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don't end your sentences in prepositions

Mar 2, 2012#1

Charlie Don't Surf

if you do, you're fucking stupid.

Have a nice day.

Mar 2, 2012#2

ThatNickGuy

Is thread for helpful spelling and grammar suggestions? Wicked!

1) "You're" is short for "you are" whereas "your" is possessive. Like "You're driving your car."
2) "It's" is short for "it is" whereas "its" is possessive. Like "It's nice that the dog like its new bone."
3) The big one. "They're" is short for "they are," "their" is possessive, and "there" is location. Like "They're just over there, in their new restaurant."
4) "Should of" or "could of" or any other variation is just wrong. It sounds like "should've" which is short for "should have."

Mar 2, 2012#3

Krisken

To, as in going.
Two, a nice even number.
Too, as in also.

This one drives me nuts.

Mar 2, 2012#4

Allen who is Quiet

butts

Mar 2, 2012#5

Wahad

Man what are you even getting your panties in a bunch for.

Mar 2, 2012#6

makare

Charlie just needs someone to chat with.

Mar 2, 2012#7

figmentPez

I've always been a little fuzzy on what a preposition is. How am I supposed to stop when I don't even know what I'm up against?

Mar 2, 2012#8

HCGLNS

Mar 2, 2012#9

General Specific

I don't see what the big deal is.

Mar 2, 2012#10

Charlie Don't Surf

hahahahah you guys are doing the thing about which I'm complaining that's really funny

Mar 2, 2012#11

Hailey Knight

This is dialogue and therefore it's acceptable. Is.

Mar 2, 2012#12

makare

I personally just enjoy watching charlie hop around like a whiny yosemite sam.

Mar 2, 2012#13

Soliloquy

Mar 2, 2012#14

Dave

Charles, are you telling me you use grammatically correct sentences and syntax at all times? Or are you merely being pedantic?

Mar 2, 2012#15

GasBandit

This is something up with which we shall not put.

Mar 2, 2012#16

HCGLNS

Mar 2, 2012#17

Ravenpoe

Allen who is Quiet said:
butts

View attachment 4728

Dude... What the fuck?

I just cleaned that glass.

Mar 2, 2012#18

Just Me

Mar 2, 2012#19

Charlie Don't Surf

I've never messaged a girl on OKCupid that uses the wrong your or to

Mar 2, 2012#20

HCGLNS

Charlie Don't Surf said:
I've never messaged a girl on OKCupid that uses the wrong your or to

How many guys?

Mar 2, 2012#21

Allen who is Quiet

Ravenpoe said:
Dude... What the fuck?

I just cleaned that glass.

oh. okay. sorry ravenbro.

Mar 2, 2012#22

Jay

Oh.

That is a situation I have not thought of.

Mar 2, 2012#23

Charlie Don't Surf

HCGLNS said:
How many guys?

zero, because I'm not homosexual or bisexual

I'm not sure what's funny about insinuating that I'm gay

Mar 2, 2012#24

Jay

Mar 2, 2012#25

Cheesy1

Mar 2, 2012#26

Frankie Williamson

Psh, I will not subscribe to this superstitious nonsense!

Mar 2, 2012#27

Chad Sexington

Note the incorrect use of the preposition 'in' in the topic title.

Mar 2, 2012#28

CrimsonSoul

ThatNickGuy said:
3) The big one. "They're" is short for "there are,"

They're is short for they are... Just saying.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mar 2, 2012#29

Soliloquy

Mar 2, 2012#30

ThatNickGuy

CrimsonSoul said:
They're is short for they are... Just saying.

Psh, I know. I know! That's what I wrote originally! Silly Crimson. You need to get your eyes checked.

Mar 2, 2012#31

checkeredhat

Don't end your sentences with a preposition.
Do end your sentences with a period.

Mar 2, 2012#32

HCGLNS

checkeredhat said:
Don't end your sentences with a preposition.
Do end your sentences with a period.

Never end your sentences with a Minotaur penis.

Mar 2, 2012#33

checkeredhat

Sound advice. And practical!
Added at: 03:17

Mar 2, 2012#34

Chad Sexington

I have long adored that video.

Mar 2, 2012#35

Hailey Knight

Charlie Don't Surf said:
hahahahah you guys are doing the thing about which I'm complaining that's really funny

What the hell else did you expect?

Mar 2, 2012#36

LittleSin

Please, I looked up a what preposition is and I still don't understand.

