PriusChat "Rules of Style"

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Proco @ Nov 9 2006, 04:00 PM) [snapback]346496[/snapback]</div>

Sumwon haz juste weigh two mch thyme on der hans

 

Hey! I type real good English.

 

I know not to abuse apostrophe's.

 

Fantastic!

My personal peeve - apostrophes that are misplaced or don't belong - especially for plurals (or should I call that plural's!!). If in doubt, don't use them at all.

Mike

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Proco @ Nov 9 2006, 02:00 PM) [snapback]346496[/snapback]</div>

I is truly impressed. I wished I'd spent more time in school stead of chasing them boys!

My boss is a grammar freak even in general conversation. She corrects people who may not have perfect grammar but they can speak 2 more languages than she can........

 

Very funny stuff!! I remember seeing the poem about the spelling chequer, but couldn't find it...now I can save it.....

Yes...descriptive is so important...many very good writers, in fact, some of the best authors, write with a style that ignores many "rules" ...and they do so with intent and purpose!

However, I think that what many are referring to as "offensive," are errors that stand out and "jar" the ears ....This example isn't about syntax, but we have a weather channel announcer who routinely mispronounces two of our Long Island cities...that's just indicative of his failure to do background work, or to correct the errors when informed....

....When I hear a pilot pronounce our airport "Isslip" ....for "Eye-slip"
(the town is spelled Islip, as is the airport)....I groan.

So...yes...my little antennae (is that the plural???LOL) flip up when I hear double negatives....but I say nothing.

One of my very, very best friends, a teacher, special education and reading teacher.....routinely says...

should have went
should have did

I have been so tempted over the years to say something, since she is a role model for 8 - 12 year old children, learning to read, write and spell.

I feel, though, that this is the domain of the principal or of her supervisor. Ironically, when I was her assistant principal, I still didn't say anything, since we are way too close....I did mention it to the principal...so, if something was said, it was because it was part of her evaluation, not a criticism from a friend.

I do know that these areas are included in the evaluations of staff.....and many teachers work to change areas of language that need to be addressed.

But...when it comes to my personal life...forums, friends...I feel that I am here to enjoy and share the input of the members, not here to criticize HOW they present.

With young children who stutter, we bring the parents in on the treatment. We ask what they to do "help" the child. If they are telling the child to "slow down" or are giving other kinds of "advice," we tell them to stop it. This kind of "help" can make the stuttering worse, since a young child feels the parent is listening to HOW they speak instead of WHAT they are saying.

Parents of children who stutter work best through modeling....so the parents are taught to model a good rate of speech, taught to not interrupt (there's my split infinitive!)...things like this.

I think we have to consider where we are and to whom we are speaking and decide if it is appropriate for us to give our opinion....I don't, unless I am asked, or unless it is part of a discussion. But I don't focus on errors of people that are part of the discussion. If people want to change or improve their speech or language usage, they can choose to do so.

....enufsed!!

terri

 

This thread brings up an old memory...

Right after the Vietnam war ended, there was a huge influx of people from Vietnam and Cambodia that came to our area. The company I worked for at that time hired them in large numbers. One day as I was walking down a hallway, it was break time in this particular assembly area and a group of about 40 or 50 of the Cambodian assemblers were heading over to the break room and busy talking and laughing with each other. At that time an office door opened and its occupant waited for the people to pass, then turned to her partner and proceeded to say: "My, look at that, they don't not even speak english!"

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Nov 9 2006, 07:52 PM) [snapback]346694[/snapback]</div>

My favorite(s) in this area are neon (or not) signs outside mom-and-pop diners proclaiming, "EAT'S"...!

(Damn, why didn't I take pitchers?)

 

The new Firefox 2.0 has an automatic spell checker. Type a mis-spelled word and it'll underline the word with a dotted red line.