"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! - Page 108 - Other Topics Forum - Discuss Pop Culture, Arts and Entertainment

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"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode!

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Page 108 of 247

First

8 58 88 98 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 118 128 158 208

Last

11-01-2011 , 10:30 PM

#2676

Gordy N. Okam

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 435

What do you think of a person making a spectacle of himself?

Quote

11-01-2011 , 10:34 PM

#2677

AnonyMouse1

grinder

Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReasonableGuy

From a recent Venetian e-mail:

And no, the stilettos in question don't own anything.

Good gosh, that's pathetic.

Quote

11-01-2011 , 10:41 PM

#2678

Didace

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 20,465

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaredL

I believe daylight saving time is unique for me in that it's so commonly said incorrectly that I don't look down on people who **** it up, but instead think more highly of people who get it right.

I'm with you on this, but what about people that want to schedule meetings for 11:00am Eastern Standard Time on June 25th?

Quote

11-01-2011 , 10:56 PM

#2679

atakdog

addicted

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 50,136

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticKnight

Can I through a semantic drift (change) question in here?

Use of the word spectacular. Whenever I hear a news person say a "spectacular fire" or "spectacular explosion" I think that this is an odd modern-day use of the word.

I know this may have fit years ago, but does anyone else find it odd to use the word spectacular in a context that is not positive?

Not me; sounds perfectly normal.

Also: throw.

Quote

11-01-2011 , 10:58 PM

#2680

atakdog

addicted

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 50,136

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordy N. Okam

New Geico commercial on the radio: Home is where the savings is.

Sigh. And they pay copy editors, too. How hard is it to say "Home is where the savings be"?

Quote

11-01-2011 , 11:02 PM

#2681

atakdog

addicted

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 50,136

Quote:

Originally Posted by Didace

I'm with you on this, but what about people that want to schedule meetings for 11:00am Eastern Standard Time on June 25th?

Their grammar is fine; it is their thinking that is sloppy (usually).

Actually, we argue about this in POG reasonably often, but there it's about what abbreviation to use. Those who use EST when they mean daylight time fall into two camps: those who have not thought about it at all, and those who say they have but contend that EST is clear in context and (for unarticulated reasons) somehow superior to EDT.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 12:26 AM

#2682

ReasonableGuy

old hand

Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,617

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brocktoon

Is Stiletto the name of a place, or are they just generically referring to the type of shoe?

It's an ad for a "stiletto dash" race in which women compete in a footrace while wearing high heels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnonyMouse1

Good gosh, that's pathetic.

You'd think with the massive amount of money a place like the Venetian has on hand they could employ a competent proofreader.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 10:13 AM

#2683

GMan42

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 5,330

My friend has a big fancy sign in front of his house proudly saying "The [family's last name]'s". I cringe every time I see it.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 10:25 AM

#2684

dkgojackets

DKGOAT

Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 86,120

the grammar would be the least cringeworthy thing about that

Quote

11-02-2011 , 11:37 AM

#2685

GMan42

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 5,330

Agreed. I don't mind a little plate or something with just the house number and last name, facing the street, to make it easier to find the house. But this one, in addition to being ostentatious (and grammatically incorrect), is only visible when you're already in their driveway, so I don't see the point.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 04:07 PM

#2686

ChipWrecked

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 12,723

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGT RJ

Meh, this is why I shouldn't get involved with people who are even nittier than me. :P

"...nittier than I."

Quote

11-02-2011 , 04:09 PM

#2687

SGT RJ

Twitching

Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 48,792

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChipWrecked

"...nittier than I."

Surprised it took that long for someone to catch that. :P

Quote

11-02-2011 , 05:06 PM

#2688

Peter Harris

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 8,424

This one from Edinburgh, *twitch* *twitch*

Last edited by Peter Harris; 11-02-2011 at 05:06 PM. Reason: at least they removed the powerjacks apostrophe, but jeez...

Quote

11-02-2011 , 05:25 PM

#2689

SGT RJ

Twitching

Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 48,792

That's a lot of bad apostrophe's.

Last edited by SGT RJ; 11-02-2011 at 05:26 PM. Reason: SWIDT?

Quote

11-02-2011 , 05:29 PM

#2690

ToTheInternet

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 13,876

They must be leveling, given the egregious misspelling of "center."

Quote

11-02-2011 , 05:30 PM

#2691

AtThe Aquarium

banned

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 5,602

No, plz explain.

Last edited by AtThe Aquarium; 11-02-2011 at 05:31 PM. Reason: re: sgt rj

Quote

11-02-2011 , 05:36 PM

#2692

private joker

Most Definitely

Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 25,244

HERE COMES AN S!

Quote

11-02-2011 , 06:28 PM

#2693

AnonyMouse1

grinder

Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 603

I always wonder whether it's the people who make the sign to blame, or the company that orders it... do sign-makers just put what the company people write, or what?

Quote

11-02-2011 , 07:03 PM

#2694

Gordy N. Okam

grinder

Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 435

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMan42

My friend has a big fancy sign in front of his house proudly saying "The [family's last name]'s". I cringe every time I see it.

Maybe it means

This is the Smith's house

Quote

11-02-2011 , 07:22 PM

#2695

private joker

Most Definitely

Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 25,244

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnonyMouse1

I always wonder whether it's the people who make the sign to blame, or the company that orders it... do sign-makers just put what the company people write, or what?

Regardless, blame should be on the company who orders it. Because even if the sign-makers made the error, the company should recognize it and make them re-do the signs. So the fact that they accepted the signs and put them up means they approve of the language on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordy N. Okam

Maybe it means

This is the Smith's house

Still wrong. Then it should be The Smiths' house

Quote

11-02-2011 , 07:49 PM

#2696

Dominic

Tripod

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 75,387

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChipWrecked

"...nittier than I."

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGT RJ

Surprised it took that long for someone to catch that. :P

Wait, isn't "me" correct here? I always get confused with this. If I said "Dan runs faster than me," that's correct, right? It's not "Dan runs faster than I."

So "nittier than me" should be correct, too.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 07:57 PM

#2697

ToTheInternet

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 13,876

"... than I" is the elliptical form of "... than I [whatever]."

"Dan runs faster than I run."

"... people who are even nittier than I am."

This article covers that.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 08:17 PM

#2698

peterc1992

old hand

Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1,384

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToTheInternet

They must be leveling, given the egregious misspelling of "center."

Not sure if your taking the piss.But in Europe we spell centre 'centre'.

Quote

11-02-2011 , 08:23 PM

#2699

RussellinToronto

veteran

Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMan42

My friend has a big fancy sign in front of his house proudly saying "The [family's last name]'s". I cringe every time I see it.

Actually some grammar books from the mid-twentieth century recommended that form. The idea was that any word that didn't form a "normal" plural should have an apostrophe before the s. Thus:

the 1950's

The student made all A's.

He scored 7's on all the 10-point questions.

The Brown's and the Smith's are coming over today.

The first form is still used in newspapers but is generally avoided in academic writing. The second is still in general use (because so much clearer that "all As"). The third seems to vary according to user (I prefer "7s"). I have only occasionally seen the last and have never liked it.