Grammar - Get it right!!!

[Woolleykat]

do we ever:p

[bazak1]

Not normally

[Woolleykat]

I do get the dibbs on knowing what other mums shouldn't as all round mine

[Bookworm]

the French language society were trying to ban the word "weekend" from the French language because it was an English word. They have no word that means weekend so why not use one from another language?

 

They did, and we do . It is called "fin de semaine", which is the perfect translation of week-end. It just doesn't roll off the tongue in quite the same way, though.

 

However, the French Language Society do not represent the view of the population, and they were largely unsuccesful in their attempts. Weekend was only one of the words they wanted banned, Walkman being the other I remember. They had to invent a French word ("baladeur") to replace walkman.

 

Although they went completely OTT on this, I would point out that since the 50-60s, France became so inundated with the Anglo-Saxon influence that there was a real worry that the language would get mangled beyond recognition, which led to this extreme reaction. Here, you don't have the same problem, or not to the same extent, as American is essentially English, so variations in the language won't affect it quite as much.

[Woolleykat]

All hail Bookie of the Knowledge:)

[bazak1]

" we're not worthy, we're not worthy " oh mighty one

[syds mum]

thanks all for translations....daughter gonna wonder where the hell i get my info!!!

[Castlebest]

Good grief I was almost right

 

With regard to American I do wonder how someone from the Bronx uses punctuation (I suspect as a weapon)

 

pete

[elsinore]

 

With regard to American I do wonder how someone from the Bronx uses punctuation (I suspect as a weapon)

 

 

De spring is sprung

De grass is riz

I wonder where de boidies is

De liddle boids is on de wing

But dat's absoid

De liddle wings is on de boid!

[Cymraeg]

 

Tihs colud be a pirme exmaple of tihs pirnpicle. By scnannig the snetneces, wtihuot tihnknig aobut it it bceomes psosbile to raed the txet, qicukly and acucartley, wthiout dfifciluty.

that's why the advertising campaign for FCUK was so successful

[Bookworm]

Back to the original subject, and related issues, yes, it does matter.

 

We had a thread here a few months back which puzzled us a good deal for a while. OP had gone to court on a non-compliance of a CCA, and because the creditors/solicitors had (allegedly) doctored his documents. However, when reporting it here, he forgot the comma. The way the phrase went, it looked as if OP had just admitted in writing here that he was the one who had doctored documents put in front of the judge.

 

Well, that got us worried for a bit, I can assure you all! So yes, just one simple comma goes astray, and the whole meaning changes.

 

In French, one of the classics is this:

 

At the battle of Fontenoy (11/05/1725), the Count of Anteroche is reported to have said: "Messieurs les Anglais, tirez les premiers!" (Sir Englishmen, shoot first!) which would be in the fine tradition of reciprocal courtesy that prevailed amongst the aristocrats at the time.

However, it could be understood differently:

"Messieurs! Les Anglais! Tirez les premiers!" would mean: "Gentlemen! The English! Shoot first!" which is a completely different story.

[Hippy-chick]

*RANT ALERT*

 

Couldn't agree more Bookie. I've just spent the last couple of days assessing students' grammar and punctuation for my university and am shocked about how their perception of how good they are matches with how they actually perform.

 

And I'm shocked by some of the posts that I see on this site - particularly some of the proposed letters (not those in the CAG library, natch!), that are posted for others to copy and paste.

 

While I am aware that I also make the odd typo online, I think there is no excuse for this when submitting official letters.

 

Ok, rant over - I'll get back in my box.

 

[Bookworm]

Last edited by Hippy-chick : Today at 01:45. Reason: typo, lol

 

:-D

 

I tend to over punctuate, if anything. Punctuation is much more used in French, and like my accent when I speak, it is something I have never quite lost. Having said that, one of my teachers told me that punctuation is like breathing, so never hesitate to put it in.

 

Further away from grammar is the habit of people to write posts in one solid block. You'd think they were being charged for the space! People, hit that return key from time to time, and create PARAGRAPHS! Argghhhhh!

[stevokenevo]

Please please please, those that can't use the correct spellling of "there" "their" and "they're"

 

There - There is an adverb meaning "that location." It is sometimes used with the verb to be as an idiom. It is spelled like here which means "this location."

 

Example: I put the collar right there. (that location).

Their - Their is a possesive pronoun. It always describes a noun.

 

Example: Their dog has fleas. (possessive of they).

 

They're - They're is a contraction of they are. Note the spelling: The a from are is replaced by an apostrophe.

 

Example: They're 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. (contraction of they are).

 

It's not that difficult, surely?

 

I think you will find it is possessive

[demon_x_slash]

Ah, the wriggly joys of a well-punctuated, grammatically correct paragraph... *joyful wriggles*

[Lula]

:-D

 

....... and like my accent when I speak, it is something I have never quite lost.

 

 

You have an accent Bookie? can't say that I had noticed

 

Bloooooooooooming Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgers

[demon_x_slash]

In my head, Auntie Bookie sounds like the various Mam'zelles from the Enid Blyton boarding school books, St. Clare's and Malory Towers...

 

"Zut alors!!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*runs and hides behind the blackboard *

[Lula]

Thats EXACTLY how she sounds

 

(I already put this on once, it disappeared!)

[Bookworm]

You have an accent Bookie? can't say that I had noticed

 

Bloooooooooooming Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgers

 

Beatch.

[Castlebest]

Beatch.

 

 

Is that the French spelling?

[Bookworm]

No, it's the swear filter bypass spelling. (Used extensively in Lindsay Lohan's "Mean Girls" )

 

I could swear at her in French, but what's the point if she doesn't understand?

[Castlebest]

Meard your right

[Paintball]

*RANT ALERT*

 

Couldn't agree more Bookie. I've just spent the last couple of days assessing students' grammar and punctuation for my university and am shocked about how their perception of how good they are matches with how they actually perform.

 

And I'm shocked by some of the posts that I see on this site - particularly some of the proposed letters (not those in the CAG library, natch!), that are posted for others to copy and paste.

 

While I am aware that I also make the odd typo online, I think there is no excuse for this when submitting official letters.

 

Ok, rant over - I'll get back in my box.

 

 

Oh, don't get me started on students and their atrocious spelling, grammar, punctuation, style, presentation ... :o science students tend to be the worst offenders. What they have been learning in their English lessons I just can't imagine!!! And I work at a really prestigious university ;-)

[moggieb]

APOSTROPHE'S!

That's what really get's up my nose!

 

[a place for everything and everything in its place!/quote]

[moggieb]

Sorry,that doesn't look quite right.