Not sure why this is bothering me this am...

Joreanasaurous · August 2013

lose, loose, loss

lose...you lose weight
loose...rhymes with goose
loss...like Ross on Friends

:bigsmile:

I wonder how much it also has to do with autofinish/autocorrect. I may by typing one thing on my phone and the next thing I know it is a completely different word.

Alex_is_Hawks · August 2013

it bothers me that the search topic function is so underused on this site. That is my peeve.

DawnieB1977 · August 2013

This is a health-, fitness- and nutrition sight and we talk about it daily and I am astounded how many people use " protien " and not protein.
In general I think people spell English a lot worse than they did on average 10-15 years ago.

Yes, because 15 years ago we did not rely on iPhones, iPads, laptops etc for communication anywhere near as much as we do today. Every single pupil in the secondary school I work in has an iPad for lessons. They're not allowed to use them all the time, but I find them using online translators in French when I tell them not to!

KissMeImShtFaced · August 2013

it bothers me that the search topic function is so underused on this site. That is my peeve.

That's been said before many times. Use the search function please.

rml_16 · August 2013

This is a health-, fitness- and nutrition sight and we talk about it daily and I am astounded how many people use " protien " and not protein.
In general I think people spell English a lot worse than they did on average 10-15 years ago.

Yes, because 15 years ago we did not rely on iPhones, iPads, laptops etc for communication anywhere near as much as we do today. Every single pupil in the secondary school I work in has an iPad for lessons. They're not allowed to use them all the time, but I find them using online translators in French when I tell them not to!

Fifteen years ago we didn't communicate in text nearly as much as we do now, so how would you even know if there's a difference?

soldier4242 · August 2013

Thank you for fixing this. Now everyone will learn!

Why can't everyone learn this?

Ang108 · August 2013

I'm pretty good with the basic ones like lose, loose, loss and two, too, to, and their, they're, there, and your and you're, but I do have a grammar question if anyone can answer.

How do you refer to singular person of unknown gender in conversation? I incorrectly use the work "they" which I know to be plural, but when you are talking about neither a he or she, and it is rude to say "it" about someone's baby or another person, what do you say?

Example:

"I know that the baby is going to be so cute. I hope they like to read when they grow up"

What should I have said instead? I hope the baby likes to read when the baby grows up? I don't like constantly saying he/she, but maybe that is the only way?

When I studied English ( which I practically did all my life ) I learned that in this case it is " it ". I feel uncomfortable with using " it ", because a baby is a person, but since I am also against using the traditional rule which says that " he " ( when in doubt )should be used , I also would use " they ". When gender is unclear I always use " they ".

sevsmom · August 2013

It irritates me as well, but when you consider that CHOOSE sounds like LOSE not goose. . .sometimes it hangs people up.

English is a squirrely language. I also get irritated with the your/you're confusion and there/their/they're and to/too/two.

But, i'm a grouchy old lady so we'll pass it off as that.

BrainyBurro · August 2013

rml_16 · August 2013

When I studied English ( which I practically did all my life ) I learned that in this case it is " it ". I feel uncomfortable with using " it ", because a baby is a person, but since I am also against using the traditional rule which says that " he " ( when in doubt )should be used , I also would use " they ". When gender is unclear I always use " they ".

*twitch*

Chevy_Quest · August 2013

And the difference between knowing your s**t and knowing you're s**t...

Exactly!

KissMeImShtFaced · August 2013

It irritates me as well, but when you consider that CHOOSE sounds like LOSE not goose. . .sometimes it hangs people up.

English is a squirrely language. I also get irritated with the your/you're confusion and there/their/they're and to/too/two.

But, i'm a grouchy old lady so we'll pass it off as that.

Since I'm a grouchy old man I'll point out that you used the ellipsis incorrectly

"An ellipsis [ … ] proves to be a handy device when you're quoting material and you want to omit some words. The ellipsis consists of three evenly spaced dots (periods) with spaces between the ellipsis and surrounding letters or other marks."

Ang108 · August 2013

This is a health-, fitness- and nutrition sight and we talk about it daily and I am astounded how many people use " protien " and not protein.
In general I think people spell English a lot worse than they did on average 10-15 years ago.

