends on context. I write any old crap on Yahoo Messenger, because I'm talking to friends.

However, when posting to a forum, I firmly believe one of the fastest ways to cast doubt on your own intelligence is to misspell (I'm in trouble now, I don't know that I'm sure how to spell that) common words or use poor grammar. EXACTLY the same as listening to someone who mispronounces words or who has poor grammar. In fact, there is a thread floating around which criticises Bush for exactly that "crime".

Personally, the butchering of the spelling of ridiculous really pisses me off. There is no "e" in there. Ever.

[dd74]

My thesis in graduate school was the best test of one's language skill. One spelling or grammatical error, and it was rejected. Do not pass go, do not graduate.

[Bill Douglas]

Ummm, growing up in New Zealand, English tends to be a second language for us as we all grew up speaking Moari (Moari are the local coloured people). However, Moari is very similar to English but you have to use the "F" word as every second word in the sentance.

[teatray]

Originally posted by Bill Douglas
Ummm, growing up in New Zealand, English tends to be a second language for us as we all grew up speaking Moari (Moari are the local coloured people). However, Moari is very similar to English but you have to use the "F" word as every second word in the sentance.

hahahahahahahah.....

[power]

Originally posted by Bill Douglas
Ummm, growing up in New Zealand, English tends to be a second language for us as we all grew up speaking Moari (Moari are the local coloured people). However, Moari is very similar to English but you have to use the "F" word as every second word in the sentance.

Freedom?

[350HP930]

Fudge?

[Stanley]

Originally posted by RickM
Someone once mentioned a spell checker that's an add-on for Explorer. Anyone recall the name of it?

It's not just spelling either, it's also punctuation and structure. And (ooops) while I realize I'm not the perfect writer I try to write as good as possible. I do purposely break the rulez every once in awhile.........like this.

The only one I know of is called "IESpell", but it only does spelling. You can get it for free at download.com. I think it's a must have program if you post on online boards.

[dvkk]

Originally posted by Zeke
Another example is talking about cars made in the 60s. But the apostrophe is correct, IMO, when you say, That was a thing of the 60's." That shows possesion of fads belonging to the 60's.

Or does it refer to cars made during 10 model years, thus being plural?

[djmcmath]

Why you problem! English not langage all speak in native moroon? Edit no posting to start make change and all be uncertain what say submit person and even speaking american people so what! Language fluid thing is to be undertood matters all, and who to say you are what is' the corrected way to write one thing or some other one thing!

Dan

[techweenie]

I know you! You work for a camcorder company in the instruction department!

[dd74]

It has been said, I think by Gertrude Stein, that the single greatest opening in modern English literature at the time, was the first paragraph of A Farewell To Arms. If one were to read the paragraph at a certain pace, they could feel the ground shaking.

[djmcmath]

For those who, like me, are of the unwashed rabble who haven't memorized any of Hemmingway's openings, here's Farewell to Arms (taken from http://www.collectible-treasures.com/collectible_treasures_antique_and_collectibles_mon thly_vintage_book_review.htm):

In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees. The trunks of the trees too were dusty and the leaves fell early that year and we saw the troops marching along the road and the dust rising and leaves, stirred by the breeze, falling and the soldiers marching and afterward the road
bare and white except for the leaves.

Very nice. Ah, so many books, so little time.


Dan

[techweenie]

That passage gives me goose bumps...

[Evans, Marv]

Having worked in public education for quite a long time, I think you all would be amazed at how poorly most students in that system write. The students aren't the only ones who can't write. I enjoy reading this forum, because most people on it write pretty well. I don't necessarily judge somebody by mistakes they make doing one thing. One of the things I learned in education is that success in life can be determined by a lot of different things. I've known students whose butts I kicked every day at school for not trying as hard as I thought they should. Many of them went on to have happy, productive lives and came back over the years to tell me how they were doing. I guess the important thing I gained was to learn not to be hasty in my judgements, and that everybody accomplishes what they will in their own time and way.

[dd74]

The brilliance of English within the hands of brilliant writers is how they can manipulate the language to cause very deep effects.

For example, in What We Talk About When We Talk About Love Carver's use of minimalism (though he never acknowledged this use), reinforced the desperation of his characters which inevitably spilled over onto the reader.

Hubert Selby in Last Exit To Brooklyn avoided apostrophes to speed up the language - emphasizing the rapidly changing lives of his characters, particularly Tra La La, and how fast the 50s were in the redefining of America.

EE Cummins was fantastic at suppression - by use of the lower case, he put the author in the background and the language up front, which in its imagery, needed no proper punctuation.

[dd74]

Originally posted by Evans, Marv
I think you all would be amazed at how poorly most students in that system write. The students aren't the only ones who can't write.

Our language is extremely difficult to convey even in the oral. I've increasingly looked at proper English as more an artform than a language, because when spoken and written properly (or bastardized convincingly), you soon find why poets and playwrights were the first killed after royalty during ancient revolutions. Language is that powerful.

On the other hand, this forum holds some responsibility for the good writing that you are reading - and that's because the only way to communicate on this board is by writing - and the more 911 tech issues that someone writes about, or the more OT discussions they get into, the more they practice their skills.

I won't name names, but after two years on this board, I've seen atrocious writers improve greatly. It's really nice to see.

[nostatic]

and when did the split infinitive become acceptable? I think it's Shatner's fault.

As for typos...I type fast. You have to to get over 5K posts. Time's a wastin', there's more electrons to kill.