I'm liking all these responses!
And, YES, I did ironically make a grammatical error in my post - oh, the tastiness of the irony! It should indeed have been "grocers' apostrophes".
(Seriously, thanks for pointing that out.) |
No, it's not irrelevant. There are just a couple gray areas but plenty where the rules are completely clear - such as with plurals. Writing "arena's" when you mean "arenas" makes your writing quite awkward to read for somebody who understands the rules of grammar.
Mr. Tennis, whether or not grammatical rules exist is not a matter of opinion. Whether or not they are important is, but even you must have your limits? (Not that there's anything 'wrong' with your grammar, other than the lack of any capitals, which I personally don't find distracting.) |
And by the way, T_bone, your post was hilarious. :)
What I'm lamenting here - and of course I was aware that few care - is that the standards of grammar are no doubt *slipping* in this country, and that's just really a shame. I don't mean this to sound arrogant, but, yes, you WILL sound stupid to certain people if you cannot write at even a high school level.
And it's not a matter of laziness, obviously - I'm all for shorthand where it's convenient, and I feel for you non-touch-typists. But, no, all those extra apostrophes are actually EXTRA effort!
This might be my last post in the thread. Now you guy can burn me in effigy; have a blast! :) |
I meant "guys". That was a typo.
"Guys". Definitely not "guy's".
P.S. I've been holding this in a long time. |
I'm neither in my 50s, nor pudgy, nor a woman. :( |
I just realized that I AM pudgy. Sorry. |
Philjolet,
Well, you did just fine in the post above.
And, yes, you do have to spell and write in proper English, from now forward, if I'm watching anyway.
In case I haven't made enough enemies with this thread yet, Zappa sucks ass.
(I actually didn't really mean that...) |
Glory, I know you're not quite serious, but you're missing the point. You pointed out typos, not grammatical errors, and in any case I want to know about mine (if I intentionally make any) so's I wont do allot anymore! |
Hi Rodman99999,
You do understand the meaning of "might", right? :)
As for the effect of grammar on comprehension, your insinuation that it makes *no* difference is clearly quite naive. I didn't imply that it makes text impossible to understand, or even require some kind of "great effort", but it does make the brain work harder, and that's a simple fact.
Let me put it in audio terms: an analogy would be the way phase errors in reproduced music cause the brain to burn more calories untangling the audio into something it recognizes, leading to (potential) long-term fatigue.
Hope this has cleared things up for you a bit. |
Commcat,
Once again, I didn't complain about lack of punctuation.
I spoke about incorrect punctuation and grammar, which takes more effort than none at all.
Heck, if you don't understand basic grammar rules, there's no need to be greatly offended if somebody points it out. Make a small effort to rectify it and you probably will. Or, just decide you don't care and shrug it off. |
It is very late and I have to run, but FWIW I never meant to berate or look down on anyone. The fact is, basic grammar rules are not that difficult and almost everyone good get it right with a little effort, and it would be easier if society itself wouldn't let standards slip so badly.
Goodnight! |
Glory, can I have your wife's phone number?
Doug, that was a pretty good pun. |
Wow, I read my original post and I guess it does sound a little snooty!
I retract the part about passing grade-school English exams. I just want more people in general to understand the proper use of the apostrophe. It's just a good thing for all! It may not rate in the top ten most important things in life, but surely it's in the top 1,000! |
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Rodman99999, what is it that I should seek help for? Please continue to enlighten me.
As for you, in the passive-aggressive hostility you display over this discussion for real? Is there a mild personality disorder under the surface, perhaps? |
Glory, you are being immature now. This is serious.
Mr. Tennis, you're just being thick. Come on. |
That's funny, Mumbles, as slow drivers in the left line drive me NUTS!
They seem to come in two categories: those who have no clue they are holding everyone up, and those who are fully aware of it and don't care. That's it - perfectly pace that care in the next for miles so there's no way around for anyone.
Imagine someone walking on the sidewalk slowly and blocking the whole thing, making it physically impossible for anyone to go around. Would any ever consider being so rude?
P.S. You missed the point of the thread too. |
Several typos in that last post!
Not because I don't know any better and don't WANT to know any better, though! ;) |
Tabl10, you make an interesting point, which I myself have noted: even most non-native-English speakers have better grammar skills than the average American. Virtually none of the immigrants I know display the same chronic lack of knowledge of basic grammar that is so common among Americans today. They learned their English in different schools in a different culture.
Yes, there are certain grammatical rules that have some leeway or different standards, but there are many others that are simple, have never changed, and are identical in all English-speaking countries. One example would be using an apostrophe in a plural: it's nonsensical, period.
This one really will be my last post here - no 'might' about it. |
