When the Grammar Nazi's strike!

[scotpens]

Subject-verb agreement is my own particular albatross.

I’m picky about pronoun-antecedent agreement. For example, in one of the Twilight Zone openings, Rod Serling says: “A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.”

Really, a literate man like Mr. Serling should have known better. A pronoun must agree with its antecedent; therefore the correct phrase is “A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are those of imagination.”

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I used to say definite.

Erhm, isn't definite the correct spelling? Or is that your spellchecker at work again?

That's just habit. I can't misspell it if I wanted to. I used to say definate, though, before I forced myself not to.

 

[TorontoTrekker]

I used to say definite.

Erhm, isn't definite the correct spelling? Or is that your spellchecker at work again?

That's just habit. I can't misspell it if I wanted to. I used to say definate, though, before I forced myself not to.

My particular bugbear was the word "inadvertent". I misspelled it as "inadvertant" for years before I noticed the red squiggly underlining and checked to see what the correct spelling was. I've trained myself to ignore the automated spellcheck results because they're usually set to use American spelling.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Just cave and use American spelling, it's easier

BTW, I always struggle with a's and e's in relevant permanent (it doesn't help that they're reversed). I don't suppose anyone knows a trick for those two.

 

[auntiehill]

^I always remember it by thinking, "To give yourself a perm, it requires a (hair) NET." Perm-a-nent.

 

[Miss Chicken]

I word that many people seem to have trouble spelling is 'ridiculous'.

 

[Guitarded]

"Genius" is up there, too.

Miss Chicken, did you start your post with a Roman numeral?

 

[Miss Chicken]

"Genius" is up there, too.

Miss Chicken, did you start your post with a Roman numeral?

For some reason I sometimes type "I" instead of "A" or vice versa. I wonder why this is. It can't be a simple typo as the letters are nowhere near each other on the keyboard.

I don't ever remember seeing 'genuis' mispelt.

And the above sentence reminds me - I have at times had a grammar nazi correct me on using 'spelt' instead of 'spelled', and 'learnt' instead of 'learned' but this is a difference between British and American English.

 

[thestrangequark]

^I've always read a lot, and even as a kid read many books by British authors. This resulted in my learning to spell many words the British way, rather than the American way. Often in school I'd have words marked misspelled because I'd used the British spelling, and even as an adult there are some words that just look wrong to me with American spelling, because that's not how I learned them first -- grey, for instance.

 

[cultcross]

I don't ever remember seeing 'genuis' mispelt.

And the above sentence reminds me - I have at times had a grammar nazi correct me on using 'spelt' instead of 'spelled', and 'learnt' instead of 'learned' but this is a difference between British and American English.

They probably should have corrected you on the spelling of misspelt though, it has a double 's' in the middle.

 

[KJbushway]

I have my own grammar detective attached to me. He comments of my grammar if I get into a debate with someone or him.

 

[RoJoHen]

^I've always read a lot, and even as a kid read many books by British authors. This resulted in my learning to spell many words the British way, rather than the American way. Often in school I'd have words marked misspelled because I'd used the British spelling, and even as an adult there are some words that just look wrong to me with American spelling, because that's not how I learned them first -- grey, for instance.

"Grey" and "gray" never look right to me. I constantly switch back and forth between which one I use.

I also prefer "theatre" to "theater."

 

[thestrangequark]

^I may be wrong, but I always thought that "theater" was the place you went to and "theatre" was the form of art.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

^I may be wrong, but I always thought that "theater" was the place you went to and "theatre" was the form of art.

To me, "theatre" is the place where someone sedates you with funny chemicals while someone else opens up your body with sharp pointy things.

 

[RoJoHen]

Nah, I'm pretty sure they're just alternate spellings.

 

[cultcross]

^I may be wrong, but I always thought that "theater" was the place you went to and "theatre" was the form of art.

Here 'theatre' is both - we don't use 'theater' at all.

 

[thestrangequark]

^I may be wrong, but I always thought that "theater" was the place you went to and "theatre" was the form of art.

Here 'theatre' is both - we don't use 'theater' at all.

After ten minutes of mindless internet "research" I've discovered that in America, some sources claim that the two spellings are interchangeable, some claim that "theatre" refers to live performance while "theater" refers to movies, and some claim that, as I had thought, "theatre" refers the artform while, "theater" refers to a place. My conclusion is that everyone has their heads up their asses and it doesn't really matter how it's spelled (or spelt!).

 

[Miss Chicken]

I don't ever remember seeing 'genuis' mispelt.

And the above sentence reminds me - I have at times had a grammar nazi correct me on using 'spelt' instead of 'spelled', and 'learnt' instead of 'learned' but this is a difference between British and American English.

They probably should have corrected you on the spelling of misspelt though, it has a double 's' in the middle.

Even worse than misspelling 'misspelt' in that post is I even managed to misspell 'genius'. I will blame it on the late hour at which I posted.

Here 'theatre' is both - we don't use 'theater' at all.

I was taught to use 'theatre" for both.

A similar word is centre/center. I think I use 'center' if I am talking about the center of a circle etc, but 'centre' for a shopping centre. However I am certain that, as a child, I was told only to use 'centre'.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^I may be wrong, but I always thought that "theater" was the place you went to and "theatre" was the form of art.

Here 'theatre' is both - we don't use 'theater' at all.

After ten minutes of mindless internet "research" I've discovered that in America, some sources claim that the two spellings are interchangeable, some claim that "theatre" refers to live performance while "theater" refers to movies, and some claim that, as I had thought, "theatre" refers the artform while, "theater" refers to a place. My conclusion is that everyone has their heads up their asses and it doesn't really matter how it's spelled (or spelt!).

Theater is for movies, theatre is for plays and tay-AH-trah is the art form.

I'll go stick my head up my ass now. No, no, that's okay, I'll do it myself.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Theater is for movies, theatre is for plays and tay-AH-trah is the art form.

I'll go stick my head up my ass now. No, no, that's okay, I'll do it myself.

If it gets stuck, we might have to bring you to the "other" theatre.
Nurse, the screens!