I am OCD?

Forums › Off topic › I am OCD?

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

851 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 251

ID Verified

Trusted

#1063914 12-Jun-2014 11:10

KiwiNZ:

actually being concerned about apostrophes could well indicate OCPD

That would be OPD. No compulsions.

MikeB4

MikeB4
18775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12766

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#1063917 12-Jun-2014 11:17

Glassboy:
KiwiNZ:

actually being concerned about apostrophes could well indicate OCPD

That would be OPD. No compulsions.

I will stick with OCPD but I wont get compulsive over it

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

Glassboy

851 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 251

ID Verified

Trusted

#1063918 12-Jun-2014 11:18

KiwiNZ:
Glassboy:
KiwiNZ:

actually being concerned about apostrophes could well indicate OCPD

That would be OPD. No compulsions.

I will stick with OCPD but I wont get compulsive over it

Says the person compulsively replying.

MikeB4

MikeB4
18775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12766

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#1063920 12-Jun-2014 11:19

who me?

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

kingjj

1730 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 450

ID Verified

Trusted

#1063926 12-Jun-2014 11:34

Oh Oh, next can we discuss the awesomeness of the comma? IE whether we should use the Oxford Comma or not (coffee, milk, tea, and jam VS coffee, milk, tea and jam)... lots of long pointless arguments in our house growing up over this abomination.

k14

631 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 94

#1063978 12-Jun-2014 12:17

joker97: Ok maybe half a tart head but still, I've been losing so much sleep over apostrophes.
So please shoot me later, but allow me to post the official correct way to use an apostrophe.

Some highlights:

The best way to get apostrophes right is to understand when and why they are used. There are two main cases –

Using apostrophes to show possession
Using apostrophes to show omission

Apostrophes and plural forms
The general rule is that you should not use an apostrophe to form the plurals of nouns, abbreviations, or dates made up of numbers:
just add -s (or -es, if the noun in question forms its plural with -es).

For example:
euro euros (e.g. The cost of the trip is 570 euros.)
pizza pizzas (e.g. Traditional Italian pizzas are thin and crisp.)
apple apples (e.g. She buys big bags of organic apples and carrots.)
MP MPs (e.g. Local MPs are divided on this issue.)
1990 1990s (e.g. The situation was different in the 1990s.)
It's very important to remember this grammatical rule.

Ok shoot me now. Phew.

I loose sleep on people that don't know their Euro (singular) from Euro (plural). There is no "s". See here under characteristics http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

floydbloke

3646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4554

ID Verified

#1064017 12-Jun-2014 12:51

Bought is the past tense of buy.
Brought is the past tense of bring.

That's all I've got to say.

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

robjg63

4161 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1426

Subscriber

#1064030 12-Jun-2014 13:02

freitasm: People using "would of" instead of "would have"...

This one is like fingernails on a blackboard to me!

There was a campaign to kill the apostrophe
http://www.killtheapostrophe.com/

Down with apostrophes!

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

MikeB4

MikeB4
18775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12766

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#1064035 12-Jun-2014 13:14

In formal writing or communication I am a bit more strict but in everyday stuff I just don't care, if I can understand what is being conveyed then it's cool. The self appointed spelling or grammar police annoy me way more than spelling or grammar errors.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
80647 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 41030

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#1064038 12-Jun-2014 13:21

KiwiNZ: In formal writing or communication I am a bit more strict but in everyday stuff I just don't care, if I can understand what is being conveyed then it's cool. The self appointed spelling or grammar police annoy me way more than spelling or grammar errors.

Which leads me to another thing to consider: if I visit a business website and they have apostrophes in wrong places, or "should of", or "their" instead of "they are" I will not consider the business worth it - if they can't pay attention to these things how can I trust them to pay attention to our requirements?

I read somewhere a few months ago about business losing money by having people "walk away" from their websites because of spelling and grammar mistakes.

If it is a professional publication (website. billboard, paper) then it should be correct. A bit less strict if it's a conversation. Journalists should always be correct - I've seen a number of "their", "should of" and spelling mistakes on Stuff and NZ Herald...

Referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies

Support Geekzone by subscribing (browse ads-free), or making a one-off or recurring donation through PressPatron.

MikeB4

MikeB4
18775 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 12766

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#1064045 12-Jun-2014 13:26

freitasm:
KiwiNZ: In formal writing or communication I am a bit more strict but in everyday stuff I just don't care, if I can understand what is being conveyed then it's cool. The self appointed spelling or grammar police annoy me way more than spelling or grammar errors.

Which leads me to another thing to consider: if I visit a business website and they have apostrophes in wrong places, or "should of", or "their" instead of "they are" I will not consider the business worth it - if they can't pay attention to these things how can I trust them to pay attention to our requirements?

I read somewhere a few months ago about business losing money by having people "walk away" from their websites because of spelling and grammar mistakes.

If it is a professional publication (website. billboard, paper) then it should be correct. A bit less strict if it's a conversation. Journalists should always be correct - I've seen a number of "their", "should of" and spelling mistakes on Stuff and NZ Herald...

I would consider a business website as formal communication and as I wrote I am a bit more strict on that.

On a news website it should be correct but in a printed newspaper where the deadlines are tight the odd spelling and or grammar mistakes are excusable.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

Geekzone

Want to support Geekzone and browse the site without the ads? Subscribe to Geekzone now (monthly, annual and lifetime options).

BlueShift

1692 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 969

#1064067 12-Jun-2014 13:55

In case anyone was wondering: Grammar Nazis actually exist!

floydbloke

3646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4554

ID Verified

#1064070 12-Jun-2014 13:58

KiwiNZ: In formal writing or communication I am a bit more strict but in everyday stuff I just don't care, if I can understand what is being conveyed then it's cool. The self appointed spelling or grammar police annoy me way more than spelling or grammar errors.

I used to be a pedant, but having my son diagnosed with dyslexia a few years ago has made me a lot more tolerant and realise there are folk out there who struggle with correct spelling and grammar, and it's not just laziness.

Sometimes I use big words I don't always fully understand in an effort to make myself sound more photosynthesis.

Glassboy

851 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 251

ID Verified

Trusted

#1064071 12-Jun-2014 13:59

kingjj: Oh Oh, next can we discuss the awesomeness of the comma? IE whether we should use the Oxford Comma or not (coffee, milk, tea, and jam VS coffee, milk, tea and jam)... lots of long pointless arguments in our house growing up over this abomination.

Sorry, is there actually a case for not using the Oxford comma?

http://www.verbicidemagazine.com/2011/09/20/strippers-jfk-and-stalin-illustrate-why-you-should-use-the-serial-comma/

kingjj

1730 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 450

ID Verified

Trusted

#1064072 12-Jun-2014 14:00

freitasm:
KiwiNZ: In formal writing or communication I am a bit more strict but in everyday stuff I just don't care, if I can understand what is being conveyed then it's cool. The self appointed spelling or grammar police annoy me way more than spelling or grammar errors.

Which leads me to another thing to consider: if I visit a business website and they have apostrophes in wrong places, or "should of", or "their" instead of "they are" I will not consider the business worth it - if they can't pay attention to these things how can I trust them to pay attention to our requirements?

I read somewhere a few months ago about business losing money by having people "walk away" from their websites because of spelling and grammar mistakes.

If it is a professional publication (website. billboard, paper) then it should be correct. A bit less strict if it's a conversation. Journalists should always be correct - I've seen a number of "their", "should of" and spelling mistakes on Stuff and NZ Herald...

I remember many moons ago while a teenager looking at a new web server monitoring service. On the main page (which was quite flash at the time) they showed a world map with all their monitoring locations around the world. Closest one to us was in 'Sdyney' (as repeated throughout their website). Quick email and it was fixed, in the post a week later was a thank you letter and a fridge magnet. Couldn't believe they made such a simple mistake but they way they handled it regained my faith (and custom for a while).

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5