[grammar rant]

[ms.peachy]

It's "have been", not "of been".

As in, "You should have been there," not "You should of been there."

As in, "I would have done it myself," not "I would of done it myself."

As in, "We could have stayed there," not "We could of stayed there."

It's a verb, for crying out loud, the present perfect tense. "Of" is a preposition. I realise non-native English speakers might not have this information, but surely it's not news for anyone who is who has more than an 8th grade education has learned the parts of speech and diagrammed at least one sentence. Grrrrrrr.

[/endrant]

Disclaimer: This rant is in no way immediately directed at any particular BBMB member or been inspired by any event therein, it is just my pet peeve of the day based on an outside experience. Deal with it. Grrrrrrrr.

[Lyman Zerga]

you and any other poster are welcome to correct my english

[alexandra]

alright alright! i'm sorry!


it still amazes me that some people write "their" when it's suppose to be "there", etc.

[TurdBerglar]

i do that all the time

[Planetary]

It's "have been", not "of been".

As in, "You should have been there," not "You should of been there."

As in, "I would have done it myself," not "I would of done it myself."

As in, "We could have stayed there," not "We could of stayed there."

It's a verb, for crying out loud, the present perfect tense. "Of" is a preposition. I realise non-native English speakers might not have this information, but surely it's not news for anyone who is who has more than an 8th grade education has learned the parts of speech and diagrammed at least one sentence. Grrrrrrr.

[/endrant]

Disclaimer: This rant is in no way immediately directed at any particular BBMB member or been inspired by any event therein, it is just my pet peeve of the day based on an outside experience. Deal with it. Grrrrrrrr.
word. bad grammar = (n)

[Bob]

my personal pet peeve is "you're" where "your" should be, and vice versa.

it's really really easy to keep straight if you think about it. you're is a contraction for "you are" if you're going to use "you're", just insert "you are" where the word's going to go. if it doesn't make sense, then YOU ARE doing it wrong and YOUR grammar is bad, stop it

that and to/too.

non-native english speakers are forgiven, but the rest of you have no excuses now

[Lyman Zerga]

im typing youre, im, dont..and its instead of it's sometimes

i know how to do it right but im a lazy mother

[Tzar]

if this has nothing to do with the BBMB, don't post it here.

vent it to your kid.

[Junker]

At least I am forgiven (Am I right?)

[Junker]

You shouldn't of said that!

Laugh Out Loud (Is this the correct meaning of LOL or am I mistaken?)

[Echewta]

I agree!

[ms.peachy]

if this has nothing to do with the BBMB, don't post it here.

Oh yeah right, because no one should ever post anything here that isn't specifically about something here.:rolleyes:

That would leave us loads to discuss, wouldn't it.

[Tzar]

there never is "loads" to discuss on this board anyway. i'm just being a prick.

[ms.peachy]

Oh ok. Carry on then.

[marsdaddy]

These people once annoyed me, too, but then I realized they're all chewie aliases (aliai?).

I've made a mistake once or twice.

[g-mile7]

hahahaha I just noticed that there is a spell check feature on this board(you have to download it though).....what a waste of time however. It's just a message board, not an elitist essay.

[Bob]

there never is "loads" to discuss on this board anyway. i'm just being a prick.

you mean "there is never"

i don't think that's true actually, i was just trying to be funny, this being a grammar thread and all

[Echewta]

I dont have alias.

[QueenAdrock]

What pisses me off is when people use the word "I" instead of "me" because for some retarded reason, they've been programmed that proper English uses "I".

For example, if you were in a picture with your friend you would say "Here's a picture of *so and so* AND ME." NOT I. "I" is messed up. If it's proper English, the subject tense has to stand by itself. You wouldn't say "Here's a picture of *so and so* and I," because you'd never say "Here's a picture of I." Get it? Good, now stop it.

[Nuzzolese]

not an elitist essay.

Oh but I love fancy book larnin!

[abcdefz]

I'm still a little unsure about whether band names are plural or singular.

The Beastie Boys is a good group.
The Beastie Boys are a good group.


"are" sounds better, but isn't a group name a collective thing to be treated as a single entity? I mean, there aren't several groups called "Beastie Boys"; there's one.

pffffffffffffff

[Bob]

Oh but I love fancy book larnin!

y'all college folks is all the same

[Bob]

I'm still a little unsure about whether band names are plural or singular.

