Quick Grammar Banter

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sage
  • 72 comments
  • 2,688 views
Sage

Sage

Staff Emeritus
Messages
12,533
United States
United States
Messages
GTP_Sage
First and foremost, I must say that one of the great things about this forum is that even though it's populated with mostly non-adults, the level of literacy and lack of "AOL-speak" is great, and I'm most appreciative of it. 👍 As anybody who's been here a while knows though, I get (stupidly) picky about grammar, usually in jest – However, I've seen some mistakes that a few people keep making over and over and over and over, which bugs me to no end. So, here's Sage's Anal-Retentive List of Common Grammar Errors™:
  1. The apostrophe – I see this error incredibly often (in fact, I had two tests from two separate teachers today who made this exact mistake)… People thinking that when you make some words plural, you add an apostrophe before the "s". No, no, no! What if the letter before the "s" is a consonant? Still no! You only use the apostrophe for possessive words and contractions only – nothing else, especially not pluralization. For example:
    Possesion: The car is David's.
    Contraction: Everything's all right. (Everything is)
    Pluralization (Wrong!): Those taco's are mine.​
    In conclusion, never use apostrophes for pluralization. "Tacos" might look weird, but it's spelled perfectly fine.
  2. It's versus Its – Having said that about apostrophes though, there is one interesting exception… "It's" and "Its". The former, "It's", is a contraction of it is. The latter, "its", is possessive, indicating that something belongs to it. This is the only word (that I know of) that uses the "s" to indicate possession, but doesn't use the apostrophe, because then it could be confused with the contractive form. So:
    Contraction: It's a beautiful day. (It is)
    Possessive: That's Mrs. Richard's dogÂ… Its coat is very soft. (The coat belongs to "it", the dog)​
  3. They're/There/Their – Now that you know how apostrophes are used (crickey!), you should now understand (if you didn't know before) that "they're
    is a contraction of they are. "There", on the other hand, indicates a place (over there). "Their" indicates possession. Examples:
    They're: After the movies, they're going to his house. (They are going)
    There: Over there you'll find office supplies.
    Their: That is their house. (Meaning that the house belongs to two or more people)​
  4. Affect versus Effect – "Affect" is a verb. Remember that verbs can be conjugated… "to affect; affected; affecting", indicating what tense it's taking place in. "Effect" is both a verb and a noun, but 99.9% of the time, it is used as a noun… Usually it's used with the verb to have with its appropriate conjugations (notice that "its" is possessive, so I left out the apostrophe). As such:
    Affect: The play affected her so much that she started crying. (The movie did something to her)
    Effect: The play had an effect on her that caused her to cry. (Had is a conjugation of have, and effect is being used as a noun, since it's preceded by the "an". Whenever you precede something with an "a" or "an", it's always a noun. For example, you wouldn't say, "I went on a running", but you would say, "I went on a run".)​
    You can use effect as a verb, but it's usually reserved for higher-end writing, and only if you know what you're (you are!) doing.
  5. It's I, not me! Or is it? – How many times have you thought, "Am I supposed to say Anne and I or Anne and me?" I'll admit that I didn't really know how to correctly figure this out until my 7th grade English teacher taught me the following trick: Cover up the other person's name and the "and" part, then see if it makes sense. For example:
    Anne and I went to the party.
    Anne and me went to the party.​
    The first one obviously sounds betterÂ… you'd say "I went to the party", not "Me went to the party". Thus, you know to use "I" in that sentence. Very easy method, and works 100% of the time.

Thus concludes this grammar lesson (and remember it's grammar, not grammer). I've probably missed something else that pops up often, but I'm tired and thirsty right now.
 
I think I use correct grammar. I don't pay much attention but I think I do...
 
Ah, I know what I forgotÂ…
  1. Accept versus except – Remember that "accept" is positive, and "except" is negative – To accept something is to take it willingly, but "except" basically means "exclude"…
    Accept: Yes, I'll gladly accept your invitation! (I will take it)
    Except: Everyone's invited except George. (George is excluded)​
    This is fairly easy to remember, since "except" and "exclude" both start with the same three letters.
 
Thanks for the tips. I could use some.

Is it, "It's been a nice day." Or, is it, "It has been a nice day."

Is using "It's" correct in the first sentence, for the place of. "It has?"
 
That's kinda tricky, since "has" is a possessive verbÂ… to be honest, I'm not absolutely sure, but I'd probably use "It's", since it is a contraction, and the apostrophe-"s" isn't in itself the possessive element (as in "David's", which really stands for "the {object} of David"). So, yeah, I'd go with an apostrophe on that one.
 
Speaking of that, "a lot" is always two words, never one. ;)
 
Sage
They're/There/Their – Now that you know how apostrophes are used (crickey!), you should now understand (if you didn't know before) that "they're
is a contraction of they are. "There", on the other hand, indicates a place (over there). "Their" indicates possession. Examples:
They're: After the movies, they're going to his house. (They are going)
There: Over there you'll find office supplies.
Their: That is their house. (Meaning that the house belongs to two or more people)​
Click to expand...
Well I learnt two things from that post:

-The difference between there and their
-The {indent} tag:tup:​
 
There are the commonly mistaken "your" vs "you're" and "practice" vs "practise" thingymabobs. I'm sure you could shed some light onto them :)
 
I see the following mistakes a lot here.

