A lot is two words!

[laylamcb]

Southern vowels! LOL! My youngest went to preschool in Mississippi, and she insisted up and down that her friends name was "Bin". I knew very well it was "Ben", but she would correct me EVERY time.

 

Sure enough, I met the kid, and he said plain as day his name was "Bin".

:lol:

 

But seriously, you are all missing my point earlier in this thread. What is this checking for spellcheckers to work with your browsers and what-not? That is not un-panty-wadding behavior, ladies. Just resist this high-falutin' grammEr nonsense, already. Unite behind my typo-laden, over hyphenated too-many-ellipsi (:D) ridden posts. Embrace it. Live it. Be it.

 

Believe me, Cami, I would if I could. But it'd be like asking my little sister to eat a spider. I'm an editor. Can't help it. It's a sickness. :D

 

Having said that, as I wrote earlier, mistakes don't bother me much anymore in posts and emails. (That is, in others' posts and emails; I FREAK if I find one in my own!)

[Barb_]

I don't like it when people use pronouns incorrectly. Sarah went to town with Jim and I. This should be with Jim and me because it is objective case. In all honesty, we probably get our personal pet peeves from our english teachers.

 

Paula

 

My husband does the reverse. He uses the objective case as a subject, ie: "Him and I went to see the football game." It drives me batty! To his credit, he does try to remember to use the correct cases, but somehow gets all dyslexic half the time and winds up blurting out "him and me" instead. Meeting a bunch of people he works with made me realize why he has such a difficult time with it...they all do it too! Sitting around the table with them makes my eye twitch, LOL

 

Dh also used to pronounce the word 'drawer' like 'draw' and the word 'draw' like 'drawer'. So he'd drawer a picture and then stick it in a draw to save it. But that was just his Native New Yawker coming out. He was cured when we moved to SE KY and no one was able to understand him.

 

I do say "is because" and I think I do it as a result of speaking (or typing) before my thoughts are fully formed. I buy myself a little extra time that way, so I will probably remain unrehabilitated on that front.

 

My biggest pet peeve (and I honestly don't believe I've ever seen it on this board) is wala! instead of voila! A close second is the use of the word whenever to mean when. For example, "Whenever I get home, I plan to take a bath." I don't hear that much now that I'm in the West, but I used to hear it quite a bit in certain parts of the South.

 

I didn't know the difference between amount and number until last year, but now that I do, the misuse of the word amount to mean number (or less to mean fewer) pokes me in the eye.

 

Barb

[Aggie]

Boy, this topic sure attracted alot of posts! Who'd've thunk?

 

 

 

LOL (pokin' fun, of course!)

 

Really! All y'all are too funny! I wonder could we get a math-nerd thread going this long?:lol:

[Carrie12345]

I still screw up who/whom who's/whose. Most of my writing and speaking mistakes are just that- mistakes, not ignorance... except for those whoseywhatsies! I'll master them one day!

 

I would rather have repeated errors pointed out to me than continue on not knowing.

 

Typos and random mistakes generally don't bother me. Reading the messages on my Civic Association's email loop is *painful*. I do not consider myself a snob, but there is no denying that I am surrounded by barely-literate neighbors. I don't care how informal email is supposed to be. When an adult's message would earn an F in elementary school, it doesn't count as "informal." It's ignorant, and it makes me sad.

[Carrie12345]

Forgot to add-

Working on phonics with the girls is frustrating for me. I pronounce very few words with a "proper" short a. They don't seem to have a problem with it, so I guess I'm doing fine. They regularly sound out b-a-l-l properly and then figure out that it's "bawl." :D

[mims]

My issue: ect. instead of etc. I notice it everytime.

[Mesa]

I'm the poster that doesn't use a comma splice. I have this weird infatuation with my "..." in all of my posts. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I'm trying my best!

It seems the more incorrect papers I grade of my sons, those exact mistakes make their way into my writing. I make more mistakes now than I ever have. It's embarrassing!

[SquirrellyMama]

I'm really curious about this "wen" and "when" debate. I'm curious how "hw" sounds. Is there an "h" sound at the beginning? I know I say "wen".

