Advanced Spelling Lesson
itsthehumidity
Posts: 351 Member
Hi.
I'm tired of seeing the same basic words misspelled on MFP. Here's a crash course:
You lose weight. When you lose weight, your clothes become loose. You never loose weight. Ever.
You ask for and receive advice. In turn, you may advise others who are seeking advice. You never seek advise. Ever.
It's important to know how to use apostrophes. Apostrophes are not just there to warn the reader of an impending S; rather, they indicate a possessive, or that a word is contracted. Here are some mistakes that are so common that I'm surprised when they're absent:
You're/Your: as a general rule, if you can replace your with you are, then you're should be used instead, as it's a contraction of you are. Examples: you're (you are) logging your food; you're (you are) learning to spell. Your is possessive. Examples: your diary looks great today; your dog is cute.
It's/Its: this is hard because we're tempted to use apostrophes with possessives. But, as a rule, if you can replace its with it is, then it's should be used instead, as it's (ha) a contraction of it is. As it's is now serving the purpose of a contraction, it would be confusing to use it as the possessive too, so we drop the apostrophe and its serves that purpose. Quick examples: your cute dog is chasing its tail. It's (it is) a shame we didn't get a video of that!
Great job! That's all for now. Just remember, you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you can navigate these treacherous grammatical waters.
Made a quick edit.
I'm tired of seeing the same basic words misspelled on MFP. Here's a crash course:
You lose weight. When you lose weight, your clothes become loose. You never loose weight. Ever.
You ask for and receive advice. In turn, you may advise others who are seeking advice. You never seek advise. Ever.
It's important to know how to use apostrophes. Apostrophes are not just there to warn the reader of an impending S; rather, they indicate a possessive, or that a word is contracted. Here are some mistakes that are so common that I'm surprised when they're absent:
You're/Your: as a general rule, if you can replace your with you are, then you're should be used instead, as it's a contraction of you are. Examples: you're (you are) logging your food; you're (you are) learning to spell. Your is possessive. Examples: your diary looks great today; your dog is cute.
It's/Its: this is hard because we're tempted to use apostrophes with possessives. But, as a rule, if you can replace its with it is, then it's should be used instead, as it's (ha) a contraction of it is. As it's is now serving the purpose of a contraction, it would be confusing to use it as the possessive too, so we drop the apostrophe and its serves that purpose. Quick examples: your cute dog is chasing its tail. It's (it is) a shame we didn't get a video of that!
Great job! That's all for now. Just remember, you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you can navigate these treacherous grammatical waters.
Made a quick edit.
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diannethegeek wrote: »
I appreciate the different opinion on this, and ignoring the author's good spelling and grammar in an article defending poor spelling and grammar, I'd like to say something about this excerpt:
So if I crap on Jonny’s spelling, I’m either reinforcing an oppressive status quo, or picking on a person with a disability, or both.
Hmm. I'm reminding people about the rules of English, and it seems like a big reach to suggest that providing examples of appropriate spelling and use of apostrophes is tantamount to reinforcing an oppressive status quo. Maybe by telling people how to lose weight, one is also reinforcing an oppressive status quo, but probably not. More likely, that person is just relaying how to do something correctly. Maybe there's a culture out there that values being overweight, or people who have thyroid issues, but the presence of any of those people does not mean that the correct way to lose weight should be censored.
So, I stand by my spelling lesson, because those are the correct ways to use those words.0 -
Thank you for this, although I fear your efforts will prove futile. The "lose/loose" thing is my biggest pet peeve with posters on this board. I'm with you on the other misspellings: they're so commonplace by now that I'm surprised when a person has used your/you're and its/it's correctly. Let's throw "they're/their/there" in there for good measure, too.0
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juliegilburd wrote: »Let's throw "they're/their/there" in there for good measure, too.
That's ultra advanced!0 -
I admire the correct usage of homophones, but the grammar issues on internet forums do not bother me. There are many users on here who do not speak English as a first language or who have other unknown reasons to why their posts have bad spelling/grammar/punctuation. It's an informal setting and I ignore mistakes. Not everyone was lucky enough to have teachers or family that encourage them to be accurate in these areas of life.0
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itsthehumidity wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »
I appreciate the different opinion on this, and ignoring the author's good spelling and grammar in an article defending poor spelling and grammar, I'd like to say something about this excerpt:
So if I crap on Jonny’s spelling, I’m either reinforcing an oppressive status quo, or picking on a person with a disability, or both.
Hmm. I'm reminding people about the rules of English, and it seems like a big reach to suggest that providing examples of appropriate spelling and use of apostrophes is tantamount to reinforcing an oppressive status quo. Maybe by telling people how to lose weight, one is also reinforcing an oppressive status quo, but probably not. More likely, that person is just relaying how to do something correctly. Maybe there's a culture out there that values being overweight, or people who have thyroid issues, but the presence of any of those people does not mean that the correct way to lose weight should be censored.
