It's 'whine' not 'whinge'

[RJDiogenes]

Spelling and grammatical errors almost always bother me, although it often depends on how much I like the person making the error. I think the one that bothers me the most is "wrecking havoc." After all, why would anybody want to wreck all this nice havoc?

Have any of these topics complaining about grammar or spelling ever worked out? Either it's an acceptable alternate spelling from another country, or the people claiming to be experts wind up disagreeing, with both sides having legitimate arguments. I've yet to see one of these topics come to a definitive conclusion on anything.

Maybe people need to not be so rigid when it comes to language and realize it's a constantly changing thing.

No, there are definitely mistakes-- and general low standards-- when it comes to spelling and grammar. Words have correct spellings, so to not use them is wrong. Phrases that are contradictory or nonsensical or grammatically unsupportable-- like "could of" or "could care less" or "wrecking havoc"-- are wrong. Some aren't necessarily grammatically wrong, but lack a certain logical accuracy-- liked "based off" instead of "based on."

Language certainly does change and needs to be flexible though; I've certainly played fast and loose with it enough times. I think one example of what you're saying would be the odd ways that people have been using the word "anymore" for the last few years; nothing grammatically wrong with it, it's just kind of weird.

 

[trampledamage]

Just don't get mr trampledamage started on the modern use of the word "presently", we'll be here all night.

 

[JustKate]

I love whinge - it's a fabulous word. I only wish somebody would graft it into American English so I could use it and nobody would think I was misspelling whine. Also prat. British English has a real gift for describing irritating/stupid people.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I love whinge - it's a fabulous word. I only wish somebody would graft it into American English so I could use it and nobody would think I was misspelling whine. Also prat. British English has a real gift for describing irritating/stupid people.

I prefer the word git to prat.

 

[auntiehill]

You have NO idea how many papers I see from people with degrees that contain the magical word, "Firstable."

FFS, FIRSTABLE? It's "first of all," you dumbass!

Then there's always "supposably," instead of "supposedly," and the one that drives me spare: there, their and they're.

I recall one time when I applied for a job, and in the "new hire" packet was a memo that read, "All new employees must wear they're badges weather their on the clock or not."

I decided that I really didn't want to work there after all.

 

[Thor Damar]

I think I'm one of the culprits but I am British so I don't have to feel like such a prat about it. (I have just checked the post in question and I did do it)
I have to use my spellchecker on every single post of mine in order to catch the major errors in spelling. My grammar,alas, is a different issue altogether. (I think there is one grammatical error in that sentence but I can not be sure).
Still as long as we are all mature and understanding about how people write, none of us will become right gits about it.

See, we Brits still have something to offer to the English language, even if it is only the swear words.

 

[Velocity]

Heighth instead of height aggravates me. I guess people just figure since it's width and length, it is heighth too. I see Congradulations on signs instead of Congratulations. Especially during graduations which may explain that misspelling.

 

[Rii]

There are circumstances under which mocking or correcting someone's spelling or grammar on a message board doesn't make one look like a total asshole, but they're few and far between.

 

[CorporalClegg]

It doesn't have to be mocked or ridiculed to still be irritating.

 

[CaptainStoner]

I love whinge - it's a fabulous word. I only wish somebody would graft it into American English so I could use it and nobody would think I was misspelling whine. Also prat. British English has a real gift for describing irritating/stupid people.

Graft away. We definitely need those words in circulation.

My Aussie friend likes to go on a good whinge via messenger from time to time.

 

[K-Star]

I've never heard the word "whinge" before... Well, I might've, but had no clue what it meant.

 

[Rii]

It doesn't have to be mocked or ridiculed to still be irritating.

I find the comments and corrections far more irritating and distracting from the subject at hand than the errors and idiosyncrasies themselves. Those who harp on the superficialities of communication in informal contexts usually do so because they've no substantive criticisms or contributions to offer.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Well I agree to a degree. I don't really care for correcting others' mistakes myself; God knows I make them all the time. And, in a place like this, it really isn't all that big of a deal.

By there are other message boards I frequent from time to time where it's clear people don't hold themselves to any grammatical standard. It just brings the whole level of anything posted down and disrupts any would-be intelligent discussion.