 

Kelly

[Jean in Wisc]

 

This is completely foreign to me. Do y'all mean to tell me that some people say hawen instead of wen? What should be the difference between when and went (other than the 't' at the end?) This is a brand new idea to me!

 

And rounding my lips for 'caught'? Do you mean that it should be pronounced cote? or cowt?

 

Teach me! This is fascinating!

 

As the other poster said (sorry, don't remember who it was), when a word is spelled with 'wh', some places add a puff of air like an h to the w.

 

Listen to the two pronunciations of this word:

hwen

wen

 

Also listen to:

weather

and

whether

 

Do you hear a slightly different sound with the 'wh'?

 

As far as the vowel in cot and caught: say 'ah' and then say 'awe'. Do you round your lips when you say the word 'awe'? If so, this is the vowel in caught. It also is the difference between Don and Dawn

 

Cot

Caught I can hear this...but I've been trained to hear it. This person has his lips rounded more like when he is saying "oh"....try that: say 'oh'. Then say 'ah' (as in caught) only don't change the position of you lips.

 

Don

Dawn

 

These are not the clearest differences that I have ever heard, but it was what I could find. The study of dialects is very interesting!

 

Does that help?

:) Jean

[Carrie12345]

Don

Dawn

 

:) Jean

 

My mother and father are Dawn and Don. Thank goodness we lived in NJ.

[sagira]

My pet peeve: so-and-so love's.. aaargh!!! Makes my hair stand on end :glare:

[Jenn in Mo]

Thank you, Jean! Very interesting. I never realized there was a difference. Hawhen I say ah and awe, it sounds the exact same way. I change nothing. However, listening to the pronunciations and using your "oh" form, I realize that the au and aw pronunciations are what my kids and I use hawhen we pick up our sad attempts at British accents.

 

I'm going to be playing with this new information for a while. Thank you! I feel smarter now. :D

[Jean in Wisc]

Thank you, Jean! Very interesting. I never realized there was a difference. Hawhen I say ah and awe, it sounds the exact same way. I change nothing. However, listening to the pronunciations and using your "oh" form, I realize that the au and aw pronunciations are what my kids and I use hawhen we pick up our sad attempts at British accents.

 

I'm going to be playing with this new information for a while. Thank you! I feel smarter now. :D

 

Vedy Velcome :)) J

[Once]

My issue: ect. instead of etc. I notice it everytime.

 

 

OK. I thought I was just wrong when I wrote etc. since so many people wrote it ect. So, I changed to ect!!! Now, I'm gonna go back to the right way.

 

Many Thanks!

 

:leaving:

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

OK. I thought I was just wrong when I wrote etc. since so many people wrote it ect. So, I changed to ect!!! Now, I'm gonna go back to the right way.

 

Many Thanks!

 

:leaving:

 

It comes from the Latin, et cetera. Means "and the rest (of such things)."

 

If I remember "et" means "and," I can remember that the "e" goes with the "t."

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Please enlighten me! What's wrong with is because?

 

I'm wondering if someone answered this already. What happens is that since "is" is a linking verb, you are linking a subject with an adverb clause which answers the question "why." (Remember that adverbial clauses answer how, when, why, how much, to what extent and under what conditions.) Linking verbs need either to link the subject to a predicate adjective or to a predicate nominative. "Because" and the words following that make up an adverb clause and you can't do that and be grammatical.

 

Now I know I've broken fifty-'leven rules in this explanation. But there you have it.

 

The correct thing to say is "the reason is that..."

 

So:

 

Grammatically wrong: The reason I need to take a board break is because I am getting high blood pressure reading political thread, Zelda's brilliant contribution to the effort notwithstanding.

 

Grammatically correct: The reason I can't seem to take a board break is that I love you all too much.

 

Just remember the rule and teach it to your SAT/ACT test-taking children: There is no "is because."

 

Oh, and a link.

 

ETA: OH! And I have to say it. And I will apologize with deep groveling apologies before I say it, but it must be said.

 

All this depends on what you think the meaning of "is" is.

