grue 1 #1 October 24, 2005 With every passing day, I find myself getting more and more annoyed with grammatical and spelling errors in everyday life. While mistakes do happen, the widespread misuse of words and forms is getting only more common. This situation has gotten to the point where I have started to wonder if the problem is due more to the teachers, or the taught? Consider the following examples: "Your" vs. "you're" The word "your" is used to show possesion of something. "That is your dog", or "your dirty wang gave me herpes!", for example. "You're" is a contraction of "you" and "are", and is used to show state of existence. "You're a moron", for example, or perhaps "You're going to die if you don't listen to me" If you are trying to say "you are", and don't feel like typing it out, this is the correct word to use. "They're" vs. "there" vs "their" "They're", much like "you're", is a contraction. It is used the same way, with the exception of who it is referring to. Instead of "you", it refers to "them", with an example of correct use being "They're the hottest chicks I've ever seen!" The word "there" is used to show the location of something, be it an object or an idea. "When we cut off the prisoner's head, it rolled over there!" Lastly, "their" is used much like "your", to show possession of something by "they", for example: "Shooting fire from asses is their way of showing appreciation." "Break" vs. "brake" This one is fairly simple, yet used incorrectly quite often, especially when the subject of vehicles comes up. When coming to a stop, you "brake" your vehicle to a stop, using your "brakes". When your enemy must be stopped, you "break" his neck. "Wreckless" vs. "reckless" "Reckless" behaviour is bad, coming from the archaic word "reck", which refers to paying heed or attention. Thus, "reckless driving" is driving without paying attention or heed. "Wreckless driving" is driving without wrecking. This is a good thing, obviously. You will never get a ticket for wreckless driving. Late Addition: "Will" vs. "shall" This one is more complicated, and is being added due to a suggestion by a friend. I'm not going to personally cover the nuances of these, but here's a link to educate yourselves: http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-modals_shall-will.htm The aforementioned examples are a few of the ones I see used incorrectly most often, but there are many others, such as "affect" vs. "effect", and so on. Now that word usage has been covered, I'm going to briefly touch on spelling. I know that in today's fast paced world, people aren't going to spell check IMs or forum posts, but I just want to cover one example: "Bumber" is not a word. You cannot "bumb" something, thus you cannot have a "bumber". The correct words are "bump" and "bumper". ______ Going back to my original point, I pose to the people reading this a question: Was the previous information never taught to people, or did people simply not care enough to learn it?cavete terrae. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,122 #2 October 24, 2005 Teached? Teached? Wendy W. (who often edits for grammar, and wishes she could edit others' posts for grammar sometimes)There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lisamariewillbe 1 #3 October 24, 2005 My grammer faults are my own, Im sure my teachers tried to teach me when to use which words. I was just to worried about the shiney things that kept drifting in my field of vision. Now sometimes I wont even correct my grammer on here if I realize it, mostly because it bugs so many people lol ...Sudsy Fist: i don't think i'd ever say this Sudsy Fist: but you're looking damn sudsydoable in this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #4 October 24, 2005 Quote....but I just want to cover one example: "Bumber" is not a word. You cannot "bumb" something, thus you cannot have a "bumber". The correct words are "bump" and "bumper". I thought you were going to bumb me out...ain't that a bumber. Quote...Was the previous information never taught to people, or did people simply not care enough to learn it? Two things... -not care enough to learn it -insufficient parental care and supervisionMy reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
grue 1 #5 October 24, 2005 QuoteTeached? Teached? Wendy W. (who often edits for grammar, and wishes she could edit others' posts for grammar sometimes) Ack, I cannot believe I did that. Edited ;)cavete terrae. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beverly 1 #6 October 24, 2005 Parents Or more to the point the lack of parents. The teachers have become social workers, life teachers, educators, disciplinarians, best friends, mothers, fathers, shoulders to cry on, a dictionary, an encyclopedia, a support group, they teach kids manners, life skills, social skills and more. They are poorly paid and overworked. I think true friendship is under-rated Twitter: @Dreamskygirlsa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,122 #7 October 24, 2005 QuoteLate Addition: "Will" vs. "shall" This one is more complicated, and is being added due to a suggestion by a friend. In writing (and reading) requirements, one hint is that "shall" should used to describe what the bidder is expected to do (i.e. requirements), and "will" should be used to describe what the contract owner (i.e. not the bidder) is going to do. Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
masterrig 1 #8 October 24, 2005 Bore and Boar (not to be confused with Bora-Bora) Then and Than Our and Hour Right (as in correct), Right (as in turn) and Right (as in Right to Bear Arms) Left (turn) and Left (side, hand, etc) There's a bunch more!Turn and Tern... Chuck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darius11 12 #9 October 24, 2005 One thing to remember. Dz.com is not just visited by people who English is there first language. I can understand being picky when you are writing an official letter, but on these froms as long as I can understand, and be understood who cares. However just from personal experience. The standard of high school education in the US is very low. Specially in the sciences. That is not the case in the universities. I believe the standard in the US Universities is very high. Again just from personal experience.I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Elisha 1 #10 October 24, 2005 Quote"You're a moron" Its your a moran! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