Someone help me!

Mar 2, 2012#37

SeraRelm

What are you confused about?

Mar 2, 2012#38

LittleSin

I just don't understand what a preposition is. Maybe I'm just too tired to learn things.

Mar 2, 2012#39

MindDetective

OK, I'll bite. Why not?

Mar 2, 2012#40

Soliloquy

LittleSin said:
I just don't understand what a preposition is. Maybe I'm just too tired to learn things.

A preposition is that which with you should not end a sentence. I thought that was made clear

Mar 2, 2012#41

Chad Sexington

LittleSin said:
I just don't understand what a preposition is. Maybe I'm just too tired to learn things.

The simplest explanation is that it is a word which conveys location in space and/or time. Words like: on, in, around, through, ahead, behind, before, after, with... This isn't a perfect definition because words like 'of' or 'for' are prepositions but don't really convey space/time information, but as a general rule it functions.

Mar 2, 2012#42

LittleSin

I am screwed.

I am from Newfoundland. We are masters of redundancy in speech and, apparently, ending sentences in prepositions.

Mar 2, 2012#43

Soliloquy

LittleSin said:
I am screwed.

I am from Newfoundland. We are masters of redundancy in speech and, apparently, ending sentences in prepositions.

The funny thing is the whole "no preposition" thing is completely unnecessary as far as actually understanding sentences goes. I've never met a single person who read a sentence ending with a preposition and failed to understand it.

Apparently that's not the case in Latin, but ignoring the rule suits English just fine.

Next on the agenda: who the crap came up with "whom?" and why is every English gender-neutral singular pronoun so awkward to use?

Mar 2, 2012#44

sixpackshaker

Successful troll is successful.

Mar 2, 2012#45

Chad Sexington

I really love grammar and words and sentence structure... But I'm really not much of a stickler about it. Although my own writing and speech is fairly taut vis-a-vis whoms and whos and prepositions and so on, I also never say ridiculous things like "About what are you talking?" (although I do say things like "With whom are you going?"... but I like the sound of the word whom.)

Mar 2, 2012#46

Soliloquy

sixpackshaker said:
Successful troll is successful.

But feeding trolls is fun! That's why they have those little dispensers by the cages that you pop a quarter in to get a handful of those nasty-looking food pellets!

Mar 2, 2012#47

checkeredhat

My parents always got us with "____ and I" vs "me and ______"|

Me: "So Me and Chad Sexington went bike riding-"
Them: "Who?"
Me: "Chad Sexing-"
Them: "Who?"
Me: "Me and Chad-"
Them: "Who?"
Me: *sigh* "Chad Sexington and I"

So I started getting them back with "doing well" vs "doing good".

Mar 2, 2012#48

Chad Sexington

Ask them if it's "Just between you and I" or "Just between you and me". I have found this causes entertaining arguments among the non-expert grammar Nazis.

Mar 2, 2012#49

Bowielee

What's been sticking in my craw lately is the use of the word "atypical" to mean "typical".

Mar 2, 2012#50

Soliloquy

Chad Sexington said:
Ask them if it's "Just between you and I" or "Just between you and me". I have found this causes entertaining arguments among the non-expert grammar Nazis.

I think I prefer "Just betwixt us twain." I'm not even sure if it's correct, but no one ever takes the time to argue.

Mar 3, 2012#51

SeraRelm

I prefer "Listen, do you want to know a secret?"

Mar 3, 2012#52

checkeredhat

I would probably say "between you and I", but I don't know or care which is grammatically correct and definitely wouldn't presume to correct anyone else. I just feel "between you and I" sounds better to me.

Mar 3, 2012#53

makare

As long as I can understand what someone is saying I don't really care about the grammar.

Mar 3, 2012#54

Soliloquy

I personally feel that not enough people say "betwixt" these days.

Mar 3, 2012#55

makare

I only say it when speaking of bosoms.

Mar 3, 2012#56

Soliloquy

So... often, then?

Mar 3, 2012#57

drifter

Bowielee said:
What's been sticking in my craw lately is the use of the word "atypical" to mean "typical".

Wut

Mar 3, 2012#58

Bowielee

drifter said:
Wut

For example: "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, you're an atypical man, just like every other one."

I've been hearing this quite frequently lately.

For me, this is right up there with "irregardless" and the misuse of "literally".

Mar 3, 2012#59

Mathias

Charlie stop being a faggot... with.