 

Ahem.

 

:Angel_anim:

Edited October 15, 2008 by Pam "SFSOM" in TN

[Hoggirl]

I'm wondering if someone answered this already. What happens is that since "is" is a linking verb, you are linking a subject with an adverb clause which answers the question "why." (Remember that adverbial clauses answer how, when, why, how much, to what extent and under what conditions.) Linking verbs need either to link the subject to a predicate adjective or to a predicate nominative. "Because" and the words following that make up an adverb clause and you can't do that and be grammatical.

 

Now I know I've broken fifty-'leven rules in this explanation. But there you have it.

 

The correct thing to say is "the reason is that..."

 

So:

 

Grammatically wrong: The reason I need to take a board break is because I am getting high blood pressure reading political thread, Zelda's brilliant contribution to the effort notwithstanding.

 

Grammatically correct: The reason I can't seem to take a board break is that I love you all too much.

 

Just remember the rule and teach it to your SAT/ACT test-taking children: There is no "is because."

 

Oh, and a link.

 

.

[KidsHappen]

I didn't know the difference between amount and number until last year, but now that I do, the misuse of the word amount to mean number (or less to mean fewer) pokes me in the eye.

 

Barb

 

Please explain. It is possible that when you do I will remember but at 1:30 in the morning I have no idea what you are talking about. It is also possible that I just have no idea what you are talking about. :tongue_smilie:

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Please explain. It is possible that when you do I will remember but at 1:30 in the morning I have no idea what you are talking about. It is also possible that I just have no idea what you are talking about. :tongue_smilie:

 

If you can count (even potentially) something, you say "fewer."

 

As in:

 

There were fewer participants at the rally than there were at the picnic afterwards.

 

And as in:

 

There was less milk in the pitcher after lunch than there was before lunch.

 

You would never say "less participants." You would never say "fewer milk."

 

Unless the ear has been trained, though, where I live it's common that people hear how wrong the second one is quite naturally, but can't quite get the first one right on a consistent basis.

 

Fewer miles. Less stress.

[Zelda]

A lot - haha, I noticed that in a post last night.

 

Some of the others that make me cringe:

 

~High school is two words. For that matter, some is HOME school.

 

~separate A....not E, A!

 

What do you mean by "some is HOME school"? :001_huh: ;)

[laylamcb]

My issue: ect. instead of etc. I notice it everytime.

 

This is so interesting to me because I'm an editor and I really can't recall seeing this mistake. Maybe I HAVE seen it and assumed that it was just a typo and not a conscious spelling choice.

 

Now, when et cetera is pronounced "eck-cetera"--THAT makes me crazy. But perhaps I see why people do that now if they're under the impression that it is spelled ect.... Interesting!

[Amy loves Bud]

 

Unless the ear has been trained, though, where I live it's common that people hear how wrong the second one is quite naturally, but can't quite get the first one right on a consistent basis.

 

Fewer miles. Less stress.

 

I agree that the error is more common in one direction than the other.

 

Perhaps the reason is that (no is because here, baby) in math we use "is less than" for situations that you can definitely count.

[Jenn in Mo]

I tried sharing my new knowledge with my hubby this morning. I started by asking him to pronounce the word "when". Do you know what he said?!? He said HaWhen! My eyes bugged!

 

"You've lived in Missouri your entire life! How did you learn to say it properly?!?"

 

"Um...pretty sure they teach that in the first grade....How did you NOT know that?"

 

:blush:

 

Yeah, cot/caught and don/dawn. He nailed them all.

[Deidre in GA]

I tried sharing my new knowledge with my hubby this morning. I started by asking him to pronounce the word "when". Do you know what he said?!? He said HaWhen! My eyes bugged!

 

"You've lived in Missouri your entire life! How did you learn to say it properly?!?"

 

"Um...pretty sure they teach that in the first grade....How did you NOT know that?"

 

:blush:

 

Yeah, cot/caught and don/dawn. He nailed them all.

 

when people ask me what caused me to homeschool, i tell them that as a yankee, i became alarmed when i realized my 3 year old son thought truck was a two syllable work. trah-uck.

