List of 10 common English usage errors

[Damicci]

I know this thing can be a pet peeve for some people. If you think about it, I would be annoyed only if your reading a professionally written Thesis or Resume or Article and you see these mistakes. Or if someone wants to articulate thier opinion on the subject matter at hand. Otherwise i don't see the big deal. What type of thread/post would these mistakes be so bothersome? Or is it just in general?

 

[ArmandV]

I know this thing can be a pet peeve for some people. If you think about it, I would be annoyed only if your reading a professionally written Thesis or Resume or Article and you see these mistakes. Or if someone wants to articulate thier opinion on the subject matter at hand. Otherwise i don't see the big deal. What type of thread/post would these mistakes be so bothersome? Or is it just in general?

I'd doubt you'd have confidence in a business if you walked into their office and see a sign that reads:

"Highly inteligint persinel on dooty to serve you."

 

[Damicci]

That was my point. I would be like "what is wrong with these people" but on the internet and in threads, meh I could care less.

 

[Fehrant]

Hmm, one of the words I see come up very often is "grammer" which I find extremely annoying considering the irony.

 

[JimmySeal]

I know this thing can be a pet peeve for some people. If you think about it, I would be annoyed only if your reading a professionally written Thesis or Resume or Article and you see these mistakes. Or if someone wants to articulate thier opinion on the subject matter at hand. Otherwise i don't see the big deal. What type of thread/post would these mistakes be so bothersome? Or is it just in general?

Wen sombeody (manely native speekars) so many misteaks meaks that the post is bearely reedable is the problem when I have. i.e. when a thread that a direct object is using the predicate vreb "be." If you think about it, i don't liek those threads.

 

[Fehrant]

Mr. Spoony Bard, there's such a thing as going overboard when trying to demonstrate a mistake by jokingly doing it yourself.

 

[Damicci]

Wen sombeody (manely native speekars) so many misteaks meaks that the post is bearely reedable is the problem when I have. i.e. when a thread that a direct object is using the predicate vreb "be." If you think about it, i don't liek those threads.

I think that is over kill. For the most part even the article did not have that many mistakes. Only thing that annoys me is the "I aM sO leEt a5i4n tHat I leve Out Letterz N randomZ tHe Caps n stuffs KthBye" ☝

 

[Glenn]

It's an annoyance when it gets in the way of comprehension, and the reader has to do work that they shouldn't have to do because of the writer's miskates. Particularly I'm talking about the "choose/chose" mistake. The first it present, the second past. There are other examples like this, though.

The main thing is that everyone has a different breaking point for when something is illegible due to the number of mistakes and when the number of mistakes is tolerable. For some people one is too many, while for others something has to border on ungrammaticality to be considered intolerable.

I would guess, though, that most of the gripes come from people who can make the distinction and just don't know why others can't or don't.

 

[Mars Man]

Good point there too, Glenn san. And this latter one is one with which I have this thing about...this is my peeve, I'd guess I'd have to admit. (though some surely already know)

I would guess, though, that most of the gripes come from people who can make the distinction and just don't know why others can't or don't.

While I appreciate the general upholding of the rules of whatever language is under consideration, within pragmatic bounds--and here and now it's English--I even greater admire and strive for the upholding of a broader margin for error being extended to others by those who can make the distinctions.

That point reminded me of one of my cousins. He works for a think tank in Boston, and is very gifted in math. When he visited us in the summer of '03 with his brother (who works in Germany) I recall how his brother was telling us about episodes when his mathematically-gifted brother would get so upset because other people couldn't get the number patterns for what he deemed rather basic understandings--things that one shouldn't have to think about so much; in his opinion and mind.

Because of his narrow perception in empathetically not taking the frame of mind of the other person to heart, I would say that the overall value of his gift is reduced by that much. Not to belittle him, himself, but to point out that the human element is broader than any few elements within humanity, and consideration should be weighed in as well.

Therefore, since being able to make the distinction does not necessarily equate knowing why or how another cannot or does not, it would be better balanced, in my opinion, to initially leave, when not further probing, more margin for error.

 

[Fehrant]

Mars Man, based on your analogy of your cousin's brother lack of, shall we say, tolerance or tact, I get the impression you are suggesting tolerance towards those that do not type grammatically correct. This being the case, one situation cannot be compared with the other. On one hand you have a mathematically gifted person that gets upset because people are not able to get number patters, and on the other you have people that are not willing or do not care to fulfill a certain standard of clearness.