Mar 3, 2012#60

ElJuski

I've never seen so many people so hot and bothered by a grammar thread. If this was any other poster posting this thread, people would be making all sorts of shitty jokes and guffawing. You guys just can't get enough of giving the dude a hard time.

RE: prepositions, I don't think I do it, but it's one of those things that can be obnoxious if unchecked.

Mar 3, 2012#61

Mathias

ElJuski said:
I've never seen so many people so hot and bothered by a grammar thread. If this was any other poster posting this thread, people would be making all sorts of shitty jokes and guffawing. You guys just can't get enough of giving the dude a hard time.

RE: prepositions, I don't think I do it, but it's one of those things that can be obnoxious if unchecked.

Juski stop being a faggot.

Mar 3, 2012#62

ElJuski

I get it, you're like 40 and you think using obnoxious words make you cool. I saw that Louie CK sketch too, man.

Mar 3, 2012#63

Covar

SeraRelm said:
I prefer "Listen, do you want to know a secret?"

"Do you promise not to tell?"

Mar 3, 2012#64

ElJuski

also, when the hell do you say "the match was rained off"?

Mar 3, 2012#65

Hailey Knight

I'll note that in Tin's quoted examples, each of those sentences could be considered clumsy and thus necessitating the preposition. Let's see:

[Person] had not even paid for the dress.
Rained cancelled the match.
Why did you put that there? or For what reason did you put that there?
They must be convinced to take on this commitment.

Each only necessitated a prepositional ending because of the words that were left out of the sentence.

Mar 3, 2012#66

Charlie Don't Surf

So jay and mathias, why aren't you calling me a nigger? I am as white as I am straight, so the joke is calling me something I'm not, right? I'm just curious why you think it's okay to lob around faggot. I love Louis CK, but you're missing the point by a fucking mile. So, just curious, why aren't you calling me a nigger and posting the Chris Rock youtube?

edit: also lol that NIGGERR is blocked and not faggot

Mar 3, 2012#67

Dave

Faggot is now blocked as well. And I did that before I saw your post.

Mar 3, 2012#68

bhamv3

Probably because they know calling you a black person won't bother you, and they're trying to bother you.

Mar 3, 2012#69

Charlie Don't Surf

Word filtering those words is the most inane nanny state thing ever. It's not like they're ever used around here other than to discuss the words academically. Oh well, except for mathias, he's okay since he saw a Louis CK standup. The N-Word or the F-Word are the dumbest fucking things, and they offend me WAY more than nigger or faggot

ALSO you're making me look like a moron saying "a african american" instead of an
Added at: 09:45

bhamv3 said:
Probably because they know calling you a black person won't bother you, and they're trying to bother you.

nah, I'd be pretty pissed off if they called me a nigger

Mar 3, 2012#70

bhamv3

Really?

Ahem... Charlie, you are clearly African American.

Now, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is mild annoyance and 10 is blind rage, how pissed off are you?

Mar 3, 2012#71

Dave

It's not nanny state as much as trying to prevent forest fires instead of putting them out after they blaze a trail of destruction across several threads. If I could trust people not to talk and snipe at each other like third graders on XBox Live I would.

Mar 3, 2012#72

Charlie Don't Surf

well, it's really simple to ban someone that calls someone a nigger or a faggot as an insult

Mar 3, 2012#73

Dave

Hate Speech – We are a very open community and have many, many walks of life. We have people from many races, sexual orientations and religions. Knowing this, hate speech will not be tolerated. Racial epithets or slurs against sexual orientation are not going to be tolerated. If these are reported we will take action. At the very least a warning and 1 point infraction will be assessed, although it is up to the discretion of the mod to give more.

Rules. We are bound by them as much as you. Were we to ban capriciously we'd deserve all the derision you could throw at us.

Mar 3, 2012#74

Charlie Don't Surf

Err, didn't mean forever or anything. I forgot about the infractions thing. ANYWAYS

I agree with ElJuski up earlier. It's really easy to re-do a sentence to not have a preposition at the end. I dunno why it's started to irk me lately, but I guess enough to post a thread.

Mar 3, 2012#75

Dave

I always go back and change my writing when I find myself doing that, but when speaking it's a whole lot harder to change what you are saying. Once you get past a certain point in the sentence it's impossible to retract.

Mar 3, 2012#76

Covar

I guess don't see what the big deal with ending on a preposition is.