[Jean in Wisc]

when people ask me what caused me to homeschool, i tell them that as a yankee, i became alarmed when i realized my 3 year old son thought truck was a two syllable work. trah-uck.

 

:lol:

[smilesonly]

Great thread! Thankyou!

 

LOL! I had a college professor,who said if we(meaning the students) didn't remember anything else, remember that a lot is two words!

 

That's really all I remember about his class.;)

 

Also.....:lurk5: :D

 

 

Smiles

[Melinda in VT]

OK, here's one I've only heard on these boards, but it's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

 

"love on" as in "I'm going to love on her"

 

??

 

I'm thinking maybe it's a regional thing, so I'm trying to desensitize myself to it.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

OK, here's one I've only heard on these boards, but it's like fingernails on a chalkboard.

 

"love on" as in "I'm going to love on her"

 

??

 

I'm thinking maybe it's a regional thing, so I'm trying to desensitize myself to it.

 

Oh, yeah, that regional. It means to physically hug and kiss and cuddle and coddle someone, particularly a child. Though I've heard it in other contexts.

[Laura Corin]

:iagree:

 

The only one that bothers me is judgmental people. There is no "e" in judgmental.

 

Laura

[Melinda in VT]

Yes, reading books published in Britain is a good way to fail your spelling tests in America.

 

To this day, I have to remind myself that in England the word is grey and America the word is gray. E for England. A for America.

[Laura Corin]

I'm fond of "y'all". When DH and I were thinking about courting, it was useful to know if he was inviting me and all my flatmates to some event, or just me.

 

I'm not so sure about 'visit with' though.

 

Dh got into trouble when doing the announcement for a spelling bee for pronouncing 'when' as 'wen', rather than 'hwen'. The mother concerned thought that her child had been unfairly disadvantaged.

 

Laura

[candleinaustin]

I don't know what it's called around here, but I have thread bottom now. I need a stretch after reading through half this thread. Sadly, I have to save the rest for another time.

Edited November 1, 2008 by candleinaustin
It didn't apply where I wanted it, so needed to change it.

[MyThreeSons]

I've noticed that lots of folks around here who are originally from Ohio, Indiana, or Pennsylvania say "whenever" when most people would say "when".

 

"I first noticed those big trees whenever we moved into our new house."

 

"I gained 48 pounds whenever I was pregnant with Bobby."

[MyThreeSons]

This one really bugs me for some reason.

 

"We were suppose to go to the store, but I got sick." NOOOOO!!

 

It should be "We were supposed to go to the store...."

 

As others have said, I don't mind mistakes on the boards, but I hate to see them in formal publications. My Dad was a technical editor and writer, so I come by my persnickettyness naturally.

[Chelle in MO]

We received an (obviously professionally done) advertisement in the mail the other day from a large portrait company. It said they had a special going on and that part of their proceeds would be given to:

 

Toy's for Tot's

 

I understand if the portrait people don't specialize in English, but the ad company should!

 

Chelle

[RoughCollie]

My DD's teacher annoys her because she does not speak English properly: She pronounces "when" as "hwen".

 

I had to tell DD that she was wrong, along with the rest of us who ignore the h in "wh" when speaking. Thank goodness it's not a criminal offense.

 

Dh got into trouble when doing the announcement for a spelling bee for pronouncing 'when' as 'wen', rather than 'hwen'. The mother concerned thought that her child had been unfairly disadvantaged.Laura

[OnTheBrink]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "hwen." I'll have to start paying attention.

 

Something that bugs me is when people say they're "pregnant FOR" their baby instead of "pregnant WITH". It always sounds like the pregnant person is doing some sort of favor for their unborn child. And, I never heard it until I moved to the midwest, so I think it's regional.

[Catherine]

has always used this and I remember my grandparents did to. They were from Amish and had learned high German as children so I wonder if it is a "germanic" grammar usage.

[TXMomof4]

I cannot stand it when nursing women say "It's time for his/her feed." or "At the 3:00am feed."

