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DanielLB
Immortal
Nov 26 2013, 8:38pm
Post #1 of 61
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Which grammar/spelling/punctuation error do you make most on the forum?
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I find that I *continually* have to edit my posts because I've misused there, their and they're. I know full well the difference, but I will always type "there" without thinking, making me edit the post and changing it. Normally it's not until I've hit "Post Message" until I realise the mistake I've made. And even then there will be one that I miss. I don't tend to make the other mistakes (as often, that is.) Though I do use these a lot: !!!.
I think it is down to the informality and relaxed atmosphere of the forum. I don't type a post like I would an email (unless to friends), an essay or a report. I think it's easy to make these mistakes since you're not thinking about it as much.
And linked to this, which grammar/spelling/punctuation mistakes irritate you most? I'm not particularly bothered about errors (it's only human!), but I annoy myself that I have to always edit there, their and they're.
(Checks post for no mistakes. Look's good to me!)  
(This post was edited by DanielLB on Nov 26 2013, 8:42pm)
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FaramirAndEowynMorningStar
Rohan
Nov 26 2013, 8:47pm
Post #2 of 61
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Sometimes I type comments on my phone and spell things wrong
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or forget to add things in. Or, of course, add in too many punctuation marks.
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elaen32
Gondor
Nov 26 2013, 8:56pm
Post #3 of 61
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Hate to break this to you, Daniel....
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But you have put in an unnecessary apostrophe in the "Looks" of "Looks ok to me"!
That's one of my petty annoyances- apostrophes in the wrong place. The other is people writing "I could OF done this etc..." instead of " I could HAVE done this" or "I could've done this"!
I think my own errors are usually those of typing letters round the wrong way. Thtas relaly annoying! Aaagh- it autocorrected the word annoying!
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Nov 26 2013, 9:11pm
Post #4 of 61
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Seeing as we're talking about grammar, spelling etc...
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Can someone clarify the use of 'whit/wit' on TORN? I often see 'wit' when it should be 'whit' ("I don't give one whit for reviewers' opinions") but I wonder if it's correct in US English to drop the 'h'?
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Brethil
Half-elven
Nov 26 2013, 9:21pm
Post #5 of 61
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as in my sometimes fabulous Freudian typos, which usually change the entire complexion of my post. Thing is, I can proofread 'til the cows come home and I just DON'T see it. I think because I am 'presuming' what I meant, I don't see the typo.
(Elaen, you tend to be my official Typo Spotter. You've caught quite a few of my real *bloomers*)  
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Brethil
Half-elven
Nov 26 2013, 9:22pm
Post #6 of 61
(786 views)
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Can someone clarify the use of 'whit/wit' on TORN? I often see 'wit' when it should be 'whit' ("I don't give one whit for reviewers' opinions") but I wonder if it's correct in US English to drop the 'h'?
as far as I know.
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DanielLB
Immortal
Nov 26 2013, 9:32pm
Post #7 of 61
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(I think I'm guilty of "could of" vs "could have" as well!)
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Kalimac
Bree
Nov 26 2013, 10:34pm
Post #8 of 61
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I'm really bad for spelling mistakes
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but I'm pretty aware of that, so I tend to spend a lot of time editing my posts. Sometimes they still slip through though.
Great poll by the way.
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demnation
Rohan
Nov 26 2013, 10:41pm
Post #9 of 61
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What a great idea for a thread!
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I struggle with not putting enough punctuation marks; the poor semicolon goes almost entirely unused by me. And though I fancy myself a pretty good speller, I notice I tend to leave letters off the ends of my words sometime. (talking is so much easier....)
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Escapist
Gondor
Nov 26 2013, 10:48pm
Post #10 of 61
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neither the spelling bee nor the grammar bee.
I choose "Option C": I do not take nearly enough time to do any editing at all whatsoever (unless I am weasel-wording ... watch for it!)
Consider all of my writing samples here to be "samples of written dialogue" if you like - or simply consider it "wrong" because it often is.
I may be totally wrong on this to some minds, but I really see a difference in levels of formality between blogging and writing a term paper or thesis, for example.
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Werde Spinner
Rohan
Nov 27 2013, 12:39am
Post #12 of 61
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Grammar Nazi? *raises guilty hand*
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I try not to go around correcting people's grammar, and I rarely ever do it when I'm talking to somebody. However, if I'm reading the paper or some other written work that should have been edited, polished, and proofread many times, I will gleefully point out the errors. There's little excuse for those, I think. I'm much less picky about informal situations, like this forum. I realize that so many people post in a hurry or do not even have English as their first language, and so it doesn't bother me here at all. *coughs* Okay, it doesn't bother me much. 
I have to say, I'm not perfect either. It's mostly because I rely so much on knowing exactly what I'm typing (and relying on my fingers not to betray me and type the wrong thing while my mind zips ahead to the next sentence) that I never bother to proofread unless I've written a really long post. And, even then, my mind will supply what it wants to see half the time, not what's actually there.