missg8tordivr 0 #11 October 24, 2005 QuoteParents Or more to the point the lack of parents. Quote Agreed....parents are the most important roll to help teach a child. Parents have the ability to give teach their kids motivation for learning. It isn't ALL supposed to be done by the teachers. What keeps this modivation going is the parents interests in what the kids learn. Of course, I am not a parent, but hope to be one day. So, these are just my thoughts with nothing to back it up except for how I was raised.*** F LORIDA! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #12 October 24, 2005 Quote... However just from personal experience. The standard of high school education in the US is very low. Specially in the sciences. That is not the case in the universities. I believe the standard in the US Universities is very high. Again just from personal experience. I have to disagree with the university rating...too many degrees floating out there with very little knowledge to back it up. Grading on a curve is quite common in college where the top 10% scores = A, bottom 10% = F....you could, and I one time did, earn 42% on an exam and got an A....thanks for the grade but I obviously didn't learn very much. It's called the Dumbing of America and it is in full force at this time.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skinnyshrek 0 #13 October 24, 2005 Have you been reading shimels posts again? He's working on it i swearhttp://www.skydivethefarm.com do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites simplyputsi 0 #14 October 24, 2005 Kids just expect other people to do things for them these days. Why shouldn't they, a computer basically is attached to their hips these days. I have a younger brother, late addition to family, that is my opinion is being cheated by his school. I've asked him more than once how a subject was taught/explained to him and can understand why he is not exactly understanding. It seems to me the teachers aren't exactly qualified on the subject they are teaching. Maybe this is because the subject they are teaching isn't exactly what they went to school for, but with a teacher shortage they were stuck in the class and told to teach. Now my little brother could definitely pay more attention/study more at home but he is young and yeah that is gonna happen. Man you've got me off on a rant. I'm just gonna stop. Spell check rarely catches grammatical errors, but given a choice most kids would probably know what they wanted. hope my grammer was OK.Skymama's #2 stalker - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites craichead 0 #15 October 24, 2005 I could care less. Alot less. Spelling and grammatical errors bug the hell outta me, too. Having been an editor/proofreader in another life, I used to be more of a grammar/spelling nazi. However, there are too many people who are stuck in their bad-spelling and improper grammar ways. No matter how many times I try to correct them, they continually revert to their bad habits. To me, they're hopeless causes, so I've been learning to ignore the glaring mistakes. I believe it's a combination of things, but the biggest contributor has to be the quality of education available in schools. I graduated from a private/college prep high school in 1995, and I don't have kids, so I have no idea what today's average public school is really like. However, from what I've seen of the younger generation, it seems that the quality of education has severely declined. Then, you have the parents who don't know proper grammar/spelling, either, and that situation makes the home environment equally as bad. Also, kids are communicating with email, texting, and instant messages more--all of which use abbreviated and misspelled words. Lastly, you have the kids who just refuse to learn. Both of my parents are immigrants from Thailand, and their English skills weren't that great when I was growing up. So, it was up to the school to teach the correct information and my responsibility to take that information, study it and learn proper English. From 5th through 12th grade, I always had 20 new vocabulary words to learn every week (Did anybody else suffer through each level of Sadlier-Oxford's Vocabulary Workshop?!). I learned all of my basic grammar and punctuation rules by 8th grade. We had these drilled into our heads with countless sentence diagrams. Then in high school, we had drills in "confused words." The list can be found here: Confused Words (PDF) What bugs me the most are the errors in business communication, particularly memos and emails. Fine, memos and emails are considered informal, but it still represents you and your company. Most executives these days can't spell to save their lives, they don't proofread, and they can't even bother to hit "Spell Check." C'mon people! You can even set up most email programs so that it automatically spell checks the message before you send it! Argh! Okay, there was my grammar and spelling rant. _Pm__ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites j0nes 0 #16 October 24, 2005 i would also say the fault lies mostly with lack of parental emphasis on the importance of an education. parents can more easily blame teachers and school districts than accept responsibility for their child's education. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #17 October 24, 2005 Quote...Both of my parents are immigrants from Thailand, and their English skills weren't that great when I was growing up. So, it was up to the school to teach the correct information and my responsibility to take that information, study it and learn proper English. ... Geez, Craichead..FWIW, I'm highly impressed...sounds like you worked very hard to succeed - and made it. Too bad the general student population and the parents of today don't seem to have that drive to succeed.