Do grammatical errors bother you? - Page 8

ShortNCuddlyAm · 10-23-2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

Oh, I have fun with that one! If, after I have requested if they want something, they reply with, "I'm good" I respond with something like, "I'm sure you are but..." then repeat the question. It often take two or more tries before they figure out what is going on. It takes a dead pan delivery to pull it off.

Another one I have fun with is, "How do you do" or "How are you doing?" I respond with, "How do I do what?" or, "How am I doing what?" Gets them flustered every time. Often they think they can outwit me by changing their query to, "How are you feeling?" That results in a response of, "Mostly with my fingers."

I've been trying to train my colleagues to not ask me "what's up?" by replying to that question with "the ceiling" or "the opposite of down"; but it's not working.

I'm also trying to stop people asking me "can I ask you a quick question?" but it would seem replying with "you just have" or even "no" is not off-putting (it might be because I only respond like to people who I know aren't going to be offended by it

)

When I worked as a cashier I used to alleviate the boredom by just saying "yes" when people asked me if I had a pen (this was back in the days when cheques were common, and you had to sign card slips), but not actually give it to them.

Lady Fitzgerald · 10-23-2010, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I've been trying to train my colleagues to not ask me "what's up?" by replying to that question with "the ceiling" or "the opposite of down"; but it's not working...

I've been doing that for years. When asked, I'll say something like, "The sky, prices, ceiling, not my paycheck..."

steph_g · 10-23-2010, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

I strongly recommend this website for checking words.

This is why people should know their language. Picking a word that sounds kind of like the one they mean is proof that they don't. Words are a writer's tools. I would no more want to read a book by a writer who didn't know how to use his or her tools than I would want to have my car repaired by a mechanic equally unfamiliar with the tools of the trade.

I love that web site - thanks for posting it. I'm going to add it to my school web site for my students to use. Grammatical errors do bother me when I am reading. I always wonder why an editor didn't notice them. I'm a teacher, and I am constantly working with my students on the correct homophones to use. We also work on idioms and their origins. Please don't think it's not taught in schools anymore. Still, I can't pour it into their heads. They have to take notice and think about what they are writing. However, a published book should not have those kinds of errors, IMHO.

Joebill · 10-23-2010, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

I'm also trying to stop people asking me "can I ask you a quick question?" but it would seem replying with "you just have" or even "no" is not off-putting (it might be because I only respond like to people who I know aren't going to be offended by it

)

I get this almost every morning from one person. I do computer tech support. He isn't obnoxious about it, but it is generally about software I don't support as there is a support telephone number for it. I don't have an account nor admin rights on that software either. But he still comes by and asks.

Piper_ · 10-23-2010, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The book that I'm currently proof-reading (Anthony Trollope's "The Small House at Allington") had a somewhat surreal scene in which, in the middle of a Sunday afternoon outdoor games party, people suddenly started "howling on the lawn". It made a little more sense when, checking against my printed copy, "howling" became "bowling"

.

Last night, I got a chuckle out of a similar error: "The congregation was joyously dinging to God."

I supposed it could have been worse, had they been danging to him.

Piper_ · 10-23-2010, 10:12 PM

As for annoyances "try and" grates on my nerves, because it's so often used by authors who should know better. Using "which" for "that" is also too common, and variants of "her and I" set my teeth on edge.

I have learned not only to let go of fragments, but to appreciate them, in many cases.

I'm wary of posting about poor usage and grammar, because I so often see careless errors in my own posts after I've posted them.

I'm forever (

) catching dangling participles, missing commas, and other errors that arise from editing only part of a sentence.

I also use 'net slang enough to lose my seat in the Proper English Purists Camp.

So, while it is important to me that a writer be fastidious, I don't get too uptight about all the errors people commit in their hacking out a post on a conversational forum, unless they're egregious. e.g., "should of."

SeaBookGuy · 10-23-2010, 10:48 PM

To me "a quick question" means: I promise I won't extend the discussion after hearing your take.

Unless the person were a truly chronic time-taker-upper, I'd find a comment like "You just did" to be far too clever.

bjones6416 · 10-23-2010, 11:00 PM

I guess I would have to say that grammatical errors only bother me when I'm reading something that really should NOT have such errors. When I'm reading e-mails from friends, or things posted here in the forums, I really don't care as long as I can figure out what the writer is attempting to say. (And it kind of intimidates me to realize that we're under such intense scrutiny here.

)

On the other hand, one of the funniest grammatical errors/typos I've ever seen was at my own expense, although not my error. I had an essay published in a book of knitting stories, and all of the author bios were in the back of the book. My bio was supposed to have the line, "Jack of all trades but master of none," but because of a typo it actually said, "Hack of all trades but master of none." The version with the typo is much less boring, right?

boxcorner · 10-24-2010, 01:32 AM

Edited by boxcorner

boxcorner · 10-24-2010, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

I have an interesting preposition for you...

