The grammar and spelling thread

Forums › Off topic › The grammar and spelling thread

networkn

27615 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#285903 24-May-2021 11:46

There seems to be a fair number of people who like discussing societies deteriorating standard of grammar and spelling, so I thought I'd create a thread specifically for the discussion of the ins and outs of said topic.

One thing I'd like to find is a more cost-effective alternative to Grammarly.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ... | 13

8361 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2712138 24-May-2021 11:49

society's*

Norton Secure VPN

Affiliate link

Affiliate link: Norton Secure VPN helps secure private information using bank-grade encryption when using public Wi-Fi on your PC, Mac, or mobile device.

networkn

27615 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2712139 24-May-2021 11:50

Behodar:

society's*

Interesting, Grammarly didn't correct that! I guess I don't pay enough.

Gurezaemon

~HONYAKKER!~
864 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2712155 24-May-2021 12:07

networkn:

Behodar:

society's*

Interesting, Grammarly didn't correct that! I guess I don't pay enough.

Grammarly is a decent tool, but at the end of the day, it is still using algorithms rather than common sense, so it ends up being comparable to spell check in MSWord and the like.

Teachers at high school despair at the predictable changes it suggests.

Get your business seen overseas - Nexus Translations

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1329 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2712171 24-May-2021 12:45

Behodar:

society's*

Well, he could be talking about multiple societies... 😜

Matthew

blackjack17

1504 posts

Uber Geek

#2712175 24-May-2021 12:55

mdooher:

Behodar:

society's*

Well, he could be talking about multiple societies... 😜

Would have had to have been "societies' "

but im last 1 too talk :)

Electric kiwi signup credit Sharesies credit

mdooher

Hmm, what to write...
1329 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2712192 24-May-2021 13:14

blackjack17:

Would have had to have been "societies' "

but im last 1 too talk :)

Funny. I never use that comma after the last "s" It just makes words look unfinished....

Matthew

Geektastic

16796 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2712197 24-May-2021 13:21

networkn:
Behodar:

society's*

Interesting, Grammarly didn't correct that! I guess I don't pay enough.

If you pay enough they’ll monitor your language for “appropriateness”. Which is why I pay then nothing.

Eva888

1171 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2712257 24-May-2021 13:42

And then there’s spell check which inserts a word it thinks is correct. Mine insists that on = in, so someone reading would think I don’t know the difference - and it’s hard to spot. Then there’s the embarrassing ones which you only see a millisecond and a gasp after you press send.

Now with everything typed via a keyboard even the most pedantic make spell check mistakes and add rogue apostrophes so a bit of slack in forums is acceptable IMO. One place I don’t forgive bad grammar and spelling is in a CV.

Wakrak

976 posts

Ultimate Geek

Subscriber

#2712331 24-May-2021 15:00

One thing I struggle with is refraining from adding an 's' to Māori words. Rather than saying 'Motunau's biodiversity', I have to write something along the lines of 'the biodiversity of Motunau'.

Gurezaemon

~HONYAKKER!~
864 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2712382 24-May-2021 15:24

Wakrak:

One thing I struggle with is refraining from adding an 's' to Māori words. Rather than saying 'Motunau's biodiversity', I have to write something along the lines of 'the biodiversity of Motunau'.

I don't personally see a problem with that, and I haven't heard anyone else comment on this.
We quite happily say 'Mexico's weather' or 'Dresden's architecture' while neither Spanish or German use the suffix 's' to indicate plural, so in terms of grammar and language, it should be fine. Whether it is considered culturally appropriate or PC is another story altogether...

Get your business seen overseas - Nexus Translations

solaybro

608 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2712385 24-May-2021 15:36

networkn:

One thing I'd like to find is a more cost-effective alternative to Grammarly.

If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription you could try Microsoft Editor.

networkn

27615 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2712429 24-May-2021 16:31

solaybro:

networkn:

One thing I'd like to find is a more cost-effective alternative to Grammarly.

If you already have a Microsoft 365 subscription you could try Microsoft Editor.

Thanks, shame it's not available for Firefox.

SirHumphreyAppleby

1986 posts

Uber Geek

#2712442 24-May-2021 16:59

Gurezaemon:

I don't personally see a problem with that, and I haven't heard anyone else comment on this.
We quite happily say 'Mexico's weather' or 'Dresden's architecture' while neither Spanish or German use the suffix 's' to indicate plural, so in terms of grammar and language, it should be fine. Whether it is considered culturally appropriate or PC is another story altogether...

This isn't a 'rule' I've ever heard, but if we're using the word as a proper noun in English, it's correct to follow English conventions. Likewise, there really is nothing wrong with anglicising spelling and pronunciation. It becomes PC when you break conventions of your own language and start using words for the sake of it IMO.

The English phrase which bugs me the most, because it is almost always incorrectly used: Begs the question.

Gurezaemon

~HONYAKKER!~
864 posts

Ultimate Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2712503 24-May-2021 17:46

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Gurezaemon:

I don't personally see a problem with that, and I haven't heard anyone else comment on this.
We quite happily say 'Mexico's weather' or 'Dresden's architecture' while neither Spanish or German use the suffix 's' to indicate plural, so in terms of grammar and language, it should be fine. Whether it is considered culturally appropriate or PC is another story altogether...

This isn't a 'rule' I've ever heard, but if we're using the word as a proper noun in English, it's correct to follow English conventions. Likewise, there really is nothing wrong with anglicising spelling and pronunciation. It becomes PC when you break conventions of your own language and start using words for the sake of it IMO.

The English phrase which bugs me the most, because it is almost always incorrectly used: Begs the question.

In a daze from work, I was confusing plural and possessives.
Anyway, something that does seem a little more problematic in English is putting 's' at the end of Māori words, as well as foreign languages to show plurals. "Three pūkekos' seems a little weird compared to 'Three pūkeko'.

Get your business seen overseas - Nexus Translations

SirHumphreyAppleby

1986 posts

Uber Geek

#2712564 24-May-2021 18:20

Gurezaemon:

"Three pūkekos' seems a little weird compared to 'Three pūkeko'.

Makes sense. Latin plurals often end in vowels.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ... | 13