Mar 3, 2012#77

Hailey Knight

I think Charlie has some insecurities, but I don't know where I got the idea.

Mar 3, 2012#78

MindDetective

Charlie Don't Surf said:
I agree with ElJuski up earlier. It's really easy to re-do a sentence to not have a preposition at the end. I dunno why it's started to irk me lately, but I guess enough to post a thread.

Why should one have to?

(legitimate question there, although I recognize the preposition placement)

Mar 3, 2012#79

Charlie Don't Surf

Because it's wrong and looks/sounds dumb.

Mar 3, 2012#80

ElJuski

I think most of the time its just redundant. It's not akin to murdering someone, but if it clarifies and strengthens your writing through clarity and concision, then why not? Besides, rules (and threads) are little writing challenges. Work out that writing muscle, people!

Mar 3, 2012#81

SeraRelm

That's a bit niggardly of you.

Mar 3, 2012#82

MindDetective

Charlie Don't Surf said:
Because it's wrong and looks/sounds dumb.

So just elitist snobbery?

Mar 3, 2012#83

Mathias

Posting seriously in a Charlie thread, or taking anything he says seriously...

Mar 3, 2012#84

Charlie Don't Surf

SeraRelm said:
That's a bit niggardly of you.

I remember when I was a Young Republican and thought that was really edgy

Mar 3, 2012#85

MindDetective

Mathias said:
Posting seriously in a Charlie thread, or taking anything he says seriously...

Hyy, if he wants to waste an opportunity for a real discussion, he can't really criticize the regular hijinks that go on around here.

Mar 3, 2012#86

Chippy

herp derp louis ck and south park said it's ok for me to say faggot now

But no seriously, that word is awful

Mar 3, 2012#87

ElJuski

Louis CK didn't even say it was okay. There's layers to what the man has actually said--including the awesome discussion on that episode of Louie. It has empowered all sorts of 30-40 somethings to continue to be obnoxious clowns under the guise of "edge", because, like, homos are so gay, bro.

Seriously, calling people f"aggo"t ironically was edgy a decade ago. Now it's just shorthand for stupid.

Mar 3, 2012#88

SeraRelm

Why is there even a filter if people are still going to use the word but just add an apostrophe or extra letter to it?

Mar 3, 2012#89

Chippy

Also

Jay said:
View attachment 4733

HAHA IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE BEING GAY MAKES YOU LESS OF A PERSON

Mar 3, 2012#90

ElJuski

SeraRelm said:
Why is there even a filter if people are still going to use the word but just add an apostrophe or extra letter to it?

which is why the censorship is a stupid thing to begin with. It should be unnecessary, but here we are.

Mar 3, 2012#91

CrimsonSoul

What I think when people that I don't like post

Mar 3, 2012#92

ElJuski

cool beans

Mar 3, 2012#93

ThatNickGuy

I'm surprised this shit hasn't been locked yet. I also thought that word that rhymes with maggot was only used by 12-year old Xbox Live players.

Mar 3, 2012#94

checkeredhat

I think it's remarkable that you guys turned a thread with good natured ribbing in regards to such a trivial thing as grammar and actual discussion and enquiry in regards to grammar, into people slinging around bigoted epithets.

Mar 3, 2012#95

ThatNickGuy

*it's

Mar 3, 2012#96

Hailey Knight

ThatNickGuy said:
maggot
Xbox Live players.

Look! Synonyms!

Mar 3, 2012#97

checkeredhat

ThatNickGuy said:
*it's

Mar 3, 2012#98

SeraRelm

Mar 3, 2012#99

ThatNickGuy

Mar 3, 2012#100

sixpackshaker

/checks watch, waits for .gif

Mar 3, 2012#101

checkeredhat

sixpackshaker said:
/checks watch, waits for .gif

~~(Had to)~~ (I couldn't resist the opportunity.)

Mar 3, 2012#102

ThatNickGuy

Dammit, I thought starting a new thing could've been an animated gif for "PREPOSITION ENDING?" but with kicking in a door. Sadly, I can't seem to find some treasure trove of said gifs.

Mar 3, 2012#103

ElJuski

Mar 3, 2012#104

ThatNickGuy

I don't get it.

Mar 3, 2012#105

Soliloquy

I think it has something to do with mastering latin.

Mar 3, 2012#106

Allen who is Quiet

NO SIMILES?!

