"Saving Private English"...NOT a sequel.

[Lancer6]

Not to raise any hackles but there's something I've seen increasingly on the many forums I visit: My favorite Oklahoma U. boards; the several fishing forums I enjoy so much; even those whereat I am not a member but enjoy reading, such as a Texas Aggie forum (out of loyalty to Rebbasser and his alma mater, which I almost attended instead, BTW,) and so on. The problem is this:
All too often I see someone has used "of" where " 've" should be utilized. Example: "Dang! I could of won the tournament if only my partner would of not borrowed my last Slime Cheek critter bait in Hyena Vomit/Diarrhea Flake!"
The intent, of course. was to contract "could have" and "would have". However, the correct way is to say "could've" and "would've".
This, to me, is every bit so grating on my few remaining nerves as the use of "irregardless" when "regardless" should be used and "I could care less." when "I could'nt care less." should be stated. You see, if one truly can care no more one cannot care less but if there is even an iota of care left then "I could care less." might be OK...iffy though.
Thanks for your patience and efforts to correct the problem and please remember that your science projects are due on the 23rd. No more "experiments" involving Diet Coke(TM) and Mentos(TM) will be accepted. The custodians are fed up with replacing stained ceiling panels!
Also, the cafeteria manager would appreciate the return of the pickle slicer since no one can slice those pickles so neatly as can that young lady.
I'll see you all at the pep rally!

Go Warthogs! Beat the Scapegoats!

Lancer6

[Wags]

I have the same anal tendencies when reading posts and spotting improper grammar. This coming from a guy who couldn't spell his way out of a wet paper bag,.......not sure why certain things like you had mentioned make my skin crawl ??

I did like that second part of your post with the school spin though.. always best to laugh at ourselves....

[flbassman]

Irregardless of your frustration, you should of posted this sooner; if you could of, whereby wed have fixed the problem sooner. But I could care less honestly....

[BigBassin144]

Lancer, I don't notice that stuff much (well, I didn't anyways)...

But one thing that gets me is texting abbreviations. Once in a while is alright (like "IMO") or the occasional LOL. But when people use U for YOU and R for ARE, it gets annoying. Hell, I don't even do this texting, lol.

I don't know if this bothers anyone, but there's a difference between "there, their, and they're" & "your and you're"

BB

[nofearengineer]

My biggest pet peeve is "its" and "it's". For the love of God...one is a contraction, and one isn't.

A cat licked its paw. It's now clean.

How hard is that to remember?

[Wags]

to and too is another .......but dammit,..this is a friggin' fishin' forum.....let the crappy grammar fly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1/4 stick]

10 Easy Secrets of Good Grammar
By Martha Brockenbrough

Brief and entertaining information about language and grammar. How can I possibly boil it down to 10 things?

By cheating, of course. Here are my final 10 tips, including two shameless cheats:

1. English isn't Latin
Yes, this sounds horribly obvious. But it means you can shove a few important things right back in your middle-school teacher's face at your class reunion. For example, you can split an infinitive (in Latin, infinitives are one word and can't be split). So, if you want "to boldly go," be my guest. Likewise, it means a preposition is an OK word to end a sentence with.

2. "I" isn't always the more educated choice
Use "I" when you're the subject of the sentence. Use "me" when you're not. If someone is doing something with you, to you, or for you, for example, use "me." "The teacher was talking with Susan and me about our test scores."

It's been drummed in our heads so often that "I" is always the proper choice that even really eloquent speakers like President Obama slip up here. He's said things like "the main disagreement with John and I," for example. It's true that English hasn't always observed these distinctions between "I" and "me." But careful writers and speakers do today. You might not be taken to task in the New York Times as President Obama was, but chances are, someone will notice and scowl.

3. Semicolons are easy to use
Semicolons are the Rodney Dangerfield of punctuation. They're called bad names. They're avoided by professional writers and scared students alike. But they're easy to use and so fun to write; no one should feel intimidated. Use them to separate two closely related sentences if you don't want the full stop of a period. Or, use them to separate a list of items that already has commas in it. For example: "I have a lot of favorite book characters: Harry Potter, who has a scarred forehead; Hazel the bunny, who is the bravest character in "Watership Down;" and Eugenidies, the title character in "The Thief," because he is sarcastic and clever."

4. Apostrophes: also very easy
Women in labor aren't the only ones with contractions. Words experience them, too -- especially when two have come together to make a whole new word (something that sounds icky and personal, but really isn't). Have+not has a wee baby called "haven't." The apostrophe stands in for what's missing.

They're also used in some possessives. So, all the president's men … the chicken's beak ... that sort of thing. There is an exception. Possessive pronouns don't need apostrophes. Yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs: These words are inherently possessive, so you don't need to gussy them up with any punctuation.

