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Old 09-16-2021, 11:40 AM   #1
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Observations by a grammar nitpicker

I don’t claim to be a grammar or spelling expert. I make plenty of grammatical and spelling errors. However, there are some common errors on these forums and others that seem to appear on a regular basis. I thought I’d highlight a few of those common errors, and I’d love to hear about others that I may have missed.

An enquiry was made in another thread about a “power chord”. It was quickly noted that a power chord is used when playing a guitar, while a power cord supplies electricity to your Airstream.

The most common error that I see here is axle vs. axel. Airstreamers are often concerned about their axles. Figure skaters are concerned with axels.

When comparing two similar words, it’s important to note that “versus” and “verse” are not the same word. They have different pronunciation and different meaning.

My trailer has electric brakes. It does not have electric breaks. I hope nothing breaks in my brakes. That could be catastrophic!

The word “lose” loses the original meeting when you add an “o”. It’d hate to lose a lug nut because it was too loose on the wheel stud.

I’m sure there are many other errors that can be added to this short list.

I’m not calling anyone out or making fun at anyone’s expense. I’m just pointing out a few common errors that we all see every day.

I’ll be checking on my Airstream this weekend. I think the breaks on my front axel are beginning to loose their effectiveness. It seems to be soft when I press the break peddle.

Have fun!
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Old 09-16-2021, 11:45 AM   #2
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I had to laugh because many of those errors could be attributed to auto correct..it drives me crazy. I'm always proofreading. If the word is a word, spell check may not underline it and if you don't proofread, it slides by.
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Old 09-16-2021, 11:57 AM   #3
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They're used to be an old Airstream that was there's, it was parked over their.

My fingers get ahead of my brain constantly with those three.

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Old 09-16-2021, 12:24 PM   #4
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Brakes vs breaks is a very common one on most all forums and especially on Craigslist ads for sheet metal brakes. Vise and vice commonly get mixed up although I understand in England a bench vise can also be spelled vice and is considered proper either way. One of my "vices" however is collecting "vises", I have around a dozen or more . I received an email yesterday advertising for a local venue where "Flamingo" music was to be played, a correction to Flamenco arrived today. It was "to" funny "two" receive "too" emails on that one.
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:25 PM   #5
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What is Your Story?

The majority are not professional writers or proof readers for a magazine. When typing on a computer screen, thoughts are pouring from the mind to the keyboard. It is easy to make pop... poop. Also Jack as Jcak.

Lately my computer and the Airforum Quick Reply has a delay. I type and the Message is lagging to catch up. Others may have noticed responding to Threads. Or things LOCK UP and I need to Force Quit.

I enjoy 'playing with words'. It takes a high IQ when members manipulate words having two or more meanings.

I try to proof read as I write... often, thoughts get ahead of my head... and lost if not on the computer screen.

Inquiry and Enquiry are close in meanings.

I use to write and paid by the... word count. They needed 1200 words. I needed 1300... to get the idea on paper. It was easier to write what I needed and supply an illustration. The illustration could be resized to make everything fit.

Paid advertising could fill more or less space. I would ask my Wife to proof read to feel the 'flow' of the contents. Moving sentences, revising tense... wording. Much like a painter and a choice of colors and brushes to 'paint a picture' in the mind.

I was considered illiterate and retarted, entering the First Grade. No kindergarden in the Montana forests northwest of Kalispell. A note was sent with me to give to my Mother to come in with her Son. We sat in the conference room with the teacher. My Mom spoke... immediately the teacher heard the Dutch Accent.

My Mother taught me English. A War Bride from the Netherlands. My Father could speak German and my Mother and relatives understood German. Her English was a cross between High Dutch and Low Dutch with some German and English in Montana in 1948.

Many have their stories. It took me a long time to lose the accent, how to spell English words that sounded and spelled differently... to me.

My Imagination excels over most English Teachers and Professors writing abilities.

Even on this Forum... I like to 'mess around' with thoughts and ideas. Often not understood by most... but by those who can think outside the 'box'.
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:27 PM   #6
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I love a good pun!

I certainly try not to offend anyone. And I avoid clichés like the plague.
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:34 PM   #7
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Dennis,

Care to add correct punctuation use vs creative to the ruckus?