Mar 3, 2012#107

ElJuski

*shrug*

Mar 3, 2012#108

Charlie Don't Surf

obviously, you are not a golfer

Mar 3, 2012#109

Mathias

Charlie Don't Surf said:
So jay and mathias, why aren't you calling me a African American? I am as white as I am straight, so the joke is calling me something I'm not, right? I'm just curious why you think it's okay to lob around nice gay person. I love Louis CK, but you're missing the point by a fucking mile. So, just curious, why aren't you calling me a African American and posting the Chris Rock youtube?

edit: also lol that NIGGERR is blocked and not nice gay person

I like how you think everyone misses the point of a thing, especially when you miss the point of what your pointing out to be a point...of

Dawg.

Mar 3, 2012#110

Jay

Chippy said:
Also

HAHA IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE BEING GAY MAKES YOU LESS OF A PERSON

Mar 3, 2012#111

ElJuski

Yes, fellow citizens, when a middle-aged white man says something offensive, it's supposed to be funny and if you don't laugh well you're just dumb because it's funny!

Middle-aged white men tryna be edgy up in this piece, folks!
Added at: 21:08
I mean honestly, does it really ruin everyone's day if they just held off saying certain things? Since obviously plenty of people have, so to speak, a "stick up their ass", is it really that hard not to play nice? Or is showing off how cool and edgy and hip you are making the PC dweebs squirm that critical to having a good day?

Mar 3, 2012#112

Jay

Mar 3, 2012#113

makare

ElJuski said:
Middle-aged white men tryna be edgy up in this piece, folks!

That amused me. Well done.

Mar 3, 2012#114

SeraRelm

Mar 3, 2012#115

Bowielee

Mar 3, 2012#116

ElJuski

Jay said:
View attachment 4744

Right, exactly. No, I get it, man. I get you're too cool for all this shit, alpha dog. I get that, I really do.

Mar 3, 2012#117

SeraRelm

ElJuski said:
Right, exactly. No, I get it, man. I get you're too cool for all this shit, alpha dog. I get that, I really do.

No. Shu'up.

Mar 3, 2012#118

ElJuski

>: I

Mar 3, 2012#119

Chippy

Mar 4, 2012#120

Mathias

ElJuski said:
Right, exactly. No, I get it, man. I get you're too cool for all this shit, alpha dog. I get that, I really do.

*Jay is Homer*

But since you're all about a middle aged diatribe of bullshit, I'd like to point out how much of a just recently graduated with a BA in liberal arts, generation X wannabe, hipster douchenozzle you're being...below.

Dawg.

Mar 4, 2012#121

ElJuski

and the best part is, for all the acting so cool, they're the ones being reactionary to their insensitivity. I know you are but what am I, etc. It's cute.

Mar 4, 2012#122

MindDetective

I don't mean to take sides, but much of that post could be said about you.

Mar 4, 2012#123

SeraRelm

Mar 4, 2012#124

fade

Soliloquy said:
The funny thing is the whole "no preposition" thing is completely unnecessary as far as actually understanding sentences goes. I've never met a single person who read a sentence ending with a preposition and failed to understand it.

Apparently that's not the case in Latin, but ignoring the rule suits English just fine.

Next on the agenda: who the crap came up with "whom?" and why is every English gender-neutral singular pronoun so awkward to use?

YES YES YES, this.

The "don't end a sentence with a preposition" thing is a stylistic adherence to Latin. It really serves no purpose in English other than to give forum posters something to feel superior about. It's no reflection on intelligence whatsoever.

Mar 4, 2012#125

ThatNickGuy

"Love each other or perish."
-W.C. Auden

Seriously, enough with the pissing contest.

Mar 4, 2012#126

DarkAudit

Grammarian usually has little to contribute to a discussion and possesses few effective weapons. To compensate, he will point out minor errors in spelling and grammar. Because of Grammarian's obvious weakness most Warriors ignore him.

Mar 4, 2012#127

North_Ranger

I remember that apparently Star Trek is wrong, because it's wrong "to boldly go where no man has gone before". Thou shalt not split the verb!

Also, even though I use English practically every day and consider myself quite fluent in both understanding and producing it, there are still some moments when my Finnish-wired brain produces some linguistic farts. For instance, since Finnish has no gender distinction in pronouns (beyond the joke that conservatives use 'hän' (Finnish for 'he') for men and 'se' (Finnish for 'it') for women), I sometimes end up forgetting to use the proper female personal pronoun "she" or "her". Not often, but it happens from time to time. Also, I tend to "wash my teeth" instead of brushing them.