Apostrophes are generally not used to make plurals. It's ABCs, not ABC's. It's the 1990s, not the 1990’s. There is an exception. If you're talking about the A's and B's you got in class, or any plural form of a word with only one letter, the world will not come to an end if you stick an apostrophe in there. It does, after all, make clear the difference between "A's" and "As." The Apostrophe Protection Society might come after you, but they're all the way in England, so you'll most likely be safe.

5. Is it bad or badly? Good or well?
I feel ... um, which is it? It all depends on what you want to say. There is a common misperception that "feel" and "am" are verbs that can only be modified by adverbs. It's true that adverbs modify adjectives and verbs. But some verbs are what we call linking verbs. These link a modifier to the subject.

I can feel "bad" just as I can feel crabby, grumpy or happy. (Have you ever heard someone say, "Oh, I feel happily today!" Of course not.)

Likewise, you can feel "well" if you are talking about your health. It doesn't mean you have perceptive fingertips. You can also say "I feel good" or "I am good." It all depends on what you mean to say, so don't let anyone force a non-rule down your throat.

6. Remember to be agreeable
It's best when your subjects and verbs agree. In the world of grammar, this means you match singular subjects with singular verbs and pronouns. You can get away with saying, "Someone left 'their' coat in the bus." But it's just as easy to say "Someone left a coat on the bus," therefore avoiding the inelegant pairing. Likewise, when you have two subjects, you need a plural verb. The apple and orange taste funny.

7. Be careful with those modifiers
What's wrong with this sentence? Creaking open, the cat slunk through the door. Unless the cat has hinges, it's the door that creaks open. It's easy to stick a modifier in the wrong place, and it can result in unintended hilarity. It's best to put your modifier right next to the word it describes. Beware those little phrases that sometimes insert themselves in the beginning of sentences. If yours doesn't directly modify the subject, which usually comes right after the comma, you might have a misplaced modifier.

8. Punctuating with quotation marks
In American English, punctuation usually goes inside the quotation marks. There are some wee exceptions. So, it would be either: Did you just say "Look! A hamster"? Or, She said, "Have you seen my hamster?" Semicolons and colons also go outside the punctuation marks.

9. The dictionary is your friend.
OK, so this is my first cheat. It's like asking the genie for infinite wishes as a way of working around the three-wish cap. But it's not like I'm going to get fired for this, so ...

Use a dictionary. You'd be surprised how many questions I get in my SPOGG inbox that could very easily be answered with the aid of a good a dictionary. I do offer a small caveat: Not all dictionaries agree on everything. (I know! This is sort of like finding out that the Wizard of Oz is just an old guy behind a curtain. Dictionaries are made by people. People who have varying opinions. Weird.)

My favorite is the Oxford English Dictionary. If your library subscribes, you can get free access. Otherwise, there's a fee. You'll learn where the word came from, what it means, and how it has been used over time.

10. Everyone should have a language guide or two (or three) nearby
Dictionaries tend to be cursory when it comes to how words should be combined and punctuated. Grammar books, on the other hand, revel in this sort of thing.

The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar has a book called "Things That Make Us [Sic]," and it's about funny bad grammar in advertisements, politics and Hollywood, among other things. People who liked "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" will like it.

For a more practical reference, there's Bryan Garner's "A Dictionary of Modern Usage." Organized alphabetically, it's packed with quick answers to common language questions. He also has a daily e-mail newsletter that points out the differences between such words as "mucus" and "mucous," along with drier fare.

Mignon Fogarty's book, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing," is punchy and useful for people who don't write for a living, but do have to write for work or school. Two books by Bill Walsh, "The Elephants of Style and Comma Sense," are great for professional writers or people who care deeply about hyphens and the subtle differences they can make (along with a lot of other fine points of language).

Thank you for reading. Good luck out there!

sorce.... hehehehe.... http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Featur...rets&gt1=27004

[wargoth]

Originally Posted by 1/4 stick

It's been drummed in our heads so often that "I" is always the proper choice that even really eloquent speakers like President Obama slip up here. He's said things like "the main disagreement with John and I," for example. It's true that English hasn't always observed these distinctions between "I" and "me." But careful writers and speakers do today. You might not be taken to task in the New York Times as President Obama was, but chances are, someone will notice and scowl.

OK, I REALLY didn't want to place any politics here, but I really must ask... since when is saying "umm" 379 times in a 15 minutes speech considered eloquent?

[BigBassin144]

Originally Posted by wargoth

OK, I REALLY didn't want to place any politics here, but I really must ask... since when is saying "umm" 379 times in a 15 minutes speech considered eloquent?

Then me thinks you shouldn't've (<<<<hehehe, super contraction! )

BB

[1/4 stick]

Originally Posted by wargoth

OK, I REALLY didn't want to place any politics here, but I really must ask... since when is saying "umm" 379 times in a 15 minutes speech considered eloquent?

hehehe.. don't forget the uhhh'seses.