Gary
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:38 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Eklund View Post

Inquiry and Enquiry are close in meanings.
As is the case with "affect" and "effect",
and the only difference between "affluent" and "effluent" is one vowel!
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:51 PM   #9
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I would like to say that I do not make mistakes, but I make it a point to never speak in absolutes.
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:53 PM   #10
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Autocorrect, spell checker and speech to text apps are relied upon to excess by most folks. Wreck a nice beach is a difficult algorithm to design. Spell check has a limited vocabulary and doesn’t recognize words that are esoteric and not in common usage. Schools no longer insist on proper spelling in the younger grades, as the idea that telling little Johnnie that he is wrong might damage his delicate psyche has gained momentum among educators.
In order to be able to proof read your work you must first know your language. A lot of unilingual anglophones will claim that “they could care less” when the truth is they don’t care at all. Think about that for a moment.
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Old 09-16-2021, 12:58 PM   #11
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I half two go check my wait distribution now. Buy.
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Old 09-16-2021, 01:14 PM   #12
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Hi

Through the wonders of owning an Apple product, I get to use their spell checker and their grammar checker. It's amazing just how many mistakes the grammar checker makes ... and then does not make. I have no idea why.

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Old 09-16-2021, 01:21 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by GCinSC2 View Post
Dennis,

Care to add correct punctuation use vs creative to the ruckus?

Gary
Good call! Perhaps a debate about the Oxford comma is in order!

Would that be a debate about commas, or comma’s?
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Old 09-16-2021, 01:23 PM   #14
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Hitch police, tyred tire constables, Torvill expurts, sway sheriffs, grammar coppers it's all just a bitch two much.

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It was a lot of fun using the dictator a lot wish I could use it more but it gets in the way many times but not always.
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Old 09-16-2021, 01:49 PM   #15
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English is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn. The vocabulary is roughly 5 times as many words as most other languages. Also it is more like a collection of various languages. Just think how many times England was invaded, including by US in world War II.
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Old 09-16-2021, 01:54 PM   #16
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English is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn. The vocabulary is roughly 5 times as many words as most other languages. Also it is more like a collection of various languages. Just think how many times England was invaded, including by US in world War II.
There’s a wonderful book titled “The Mother Tongue” that details this difficult fact. The English language has roughly 250,000 words that are considered relatively common. If you compare that to another popular language like French, you’ll quickly see the difference. Conversational French is comprised of roughly 100,000 words.
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Old 09-16-2021, 02:07 PM   #17
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How about words that have a different meaning but common usage has made them the same?

Literally & Figuratively
Bi-weekly & Semi-weekly (or monthly or annually or quarterly)

or incorrect use of Latin
ect... for et cetera's abbreviation, etc. (which requires a period because it's an abbreviation).

I cringe when I hear irregardless (not flagged by this spell checker). "ir" negates the word. Putting "ir" in front of regardless makes it a double negative, so a positive (think "ain't got no"). They really mean irrespective.
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Old 09-16-2021, 02:16 PM   #18
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Owed to the Spelling Checker

FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT

Take a brake and sea what your spell checker can do fore
yew. This just in and I thawed you'd like it.

An Owed to the Spelling Checker
===============================

I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC
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 aye rime.
Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule
The checker pour o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Be fore a veiling checkers
Hour spelling mite decline,
And if were lacks or have a laps,
We wood be maid to wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Of non eye am a wear.
Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words 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 flaws are knot aloud.
Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft ware four pea seas.
And why I brake in two averse
By righting want too pleas.

-- Jerry Zar, Dean of the Graduate School
-- Jerrold H. Zar. Graduate School. Northern Illinois University
Northwestern Illinois University
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Old 09-16-2021, 02:31 PM   #19
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I'm even seeing this in the books I read these days. If a publisher who sells written material can't find the errors, then proofreading is indeed a lost art.
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Old 09-16-2021, 02:54 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis C View Post
Perhaps a debate about the Oxford comma is in order!
The Corporation I now work for brought out a style guideline saying specifically that 'you don't need the Oxford comma'. They must have somebody in a place of power who is in the wrong job (thinking Dilbert here). The Sun Style Guide has always been the very best such publication.

This policy came out, and I crafted a response that included this:

"Then how shall we interpret these two sentences, one with, and one without, the Oxford comma?
I'd like to thank my parents, Mary and God.
I'd like to thank my parents, Mary, and God."

Not surprisingly, I never heard back. They'd also made a number of numbskull changes to various Corporate styles and branding; I noticed that all these guidelines were "updated" about six months after their inception.

I've worked a second career as a Technical Writer for over 20 years. First career was as a Chief Systems Analyst and Engineer for a Corporate Television Studio. (Yes, I am a former practitioner of The Dark Art of Analog Television.)

I've gotten a lot of good work done by assuming I was the dumbest guy in the room. And by being easy on folks who make mistakes. I make plenty of my own...
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