The Beastie Boys is a good group.
The Beastie Boys are a good group.


"are" sounds better, but isn't a group name a collective thing to be treated as a single entity? I mean, there aren't several groups called "Beastie Boys"; there's one.

pffffffffffffff

i think it's SUPPOSED to be singular, but it sounds awkward. proper grammar is like that sometimes.

for example, "the employees are forming an union". i think an "an" is supposed to go there, because union starts with a vowel. but it sounds horrible.

[g-mile7]

Oh but I love fancy book larnin!


good 4 you sugga.

[abcdefz]

i think it's SUPPOSED to be singular, but it sounds awkward. proper grammar is like that sometimes.

for example, "the employees are forming an union". i think an "an" is supposed to go there, because union starts with a vowel. but it sounds horrible.



I could write an homage to you, Bob. That's an historical fact.

[QueenAdrock]

The Beastie Boys is a good group.

Correct. There is one group of them. There are not multiple bands called "The Beastie Boys." Since it's one group, you would use "is," no matter how many people are in that singular group.

[abcdefz]

Correct. There is one group of them. There are not multiple bands called "The Beastie Boys." Since it's one group, you would use "is," no matter how many people are in that singular group.



That's what I thought, but I swear I've even seen it in print the other way.

[Nuzzolese]

Do you say:

Everyone liked their desserts.

or

Everyone liked his or her dessert.


Everybody has their own room.

Everybody has his or her own room.



Anybody/Anyone can have their way.

Anybody/Anyone can have his or her way.

eh?

[abcdefz]

"Their," which is correct.

[Bob]

I could write an homage to you, Bob. That's an historical fact.

blarg, that one kills me. homage makes sense, because it's pronounced that way (right? oh-mahj?), but historical, surely not? it has an h in it, it's not even silent.

[Nuzzolese]

blarg, that one kills me. homage makes sense, because it's pronounced that way (right? oh-mahj?), but historical, surely not? it has an h in it, it's not even silent.

It is silent in some accents, important, British accents; accents who write books.

[Lyman Zerga]

fuck correct grammar
i just write what sounds good to me and what my heart tells me

[Bob]

It is silent in some accents, important, British accents; accents who write books.

books about grammar i'd reckon

what about herb, then? is it an herb or a herb?

[Nuzzolese]

It depends on whether you're talking about something in the garden or someone you know.

[The Notorious LOL]

the only grammatical error that really annoys me is when people use apostrophes where they arent needed.


Used Bike's for Sale!

[abcdefz]

the only grammatical error that really annoys me is when people use apostrophes where they arent needed.


Used Bike's for Sale!



I swear, that's passed so far into common usage. It's in major merchants' newspaper ads, even.

[voltanapricot]

I hate "ain't" with a passion, it sounds so horrid and is not even a proper word.

[abcdefz]

Ain't has passed into common usage, though. It's in the dictionary.

There are times when a well-placed "ain't" is just what the doctor ordered. (y)


(Funny enough: I first started to type "There's times when..." :-D )

[Bob]

the only grammatical error that really annoys me is when people use apostrophes where they arent needed.


Used Bike's for Sale!

oh yeah, i take back anything to the contrary i may have said in this thread, that one is the one that pisses me off the most.

again, if english isn't your first language, it's understandable, but man if you've grown up speaking it, surely you should have figured that one out by now.

although in that example it could be correct, assuming a used bike is indeed for sale

[Laver1969]

Correct. There is one group of them. There are not multiple bands called "The Beastie Boys." Since it's one group, you would use "is," no matter how many people are in that singular group.

I would like to offer some further clarification on this post above. The band you're referring to is Beastie Boys. There is no "the" or "The".

And this is from Nasty Little Man - (It's BEASTIE BOYS not THE Beastie Boys… and if you MUST abbreviate, it's B BOYS not BEASTIES)

[abcdefz]

I would like to offer some further clarification on this post above. The band you're referring to is Beastie Boys. There is no "the" or "The".





Fair enough, although I could argue that I was proposing a hypothetical but I wasn't; I was slack and feel bad now.

































...notice that's not "I feel badly now." I feel just fine; I just feel bad.

[Laver1969]

I feel just fine; I just feel bad.

When should a semicolon be used?

[milleson]

when linking independent clauses

[abcdefz]

When should a semicolon be used?