Mar 4, 2012#128

ElJuski

MindDetective said:
I don't mean to take sides, but much of that post could be said about you.

I mean, take it for what you will. I just know I don't feel justified and awesome when I keep screaming the word "faggot" on an online message board because it's really showing those kids what's what.

Mar 4, 2012#129

MindDetective

ElJuski said:
I mean, take it for what you will. I just know I don't feel justified and awesome when I keep screaming the word "nice gay person" on an online message board because it's really showing those kids what's what.

No, but you feel justified about other things, it seems.

Mar 4, 2012#130

ElJuski

pobody's nerfect!

Mar 4, 2012#131

makare

I generally think splitting the infinitive sounds much better and so that is what I'll use.

Often the same with many other grammar rules. If it sounds better to me that is how I roll.

Mar 4, 2012#132

ElJuski

Like I mentioned before, it's really about clarity and concision. If there's a way to say something, and it sounds and feels effective, then BOOM. You're not going to get sniped from a clock tower if you bend a rule.

Mar 4, 2012#133

makare

ElJuski said:
Like I mentioned before, it's really about clarity and concision. If there's a way to say something, and it sounds and feels effective, then BOOM. You're not going to get sniped from a clock tower if you bend a rule.

I don't know I think Krisken has wanted to take a few shots at me just for typoing your/you're or their/there. >.>

Mar 4, 2012#134

Krisken

makare said:
I don't know I think Krisken has wanted to take a few shots at me just for typoing your/you're or their/there. >.>

I figure it's just karmic backlash for all the puns I make.

Mar 4, 2012#135

SeraRelm

Stop acting like a nice heterosexual person.

Mar 4, 2012#136

Krisken

I really can be a nice person. Most of the time.

Mar 4, 2012#137

David

People who misuse "myself" when trying to sound overly formal. "Jim and myself worked on those TPS reports..."

Also, "you" written as "u." I've unfriended facebook friends over this.

As for they're/there/their... I still occasionally goof on this one when I'm not paying attention and most of the time don't notice mistakes before someone else points it out.

Mar 4, 2012#138

makare

considering I routinely mistype hate as had I think my their/there typos are not so bad.

Mar 4, 2012#139

Bowielee

David said:
People who misuse "myself" when trying to sound overly formal. "Jim and myself worked on those TPS reports..."

Also, "you" written as "u." I've unfriended facebook friends over this.

As for they're/there/their... I still occasionally goof on this one when I'm not paying attention and most of the time don't notice mistakes before someone else points it out.

Oh, god, if we're going into internet spelling fuckery, I'll point to two words that drive me insane.

Boi

Kewl

Ugh, I have actually ended conversations on IM over use of those.

Mar 4, 2012#140

makare

I was instructed the other day that boi referred, in some contexts, to a girl that identifies more masculine than feminine.

Just thought that was interesting.

Mar 4, 2012#141

Terrik

makare said:
considering I routinely mistype hate as had I think my their/there typos are not so bad.

Hey, that rhymes

Mar 4, 2012#142

Bowielee

I do have a hell of a time with the i and e placement in their.... see now, I'm not even sure if I have it right in this post.

Mar 4, 2012#143

makare

Terrik said:
Hey, that rhymes

I got mad rhymez boyee

Mar 4, 2012#144

Chad Sexington

Bowielee said:
I do have a hell of a time with the i and e placement in their.... see now, I'm not even sure if I have it right in this post.

I did when I was a kid, and someone told me "All forms of "there/their/they're" begin with 'the'." Never messed it up since.

Mar 4, 2012#145

checkeredhat

I hate the whole "i before e except after c" rule. There are actually more words that "break" that rule than there are that follow it. Something I'd always suspected, and QI backed me up on it not too long ago.

Mar 4, 2012#146

Chad Sexington

checkeredhat said:
I hate the whole "i before e except after c" rule. There are actually more words that "break" that rule than there are that follow it. Something I'd always suspected, and QI backed me up on it not too long ago.

That segment includes one of my favourite insults from Fry, "Are you even capable of rational thought?"

Mar 4, 2012#147

makare

And my brain instantly went to Futurama...

Mar 4, 2012#148

Bowielee

Chad Sexington said:
I did when I was a kid, and someone told me "All forms of "there/their/they're" begin with 'the'." Never messed it up since.

OH MY GOD....

I will never spell it wrong again.

