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Title: The Most Common Grammatical Error Made By Educated People Today?
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URL Source: http://groups.google.com/group/can. ... thread/26457d824d1fbb41?hl=en#
Published: Dec 4, 2011
Author: Clyde Armstrong
Post Date: 2011-12-04 06:21:08 by Tatarewicz
Keywords: None
Views: 330
Comments: 30
It used to be using the tautological, unacceptable, non-existent adjective "irregardless" in place of the correct word "regardless". But one hardly ever hears that mistake any more. This is good. Today many fairly-well educated politicians, bureaucrats, teachers at all level, media celebrities etc. mispronounce the word "forte" (one's strong point) as "fortay" which is a musical term meaning strong or loud. The musical term is spelled the same way, "forte", but must, according to our good dictionaries, be pronounced "fortay", not "fort". If one is referring to a person's strength in some area the word "forte" must be pronounced "fort". So whenever you hear a person say "fortay" when he/she is describing a person's "strong point, correct him He will silently thank you for it, but not for the embarrassment. Today by far the most common and annoying grammatical mistake, however, is made by people who should know better. They confuse the transitive verb "lay" (meaning "to place"), with the intransitive verb "lie" (meaning "to recline"). How often to you hear on TV, the radio, movies or in real life some person say "I found the body laying in the alleyway". It should be of course, " I found the body lying (i.e. reclining) in the alleyway" . The correct form is "I was lying down" when the phone rang, not I was "laying down". It is "I lay the book on the table", not "I lie the book on the table". Here are the infinitives, first person present tense, first person past tense and the present and past participles of the verbs "lie" and "lay". Transitive: i) to lie down, ii) I lie down, iii) yesterday I lay down, iii) I am lying down iv) I had been lying down Intransitive: ii) to lay ii) I lay the down iii) yesterday I laid the book down iii) I am laying the book down iv) I have laid the book down Get this straight. As George Orwell wrote: "Sloppy language leads to sloppy thinking, and sloppy thinking leads to sloppy politics"-- or words to that effect. Over the years I have made many errors in spelling and grammar myself. But I am not being pretentious in writing that the confusion between the two different verbs "to lie" (i.e. recline) and "to lay" (i.e. to place something") is inexcusable. It annoys me. After all, this basic grammar is not rocket science. Over the years I have made many errors in spelling and grammar myself. But I am not being pretentious in writing that the confusion between the two different verbs "to lie" (i.e. recline) and "to lay" (i.e. to place something") is inexcusable. It annoys me. After all, this basic grammar is not rocket science.
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#1. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
This is like the following sentence which is gramatically incorrect. "There are three Too's/to's/two's in the English Language". Also when speaking almost everyone pronounces veterans as "vetrans" which annoys me to no end. Americans have become so lazy they shortcut their pronunciation of words.
One of the most common grammatical errors in writing -- ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERNET -- is the misuse of apostrophes, particularly in the plurals.
What gripes me is the way people misuse a and an. Quick English Lesson: Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Lord Acton The human herd stampedes on the fields of facts and the valleys of truth to get to the desert of ignorance. Saman Mohammadi The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. Albert Einstein "...if the military is going to defend our freedoms, then we need freedoms to defend. Our freedoms must be restored before the military can defend them..." Lawrence M. Vance Você me trata desse jeito só porque eu sou preto. Junior (my youngest son)
My Old pet peeve was also the mis-use of the word "LIE"! When used in connection with Politicians it was usually pronounced --- "Mis- Stated", or "Mis-Spoke", or "In-Accurate", or "Not Truthful". Now they're more often saying "Lie" or "Lied"!!!!
It's useful to keep things in perspective and remember that most of these rules are highly arbitrary and dependent on popular habits which are subject to change over time. That's how our language came to be. For example, we have a word for a poisonous snake in English, "adder." A perusal of extant documents in English establishes that the word was once "nadder." (German and Dutch "Natter.") Over time with some words like nadder, an nadder became an adder, and there was nothing for it. Prescriptive grammarian couldn't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Similarly, when millions of folks say "His forte (for-tay) is playing the pianoforte," there's not a damned thing you can do about it.
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The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one. None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. I hate when people use the slang word lawyer when they should be using the correct term liar, when referring to their legal counsel.