As for spelling, checkers are so ubiquitous these days (even within the browsers themselves) that there really is no excuse for it.

 

[Rii]

^ With Chrome's spell checker defaulting to US English, I take a perverse pleasure in ignoring everything it says.

 

[Trekker4747]

The one I hate the most is when people use an apostrophe in a plural such as saying

I bought some DVD's today.

An apostrophe "s" is acceptable when used to pluralize an abbreviation or acronym. It seperates the "s" from the abbreviation.

 

[K-Star]

Another thing to keep in mind regarding grammar... sometimes people write the same way they talk. For instance, you'll find such words as "ain't," "cuz," and "y'all" in my posts because those are words I use in my regular spoken vocabulary. Same with some internet-invented words like "pwned" (yes, "pwned" is a part of my spoken vocabulary.) And alternate spellings/words from other countries will be found in posts made by people from those countries.

Other than that, people gotta watch how they spell... God I hate typos, both my own and those made by others. I also HATE the their/there/they're and your/you're mistakes. That's just carelessness right there...

 

[Miss Chicken]

The one I hate the most is when people use an apostrophe in a plural such as saying

I bought some DVD's today.

An apostrophe "s" is acceptable when used to pluralize an abbreviation or acronym. It seperates the "s" from the abbreviation.

I disagree. An apostrophe should only used if the abbreviation or acromym has has periods or lowercase letter or if adding a 's' would be confusing. This website backs me up.

The formation of plurals and possessives is usually pretty straightforward, except in the case of abbreviations and acronyms. The following rules should help.

To form the plural of an abbreviation, a number, or a capital letter used as a noun, simply add an 's' to the end.

A group of MPs
The late 1940s
Mind your Ps and Qs

To form the plural of an abbreviation with periods, a lowercase letter used as a noun, and abbreviations or capital letters that would be ambiguous or confusing if the 's' alone were added, use an apostrophe and an 's'.

A group of M.P.'s (see note below)
The x's in the equation
Sending SOS's

So DVDs is correct and DVD's is not.

Besides I have seen many people add an apostrophe to pluralise words that are neither abbreviations or acronyms but just regular nouns.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Not if you're talking about the DVD's commentary.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Not if you're talking about the DVD's commentary.

If you are talking about a DVD's commentary you aren't pluralising DVD so it is a totally different matter.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Have any of these topics complaining about grammar or spelling ever worked out? Either it's an acceptable alternate spelling from another country, or the people claiming to be experts wind up disagreeing, with both sides having legitimate arguments. I've yet to see one of these topics come to a definitive conclusion on anything.

Maybe people need to not be so rigid when it comes to language and realize it's a constantly changing thing.

No, there are definitely mistakes-- and general low standards-- when it comes to spelling and grammar. Words have correct spellings, so to not use them is wrong. Phrases that are contradictory or nonsensical or grammatically unsupportable-- like "could of" or "could care less" or "wrecking havoc"-- are wrong. Some aren't necessarily grammatically wrong, but lack a certain logical accuracy-- liked "based off" instead of "based on."

Of course there are incorrect spellings and grammatical errors, but that wasn't my point. My point was when it comes to starting threads or debates within threads that seek to correct those mistakes, whether real or imagined, TrekBBSers have a pretty lousy batting average. Maybe they need to lighten up a bit and go with the flow if they can easily comprehend what the person is saying, or at the very least do a little research into what they're correcting before they start a topic or debate about it.

Generally, one of three things happens in these discussions from what I've observed:

1) You pull a Trekker, in which case you constantly correct people while inevitably making one or more mistakes of your own in the same post. It never fails.

2) One person who claims to be an expert winds up arguing with another person who claims to be an expert, and often both of them are right according to their preferred rulebook or prior schooling. There was a debate about the use of "and" to start a sentence in TNZ just the other day where both sides were technically correct. You can see that going on in this very thread in a few instances.

3) The word or grammatical error is not actually an error at all, but simply a regional or language difference, or perhaps recent slang that has entered the vernacular, in which case you'll often wind up with someone saying a variation of "You Yanks think the whole world revolves around you" or "You Brits talk funny."

I just think people here get way too hung up on grammar and spelling errors that they are more often than not wrong about.