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

05-29-2012 , 11:20 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrEleganza
Cite?
from Random House Dictionary:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nevermind

from Webster's New World College Dictionary:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/pay-someone-no-nevermind
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 01:17 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugar Nut
... For example for the longest time I've been writing "definately" (yuck, I know), until someone online (a native speaker) who I always regarded as someone with bloody excellent spelling and grammar wrote "definitely", which made me look it up. ...
At least you weren't using "defiantly" instead.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by sba9630
At least you weren't using "defiantly" instead.
Whenever I read that (and they mean "definitely", not actually "defiantly") then I give them the benefit of the doubt, and consider it a simple typo (like "rihgt" instead of "right") of the intended "definately". Although I just notice, there's an "e" missing. Hmmm... maybe not, then.

Pretty interesting discussion regarding my "Nevermind". I had never heard of this usage of the word as in: "Don't pay him any nevermind."
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:03 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugar Nut
Pretty interesting discussion regarding my "Nevermind". I had never heard of this usage of the word as in: "Don't pay him any nevermind."
That's because the only people who use it live in Mississippi in the year 1860.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:04 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewOldGuy
absolutely incorrect,
Dude, please don't use extreme adverbs with neutral adjectives.

I mean, doesn't that look/sound/feel ugly to you?
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:08 PM
A question to you guys regarding numbers:

I've been taught in school, that in German (my mother toungue) numbers up to thirteen are spelled out, and only from 14 on up you're allowed to use figures for numbers in texts.

I've been doing this so far in English as well ("aswell" until a few weeks ago ). Is there any such rule in the English language?
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:08 PM
Oh, hi there DiegoArmando.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugar Nut
A question to you guys regarding numbers:

I've been taught in school, that in German (my mother toungue) numbers up to thirteen are spelled out, and only from 14 on up you're allowed to use figures for numbers in texts.

I've been doing this so far in English as well ("aswell" until a few weeks ago ). Is there any such rule in the English language?
The way I learned it in school was, you spell out ten and under, write the numerals for 11 and up.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 03:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by DiegoArmando
Dude, please don't use extreme adverbs with neutral adjectives.

I mean, doesn't that look/sound/feel ugly to you?
Maybe, but don't you think "incorrect" is a gradable adjective?
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 04:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrEleganza
The way I learned it in school was, you spell out ten and under, write the numerals for 11 and up.
Thanks. I'll try to remember and do it this way in the future.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 05:15 PM
That's a good general rule, with a few exceptions--I think it's preferred to spell out a number that starts a sentence, and you should remain consistent within a sentence even if it's one low and one high number ("I have 8700 posts, why should I listen to this guy that has 4?")
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-29-2012 , 06:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrEleganza
That's because the only people who use it live in Mississippi in the year 1860.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 01:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewOldGuy
Maybe, but don't you think "incorrect" is a gradable adjective?
I personally feel that no, it's not gradable, but modifying it with a neutral adverb may be ok, for some kind of effect.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 06:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugar Nut
Oh, hi there DiegoArmando.
Hey babe.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 07:04 PM
I'll give the doggie a pass, because it got everything else right and has excellent penmanship.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 07:12 PM
He is a braw beast right enough.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 08:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeSki
Pre-game. 8 pm est
Answer to "when is the draft lottery?"
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 10:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bank
Answer to "when is the draft lottery?"
I don't think mixing up daylight time with standard time qualifies as a grammar error. Unless there's another error you're pointing out. Some people just forget the clocks changed a month ago or whatever.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 10:37 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sugar Nut
A question to you guys regarding numbers:

I've been taught in school, that in German (my mother toungue) numbers up to thirteen are spelled out, and only from 14 on up you're allowed to use figures for numbers in texts.

I've been doing this so far in English as well ("aswell" until a few weeks ago ). Is there any such rule in the English language?
I'm fascinated by the German rule. I wonder the why the cutoff would be between 13 and 14. There's no obvious difference in the form of the words or anything along those lines (as there is between 15 and 16 in Spanish, and between 16 and 17 in French). A puzzlement.