It's usually used to join what could be individual sentences, but those sentences together make one thought. A semi-colon sort of takes the places of a conjunction in that way. I like semi-colons waaaaaayyyyy too much.

[Nuzzolese]

I was under the impression that the two independent clauses separated by a semi-colon don't have to make two valid sentences, as is. As a full sentence, one of the clauses could be incomplete, but that's okay because of the semi-colon.

[abcdefz]

I was under the impression that the two independent clauses separated by a semi-colon don't have to make two valid sentences, as is. As a full sentence, one of the clauses could be incomplete, but that's okay because of the semi-colon.


Yeah -- I should have said "...what could be individual thoughts." I'm pretty sure you're right.

[abcdefz]

Whoops! Semicolon has no hyphen




From Strunk and White:

Do not join independent clauses by a comma.

If two or more clauses, grammatically complete and not joined by a conjunction, are to form a single compound sentence, the proper mark of punctuation is a semicolon.

Stevenson's romances are entertaining; they are full of exciting adventures.
It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.

It is of course equally correct to write the above as two sentences each, replacing the semicolons by periods.

Stevenson's romances are entertaining. They are full of exciting adventures.
It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.

If a conjunction is inserted, the proper mark is a comma (Rule 4).

Stevenson's romances are entertaining, for they are full of exciting adventures.
It is nearly half past five, and we cannot reach town before dark.

Note that if the second clause is preceded by an adverb, such as accordingly, besides, so, then, therefore, or thus, and not by a conjunction, the semicolon is still required.

I had never been in the place before; so I had difficulty in finding my way about.

In general, however, it is best, in writing, to avoid using so in this manner; there is danger that the writer who uses it at all may use it too often. A simple correction, usually serviceable, is to omit the word so, and begin the first clause with as:

As I had never been in the place before, I had difficulty in finding my way about.

If the clauses are very short, and are alike in form, a comma is usually permissible:

Man proposes, God disposes.
The gate swung apart, the bridge fell, the portcullis was drawn up.

[Laver1969]

It's usually used to join what could be individual sentences, but those sentences together make one thought. A semi-colon sort of takes the places of a conjunction in that way. I like semi-colons waaaaaayyyyy too much.

Ok; but why would it be used in the title of Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!???

Is "Awesome" considered an independent clause or sentence?

[abcdefz]

Ok; but why would it be used in the title of Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!???

Is "Awesome" considered an independent clause or sentence?



I probably would've used a colon. But their intention was probaby "(That is an) awesome (thing to see and have included in the film, and) I fuckin' shot that." But that's a stretch -- I'd still use the colon.

[p-branez]

the entire book eats, shoots, and leaves is about these common grammatical mistakes.

there, i think i did that all right.

[Bob]

i would have used a comma, myself.

Awesome, I fuckin' shot that. it looks ok, i think.

i once wrote a paper for an english class, and i got an A-, because the only thing the professor didn't like about it was that i used commas where i should have used semicolons. then at the end, i finally used one right, and she circled it and said "nice use of semicolon!!!" really emphatically.

well, i guess you had to be there (or be me), but it was funny.

[milleson]

So where is the appropriate place for the apostrophe?

Ya'll

or

Y'all

[abcdefz]

Y'all


You + all

o'clock


of + the + clock


etc.

[Lyman Zerga]

dont = do not
aint = ain not

ain??!?!

[abcdefz]

dont = do not
aint = ain not

ain??!?!


...that's why "ain't" is slang.

I imagine it was a regional dialect that was twisting "am not," and it just sounded so fucking groovy that it swept the world.

[abcdefz]

dont = do not
aint = ain not

ain??!?!



from Dictionary.com

ain't
1706, originally a contraction of am not, and in proper use with that sense until it began to be used as a generic contraction for are not, is not, etc., in early 19c. Cockney dialect of London, popularized by representations of this in Dickens, etc., which led to the word being banished from correct English.

[Lyman Zerga]

thanks azzie

for so many years i was too shy to ask it
but this thread gave me the self confidence i needed

[Bob]

on that note, what's "won't" all about? if you're going to do something, you don't say "i wo do it". willn't is a funny looking word, but why won't? why not win't?

[abcdefz]

on that note, what's "won't" all about? if you're going to do something, you don't say "i wo do it". willn't is a funny looking word, but why won't? why not win't?


Would + not


Yeah; it's screwy.