[WTL]

Lol has finally made it to webster's. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lol

I think lol and imo predate texting. But the point is still valid.

What bothers me more is the improper use of words.

Here is an article about how the word "racist" has been watered down.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090917/..._crying_racism

There are many other examples, most of which aren't so political. This is a process which has happened since the beginning of human language, so we arent going to stop it with one thread on bassfishin.com. My suggestion is to just try and teach your children and the kids you care about better english than their peers so that they end up having an advantage in society as adults.

[nofearengineer]

WTL brings up a good point about misuse of words. I'll name just a few that I am even guilty of sometimes.

Awesome. Is that pizza you just had or the show you just watched awesome? Was it really that good? Did it inspire awe? Modern hyperbole at its finest.

Incredible. If I were to say the explosions at the World Trade Center were incredible, someone would invariably get mad. All because I used the correct word to describe them. Incredible should not necessarily imply a good thing.

Fascist. Perhaps the most incorrectly used term these days. Most people have come to use it as basically a denigration for people they disagree with. They know it's supposed to be an insult, but can't actually describe what it means. I especially love it when people who are actually behaving like fascists accuse others of it.

[doc]

Grammar is not my concern when posting on the Internet. I draw the line at the l8r and 1337 speech and such. Anything else I can deal with as long as it's somewhat broke up and readable.

[WaffleJaw]

as long as it aint in Klingon or BassBoss....Im good.

haha,im just messing with you BassBoss

[1/4 stick]

Originally Posted by WaffleJaw

as long as it aint in Klingon or BassBoss....Im good.

haha,im just messing with you BassBoss

HIja' - HIHJAH'

[cassidyta]

Originally Posted by doc

Grammar is not my concern when posting on the Internet. I draw the line at the l8r and 1337 speech and such. Anything else I can deal with as long as it's somewhat broke up and readable.

Okay,

I understood l8r, but what is 1337??

[1/4 stick]

Originally Posted by cassidyta

Okay,

I understood l8r, but what is 1337??

This is what I found. Not sure if it's right...

1337 = leet as in elite


It can mean that someone is very good at a game.

Don't know what's so hard about typing: great, You're great!; good, You're good!; bagizzle, You da bagizzle!

[MallenManson]

It's a message board, not a term paper

[MallenManson]

Originally Posted by nofearengineer

WTL brings up a good point about misuse of words. I'll name just a few that I am even guilty of sometimes.

Awesome. Is that pizza you just had or the show you just watched awesome? Was it really that good? Did it inspire awe? Modern hyperbole at its finest.

Incredible. If I were to say the explosions at the World Trade Center were incredible, someone would invariably get mad. All because I used the correct word to describe them. Incredible should not necessarily imply a good thing.

Fascist. Perhaps the most incorrectly used term these days. Most people have come to use it as basically a denigration for people they disagree with. They know it's supposed to be an insult, but can't actually describe what it means. I especially love it when people who are actually behaving like fascists accuse others of it.

Yep. Jet's pizza is awesome!

[doc]

Originally Posted by 1/4 stick

This is what I found. Not sure if it's right...

1337 = leet as in elite


It can mean that someone is very good at a game.

Don't know what's so hard about typing: great, You're great!; good, You're good!; bagizzle, You da bagizzle!

You nailed it, on alot of boards the younger texting generation either speaks with the l8r or the 1337, 3a5y, the **** almost looks like code to me. I used to be big into World of Warcraft so the 1337 sp33k is verry c0mm0n.

[wargoth]

"l33t speak" originated with a kid who's keyboard refused to type various letters, so he had to come up with alternative characters till he got a new one. Unfortunately for the rest of us it started a fad, and has infected much of the rest of the online world. It just simply needs to go away, as it is NOT cool, it is stupid unless you have a broken keyboard.

Things like l8r, UR, CU, etc. are just texting shorthand which if used in their proper venue (cellphone texting) I have no issues with, but when you have a full sized keyboard, there is no reason for such laziness.

LOL, IIRC, etc. are legitimate acronyms that developed overtime in chat programs, and again, I have no problem with when used in proper form. I look at them as no different than using NASA or USA rather than the full names.

[66KingFisher]

Ya'll need ta move too backwoods Arkansas fer aspell....Then sumthin like that ol grammer stuff won't bother ya atall.

[CMorg]

yadda yadda yadda , get over it.

I get tired of people on here bi*#hing about it.

[JB]

ah lancer as I sat by the pond this afternoon by the campfire I realized I had a "bad engrish" poster ad of yesteryear featuring a "well known texan" rofl

[Lancer6]

Ha! That's a good'ern, JB...'cept I've yet to need the product. That's a good thing 'cause all my munny goes to fund anti-baby products for use with lady friends...except for "Miss Plugg"; Given her preferred port-of-entry she's gonna need Prep Aitch soon.
Good artistry, JB.