Thanks, English-Professor-Guy.

Well I did not take it as condescending I was just pretty excited to post that line since I saw the bumper sticker just the day before.

I find spell checkers and grammer police just a tad bit annoying.

But feel free to correct my poor grammer and spelling any time.

Define reproach so I don't have to look it up.

It means no one here can complain about it because it's just too good. It always makes me smile when I see it.

FYI Third from left is "Bristol" the real browndog.

Browndog,

Sure spelling and grammar police are annoying. But poor grammar has become so prevalent that I often times wonder WTF the poster actually meant to say. 'Tis a dilemma to be sure.

Sg

Did you write the following song? It's very similar to the grammar that you are using in the above. I had a hunch when I posted it that this song would eventually be appropriate for this thread.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp_PIjc2ga4


Hey baby wake up from your a sleep
We have arrived onto the future
And the whole world is become....

Elektronik, Supersonik,
Supersonik, Elektronik,

Hey baby ride with me away,
We doesn't have much time,
My blue jeans is tight,
So onto my love rocket, climb,
Inside tank of fuel is not fuel, but love,
Above us, there is nothing above,
but the stars, above

All systems gone!
Prepare for downcount!
5....4....3....1! Off blast!
Fly away, my space rocket,
You no need put money in my pocket
The door is closed I just lock it,
(Ha) I put my (Ha) port plug in your socket (Ha Ha Ha)
The sonic sky is bright like fire
You and me gets higher and higher
Cut communication wire
Only thing can stop us is flat tire
Ha, Ha, Ha Ha Ha Ha

Hey love crusader
I want to be your space invader
For you I will descend the deepest moon crater
I is more stronger than Darth Vapour
Obey me I is your new dictator
For you is Venus, I am Mars
With you I is more richer than all the tzars
Make a wishes on a shooting stars
Then for you I will play on my cosmic guitars!
Ladies and Gentlemen
Fasten your beltseats
We has commenced our decent
I trust you enjoy this flight
As much as you enjoy this accent

As for sure as the sun rises in the west
Of all the seas and all the boats I am the bestest
come, let me put ring of Jupiter on your finger
Then like a smell around you I will forever linger
Ok, is time for end, no more will I sang
Let me take you back in time,
I want for you to experience big bang
Long live space race
Long live, Molvania

Write that song!!! I could hardly stand to read half of it when I lost interest.

Write that song? Is more appropriate in the context of your statement which follows. Just saying...... Elektronik, Supersonik, Supersonik, Elektronik,

Thank you, I will.

It's grammar, not grammer.

Free Big Stick?

This thread has earned these....really.

And now, to further devalue the thread....



frankiej:

Without inclusion of a conjunction, separation of two independent clauses with a comma constitutes a sentence fragment, which I recall from my school days as resulting in a more significant grade point reduction than the spelling error over which you roasted browndog. (Somebody needs to create an icon representative of somebody placing a foot in his mouth so I can insert it here).

All kidding aside, you appear to be a generally solid user of the English language, which is something I personally appreciate. I would be lying if I said I don't allow myself to be bothered by spelling and grammar errors (particularly those that bring into question the writer's intent, to Salmo's point), but you just demonstrated the main reason why I choose not to make light of them. Although I take pride in my writing and speaking abilities, I realize that I have made and will continue to make numerous errors in those disciplines. Language is a complicated, constantly evolving entity, and as such, there will always be pitfalls inherent in claiming to have mastered it. Heck, for all I know, somebody will reply to this post and point out errors I have made, despite my constant efforts to avoid them.

**NOTE TO ALL: My point (for whatever it's worth) has been made. If you aren't interested in my thoughts on the challenges associated with calling oneself a linguist in today's society, continue reading at your own risk.**

I think a big part of why even those of us who strive for perfect usage of our language sometimes come up short is the fact that standards for writing (as defined by the recognized "authorities") change frequently. Often, they come full circle over time. Examples that come to mind immediately include the standards for usage of serial commas, apostrophes, and passive vs. active voice. Besides inconsistent standards, we are also beset by cultural trends such as political correctness, which has led to a social standard for which I have particular disdain: the notion that third person pronouns should be all gender-inclusive (you know... the his and her thing). In every other language I have studied (the list isn't very long), the default in situations where an object's gender is not implied is to use the masculine form, which is the way it used to be in English. When my audience is not one that will be sensitive to such things, I still opt for the masculine (see example in first paragraph). When writing or speaking in a professional setting, I force myself to use variations of "his or her," though it nauseates me to do so.

As regards spelling, the only real danger I see in minor spelling errors (those that do not compromise clarity of intent) is that I have observed a personal tendency to get confused after seeing a common misspelling of a particular word on numerous occasions. I have been called out for repeating those misspellings in my writing on several occasions, and it annoys me to no end to think that I have allowed myself to be corrupted more than once by the misspellings of others. If I can be confused, what's to stop general society from adopting an improper spelling?

Ultimately, I believe that grammar and spelling criticism has a place, but I don't think an Internet chat board is that place. As long as a person's intent can be clearly understood, I think it is petty (and suggestive of a probability that you don't have anything of value to add to the conversation) to seek to invalidate his opinion based on his spelling and grammar prowess, and that's one reason why I don't do it. The other reason I don't harp on grammar and spelling is that I know somebody here will be quick to return the favor when I make a mistake down the road. I've had to put my foot in my mouth on many occasions, and I hate the taste, so why put myself in that position over something as trivial as an Internet thread that began as a political commentary and evolved into an MLA board meeting?

In case anyone's wondering, I do realize that I just committed the very crime against which I was speaking. I promise not to do it again, unless, of course, as was the case here (in my opinion), a smackdown is in order.

By the way, I think DriftfishNW's last post was the best of the thread. I have confessed before to being something of an Obama fan (his grammar is generally excellent), so I don't necessarily agree with the message, but I must admit that those images hold significant comedic value.

Look closer Hank, that top one is indeed a Unicorn! It's posture, hate filled eye, and glint on the tip of that carefully aimed mauling device is what has me concerned.

Hey FleaFlickr02

Out of curiosity, was my example incorrect?

Is it acceptable to use either their or its as the possessive case pronoun in the sentence:

The Neighborhood Committee focused its/their attention on the election results.


I knew that frankie was probably BigStick and was just lookin' to argue... that's why I didn't get sucked in.

Let me be perfectly clear, I just thought it was a darn funny bumpersticker

On the contrary, he lives in the same, FUBAR mess the rest of us do. Fantasyland was where Americans were living over the past 50 years or so - a wonderful, beautiful land, where everybody is entitled to as many luxuries as they want, provided the minimum monthly payments to their creditors always arrive no more than 29 days late.

4Salt:

I believe the correct pronoun in the case you presented would be "its." My reasoning is based on the fact that the subject (Committee) is singular. If the sentence read "The members of the Neighborhood Committee...," the subject would become "members," which is plural and would therefore agree with the plural pronoun (their).

That's my take. Realistically, I would consider either one correct by today's standards, given the trend toward increased use of "their" (which I believe is fallout from the whole he/she thing I addressed at length earlier, and, if so, lends credence to my philosophy that bastardization begets further bastardization, whether it's the Constitution or English grammar you're discussing).

Thanks FF.

Great thread with unexpected twists and Zzzzing's!

There's grammar police, then there's grammar police brutality. Not knowing the difference between there and their is BRUTAL.

Dear Mr. KylieMinogue-

"Police" is plural. Therefore, in the american vernacular, "There're grammar police".