SneakySnake · 10-24-2010, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

I have an interesting preposition for you...

The misuse of "of" comes from "would've/should've/could've." The word of is pronounced pretty much the same as the contracted form of have.

Are you prepositioning me?

boxcorner · 10-24-2010, 02:48 AM

Edited by boxcorner

GeoffC · 10-24-2010, 03:18 AM

One that occasionally jars me is the immediate answer to the question, "do you mind if .... ?"
the response is "yes" when they really mean "no" ....

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Yes, go ahead"

..
and the use of "so" in

So happy, so sorry, so wonderful .....

SneakySnake · 10-24-2010, 03:35 AM

you are so in trouble, not!

boxcorner · 10-24-2010, 03:47 AM

Edited by boxcorner

10-23-2010, 10:12 PM	#111
Piper_ ~~~~~ Posts: 761 Karma: 1278391 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle 3, Sony 350	As for annoyances "try and" grates on my nerves, because it's so often used by authors who should know better. Using "which" for "that" is also too common, and variants of "her and I" set my teeth on edge. I have learned not only to let go of fragments, but to appreciate them, in many cases. I'm wary of posting about poor usage and grammar, because I so often see careless errors in my own posts after I've posted them. I'm forever () catching dangling participles, missing commas, and other errors that arise from editing only part of a sentence. I also use 'net slang enough to lose my seat in the Proper English Purists Camp. So, while it is important to me that a writer be fastidious, I don't get too uptight about all the errors people commit in their hacking out a post on a conversational forum, unless they're egregious. e.g., "should of." Last edited by Piper_; 10-23-2010 at 10:15 PM.

10-24-2010, 01:32 AM	#114
boxcorner »(°±°)« Posts: 826 Karma: 775629 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: divisive reader	Edited by boxcorner Last edited by boxcorner; 10-26-2010 at 02:33 AM.

10-24-2010, 02:48 AM	#117
boxcorner »(°±°)« Posts: 826 Karma: 775629 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: divisive reader	Edited by boxcorner Last edited by boxcorner; 10-26-2010 at 02:33 AM.

10-24-2010, 03:47 AM	#120
boxcorner »(°±°)« Posts: 826 Karma: 775629 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: divisive reader	Edited by boxcorner Last edited by boxcorner; 10-26-2010 at 02:33 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Oh bother. They didn't fix the ePub/PDF library book issue	NNolan	Sony Reader	31	11-05-2010 10:27 PM
New eBook: A 'Why-Bother?' housekeeping manual	DanRaine	Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers	7	10-24-2010 12:58 PM
Why does the page refresh on eink devices bother people so much?	brecklundin	News	46	09-16-2009 01:23 PM
Errors and Errors...	uncultured	Amazon Kindle	7	03-11-2009 05:11 PM
Should I bother with the firmware update? (UK)	yegon	Sony Reader	14	08-15-2008 05:02 PM

10-23-2010, 10:48 PM	#112
SeaBookGuy Can one read too much? Posts: 2,029 Karma: 2487799 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Naples, FL Device: Kindle PW 3, Sony 350 and 650	To me "a quick question" means: I promise I won't extend the discussion after hearing your take. Unless the person were a truly chronic time-taker-upper, I'd find a comment like "You just did" to be far too clever.

10-23-2010, 11:00 PM	#113
bjones6416 ↓↓ Skirt!! Earrings!! Posts: 3,394 Karma: 17432172 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Acer netbook, JetBook Lite, Sony PRS-300, Kindle 2, Kindle Fire	I guess I would have to say that grammatical errors only bother me when I'm reading something that really should NOT have such errors. When I'm reading e-mails from friends, or things posted here in the forums, I really don't care as long as I can figure out what the writer is attempting to say. (And it kind of intimidates me to realize that we're under such intense scrutiny here. ) On the other hand, one of the funniest grammatical errors/typos I've ever seen was at my own expense, although not my error. I had an essay published in a book of knitting stories, and all of the author bios were in the back of the book. My bio was supposed to have the line, "Jack of all trades but master of none," but because of a typo it actually said, "Hack of all trades but master of none." The version with the typo is much less boring, right?

10-24-2010, 03:18 AM	#118
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	One that occasionally jars me is the immediate answer to the question, "do you mind if .... ?" the response is "yes" when they really mean "no" .... "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Yes, go ahead" .. and the use of "so" in So happy, so sorry, so wonderful .....

10-24-2010, 03:35 AM	#119
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	you are so in trouble, not!