Dumb Question of the day..

[Gil T.Azell]

I'm wondering why lately I see a lot of people put the $ sign after the Figure?

EG; For sale Small Fridge 50$ OBO

When it should be.

Like For sale Small Fridge $50 OBO.

Just Curious?

[scotpens]

^^ Same reason people forget to put a comma between a city and state, e.g., "Sarasota Florida" or "Austin Texas." Rampant illiteracy.

[sojourner]

Funny, I just read a dime store novel where the main characters were Sarasota Florida and her boyfriend, Austin Texas.

[ManOnTheWave]

Sounds like the sort of novel where a major character disappears halfway through because the author forgot them. Was that, by chance, the fate of Gary Indiana?

[The Mirrorball Man]

Gil T.Azell wrote:

---

I'm wondering why lately I see a lot of people put the $ sign after the Figure?

EG; For sale Small Fridge 50$ OBO

When it should be.

Like For sale Small Fridge $50 OBO.

Just Curious?

They do it because we say "fifty dollars", and not "dollars fifty". I'm not sure it's important or a sign of illiteracy.

[auntiehill]

Gil T.Azell wrote:

---

I'm wondering why lately I see a lot of people put the $ sign after the Figure?

EG; For sale Small Fridge 50$ OBO

When it should be.

Like For sale Small Fridge $50 OBO.

Just Curious?

I often wonder why people randomly capitalize words, or use improper punctuation.

[M'Sharak]

auntiehill wrote:

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I often wonder why people randomly capitalize words, or use improper punctuation.

I had to stop wondering about those - there are just too many. (Randomly-placed commas which serve no grammatical purpose will still get me shaking my head, though, if I'm not careful.)

ManOnTheWave wrote:

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Sounds like the sort of novel where a major character disappears halfway through because the author forgot them. Was that, by chance, the fate of Gary Indiana?

Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana,
That's the town that knew me when!

[Rhubarbodendron]

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

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They do it because we say "fifty dollars", and not "dollars fifty". I'm not sure it's important or a sign of illiteracy.

I agree with that theory. Plus it might also be a sign of globalisation as in almost every other language the currency is written after the amount

[spinnerlys]

Rhubarbodendron wrote:

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I agree with that theory. Plus it might also be a sign of globalisation as in almost every other language the currency is written after the amount

Now the conversion to Celsius and the metric system, but that should probably take another hundred years.

[Rhubarbodendron]

optimist!

[Scout101]

The Mirrorball Man wrote:

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They do it because we say "fifty dollars", and not "dollars fifty". I'm not sure it's important or a sign of illiteracy.

Isn't that the perfect example of the rampant illiteracy he's talking about, though? They're not writing it the way it SHOULD be written, they are writing it they way they've heard it. Fifty Dollars, so 50$, right?

Would love to blame globalization and international culture, but we're talking about Craigslist, right? How cultured do those folks seem to YOU? Can't spell their way out of a wet paper bag (spell check your ad, maybe?), no pictures of something that obviously requires them, tell them to contact you, but no phone number or email in the ad, etc. Not the jet-setting type.

This is the fun downward slide of English. txt speak, calling people a looser on forums, repeating 'mute point' to the extent that it's borderline acceptable, etc. People are idiots, and no one cares anymore...

[MacLeod]

spinnerlys wrote:

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Now the conversion to Celsius and the metric system, but that should probably take another hundred years.

Well here in the UK we still normally put the £ sign before the amount i.e. £50.

I'm sure the states will get around coverting to metric, you've just got to spend a decade or two dual labelling, a few years teaching bofe in school and towards the end only teach metric in school. You set a deadline i.e. by 2040 we will be using the metric system and stick to it. Yes some people won't like esp. if they grew up using the imperial system, but the change is not about the current generation(s) but the next generation and the one after that, and the one after that and so on.

Though which ever system a person uses when writing it down they should specifiy which system. i.e 40C.

[The Mirrorball Man]

Scout101 wrote:

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They're not writing it the way it SHOULD be written, they are writing it they way they've heard it. Fifty Dollars, so 50$, right?

The way things SHOULD be written changes constantly. Language is not a religion, it's more like an ant farm.

[sojourner]

MacLeod wrote:

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I'm sure the states will get around coverting to metric, you've just got to spend a decade or two dual labelling, a few years teaching bofe in school and towards the end only teach metric in school.

They tried it here in the 70's, it didn't take. And "bofe"? Did you just say "bofe"?

[Gil T.Azell]

auntiehill wrote:

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I often wonder why people randomly capitalize words, or use improper punctuation.

Being way too tired for one.

And not using spell check, as for my initial question I was brought up to write it $50 not 50$, so I guess I can blame my teachers,

But I'm not writing to the game show produces to tell them they are wrong, I mean they make big $$$, for that.

Have a great weekend people.
Bill.