Rediculous is really ridiculous.
Relise is really realize.
Simular is really similar.
Can not is really cannot.
Congradulations is really congratulations.
 
Congadulations on picking up those rediculous mistakes we were making. They were so simular I didn't relise. And because I can not fit it into those sentances I have made a third sentance with can not in it....

Yes I'm very bored...
 
I don't think you contract "it has," period. Not that it matters here. Of course, if you want to use proper grammar, you don't contract anything, period, because it's coarse and concrete, and that doesn't do much for the literary value of a work. Anyway, neato essay, Sage, except you said "contractive form" on an essay on grammar. "Contractive" is a word, but I'm nearly positive you meant "contracted." Or you're just stupid. "Contractive" would mean "likely to undergo the process of contracting.
I bet I beat you on the Physics test, as well. Ha. But now I'm going to feel like an idiot when I do worse.
Also, I never use "effect" as a noun. I use it in the verb form, and say "consequence" instead. So that 99% could be a bit overinflated. It's nice to see you try to effect change in our online grammar usage. I realize that's an inifinitive structure, and therefore a horrible example, but I'm tired.
Banter is also the wrong word for the title. Unless you honestly intended this to be a conversation, rather than a lecture.
 
Sage - its wonderful that you came up with this. GTP member's and me now can check to see if there grammar is right. Accept the dumb ones, of course - they're grammar is always wrong. Either way, this will really effect the quality of the posts on these forums - in fact, check out Darins posts in this very thread; you can see the affect already!

Maybe you should sticky this thread so its always their?
 
This thread should be a sticky, or at least added to the 'Unoficcial common sense rules for posting.'

ALPHA
There are the commonly mistaken "your" vs "you're" and "practice" vs "practise" thingymabobs. I'm sure you could shed some light onto them :)
Click to expand...


"Your" (possession) and "You're" (contraction of "you are") have to be in the top 3 of grammar mistakes. Curiously, I think it's mostly when the sentence is affirmative that the mistake is made.

"Your driving your car."


On a more technical note, I've wondered about the period and where it's supposed to go when using quotation marks.
I mean, is it:

A) I saw "Being John Malkovich".
or
B) I saw "Being John Malkovich."

Although using quotation marks for movies/TV shows/songs/etc. may be optional. I only know for sure that the period goes inside the marks when the sentence is in fact, a quote.

"When you are going through Hell, keep going."
 
Two examples:

1. My, your Daewoo Leganza looks lovely tonight.
2. The Colorado Rockies will win the National League Wild Card!

If I was quoting number one, I'd write:

Blah blah blah blah "My, your Daewoo Leganza looks lovely tonight."

If I was quoting number two, I'd write:

Blah blah blah blah "The Colorado Rockies will win the National League Wild Card!".

And finally, if you're only quoting part of a statement:

Blah blah blah blah "The Colorado Rockies will win".

Now, with perfect grammar I've explained that. At 2am I believe I deserve a standing ovation. For your movie title, the period in your sentence would be following the quotation marks - since there is no period in the movie title.
 
Is it ok if I use these examples - (ie copy/paste them) in other forums I am apart of? Being an english major and all makes one fairly aware of blatantly using other people's intellectual property.
 
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a culprit of apalling Grammar at times, and I hope you can find it in your bountiful hearts to forgive me.
 
Two more that I've noticed.

  1. Would've/Could've/Should've - These are the contracted forms of would have, could have, and should have. People often make the mistake of using of in place of 've, which is completely wrong.

    Wrong - We would of won, but he choked and missed.​

    Right - We would've (would have) won, but he choked and missed.​

  2. Double negatives - You can't use two negatives in the same sentence, duh.

    Wrong - I'm not telling you nothing.​

    Right - I'm not telling you anything.​


And also, "ain't" ain't a word!
 
M5Power
Sage - its wonderful that you came up with this. GTP member's and me now can check to see if there grammar is right. Accept the dumb ones, of course - they're grammar is always wrong. Either way, this will really effect the quality of the posts on these forums - in fact, check out Darins posts in this very thread; you can see the affect already!

Maybe you should sticky this thread so its always their?
Click to expand...

Good thing I and others like Darin can learn so much from this post.


Seriously though Sage, good post. I remember my 9th grade English teacher did a unit on commonly confused words in the English language. Four years later, I still remember just about every one. I think that all of the ones you posted were on there, plus stuff like who/whom, lie/lay, hang/hanged...etc.
 
tabs

  1. [*]Double negatives - You can't use two negatives in the same sentence, duh.

    Wrong - I'm not telling you nothing.​

    Right - I'm not telling you anything.​




And also, "ain't" ain't a word!
Click to expand...