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites craichead 0 #18 October 24, 2005 QuoteGeez, Craichead..FWIW, I'm highly impressed...sounds like you worked very hard to succeed - and made it. Too bad the general student population and the parents of today don't seem to have that drive to succeed. Thanks, popsjumper. It's a small success--I mean, to me this is really basic stuff that everyone going through the American school system should be learning. Of course, it does make a huge difference when parents are actively involved in their children's education. It does seem like a lot of parents are shirking their responsibilities and leaving it up to the schools to take care of everything. Unfortunately, that type of attitude then gets passed on to the kids, too. I am very lucky. Even though my parents couldn't help me much with my school work because of language barriers, they always stressed the importance of a good education and had the means to send their children to good schools. Sometimes the blame cannot fall on the parents if a good education is neither available nor accessible. _Pm__ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wartload 0 #19 October 24, 2005 QuoteBore and Boar (not to be confused with Bora-Bora) Not to mention, "boor." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tso-d_chris 0 #20 October 24, 2005 Quote"Bumber" is not a word. You cannot "bumb" something, thus you cannot have a "bumber". This is actually the UK version of "bomb" and "bomber," similar to "Mum" and "Mom" being the same thing. There is the special case of when a bumber/bomber strap explosives to their ass, they can accurately be referred to as a bum'ber. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wartload 0 #21 October 24, 2005 Of coarse you might mention how some words like airplane hanger are spelled wrong all the time but that would definately get some people upset. Alot! But their all a bunch of loosers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites NSEMN8R 0 #22 October 24, 2005 Why do people even think about stuff like that? I think grammer and spelling is a bunch of bullshit anyway. It probably shouldn't even be taught in schools past the 5th grade. Wouldn't our kids' time in school be better spent learning math and science? Are any of the world's problems going to be solved by nitpicking spelling and grammer? What does it matter? As long as we can understand each other, who cares? I'd rather have my kids focus on subjects that can make a difference in the world instead of worrying about "I before E" or weather or not there should be an apostrophe in "your". just my $.02 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites wartload 0 #23 October 24, 2005 QuoteWhy do people even think about stuff like that? I think grammer and spelling is a bunch of bullshit anyway. It probably shouldn't even be taught in schools past the 5th grade. Yeah! Rite on! I got all the weigh thru 8th grade and I cant see how education has done me a DAMMED bit of good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites popsjumper 2 #24 October 24, 2005 Quote...What does it matter? As long as we can understand each other, who cares?... Two things: - That's the problem - being able to accurately understand each other. - Math and science communication is even more specific...you can't accurately understand each other unless you use the proper symbols and notations.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites DJL 232 #25 October 24, 2005 !!! It's the parent's(s') fault !!!"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 4 Next Page 1 of 4 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. 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popsjumper 2 #12 October 24, 2005 Quote... However just from personal experience. The standard of high school education in the US is very low. Specially in the sciences. That is not the case in the universities. I believe the standard in the US Universities is very high. Again just from personal experience. I have to disagree with the university rating...too many degrees floating out there with very little knowledge to back it up. Grading on a curve is quite common in college where the top 10% scores = A, bottom 10% = F....you could, and I one time did, earn 42% on an exam and got an A....thanks for the grade but I obviously didn't learn very much. It's called the Dumbing of America and it is in full force at this time.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinnyshrek 0 #13 October 24, 2005 Have you been reading shimels posts again? He's working on it i swearhttp://www.skydivethefarm.com do you realize that when you critisize people you dont know over the internet, you become part of a growing society of twats? ARE YOU ONE OF THEM? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simplyputsi 0 #14 October 24, 2005 Kids just expect other people to do things for them these days. Why shouldn't they, a computer basically is attached to their hips these days. I have a younger brother, late addition to family, that is my opinion is being cheated by his school. I've asked him more than once how a subject was taught/explained to him and can understand why he is not exactly understanding. It seems to me the teachers aren't exactly qualified on the subject they are teaching. Maybe this is because the subject they are teaching isn't exactly what they went to school for, but with a teacher shortage they were stuck in the class and told to teach. Now my little brother could definitely pay more attention/study more at home but he is young and yeah that is gonna happen. Man you've got me off on a rant. I'm just gonna stop. Spell check rarely catches grammatical errors, but given a choice most kids would probably know what they wanted. hope my grammer was OK.Skymama's #2 stalker - Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craichead 0 #15 October 24, 2005 I could care less. Alot less. Spelling and grammatical errors bug the hell outta me, too. Having been an editor/proofreader in another life, I used to be more of a grammar/spelling nazi. However, there are too many people who are stuck in their bad-spelling and improper grammar ways. No matter how many times I try to correct them, they continually revert to their bad habits. To me, they're hopeless causes, so I've been learning to ignore the glaring mistakes. I believe it's a combination of things, but the biggest contributor has to be the quality of education available in schools. I graduated