Grammar 101
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You insure a house or car. You ensure your code works correctly. I have seen this misused many times - even in print. (How anal is this - I actually e-mailed a food vendor after seeing "insure" used incorrectly on the label.) "Fish and guests stink in three days." - Benjamin Franlkin
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can and may It bugs me to hear someone say something like "Can I have a piece of pie?" If it is one of my children, I will usually reply with "I don't know, can you? Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Who you are in Christ
When I was in my 20s can/may were interchangeable. Now that I'm 40 I see the difference. I wonder if this has to do with the maturing of the brain? It's easier to pick up new languages and accents when you are younger. As you get older it becomes more difficult. I struggled through college German (at 28 years of age) watching 18 year olds not do homework and fly through the course. It's good to live, Josef Wainz Software Developer
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What two words do you find used incorrectly the most? Two that come to mind immediately for me are these: Noxious: "I feel noxious." This is incorrect, because fumes are noxious and make a person feel nauseated. Irregardless: "Irregardless of what you may think, this sentence is incorrect." Regardless is already negative and does not need the prefix “ir” to make it more negative. "Regardless of what you may think, this sentence is correct." --- I bought a Dell XPS gaming system, started a fan site, and never looked back.
I find too many people use this word in place of "figuratively." It's the opposite! I saw a television commercial from a communications company in which the announcer stated that with their product, "the world will literally be at your fingertips." --- "This isn't right. This isn't even wrong." -Wolfgang Pauli (1900 - 1958), on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague
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What two words do you find used incorrectly the most? Two that come to mind immediately for me are these: Noxious: "I feel noxious." This is incorrect, because fumes are noxious and make a person feel nauseated. Irregardless: "Irregardless of what you may think, this sentence is incorrect." Regardless is already negative and does not need the prefix “ir” to make it more negative. "Regardless of what you may think, this sentence is correct." --- I bought a Dell XPS gaming system, started a fan site, and never looked back.
How about: "I could care less." If we look at this statement logically, it makes no sense. It's like saying "I care enough that it is possible for me to care less than I already do." When what they really mean is that they couldn't care less.
When I can talk about 64 bit processors and attract girls with my computer not my car, I'll come out of the closet. Until that time...I'm like "What's the ENTER key?" -Hockey on being a geek
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How about: "I could care less." If we look at this statement logically, it makes no sense. It's like saying "I care enough that it is possible for me to care less than I already do." When what they really mean is that they couldn't care less.
When I can talk about 64 bit processors and attract girls with my computer not my car, I'll come out of the closet. Until that time...I'm like "What's the ENTER key?" -Hockey on being a geek
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I agree, however I couldn't care less about your post becuase it was posted about 10 messages above. :-O "Fish and guests stink in three days." - Benjamin Franlkin
I couldn't care less about your post becuase it was posted about 10 messages above. Dammit! :-D
When I can talk about 64 bit processors and attract girls with my computer not my car, I'll come out of the closet. Until that time...I'm like "What's the ENTER key?" -Hockey on being a geek
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This panda went into a bar carrying a gun. He sat down and ordered some food. After he had eaten he pulled out the gun and emptied it into the ceiling as he walked out. Another customer asked the bartender what that was all about. Bartender says "He's a panda, he eats shoots and leaves".
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](http://www.canucks.com)"You're obviously a superstar." - Christian Graus about me - 12 Feb '03 "Obviously ??? You're definitely a superstar!!!" mYkel - 21 Jun '04 Within you lies the power for good - Use it!
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At least it was used correctly. Had the phase been, "Your right", then my skin would have started to itch, too. :-D "Fish and guests stink in three days." - Benjamin Franlkin
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The following: From an American news report many years ago, the interviewer asked this question: * "How do you view the situation judgementallywise?" Huh?? you mean "How do you judge the situation?" A couple from TechEd: * "You can colorize the various elements of the source code." Please most of the people in this room don't have English as their first language, please keep it simple: "You can colour the various elements of the source code" * "In this dialog you can choose the colorization of the text." Same comment as before. How about: "In this dialog you can choose the colour of the text". * "The woman was burglarized while she was out shopping". You mean "The woman was burgled while she was out shopping". What is it with trying to lengthen words? Are these people trying to sound more self important because they can use words of greater than two syllables? Yes, okay - I realise these are probably quite acceptable in American English, but they all seem to come into the category of using lenthier words where a shorter one will be quite enough.
"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him, for an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -- Joseph E. O'Donnell The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
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What two words do you find used incorrectly the most? Two that come to mind immediately for me are these: Noxious: "I feel noxious." This is incorrect, because fumes are noxious and make a person feel nauseated. Irregardless: "Irregardless of what you may think, this sentence is incorrect." Regardless is already negative and does not need the prefix “ir” to make it more negative. "Regardless of what you may think, this sentence is correct." --- I bought a Dell XPS gaming system, started a fan site, and never looked back.
The most annoying thing I see is: "I should of..." People actually type that crap instead of: "I should have..." or "I should've..." I'm not a grammar expert by any stretch of the imagination, but that one astounds me. :)
I, for one, do not think the problem was that the band was down. I think that the problem may have been that there was a Stonehenge monument on the stage that was in danger of being crushed by a dwarf.