Number patterns, some people might get them, and some others might not. Now, typing correctly, isn't this a basic standard for communication? I don't pretend to read an award winning essay every time I read a post, but I do expect some basic rules or format that allow me to focus on the content of the message, rather than the decipherment of it.

 

[Mars Man]

While I might not exactly go as far as to call it an analogy, the point that had been made did bring that memory of my cousin back to my conscious mind.

Yes, I am suggesting that more empathy be given, yet, though it may sound ironical, am not suggesting that any members of Jref are not balanced enough in this respect. I will admit, that I think there has been a little nick-picking--some for jest, of course--on this thread and on another one (at least) and would hope for less of that. (as long as it can be understood--and at times even that can be given some room for non-native English users)

Of course anyone should make an effort to type correctly, I agree. I would add, however, as you know, typos do happen, and that grammer usage comes before typing.

Anyway, I am, as you understand correctly, for more balance and empathy so as to feel less need to point out inconsistencies in the posts of others when intention and understanding are not impaired. MM

 

[Tsuyoiko]

I agree Mars - I can think of many reasons why someone's grammar may not be up to scratch, and there are bound to be many more I haven't thought of. So we shouldn't think badly of someone because they are tired, dyslexic, pushed for time, a non-English speaker or just because it's not a great priority for them. It's the people who deliberately obscure what they are saying by using weird abbreviations and strange faddish expressions that really annoy me! My teenage friends always e-mail in text speak, which drives me nuts as an oldie like me doesn't know what they are talking about! (Plus, it's just plain lazy!)

Jimmy: please proofread and correct as necessary (I'm still tired!)

 

[Damicci]

We are talking about native english speakers I believe. So non-native would not be subject to ridicule per say. But pushed for time and being tired are reasons for making grammatical errors. Plus I have that issue of dropping last letters from words and adding them to the next word. (This is an exampl ecase.)

 

[RockLee]

The problem is that most of the people typ something and are too lazy to check what they posted I always double check what I post.

 

[Fehrant]

The bottom line is, if a non-native has to correct a native, then that's something to be worried about.

 

[Damicci]

The problem is that most of the people typ something and are too lazy to check what they posted I always double check what I post.

What was that?

 

[Mars Man]

That, I do believe, Damicci, was a jest example.

I understand your point, Fehrant, and would just add, again, that THAT not need to be the case--I mean there is really no need to correct, per se, but one could ask for further explanation. . . that would be giving more room for margin. (Again, I will admit that there may well be those few extenuating circumstances, where notice of error could prove to be better.) MM

 

[Mike Cash]

Plus I have that issue of dropping last letters from words and adding them to the next word. (This is an exampl ecase.)

I've noticed some others who do the same thing. In handwriting, I sometimes find myself starting words with the second letter of the word. I then have to go back and add the first letter. Oddly, this never happens to me when I am typing.

 

[Glenn]

Sometimes I type a word I'm not even thinking of ("anyway" when I'm thinking of "anything," for example).

When I write Japanese sometimes I write the radical of a kanji and then more on to the next character. I think I did something like that in English, too. It may have even been with my name.

 

[JimmySeal]

Sometimes when I'm handwriting I accidentally add 'e's to the ends of words that don't need them. Must be from writing all those words that don't need them but must have 'em anyway.

 

[Mars Man]

When handwriting, I do just that too, Mike Cash san. And sometimes even start in the middle of a fairly short word just because I have obviously recorded my self thinking the word, so the signal to my motor simply fills in the latter part. hee, hee.....Oh it really gets under my skin....(and shows my age?)

I had heard that the letter 'e' is the most widely used letter of the alphabet anyway....

 

[Mike Cash]

I had heard that the letter 'e' is the most widely used letter of the alphabet anyway....

And all thanks to Jimmy, it would appear.

 

[JimmySeal]

As far as I know, I correct my extraneous Es 100% of the time, so I shan't bear the guilt for the rampant use of E.
Shakespeare and his contemporaries used silent Es at the ends of words where people wouldn't use them today so I think I'm in pretty good company anyway.

 

[Mike Cash]

As far as I know, I correct my extraneous Es 100% of the time, so I shan't bear the guilt for the rampant use of E.

Oh, come now. You wouldn't have us to believe you're putting them back in the box to be sold as new again, would you?

 

[RockLee]

What was that?

Good eyes man! As MM pointed out, it was just an example.

I can understand that after a hard day at work or a whole day behind the pc (like me) can exhaust your brain and makes it easier to type mistakes. Or when I'm not wearing my specs when working on my pc, I still oversee some mistakes when I'm typing something. I always double check what I post, but sometimes those little mistakes slip trough.