SolvoSermo.Com Free speech Video Hosting
People that say then when they need to say than and vice versa - then is time relative: THAN is a conjunction 1. (used, as after comparative adjectives and adverbs, to introduce the second member of an unequal comparison): She's taller than I am. 2. (used after some adverbs and adjectives expressing choice or diversity, such as other, otherwise, else, anywhere, or different, to introduce an alternative or denote a difference in kind, place, style, identity, etc.): I had no choice other than that. You won't find such freedom anywhere else than in this country. 3. (used to introduce the rejected choice in expressions of preference): I'd rather walk than drive there. 4. except; other than: We had no choice than to return home. 5. when: We had barely arrived than we had to leave again. "Anyone intent upon achieving "smaller government" should consider quitting the current fraud."
Saying nukular instead of nuclear is highly irritating.
Over the years I have made many errors in spelling and grammar myself. But I am not being pretentious in writing that the confusion between the two different verbs "to lie" (i.e. recline) and "to lay" (i.e. to place something") is inexcusable. It annoys me. After all, this basic grammar is not rocket science.
#2. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
#3. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
To=toward two=2 too=also
Their=possessive They're=they are There=location
Its=possessive it's=it is
Your=possessive You're=You are
Form plurals correctly; no dog's, cat's, applications's, business's
Use capitalization and punctuation.
#4. To: ambi (#1)
" Americans have become so lazy they shortcut their pronunciation of words."
#5. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
(Edited)
#6. To: ndcorup (#4)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
#7. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
We are not allowed to make a decision as mundane as what kind of lightbulb we're going to use anymore, but we're allowed to choose who runs the city, state, and fedgoob? Give me a break. - Esso
#8. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
#9. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
-Alex Kurtagic
#10. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
It annoys me when "that" is used instead of "who" when referring to PEOPLE.
" If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11
"Life's tough, and even tougher if you're stupid." --John Wayne
#11. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
It's always hard to learn someone how to talk or spell without errors. ;-D
#12. To: X-15 (#9)
Oh, X, you turn me up and you turn me on........
" If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11
"Life's tough, and even tougher if you're stupid." --John Wayne
#13. To: abraxas (#12)
ROFLMAO!! I lost it when the guy did back-flips across the set!!!
-Alex Kurtagic
#14. To: X-15 (#13)
hehehe....I was certain you would be enamored with the bling laden camouflage bandana. Thought I found the perfect gift for you this Christmas, but you didn't even mention it. Derb nub it! Now I have to go make an exchange. : ) back-flips
" If you cannot govern yourself, you will be governed by assholes. " Randge, Poet de Forum, 1/11/11
"Life's tough, and even tougher if you're stupid." --John Wayne
#15. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
These are the ones I hear that I always comment about. Where is my wallet at? Where are you going to? These are ungrammatical because the preposition in the sentence has no object.
#16. To: James Deffenbach, Tatarewicz, abraxas, christine, all (#3) (Edited)
Even better purchase a copy of: 1. "Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. 2. "Fowler's Modern English Usage." If one were to have no other books upon the subject of correct English usage in their personal library I would commend those two as being the most essential. To those I would add, to flesh things out, 3. "On Writing Well" by Wm. Zinnsser 4. "The Oxford American Dictionary" Generally good clear definitions of most of the words one is likely to run into even in educated writing. 5. The first place to go for understandable definitions: "The Webster's New World Dictionary for Young Readers" Clear and concise, written in simple language designed to communicate the meaning of words, not to impress other lexicographers with the editor's erudition. With those tools on hand one can then branch out into more specialized tomes covering finer points of usage. What gripes me is the way people misuse a and an.
"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell." ~ Wm. Strunk Jr.
#17. To: Eric Stratton (#6)
Come now, there are options e.g., One of my pet peeves is the avoidance of the word Pig as a synonym for politician.
Porcine
Hog
Swine
Porker
#18. To: James Deffenbach (#3)
A blast from the past: Badeye posted on 2003-03-14 12:57:14 ET Reply Trace "Your=possessive You're=You are"
"Your wrong, you know your wrong, I've demonstrated your wrong. Now, your just being childish. Seeya."
#19. To: Big Meanie (#18)
One of my favorites that that beyotch posted was "Your not well read." LOL!