-David St. Hubbins -
What two words do you find used incorrectly the most? Two that come to mind immediately for me are these: Noxious: "I feel noxious." This is incorrect, because fumes are noxious and make a person feel nauseated. Irregardless: "Irregardless of what you may think, this sentence is incorrect." Regardless is already negative and does not need the prefix “ir” to make it more negative. "Regardless of what you may think, this sentence is correct." --- I bought a Dell XPS gaming system, started a fan site, and never looked back.
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Atleast you don't have to deal with y'all. That makes my blood boil "I believe I referred to her personality as a potential science exhibit." - Elaine, about Ellen, in "The Dog"
But at least y'all can be a contraction. Where the heck did "youse" come from? BTW I never could stand y'all when I lived in the south and can NOT stand youse now that I'm in New Jersey...
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote: What is it with trying to lengthen words? Colin Angus Mackay wrote: "In this dialog you can choose the colour of the text". Indeed, shameful.
You**'re one microscopic cog** in his catastrophic plan...I meant in terms of syllables not characters. And anyway, "Color" you will find, if you look up your American dictionary is derived from the Middle English "Colour". Most of the rest of the English speaking world never had Webster to come along and attempt to contract words and so the Middle English spelling persists among many millions of English speakers.
"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him, for an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -- Joseph E. O'Donnell The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
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But at least y'all can be a contraction. Where the heck did "youse" come from? BTW I never could stand y'all when I lived in the south and can NOT stand youse now that I'm in New Jersey...
Ever listen to Jeff Foxworthy Some of this contractions are priceless.... "initiate" and "aorta" come to mind for "and then she ate" and "I ought to" "I believe I referred to her personality as a potential science exhibit." - Elaine, about Ellen, in "The Dog"
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But at least y'all can be a contraction. Where the heck did "youse" come from? BTW I never could stand y'all when I lived in the south and can NOT stand youse now that I'm in New Jersey...
Brad Bruce wrote: Where the heck did "youse" come from? I was always of the impression that in Scots it was the plural form of you. However, I wasn't aware of its use outside of Scotland. (I just googled for it and found it used across the US)
"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him, for an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -- Joseph E. O'Donnell The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
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When I was in my 20s can/may were interchangeable. Now that I'm 40 I see the difference. I wonder if this has to do with the maturing of the brain? It's easier to pick up new languages and accents when you are younger. As you get older it becomes more difficult. I struggled through college German (at 28 years of age) watching 18 year olds not do homework and fly through the course. It's good to live, Josef Wainz Software Developer
Turtle Hand wrote: I wonder if this has to do with the maturing of the brain? Probably, you get smarter as you get older, but more set in your ways. Gary Kirkham A working Program is one that has only unobserved bugs He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Who you are in Christ
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Actually it seems to be an Indian thing*. Smitha and Nish both do it in the programming forums here on CP and are quite adamant they are using it correctly. I however am doubtful about that. * That annoys me. When I can't think of the correct word and have to use stuff or thing. regards, Paul Watson Bluegrass South Africa Ian Darling wrote: "and our loonies usually end up doing things like Monty Python." Crikey! ain't life grand?
Ok, this post is more clear to me now. doubt in .Net
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
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How about when someone is expressing their complete dislike about something by saying "I could care less...?" To me, that indicates they still have a small amount of "like" left. If they totally disliked something, it should be "I couldn't care less..."
"When I was born I was so surprised that I didn't talk for a year and a half." - Gracie Allen
The phrase "I could care less" implies the tag "but I don't." I suspect this is a regional thing. I grew up with "I could care less" but deliberately started using "I couldn't care less" in my twenties so there was no ambiguity. Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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Another one (yes, you've hit one of my pet subjects - you'll regret it soon ;P ) Split infinitives. Actually, I didn't used to pick up on it until I was rereading something that I wrote a few weeks ago and it just didn't sound right. When I reordered the words I realised that I had corrected a split infinitive.
"If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him, for an investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -- Joseph E. O'Donnell The Second EuroCPian Event will be in Brussels on the 4th of September Can't manage to P/Invoke that Win32 API in .NET? Why not do interop the wiki way!
The notion that split infinitives violate English grammar stems from the theory that English should follow the same rules as Latin, which doesn't allow them simply because it's impossible. English, however, does not follow the same rules as Latin and this rule is just as silly as other artificial constructions of language proscriptivists. (The Chicago Manual of Style accepts split infinitives as being useful on occasion and even observes that technically, all infinitives are split in English--by a space. http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/cmosfaq/cmosfaq.SplitInfinitives.html[^]) Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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What two words do you find used incorrectly the most? Two that come to mind immediately for me are these: Noxious: "I feel noxious." This is incorrect, because fumes are noxious and make a person feel nauseated. Irregardless: "Irregardless of what you may think, this sentence is incorrect." Regardless is already negative and does not need the prefix “ir” to make it more negative. "Regardless of what you may think, this sentence is correct." --- I bought a Dell XPS gaming system, started a fan site, and never looked back.
Some favorite peeves are: There, they're, and their; They're over there, with their kids. Effect and affect; You can effect a change, or be affected by it. You can also affect a situation, which allows you to have an effect on it. Some people may affect an attitude about it, but often it will be to no effect. Two, to, and too. I can add two to two, too! "My kid was Inmate of the Month at Adobe Mountain Juvenile Corrections Center" - Bumper Sticker in Bullhead City