from a private/college prep high school in 1995, and I don't have kids, so I have no idea what today's average public school is really like. However, from what I've seen of the younger generation, it seems that the quality of education has severely declined. Then, you have the parents who don't know proper grammar/spelling, either, and that situation makes the home environment equally as bad. Also, kids are communicating with email, texting, and instant messages more--all of which use abbreviated and misspelled words. Lastly, you have the kids who just refuse to learn. Both of my parents are immigrants from Thailand, and their English skills weren't that great when I was growing up. So, it was up to the school to teach the correct information and my responsibility to take that information, study it and learn proper English. From 5th through 12th grade, I always had 20 new vocabulary words to learn every week (Did anybody else suffer through each level of Sadlier-Oxford's Vocabulary Workshop?!). I learned all of my basic grammar and punctuation rules by 8th grade. We had these drilled into our heads with countless sentence diagrams. Then in high school, we had drills in "confused words." The list can be found here: Confused Words (PDF) What bugs me the most are the errors in business communication, particularly memos and emails. Fine, memos and emails are considered informal, but it still represents you and your company. Most executives these days can't spell to save their lives, they don't proofread, and they can't even bother to hit "Spell Check." C'mon people! You can even set up most email programs so that it automatically spell checks the message before you send it! Argh! Okay, there was my grammar and spelling rant. _Pm__ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
j0nes 0 #16 October 24, 2005 i would also say the fault lies mostly with lack of parental emphasis on the importance of an education. parents can more easily blame teachers and school districts than accept responsibility for their child's education. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #17 October 24, 2005 Quote...Both of my parents are immigrants from Thailand, and their English skills weren't that great when I was growing up. So, it was up to the school to teach the correct information and my responsibility to take that information, study it and learn proper English. ... Geez, Craichead..FWIW, I'm highly impressed...sounds like you worked very hard to succeed - and made it. Too bad the general student population and the parents of today don't seem to have that drive to succeed.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
craichead 0 #18 October 24, 2005 QuoteGeez, Craichead..FWIW, I'm highly impressed...sounds like you worked very hard to succeed - and made it. Too bad the general student population and the parents of today don't seem to have that drive to succeed. Thanks, popsjumper. It's a small success--I mean, to me this is really basic stuff that everyone going through the American school system should be learning. Of course, it does make a huge difference when parents are actively involved in their children's education. It does seem like a lot of parents are shirking their responsibilities and leaving it up to the schools to take care of everything. Unfortunately, that type of attitude then gets passed on to the kids, too. I am very lucky. Even though my parents couldn't help me much with my school work because of language barriers, they always stressed the importance of a good education and had the means to send their children to good schools. Sometimes the blame cannot fall on the parents if a good education is neither available nor accessible. _Pm__ "Scared of love, love and aeroplanes...falling out, I said takes no brains." -- Andy Partridge (XTC) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wartload 0 #19 October 24, 2005 QuoteBore and Boar (not to be confused with Bora-Bora) Not to mention, "boor." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tso-d_chris 0 #20 October 24, 2005 Quote"Bumber" is not a word. You cannot "bumb" something, thus you cannot have a "bumber". This is actually the UK version of "bomb" and "bomber," similar to "Mum" and "Mom" being the same thing. There is the special case of when a bumber/bomber strap explosives to their ass, they can accurately be referred to as a bum'ber. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wartload 0 #21 October 24, 2005 Of coarse you might mention how some words like airplane hanger are spelled wrong all the time but that would definately get some people upset. Alot! But their all a bunch of loosers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NSEMN8R 0 #22 October 24, 2005 Why do people even think about stuff like that? I think grammer and spelling is a bunch of bullshit anyway. It probably shouldn't even be taught in schools past the 5th grade. Wouldn't our kids' time in school be better spent learning math and science? Are any of the world's problems going to be solved by nitpicking spelling and grammer? What does it matter? As long as we can understand each other, who cares? I'd rather have my kids focus on subjects that can make a difference in the world instead of worrying about "I before E" or weather or not there should be an apostrophe in "your". just my $.02 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wartload 0 #23 October 24, 2005 QuoteWhy do people even think about stuff like that? I think grammer and spelling is a bunch of bullshit anyway. It probably shouldn't even be taught in schools past the 5th grade. Yeah! Rite on! I got all the weigh thru 8th grade and I cant see how education has done me a DAMMED bit of good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #24 October 24, 2005 Quote...What does it matter? As long as we can understand each other, who cares?... Two things: - That's the problem - being able to accurately understand each other. - Math and science communication is even more specific...you can't accurately understand each other unless you use the proper symbols and notations.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 232 #25 October 24, 2005 !!! It's the parent's(s') fault !!!"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