In English it depends somewhat on context. Many people a generation ago were taught that the cutoff was 100 (numbers 100 and less being spelled out), but journalists have long used a cutoff of ten and I think that the smaller cutoff has tended to be adopted in informal writing.

Having said that I'm now wondering why I typed this post without spelling them out — usually I use formal rules unless I think specifically about it.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 11:07 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by private joker
I don't think mixing up daylight time with standard time qualifies as a grammar error. Unless there's another error you're pointing out. Some people just forget the clocks changed a month ago or whatever.
You're correct, it's not a grammar error, but it still grinds my gears. A lot of people seem to think it's always EST when in fact, it's EDT for more than half the year. I think a lot of people don't even know what "EDT" is, though obviously they know the practice is represents.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-30-2012 , 11:22 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by atakdog
I'm fascinated by the German rule. I wonder the why the cutoff would be between 13 and 14. There's no obvious difference in the form of the words or anything along those lines (as there is between 15 and 16 in Spanish, and between 16 and 17 in French). A puzzlement.

In English it depends somewhat on context. Many people a generation ago were taught that the cutoff was 100 (numbers 100 and less being spelled out), but journalists have long used a cutoff of ten and I think that the smaller cutoff has tended to be adopted in informal writing.

Having said that I'm now wondering why I typed this post without spelling them out — usually I use formal rules unless I think specifically about it.
APA also uses a cutoff of 10. Not certain about MLA.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-31-2012 , 07:32 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by atakdog
I'm fascinated by the German rule. I wonder the why the cutoff would be between 13 and 14. There's no obvious difference in the form of the words or anything along those lines (as there is between 15 and 16 in Spanish, and between 16 and 17 in French). A puzzlement.

In English it depends somewhat on context. Many people a generation ago were taught that the cutoff was 100 (numbers 100 and less being spelled out), but journalists have long used a cutoff of ten and I think that the smaller cutoff has tended to be adopted in informal writing.

Having said that I'm now wondering why I typed this post without spelling them out — usually I use formal rules unless I think specifically about it.
Well first of all I was wrong. The cutoff in German is between twelve and thirteen (or twelve and 13 for that matter). Your post prompted me to look it up and maybe find an historical reason ("a historical" or "an historical"?).
Well, the reason is (or rather was) pretty simple. Numbers zero through twelve are, with the exception of seven, made up of only one syllable (in English the zero and eleven are other exceptions), and more importantly, and this holds true for all numbers zero through twelve, not constructed out of more than one numeral (after all it is not oneteen and twoteen, but eleven and twelve (or "elf" and "zwölf" in German)).

However according to the German Duden this rule is outdated.

German Wikipedia gives a few examples of how it should be done nowadays.

- Approximations should be spelled out.

"The fifty million dead of World War II", and not "The 50,000,000 dead of World War II"

- Always use numerals for page numbers, house numbers, telefone numbers, account numbers, etc.

"On page 11", and not "On page eleven"

- Break the rule if it makes a comparison harder to comprehend.

"The GDP growth of Germany increased from 12 to 13 per cent, while that of the USA decreased from 14 to 10 per cent.", and not "The GDP growth of Germany increased from twelve to 13 per cent, while that of the USA decreased from 14 to ten per cent."

Break the rule when there are intertwined series of numbers that could misleadingly suggest a comparison.

"Of the 15 member states, eighteen months after joining, 3 had opted out already.", and not "Of the 15 member states, 18 months after joining, three had opted out already."

That last example was a bit difficult to translate, and I could also not really come up with my own. I hope the point is made clear nonetheless.

Last edited by Sugar Nut; 05-31-2012 at 07:38 AM.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-31-2012 , 10:15 PM
This is hilariously overwrought.

My favorite in the first two short chapters:

"Report gained ground that Sir John, having quietly crept out of boyhood for a lengthened period ..."
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote
05-31-2012 , 10:52 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ToTheInternet
This is hilariously overwrought.

My favorite in the first two short chapters:

"Report gained ground that Sir John, having quietly crept out of boyhood for a lengthened period ..."
In 1897 I think flowery overwrought prose was the style of the day, but she probably takes the cake.
"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! Quote

      
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