However, if I have to pick the grammar/spelling/punctuation violation that annoys me the most, I'd have to say the abuse of capital letters. I don't mind the CAPSLOCK when it's used for emphasis. What I really mind is when something *should* be capitalized and it's not. Have you ever taken a look at advertising? Words are now either entirely lowercase or entirely uppercase. Now *that* just gets away with me.
Confusion of contractions with possessive adjectives is also a common one...
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
Nov 27 2013, 1:50am
Post #13 of 61
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I often mistype homonyms even though I know better.
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They're/there/their, its/it's, two/to/too. I do know the difference, but sometimes my fingers don't.
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Na Vedui
Rohan
Nov 27 2013, 1:57am
Post #14 of 61
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... I can usually manage, with a few exceptions, but typing is another matter entirely! I do tend to proofread my posts, but don't always spot all the random howlers, especially when I'm tired.
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Dame Ioreth
Tol Eressea
Nov 27 2013, 5:27am
Post #15 of 61
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according to the friend I keep up with on Skype Chat.
I tend to make those Freudian mistakes too. I caught a few typos in my TAS piece (sorry WS, I know it was supposed to be polished ) and I read that thing over so many times I thought I had it memorized. I flip letters around, use the wrong homonym, edit but for get to take out the old words.
Sometimes I wish this was just a conversation live with people. That's how fast my thoughts come and then go out into cyberspace. If I was talking, no one would see my typos! 
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Starling
Half-elven
Nov 27 2013, 7:14am
Post #16 of 61
(752 views)
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It's not completely on the topic, but on a message board I mostly lurk around on, someone has collected up many of the gems, which are now known as the 'lexicon'. Here are some of my favourites:
- for all intensive purposes
- beautiful sequence dress
- trickle treating
- hypernated
- fang tango
- income tacks
- Ironstein
- heart populations
- dire rear
- balling my eyes out
All of this confirms my belief that the average New Zealander can't write too well...
My pet hates:
'could of'
'devine'
'definately'
Random apostrophes, especially in plurals. Potatoe's, carrot's, onion's. 
My most pet hate is the overuse of exclamation marks!!! They are everywhere!!!! Watch out, DanielLB!!!!!!!!
Question marks???? One question - why do you need four question marks???? Is it to make it look super duper important????
And of course I never make a mistake.
(This post was edited by Starling on Nov 27 2013, 7:17am)
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Kim
Valinor
Nov 27 2013, 7:25am
Post #17 of 61
(729 views)
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That's a pretty entertaining list
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Thanks for sharing. I mean, "Thanks for sharing!!!!!!"
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Starling
Half-elven
Nov 27 2013, 7:37am
Post #18 of 61
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'Wallah'!
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Kim
Valinor
Nov 27 2013, 7:40am
Post #19 of 61
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What does it mean????????
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Nov 27 2013, 7:43am
Post #20 of 61
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Oops!!!! I must drive you nuts, huh??? :D
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Sorry, I admit to commiting this sin on a regular basis. 
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Starling
Half-elven
Nov 27 2013, 7:53am
Post #21 of 61
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It's meant to be French. I wish there was a smiley on this site to indicate, "I am crying with laughter."
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Starling
Half-elven
Nov 27 2013, 7:57am
Post #22 of 61
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could never drive me nut's.
You are as beautiful as a *sequence dress*. 
(And as clever as Ironstein.)
And really, for all intensive purposes, it's only a few bits of punctuation!!! Right?????
Anyway, I shouldn't savage tarde the thread.
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Nov 27 2013, 8:26am
Post #23 of 61
(734 views)
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I'm very insecure about my punctuation.
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I know the rules, but I sometimes second guess myself until I don't know what's what. The fact that many punctuation rules are - like the Pirates' Code - more of a guideline doesn't help. I even had a professor tell me that, though she really enjoyed my paper, she found my punctuation "funky." So if you sometimes see way too many commas and semi-colons in my posts, or way too few, please forgive me; it's just me having a break-down. However, if I make a mistake with an apostrophe, it's usually just carelessness.
I try to check my spelling before posting, but I'm sometimes in a hurry. I usually spell tricky words without too many problems, but then make unbelievably stupid mistakes with simple words. When I use my phone to post, I don't worry too much. My phone tries so hard to "help" that it's a miracle that I don't throw my phone across the room. I'm not going to sweat a few typos.
I really don't judge too harshly when others make mistakes. For one thing, I'm more of a descriptivist than a prescriptivist. For another, I know that most people here are very smart, and any mistake they make is likely what my dad calls "a mere oversight." That said, I am bothered by the use of the word less with countable things when they should use fewer.
And yes, I know I use far too many icons. 
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zarabia
Tol Eressea
Nov 27 2013, 8:29am
Post #24 of 61
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DanielLB
Immortal
Nov 27 2013, 8:42am
Post #25 of 61
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What a funny list!!!!!!!?????!!!!!?????????
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Yes, whenever I respond to you now Starling, it is just going to be too irresistible not to use all those exclamation and question marks. 
"Definately" is one I've always struggled with as well. My fingers don't like typing that word properly at all.
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