So, I stand by my spelling lesson, because those are the correct ways to use those words.
I'm curious as to which version of "English" you are determining to be the appropriate one in an international community of users, and how you went about determining that as the standard for all to follow in said community.0 -
Hook'd awn foniks werked four me!
Seriously, though...I know the difference between your and you're...but for some reason I mess those up ALL the time. I think it's cause I'm typing too fast and just blow right by it without thinking.0 -
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Hahaha, you're hilarious!! (and back off, my apostrophe is used correctly
And funny, because it's true..though I'm quite the grammar snob. Buttttt... my single biggest peeve in this world is when people say they did GOOD or played GOOD, rather than saying they did WELL or played WELL, and so on. I don't know why it gets me so, but it does. Also, my students will tell you, punctuation is important. After all, it's the difference between "Let's eat, grandpa!" and "Let's eat grandpa!" Hehehe 0 -
I admire the correct usage of homophones, but the grammar issues on internet forums do not bother me. There are many users on here who do not speak English as a first language or who have other unknown reasons to why their posts have bad spelling/grammar/punctuation. It's an informal setting and I ignore mistakes. Not everyone was lucky enough to have teachers or family that encourage them to be accurate in these areas of life.
This is true
You're right, you really are. And now I feel rotten. But well said 
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itsthehumidity wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »
I appreciate the different opinion on this, and ignoring the author's good spelling and grammar in an article defending poor spelling and grammar, I'd like to say something about this excerpt:
So if I crap on Jonny’s spelling, I’m either reinforcing an oppressive status quo, or picking on a person with a disability, or both.
Hmm. I'm reminding people about the rules of English, and it seems like a big reach to suggest that providing examples of appropriate spelling and use of apostrophes is tantamount to reinforcing an oppressive status quo. Maybe by telling people how to lose weight, one is also reinforcing an oppressive status quo, but probably not. More likely, that person is just relaying how to do something correctly. Maybe there's a culture out there that values being overweight, or people who have thyroid issues, but the presence of any of those people does not mean that the correct way to lose weight should be censored.
So, I stand by my spelling lesson, because those are the correct ways to use those words.
I'm curious as to which version of "English" you are determining to be the appropriate one in an international community of users, and how you went about determining that as the standard for all to follow in said community.
Yes because there are so many versions of "English", and they all differ wildly when it comes to these particular spelling and grammar quirks.
To answer your question, as this is a US-based site, I'm referring to the rules and conventions governing the use of formal English in the United States.0 -
you'd love the book "eats shoots and leaves" 0
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itsthehumidity wrote: »Yes because there are so many versions of "English", and they all differ wildly when it comes to these particular spelling and grammar quirks.
To answer your question, as this is a US-based site, I'm referring to the rules and conventions governing the use of formal English in the United States.
Facebook is also a US-based site, but people all over the world are entitled to log in and type however they'd like to. How is MFP any different? I have friends on here from Spain who speak very little English, but have to on the threads. Are you saying that if you are someone who is not 100% fluent in US-English, then you should be barred from posting on a US-based site?
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chunky_pinup wrote: »itsthehumidity wrote: »Yes because there are so many versions of "English", and they all differ wildly when it comes to these particular spelling and grammar quirks.
To answer your question, as this is a US-based site, I'm referring to the rules and conventions governing the use of formal English in the United States.
Facebook is a US-based site, but people all over the world are entitled to log in and type however they'd like to. I have friends on here from Spain who speak very little English, but have to on the threads. Are you saying that if you are someone who is not 100% fluent in US-English, then you should be barred from posting on a US-based site?
It's correct that on the main forums people have to post in English. It's a site rule that can result in warnings if violated. There are boards for other languages that contain little information. The best information is on the English side, so sadly people like your friend have to stumble their way through our complicated language.0 -
It's correct that on the main forums people have to post in English. It's a site rule that can result in warnings if violated. There are boards for other languages that contain little information. The best information is on the English side, so sadly people like your friend have to stumble their way through our complicated language.
I'm referring to 100% fluency before posting. I'm not talking about posting in other languages on the main forum, but is someone who doesn't know the difference between lose and loose then not allowed because they are not 100% fluent/proficient in linguistics?
Pretty harsh.
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I admire the correct usage of homophones, but the grammar issues on internet forums do not bother me. There are many users on here who do not speak English as a first language or who have other unknown reasons to why their posts have bad spelling/grammar/punctuation. It's an informal setting and I ignore mistakes. Not everyone was lucky enough to have teachers or family that encourage them to be accurate in these areas of life.
