Grammar Police ...

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LFITQ
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I thought some of you might enjoy reading this. And others might not ... :lol: :lol:
Bad grammar backlash: Facebook groups, CBC show focus on state of the language
06/09/2007 10:55:00 PM

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TORONTO (CP) - Tired of hearing the word "like" at the end of every sentence?


ANGELA PACIENZA


Does a wayward apostrophe drive you round the bend? You're not alone.

There are plenty of people who are fed up with what they say is a growing epidemic of bad grammar. Among them are more than two dozen groups on Facebook - everything from "Citizens Against Poor Grammar" to "Grammar and Punctuation Are Your Friends" and "Grammar Freaks United" - dedicated to improving the world's linguistic skills.

Many blame the Internet and its ubiquitous abbreviations for disintegrating proper language.

"I hate misplaced apostrophes, but what winds me up possibly even more is when people use 'txt spk' when writing online. Surely it takes longer to work out which letters to miss out and make sure it still makes sense, than the time it takes to just type the sodding word!" wrote Rhea D on the "Actually, Good Grammar IS Important" group, which boasts more than 1,500 members.

Listing her grammar pet peeves, Sarah-Jane Smith of South Africa wrote: " 'Could of,' 'would of'... etc... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH."

One U.S.-based Facebook group, "I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar," went so far as to have T-shirts made mocking U.S. President George W. Bush's use of English.

The shirts are emblazoned with Bush's face and the phrase: "I judge you when you use poor grammar."

Led by Sharon Nichols, a 22-year-old University of Alabama law student, the group boasts 180,000 members and has sold several hundred Bush T-shirts.

"I've been pleasantly surprised by the huge response," said Nichols. "I think the group is a lighthearted way to address something annoying."

The Facebook groups typically have a heavy educational component.

"Citizens Against Poor Grammar" was started as a forum for people to learn about commonly used phrases that are grammatically incorrect, says founder Meredith Maloney, a 35-year-old Torontonian who works in the social service sector.

"I am by no means a grammar expert," admits Maloney. "I initially wanted to expand my vocabulary and change some phrases that I may say incorrectly."

The group's membership was initially made up of Maloney's friends. But it's now grown to about 60 members from all over the world.

"People seem to enjoy venting about things that their co-workers, strangers and family members have said to them. It's a bit of comic relief too," Maloney said.

Her favourite incorrect phrase?

"'I didn't mean to earsdrop on your conversation,"' she said.

Grammatical correctness is also making its way into reality TV.

CBC will air "Test the Nation: Watch Your Language" on Sunday, a game show testing contestants' knowledge of the English language.

Participants will include romance novelists, word gamers, ad agents, comedians and English teachers.

"It's kind of sloppy," contestant Mary Ellen Perley, a teacher at McNally High School in Edmonton, said about the state of grammar among today's youth. "Sloppy spelling, sloppy use of past and present tense."

"When you try to explain to them why it's got to be (a certain) way, there's a blank look."

Perley, a self-professed grammar cop, blames the school system for not putting more emphasis on teaching the basic ABCs of grammar.

What does she consider the most cringe-worthy error? The "it's" versus "its" blunder.

"That one drives me cra-aaa-zy. That's a big one. And you see it everywhere. You don't just see it in schools. It's creeping into published documents."

Maloney hopes Facebook groups like hers encourage more young people to openly discuss the state of grammar.

"I don't want the onslaught of technology to encourage people to become lazy. That would be a true shame."
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Soundy
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As someone whose strongest subject in school was probably English, I love this. The total abu'se of apo'strophe's in almo'st every in'stance of the letter 's i's probably the one that grate's on me the mo'st. Its like people don't realize that the 's and the apo'strophe are actually two 'separate entitie's. And I 'see thi's one in magazine article's, new'spaper editorial's (even the EDITOR 'screw's it up, FFS), on billboard's and bu's ad's... its almost epidemic.

You'd think these groups could have come up with some names that provide better acronyms, though: CAPG, GAPAYF and GFU?
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Whisperin' Jimmy
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Ha! And if there's one thing more annoying than erroneous apo'strophe's, it's quotation marks "tossed in" around "random words" to add "emphasis."

Yesterday, in a school handout from the BC English Teahers' Journal, my child was informed that two words had the "same amount of letters." I corrected it to "number" (oops, more quotation marks) and sent it back.

Perhaps the next generation will just abandon grammar altogether in favour of emoticons:

"Alas :bawl: , poor Yorick :shock: . I knew him, Horatio :sigh: ."
"Football combines the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings." -George F. Will
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One common error that I often notice is with regards to could care less vs. couldn't care less when expressing the thought that one does not really care about something. Those two terms seem to be used interchangeably nowadays even though one term actually negates the other and only the latter term is the correct one.

Desired Expression: I do NOT really care that Casey Printers has returned to the CFL.

Incorrect grammar: I could care less that Casey Printers has returned to the CFL.
Correct grammar: I couldn't care less that Casey Printers has returned to the CFL.
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sj-roc
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My pet peeve is alot. I have never understood why some folks think that it's just one word.
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Lion King
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Alot is one that always puzzles me. But you could always use allot if that was your intention.

I see their and there interchanged on a regular basis.
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Soundy
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There, their and they're get used interchangeably all the time. People put the the wrong word they're when there not not sure what their doing.
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Robbie
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How about it's vs. its?
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LFITQ
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Soundy wrote:There, their and they're get used interchangeably all the time. People put the the wrong word they're when there not not sure what their doing.
I would of used that one if I could of beaten you to the punch.
Now that I don't live in Quesnel do I need to change my handle??
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I have a spelling checker. It came with my pea sea. It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it, Your sure reel glad two no. Its vary polished in it's weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing, It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when I rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen eye trussed too bee a joule. The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore a veiling checker's Hour spelling mite decline, And if we're lacks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling Is checked with such grate flair, Their are no fault's with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a ware.

Now spelling does knot phase me, It does knot bring a tier. My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped word's fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet Of witch won should be proud, And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays, Such soft wear four pea seas, And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting too pleas.

-- Sauce Unknown
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No Ordinary Joe
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The one that drives me absolutely mental is when people don't know the difference between "your" and "you're"
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Soundy
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Your sure you have you're "your" and "you're" the right way around?
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The signing of Casey Printers by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats should positively effect their offence, but it will have absolutely no affect on their weak defence.
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No Ordinary Joe
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Soundy wrote:Your sure you have you're "your" and "you're" the right way around?
You're post is lame. :lol:
O'Shea

Every time I read the title of this thread... Radiohead's tune Karma Police comes to mind, but I hear it in my head as:

Grammar police, arrest this man, he talks in maths
He buzzes like a fridge, he's like a detuned radio

Grammar police, arrest this girl,
her Hitler hairdo, is making me feel ill
And we have crashed her party

This is what you get, this is what you get
This is what you get, when you mess with us

Grammar police, I've given all I can, it's not enough
I've given all I can, but were still on the payroll

This is what you get, this is what you get
This is what you get, when you mess with us

And for a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself
For a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself

I'm afraid that I...
I'm afraid that I...

Well I'm afraid that I, I lost myself, I lost myself.


How many grammar threads does this board need anyway?! :roll: :lol:
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