Mar 5, 2012#149

fade

David said:
People who misuse "myself" when trying to sound overly formal. "Jim and myself worked on those TPS reports..."

Oh yes. This is probably my number one grammar pet peeve. It is nearly always the manager level and higher that uses this. I think it's because everyone had their knuckles rapped one too many times about the misuse of I/me, so they avoid the issue altogether by substituting in another word.

Mar 5, 2012#150

GasBandit

I'm ausemd by atomuitac stitubutions in a day and age where every Ngiegr Fgaogt realizes you can just scramble the letters of a word, leaving the first and last intact, and the word is still entirely legible.

Mar 5, 2012#151

SeraRelm

Wut?

Mar 5, 2012#152

sixpackshaker

5 pages in and no grammar Nazi called the original poster for using a contraction in a written conversation.

Mar 5, 2012#153

Bowielee

GasBandit said:
I'm ausemd by atomuitac stitubutions in a day and age where every Ngiegr Fgaogt realizes you can just scramble the letters of a word, leaving the first and last intact, and the word is still entirely legible.

Mar 10, 2012#154

checkeredhat

I thought of a grammar problem that has plagued me for ages.
If you are referring to something you co-own with someone else, what is the correct possesive to use?
Example, I shared a room with a friend while staying in Beijing two years ago, and since neither of us thought to bring an alarm clock, we went halfsies on one we purchased in China.

"This is mine and Mat's alarm clock."
"This is my and Mat's alarm clock."
"This is Mat and my alarm clock."
"This is Mat's and my alarm clock."

The structure of the sentence sounds clunky and awkward no matter what, so I've never known what was technically correct.
Unless the ONLY way to correctly make a statement such as this is to rearrange it completely into
"This is the alarm clock belonging to Mat and I."

Mar 10, 2012#155

ThatNickGuy

Heh, you could just simplify it with "This is our alarm clock."

Over the last year, I've attempted to simplify my sentences. Funny enough, I blame Charlie. Despite his off-putting remarks, he manages to say more with less. As a result, I find my writing's become less ranty.

Mar 10, 2012#156

checkeredhat

ThatNickGuy said:
Heh, you could just simplify it with "This is our alarm clock."

Only if the person I'm talking to is aware of who the other person I'm referring to is. Pronouns don't really work unless the proper noun has been used already.

Mar 10, 2012#157

Chad Sexington

The last one is grammatically correct: "This is Mat's and my alarm clock." It does sound terribly awkward, but you have to indicate possession from both parties. Convention to use first-person pronouns last means that "My and Mat's alarm clock," while correct is not normally seen. You can also use 'his': "This is his and my alarm clock," which still sounds bad, to me at least.

To avoid the awkward sound, I'd probably find a way to establish Mat as the other individual and say, "This is our alarm clock."

(A more in-depth explanation from the Chicago Manual of Style: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org...ttributives/PossessivesandAttributives26.html )

Mar 10, 2012#158

checkeredhat

Yeah, that was pretty much what I figured.

Mar 10, 2012#159

Soliloquy

It's also effective to say "This is Matt's and my bitchin' alarm clock." The use of "bitchin" in the sentence distracts from any grammatical clunkiness.

This technique works in any number of grammatically-awkward situations. I suggest using it in the next paper or report you have to write.

Mar 10, 2012#160

checkeredhat

Soliloquy said:
It's also effective to say "This is Matt's and my bitchin' alarm clock." The use of "bitchin" in the sentence distracts from any grammatical clunkiness.

This technique works in any number of grammatically-awkward situations. I suggest using it in the next paper or report you have to write.

It's all over my resume.
In this case, the alarm clock was a bright pink Hello Kitty alarm clock. So the adjective is appropriate.

Mar 10, 2012#161

Bowielee

Actually, I don't find that the pronoun detracts from the clunkiness at all.

I'm taking an entire course on Psycholinguistics this semester, so I'm currently ass deep in the cognitive processing of sentences. The english language in particular is so patched together from other languages that it's a wonder even we are able to speak it.

Mar 10, 2012#162

ThatNickGuy

Sorry, what'd you say, Bowielee?

Mar 10, 2012#163

fade

"Mat should get his own fucking alarm clock."

Mar 10, 2012#164

SeraRelm

That's still illegal in most states.

Mar 10, 2012#165

Bowielee

ThatNickGuy said:
Sorry, what'd you say, Bowielee?

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