I don't lose sleep over such errors, nor do I go out of my way to call out any individuals for their mistakes. I don't use such mistakes as a basis to try and refute someone's argument, and the only arguments I attempt to refute (on MFP) are those that encourage poor or dangerous dietary/fitness habits.
But, after seeing the millionth forum post asking, "How come I cant loose weight what I do help" I decided to make a (perhaps too snarky) post in the Chit-Chat area of the forums with some quick tips. I choose to believe that speaking English as a secondary or tertiary language, or having a learning disability, doesn't preclude someone from learning more of the basics. I'd go so far as to say it's insulting to suggest that these people can't learn those things. Maybe my critics are saying I'm giving such people more credit than I should; in which case, who's being mean?0 -
itsthehumidity wrote: »I choose to believe that speaking English as a secondary or tertiary language, or having a learning disability, doesn't preclude someone from learning more of the basics.
I'm sure if someone wanted a lesson on the English language, they'd ask for one. Posting something like this insinuating that people are "in need" of a lesson IS insulting when it's not being asked for.
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chunky_pinup wrote: »It's correct that on the main forums people have to post in English. It's a site rule that can result in warnings if violated. There are boards for other languages that contain little information. The best information is on the English side, so sadly people like your friend have to stumble their way through our complicated language.
I'm referring to 100% fluency before posting. I'm not talking about posting in other languages on the main forum, but is someone who doesn't know the difference between lose and loose then not allowed because they are not 100% fluent/proficient in linguistics?
Pretty harsh.
My friend, I never said anybody should be barred from anything, nor did I imply it. I didn't even ask anyone to stop making errors, and I certainly don't expect to stop seeing them. I didn't make any assertions about anybody's intelligence, background, culture, anything! I did say that you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you master these basics, and I think that's true. I see evidence of that everywhere I look. Do you disagree?0 -
chunky_pinup wrote: »itsthehumidity wrote: »Yes because there are so many versions of "English", and they all differ wildly when it comes to these particular spelling and grammar quirks.
To answer your question, as this is a US-based site, I'm referring to the rules and conventions governing the use of formal English in the United States.
Facebook is also a US-based site, but people all over the world are entitled to log in and type however they'd like to. How is MFP any different? I have friends on here from Spain who speak very little English, but have to on the threads. Are you saying that if you are someone who is not 100% fluent in US-English, then you should be barred from posting on a US-based site?
OMG...yes. 100% fluent or don't post!
That'll get rid of the riff-raff.0 -
itsthehumidity wrote: »
My friend, I never said anybody should be barred from anything, nor did I imply it. I didn't even ask anyone to stop making errors, and I certainly don't expect to stop seeing them. I didn't make any assertions about anybody's intelligence, background, culture, anything! I did say that you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you master these basics, and I think that's true. I see evidence of that everywhere I look. Do you disagree?
I absolutely disagree. Spending 40-60 hours a week working with some of the top surgeons in the US means that I am spending a large part of my week with men and women who are taken very seriously, respected and admired. I also spend a lot of time reading their notes, transcriptions, dictations, etc., for legal purposes, and many have spelling and grammar that really is atrocious. Are they taken less seriously? Absolutely not.
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chunky_pinup wrote: »itsthehumidity wrote: »
My friend, I never said anybody should be barred from anything, nor did I imply it. I didn't even ask anyone to stop making errors, and I certainly don't expect to stop seeing them. I didn't make any assertions about anybody's intelligence, background, culture, anything! I did say that you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you master these basics, and I think that's true. I see evidence of that everywhere I look. Do you disagree?
I absolutely disagree. Spending 40-60 hours a week working with some of the top surgeons in the US means that I am spending a large part of my week with men and women who are taken very seriously, respected and admired. I also spend a lot of time reading their notes, transcriptions, dictations, etc., for legal purposes, and many have spelling and grammar that really is atrocious. Are they taken less seriously? Absolutely not.
I welcome differences in opinion, and I respect yours. Personally, I want my doctor to be able to spell. I also asked a physician I know if he feels people care whether or not doctors use proper spelling/grammar. His response was that "it matters to people who know better."0 -
itsthehumidity wrote: »Hi.
I'm tired of seeing the same basic words misspelled on MFP. Here's a crash course:
You lose weight. When you lose weight, your clothes become loose. You never loose weight. Ever.
You ask for and receive advice. In turn, you may advise others who are seeking advice. You never seek advise. Ever.