[Nuzzolese]

Hey what about mayn't? As in...

May I have some?

No you mayn't.

[Laver1969]

What about when people say, "I should have went..."

Drives me crazy.

[Lyman Zerga]

on that note, what's "won't" all about? if you're going to do something, you don't say "i wo do it". willn't is a funny looking word, but why won't? why not win't?


omg i always wondered it too
but my self confidence wasnt big enough for this yet

good job (y)

[Lyman Zerga]

Hey what about mayn't? As in...

May I have some?

No you mayn't.


i think youre making shit up
never heard that one before

[marsdaddy]

I'm not just a member; I'm the president.

[Bob]

Would + not


Yeah; it's screwy.

is it? i think it's will not. would not is still wouldn't, isn't it?

will you go to the fair this weekend? i won't.

compared to

i won't have mowed the lawn today, but it's going to rain tomorrow.

i think it's will not

[abcdefz]

Hey what about mayn't? As in...

May I have some?

No you mayn't.


I've heard that. Don't know if it's legal.

[cosmo105]

regarding everyone/everybody: no, it's singular, so you say "his or her," not "their."

[beastiegirrl101]

blarg, that one kills me. homage makes sense, because it's pronounced that way (right? oh-mahj?), but historical, surely not? it has an h in it, it's not even silent.

just like the store Hermes. (ur-may) not Hermees.

[CrankItUp!]

the only grammatical error that really annoys me is when people use apostrophes where they arent needed.


Used Bike's for Sale!

So, what kinda BIKE'S do ya have for sell ??? (lb)

[abcdefz]

regarding everyone/everybody: no, it's singular, so you say "his or her," not "their."



singular "they" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they)

[hitmonlee]

blarg, that one kills me. homage makes sense, because it's pronounced that way (right? oh-mahj?), but historical, surely not? it has an h in it, it's not even silent.

newsreaders in australia say "an historical" and i hate it! it makes no sense to me! you don't say "an hotel" or any other "h" words when you pronounce the h, so why do it for history! :mad:

books about grammar i'd reckon

what about herb, then? is it an herb or a herb?

please tell me you say herb and not 'erb :(

So where is the appropriate place for the apostrophe?

Ya'll

or

Y'all

just don't write it at all. y'all makes me shudder. :(

[hitmonlee]

yeah, sorry i know it is fairly common in america, but to me it sounds very lower class. similar to when australians say "youse". it makes my ears cry :(

[cosmo105]

singular "they" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singular_they)
NO

INFORMAL

WRONG

[marsdaddy]

NO

INFORMAL

WRONGI thought this board was black tie optional?

[Ace42X]

newsreaders in australia say "an historical" and i hate it! it makes no sense to me! you don't say "an hotel" or any other "h" words when you pronounce the h, so why do it for history!

Actually, "an" before "H" under all circumstances has precedent. "An hotel" would be considered perfectly acceptable English, even upper class potentially.

[Bob]

please tell me you say herb and not 'erb :(





....you know, it's never come up. i don't think i've ever said the word "herb" out loud.

[Nuzzolese]

There's no Mayn't. I know that I made it up, I was just suggesting its implementation. I'm sorry, I didn't make that clear.

[Lyman Zerga]

seriously?
im so clever
gawdamn

[Nuzzolese]

regarding everyone/everybody: no, it's singular, so you say "his or her," not "their."

I'm not so sure about that. It sounds singular but refers to many. If you said every one or every body, referring to each individual one or body, then maybe you'd say "his or her"

[abcdefz]

There's no Mayn't. I know that I made it up, I was just suggesting its implementation. I'm sorry, I didn't make that clear.


Yes, it is a word (http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/m/m0165600.html)

[Nuzzolese]

Yes, it is a word (http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/m/m0165600.html)

Okie dokie then I didn't make it up but it's "old fashioned."

[abcdefz]

Okie dokie then I didn't make it up but it's "old fashioned."


Yeah. Seems like something Gramma would say, trying to sound eloquent.

[Lyman Zerga]

:(

[Nuzzolese]

What's the prob, lyman?

[Lyman Zerga]

cmute totally hit his big fat nail in my head or something like that (y)

[Nuzzolese]

It seems I am a bit in the tomato

[jlees_mcsd]

Whatever. You probably said it like "toe-ma-toe" just to add insult to injury.

Word-maker-upper!


LMAO