I dunno, the only double negative I seem to use often is "You don't have the right to not be offended." That statement is true, and the 'correct' version - "You have the right to be offended" is...wrong, because you don't. I hope I made some sense... :|
 
Another common grammar error regards the use of the homophonous words "to" and "too".
My english is not flexible enough to grammatically explain their differences though, so I can only give you an example:

That's too good to be true.
 
With the who/whom rule, you use who if the pronoun you use in its place for the answer is a he, she or they. It it's a him, her or them, you use whom.

For example: "Whom" or "Who did he tell?" It's "Whom," because the answer would be "her" or "him." "He told her." Not, "He told she."

When I answer the phone, and the caller asks, "Is this (so-and-so?)" I say, "Yes, this is he." A lot of people say, "This is him."

Another one is "whose" or "who's."

"Whose house is it?" is correct, while, "Who's house is it?" is not.
"Whose going to the store?" is incorrect, while, "Who's going to the store?" is correct.
 
ALPHA
There are the commonly mistaken "your" vs "you're" and "practice" vs "practise" thingymabobs. I'm sure you could shed some light onto them :)
Click to expand...
Ah, yeah. "Your" versus "You're" as been covered, but "Practice" versus "Practise" hasn't. I'll add it to the end of this post.

SublimeDood10
I think that all of the ones you posted were on there, plus stuff like who/whom, lie/lay, hang/hanged...etc.
Click to expand...
That's another one I was meaning to get to. đź‘Ť

Timmotheus
Banter is also the wrong word for the title. Unless you honestly intended this to be a conversation, rather than a lecture.
Click to expand...
Which is why it's an open forum thread – Duh? ;)

Sleek Stratos
On a more technical note, I've wondered about the period and where it's supposed to go when using quotation marks.
Click to expand...
Doug pretty much covered it, although some English teachers will argue that Blah blah blah blah "The Colorado Rockies will win the National League Wild Card!". isn't correct, because you'd need to pull off the last period. I'd like to ask anybody who knows what the technically correct way to use punctuation is when having a quote in the middle of a sentence:
He said, "Go home," but the dog didn't.
He said, "Go home", but the dog didn't.​
I think I had one teacher that said that the first way is the "American" way, and the second is the "British/English" way. I've always preferred the latter way, since the comma isn't part of the fragment, but instead treating the quote as an appositiveÂ… However, every English teacher I've had has preferred it on the inside.

ShobThaBob
Is it ok if I use these examples - (ie copy/paste them) in other forums I am apart of? Being an english major and all makes one fairly aware of blatantly using other people's intellectual property.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. :)

DiabolicalMask
Another common grammar error regards the use of the homophonous words "to" and "too".
My english is not flexible enough to grammatically explain their differences though [Â…]
Click to expand...
I'll add it to the list. :)

  1. Practice or Practise? – The only difference between the two is that "Practise" is meant to be only used as a verb, while "Practice" can be used as a noun and a verb. Thus, I personally always avoid the issue by using "Pratice" all the time. If you really want though, here are examples:
    Practice/Noun: I went to practice yesterday.
    Practise/Noun (Wrong!): I went to practise yesterday.
    Practice/Verb: I need to practice that exercise more often.
    Practise/Verb: I need to practise that exercise more often.​
    Notice that "Practice" is okay to use in both circumstances, so I'd suggest that you always use it.
  2. Lie versus Lay – I bit pessimistic, but just think, "People always lie". Examples:
    Lie: I went to lie down on the couch. (I being me, a person)
    Lay: The rock was to lay there for many years. (Rock is an object)​
  3. Did you go to it too? – I've always explained it like this – "Too" is meant to either replace the word "also", or to mean "an excess of" (as in too much).
    To: I went to the store.
    Too: Sally went there too! (Sally also went there)
    Too: There are too many pets in this house. (There is an excessive number of pets)​
 
The things that annoy me that haven't been covered thus far are:

Lose vs Loose: When you lose an item, it is lost. However, a soon as a item becomes separated from a group, it is loose. In fact, one could argue that "It is easy to lose loose items".

The sentence "The reason I want them evicted from the house is because I don't like them". This is a tautology. Because indicates that a definition or explanation is about to follow. But the sentence commencement The reason also indicates that a definition or explanation is about to follow. Therefore the correct sentence is "The reason I want them evicted from the house is that I don't like them".

And yes, that item is inspired by Big Brother.
 
GilesGuthrie
The things that annoy me that haven't been covered thus far are:

Lose vs Loose: When you lose an item, it is lost. However, a soon as a item becomes separated from a group, it is loose. In fact, one could argue that "It is easy to lose loose items".
Click to expand...

Don't forget Loss versus Lost. I'll write this one later, unless someone can do it for me? :)
 
Shouldn't it be "Â… from the house is that I don't like them"? I could be wrong, but just having "that" by itself sounds funny. Seems like you'd need "is" to indicate what part of the sentence the actual reason is.
 
Sage
Shouldn't it be "Â… from the house is that I don't like them"? I could be wrong, but just having "that" by itself sounds funny. Seems like you'd need "is" to indicate what part of the sentence the actual reason is.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah. I wasn't concentrating properly when I wrote that bit.

Edited!
 

Latest Posts

Back