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Lord Acton
The human herd stampedes on the fields of facts and the valleys of truth to get to the desert of ignorance. Saman Mohammadi
The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. Albert Einstein
"...if the military is going to defend our freedoms, then we need freedoms to defend. Our freedoms must be restored before the military can defend them..." Lawrence M. Vance
Você me trata desse jeito só porque eu sou preto. Junior (my youngest son)
#20. To: All (#19)
And who could ever forget (if they were posting on LP at the time) that Badlie argued with Neil one time that a three day suspension was five days?
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. Lord Acton
The human herd stampedes on the fields of facts and the valleys of truth to get to the desert of ignorance. Saman Mohammadi
The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. Albert Einstein
"...if the military is going to defend our freedoms, then we need freedoms to defend. Our freedoms must be restored before the military can defend them..." Lawrence M. Vance
Você me trata desse jeito só porque eu sou preto. Junior (my youngest son)
#21. To: bush_is_a_moonie (#15)
These are ungrammatical because the preposition in the sentence has no object. Yes, it do. This sentence, or maybe more properly the preposition, has an object. Where are you going to? I'm going to the store. "Where is it at?" is real colloquial Southern. I have kind of gotten used to it and I find myself using it in speech. What I really find quaint on down here is triple prepositions. "Put it up on in there." I have to remind myself to take note of these gems when I hear them. I love this dialect shit. It adds color to the language.
#22. To: Original_Intent (#17)
deleted
The relationship between morality and liberty is a directly proportional one.
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
#23. To: abraxas (#14)
Oh, I appreciate the effort you put into choosing it, but...umm..."it wasn't my size" ((pheww!)). I'm a simple man with simple tastes, you can just make me a reuben sandwich ;-) hehehe....I was certain you would be enamored with the bling laden camouflage bandana. Thought I found the perfect gift for you this Christmas, but you didn't even mention it. Derb nub it! Now I have to go make an exchange. : )
-Alex Kurtagic
#24. To: tatarewicz (#0)
i think for voting for fObamabeazabushbel is the grossest error ever put forth on the net.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams 
#25. To: X-15 (#23)
a big thick one. i hate flimsy little sandwiches and would be offended myself. ;-) I'm a simple man with simple tastes, you can just make me a reuben sandwich ;-)
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#26. To: Rotara (#25)
Amen, and a pile of Lays potato chips and a decent German beer to make it complete.
-Alex Kurtagic
#27. To: Tatarewicz (#0) (Edited)
Funny!So whenever you hear a person say "fortay" when he/she is describing a person's "strong point, correct him He will silently thank you for it, but not for the embarrassment.
Language is always changing. If everyone pronounces a term a certain way, for them that is the correct way. It is kind of like the British coming here and trying tell us we are speaking English wrong.
God is always good!
#28. To: Tatarewicz (#0)
LOL. Or words to that effect. Was it meant to be spelled affect? Language... it is fascinating ... evolving... not constant. What meant on thing one day means another on a different day... just ask the strange happy gay queers. My friends taught me to invent new words. A past time for us. We grew up on frasier I guess... Calling a lighter a bogniforus. A hat is renamed a topper. And so on and so forth.. nothing really caught on outside our circle. The internet though... MAN... Can I haz cheezburger. (4& u +3|| what I mean to write. It is referred to as 1337. Or elite speak. The internet is forcing the boundaries of communication expand faster than previously. Correcting someone is politeness can accomplish more cohesive betterment rather than grammar nazing the shit outta fuckers because you dislike niggaspeak. What I am saying is that their is a right way to ask "what where you trying to say?" and a wrong way to ask "what the fuck is wrong with you type?" I mean, if you wanna better someone elses communications skills then you should be ready to uplift them rather than degrade them. But maybe your not looking to improve others...lord knows that shit gets old. As George Orwell wrote: "Sloppy language leads to sloppy thinking, and sloppy thinking leads to sloppy politics"-- or words to that effect.
I support the occupation
#29. To: X-15 (#26)
i'd settle for any decent ICE COLD fresh beer...but then i was spoiled before. ehehe
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
#30. To: titorite (#28)
Neener-neener... But maybe your not looking to improve others..
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