Yes, because 15 years ago we did not rely on iPhones, iPads, laptops etc for communication anywhere near as much as we do today. Every single pupil in the secondary school I work in has an iPad for lessons. They're not allowed to use them all the time, but I find them using online translators in French when I tell them not to!

Fifteen years ago we didn't communicate in text nearly as much as we do now, so how would you even know if there's a difference?

I have had a computer since 1986 or'87, have always written a lot of letters and in general been a prolific writer in several languages and find that the quality of spelling has declined in English especially. Not so much in French and German.....even though people there also text a lot now. Maybe the focus of language teaching is different in different countries also and that , together with texting language, adds up....maybe.

Contrarian · August 2013

Thank you for fixing this. Now everyone will learn!

Why can't everyone learn this?

They can. They just won't.

rml_16 · August 2013

This is a health-, fitness- and nutrition sight and we talk about it daily and I am astounded how many people use " protien " and not protein.
In general I think people spell English a lot worse than they did on average 10-15 years ago.

Yes, because 15 years ago we did not rely on iPhones, iPads, laptops etc for communication anywhere near as much as we do today. Every single pupil in the secondary school I work in has an iPad for lessons. They're not allowed to use them all the time, but I find them using online translators in French when I tell them not to!

Fifteen years ago we didn't communicate in text nearly as much as we do now, so how would you even know if there's a difference?

I have had a computer since 1986 or'87, have always written a lot of letters and in general been a prolific writer in several languages and find that the quality of spelling has declined in English especially. Not so much in French and German.....even though people there also text a lot now. Maybe the focus of language teaching is different in different countries also and that , together with texting language, adds up....maybe.

You had a computer and wrote letters. You did NOT spend hours and hours on an international website having in-depth, lengthy conversations with random people.

Also, you're incorrect about using "it" the describe the baby in your previous post. And "they" is fine in casual conversation. It is grammatically incorrect.

cmacphee3 · August 2013

Edited because you did answer in the above comment with a different quote.

rml_16 · August 2013

How do you refer to singular person of unknown gender in conversation? I incorrectly use the work "they" which I know to be plural, but when you are talking about neither a he or she, and it is rude to say "it" about someone's baby or another person, what do you say?

Example:

"I know that the baby is going to be so cute. I hope they like to read when they grow up"

What should I have said instead? I hope the baby likes to read when the baby grows up? I don't like constantly saying he/she, but maybe that is the only way?

"He" would be the appropriate word in this case. Always revert to the singular masculine or "he or she."

However, when you're just having a casual conversation it isn't a big deal to say "they." Never say "it" when referring to human beings, only inanimate objects and animals.

You could also say, "I hope the baby likes to read later in life," and avoid the whole issue.

And to add to the previous poster's mistakes: Periods and commas (except in England) always go inside punctuation marks and there should NOT be spaces between the punctuation and adjoining letters. I have never seen anyone do that and I'm wondering where it even came from.

DawnieB1977 · August 2013

This is a health-, fitness- and nutrition sight and we talk about it daily and I am astounded how many people use " protien " and not protein.
In general I think people spell English a lot worse than they did on average 10-15 years ago.

Yes, because 15 years ago we did not rely on iPhones, iPads, laptops etc for communication anywhere near as much as we do today. Every single pupil in the secondary school I work in has an iPad for lessons. They're not allowed to use them all the time, but I find them using online translators in French when I tell them not to!

Fifteen years ago we didn't communicate in text nearly as much as we do now, so how would you even know if there's a difference?

People make written mistakes too! Due to predictive texting, people aren't as good at spelling now. As a teacher I also notice a change in attitude, kids just simply can't be bothered to spell correctly, make their work neat etc. I do work in quite a poor area though, so that could make a difference. A 13 year old boy asked me how to spell train the other week!

skullshank · August 2013

Grammer

well played.

rml_16 · August 2013

As a teacher I also notice a change in attitude

I actually heard a story on NPR a while ago about this. They said people just don't think it's important enough to bother with. Younger people (high school and college-age) think they're just going to invent an app for smart phones, get rich and never have to look for a real job and so they don't care about written communication.