 

It's time to feed the baby. It's time for him to nurse. It's time for his meal. At the 3:00am feeding. Any of those are ok, but it makes my hair stand on end when I hear the other.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, in my AP English class my sophmore year, the highest grade I ever received for grammar on any of my papers was a -93. Yes, that's a NEGATIVE 93.

 

I'm determined my kids will learn better.

[Scarlett]

has always used this and I remember my grandparents did to. They were from Amish and had learned high German as children so I wonder if it is a "germanic" grammar usage.

 

I think this is correct. I think Farmer Boy's family was of German descent...now I will have to go look it up.

[Storm Bay]

I remember when I first learned that it's a lot. I'm anal about spelling in general, apostrophes, quotation marks (I love that blog someone linked here once about misused quotation marks) even though I make a lot of typos and as I get older sometimes I actually mispell words I never used to get wrong when I'm in a hurry and have even mixed up homophones, which I NEVER did before age 40.

 

But one of my biggest pet peeves is the use of "good" in the place of "well". eg. "How are you?" "I'm good, thanks." Aaaaaargh! The reply should be, "Well, thanks" or "I'm doing well." To do good means you're doing good works. What's even worse is that after living in the States for 15+ years, I've caught myself using good in the place of well at times.

 

ETA I cannot abide the local accent where the double t or any t in a word is replaced by a weird pause in a word. Most people say mitten more like Mittn, but here it's Mi'n.

Edited November 1, 2008 by Karin

[Storm Bay]

It's often spelled that way in Britain

Laura

 

In Canada, the official spelling is judgement, NOT judgment, and that's been a bone of contention for me the opposite of elegantlion, because phonetically dgE is j, not dg ;):)

[Storm Bay]

Ok, you've all convinced me now to dig deeper and see how I could change Firefox to a Canadian spelling spell checker!

What bugs me the worst is to be 'forced' to use American spelling, when I'm Canadian!

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

[Storm Bay]

Laura in VA--Grammar is spelled g r a m m a r

 

Unless you're the famous actor named Kelsey Grammer.

[Storm Bay]

Yeah, I like that one, too. :001_smile:

 

A few of my favorites:

 

People are not whiches; people are who's or that's.

.

 

Actually, this hasn't always been the case, which is why in the Bible it says "I can do all things through Christ WHICH..." in Phil 4. ;) Just being educational here, as I don't use which for people myself, but to me this indicates that either the rule has changed or which was used in spedific cases. Either that or the fellows who did the KJV made a grammatical mistake;).

[Blessedfamily]

Actually, this hasn't always been the case, which is why in the Bible it says "I can do all things through Christ WHICH..." in Phil 4. ;) Just being educational here, as I don't use which for people myself, but to me this indicates that either the rule has changed or which was used in spedific cases. Either that or the fellows who did the KJV made a grammatical mistake;).

 

I was taught to always use who also. I'm very surprised to read in grammar texts just how much grammar rules change.(seriously)

Shocking. Just shocking.(That part's not serious)

[Blessedfamily]

I don't have enough time to read through all these posts so I hope this hasn't been pointing out a dozen times already. When we do syllabication, my dd always thinks Virginia has three syllables- Vir/gin/ya instead of Vir/gin/i/a. Same with California, etc.

[MyThreeSons]

Southern vowels! LOL!

 

A couple of years ago, one of the local churches was running a commercial between Christmas and Easter. It started off something like, "Most of you probably think of lint as something you pick off of your sweater. But did you know that it's also a special time in the church year?" ARGGHH!

[Blessedfamily]

O.K. Someone's probably going to jump all over me but... I don't understand why people say "At my work..." Isn't supposed to be at my place of employment or at my job or on my job or something? :lurk5:

 

Also, I want to plug my ears when one of my relatives says "screet" instead of "street" and "scrait" instead of "straight".

[fivetails]

Many of the things mentioned in this thread I've heard of before (variations of spelling, pronunciations, regional stuff, etc) ...but I have *never* heard anyone say the word "when" with an H sound at the start. :001_huh:

 

That would sound so strange to my ears - it's just "wen" .....