It's important to know how to use apostrophes. Apostrophes are not just there to warn the reader of an impending S; rather, they indicate a possessive, or that a word is contracted. Here are some mistakes that are so common that I'm surprised when they're absent:
You're/Your: as a general rule, if you can replace your with you are, then you're should be used instead, as it's a contraction of you are. Examples: you're (you are) logging your food; you're (you are) learning to spell. Your is possessive. Examples: your diary looks great today; your dog is cute.
It's/Its: this is hard because we're tempted to use apostrophes with possessives. But, as a rule, if you can replace its with it is, then it's should be used instead, as it's (ha) a contraction of it is. As it's is now serving the purpose of a contraction, it would be confusing to use it as the possessive too, so we drop the apostrophe and its serves that purpose. Quick examples: your cute dog is chasing its tail. It's (it is) a shame we didn't get a video of that!
Great job! That's all for now. Just remember, you'll be taken more seriously in the adult world if you can navigate these treacherous grammatical waters.
Made a quick edit.
You may have heard this one. Grammar and spelling are important. It's (as in it is or it's the humidity) the difference between,
Let's eat, Grandpa!
and
Let's eat Grandpa!
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koffeekakes wrote: »Hahaha, you're hilarious!! (and back off, my apostrophe is used correctly And funny, because it's true..though I'm quite the grammar snob. Buttttt... my single biggest peeve in this world is when people say they did GOOD or played GOOD, rather than saying they did WELL or played WELL, and so on. I don't know why it gets me so, but it does. Also, my students will tell you, punctuation is important. After all, it's the difference between "Let's eat, grandpa!" and "Let's eat grandpa!" Hehehe
The correct usage of GOOD and WELL is also one of my pet peeves. It has become so commonplace to use those words incorrectly, that when I correct my students or my own children, they truly believe that I am the one who is wrong!0 -
More people telling other people what to do
When did this site become about grammar? I must have missed that memo lol0 -
koffeekakes wrote: »Hahaha, you're hilarious!! (and back off, my apostrophe is used correctly And funny, because it's true..though I'm quite the grammar snob. Buttttt... my single biggest peeve in this world is when people say they did GOOD or played GOOD, rather than saying they did WELL or played WELL, and so on. I don't know why it gets me so, but it does. Also, my students will tell you, punctuation is important. After all, it's the difference between "Let's eat, grandpa!" and "Let's eat grandpa!" Hehehe
Oh, whoops! I didn't see your (no apostrophe necessary) post before I submitted mine. I hate when I log onto Facebook and see something considered a "mute" point. Really, the point doesn't speak? Well color me surprised!
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itsthehumidity wrote: »
I welcome differences in opinion, and I respect yours. Personally, I want my doctor to be able to spell. I also asked a physician I know if he feels people care whether or not doctors use proper spelling/grammar. His response was that "it matters to people who know better."
Would you really tell the best Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon in the world that you want someone else to cut open your child because, although they are the best at what they do, their spelling in English (a second language) is not perfect? That, to me, is insanity. My grammar is far from perfect. My spelling is not perfect either. I do not see why it would matter to anyone at all, and to what effect it has on your life?
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itsthehumidity wrote: »itsthehumidity wrote: »diannethegeek wrote: »
I appreciate the different opinion on this, and ignoring the author's good spelling and grammar in an article defending poor spelling and grammar, I'd like to say something about this excerpt:
So if I crap on Jonny’s spelling, I’m either reinforcing an oppressive status quo, or picking on a person with a disability, or both.
Hmm. I'm reminding people about the rules of English, and it seems like a big reach to suggest that providing examples of appropriate spelling and use of apostrophes is tantamount to reinforcing an oppressive status quo. Maybe by telling people how to lose weight, one is also reinforcing an oppressive status quo, but probably not. More likely, that person is just relaying how to do something correctly. Maybe there's a culture out there that values being overweight, or people who have thyroid issues, but the presence of any of those people does not mean that the correct way to lose weight should be censored.
So, I stand by my spelling lesson, because those are the correct ways to use those words.
I'm curious as to which version of "English" you are determining to be the appropriate one in an international community of users, and how you went about determining that as the standard for all to follow in said community.
Yes because there are so many versions of "English", and they all differ wildly when it comes to these particular spelling and grammar quirks.
To answer your question, as this is a US-based site, I'm referring to the rules and conventions governing the use of formal English in the United States.
Your screen name directly contradicts your its/it's example of proper usage. While I realize the lack of apostrophe is due to the limitations of which characters can be included in a user name, you still opted to go with the improper usage in favor of the auditory "it's the humidity" that people would hear if the name was spoken aloud versus using the grammatically correct "it is the humidity." Should we not be taking you seriously as an adult now, or can we agree that little mistakes here and there are not what determines the value of an individual or their contributions?0 -
People, please stop defending bad Engrish! 0
This discussion has been closed.
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