It's kind of ironic that in an age where we're communicating more and more through text people are getting the attitude that being able to communicate well through text is not important.

KissMeImShtFaced · August 2013

How do you refer to singular person of unknown gender in conversation? I incorrectly use the work "they" which I know to be plural, but when you are talking about neither a he or she, and it is rude to say "it" about someone's baby or another person, what do you say?

Example:

"I know that the baby is going to be so cute. I hope they like to read when they grow up"

What should I have said instead? I hope the baby likes to read when the baby grows up? I don't like constantly saying he/she, but maybe that is the only way?

"He" would be the appropriate word in this case. Always revert to the singular masculine or "he or she."

However, when you're just having a casual conversation it isn't a big deal to say "they." Never say "it" when referring to human beings, only inanimate objects and animals.

You could also say, "I hope the baby likes to read later in life," and avoid the whole issue.

And to add to the previous poster's mistakes: Periods and commas (except in England) always go inside punctuation marks and there should NOT be spaces between the punctuation and adjoining letters. I have never seen anyone do that and I'm wondering where it even came from.

Typically you shouldn't start a sentence with "and."

rml_16 · August 2013

How do you refer to singular person of unknown gender in conversation? I incorrectly use the work "they" which I know to be plural, but when you are talking about neither a he or she, and it is rude to say "it" about someone's baby or another person, what do you say?

Example:

"I know that the baby is going to be so cute. I hope they like to read when they grow up"

What should I have said instead? I hope the baby likes to read when the baby grows up? I don't like constantly saying he/she, but maybe that is the only way?

"He" would be the appropriate word in this case. Always revert to the singular masculine or "he or she."

However, when you're just having a casual conversation it isn't a big deal to say "they." Never say "it" when referring to human beings, only inanimate objects and animals.

You could also say, "I hope the baby likes to read later in life," and avoid the whole issue.

And to add to the previous poster's mistakes: Periods and commas (except in England) always go inside punctuation marks and there should NOT be spaces between the punctuation and adjoining letters. I have never seen anyone do that and I'm wondering where it even came from.

Typically you shouldn't start a sentence with "and."

That is an archaic rule no longer in practice except by anal retentive high school English teachers.

It is also now acceptable and correct to split infinitives (we do not speak Latin) and end sentences with prepositions, though sometimes it's best not to do so because it sounds ridiculous.

Case in point: "Where are you at?"

dinosnopro · August 2013

KissMeImShtFaced · August 2013

How do you refer to singular person of unknown gender in conversation? I incorrectly use the work "they" which I know to be plural, but when you are talking about neither a he or she, and it is rude to say "it" about someone's baby or another person, what do you say?

Example:

"I know that the baby is going to be so cute. I hope they like to read when they grow up"

What should I have said instead? I hope the baby likes to read when the baby grows up? I don't like constantly saying he/she, but maybe that is the only way?

"He" would be the appropriate word in this case. Always revert to the singular masculine or "he or she."

However, when you're just having a casual conversation it isn't a big deal to say "they." Never say "it" when referring to human beings, only inanimate objects and animals.

You could also say, "I hope the baby likes to read later in life," and avoid the whole issue.

And to add to the previous poster's mistakes: Periods and commas (except in England) always go inside punctuation marks and there should NOT be spaces between the punctuation and adjoining letters. I have never seen anyone do that and I'm wondering where it even came from.

Typically you shouldn't start a sentence with "and."

That is an archaic rule no longer in practice except by anal retentive high school English teachers.

Like double spacing between sentences?

habsfan802 · August 2013

if this is what bothers you in life then I would say count your blessings

MinMin97 · August 2013

I don't like abbreviations like 2 for two/to, 4 in place of for/four, u in place of you,etc...
I read it so haltingly.

Cranquistador · August 2013

KissMeImShtFaced · August 2013

No way. Who would move his right arm though?

BrainyBurro · August 2013

I don't like abbreviations like 2 for two/to, 4 in place of for/four, u in place of you,etc...
I read it so haltingly.

h8er!

tallvesl99 · August 2013

You cannot fix it, but you can Correct it....fixing it involves putting it in its appropriate position.

Not sure why this is bothering me this am...

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