Grammar and so on

[Simon]

Penny: <<<That's a huge pet peeve of mine too, Parker!  The rule I remember
from elementary school is so simple that I find it strange that people make
these contraction mistakes (if you read the sentence & you can replace its
with "it is" than you need the apostrophe; if it makes no sense to replace
it with "it is," then you don't!).  "The clock chimed its bells on the
half-hour."  "It's time for bed, Johnny!">>>

Would you believe that I do not think I have ever been taught the
difference? I could be wrong but I do not remember even been taught about
such aspects of grammar. I cannot be bothered ranting about the state of an
education system that means I have never been taught about the differences
in an awful lot of these cases. I have learnt almost all of my 'correct'
knowledge in the last couple of years and this has all been down to me
wanting to learn.


Penny: <<<The use of "that" or "which" -- so many people don't know that
there is a difference.>>>
Amy: <<< It's easy to test for whether to use "that" or "which," too, but
in common usage they're often used in one another's place, so that people
learn a very mixed-up version.>>>

I know there is a difference, but do not have any idea of what the
difference is and when I should use one over the other.


Penny: <<<"Upon" is perhaps my biggest pet peeve.  Lawyers in particular
have a tendency to use this word often, and the usage is almost always
incorrect.>>>

I notice when writing I have a tendency to use therefore/hence/then and
some other words the crop up often in many mathematical proofs. Maybe I am
using them inappropriately at times. They are word I am used to seeing and
so they get used in my everyday language as well.


Heather: <<<That's one of my biggest pet peaves (heh heh) too. The one that
really riles me is incorrect use of the possessive. I HATE to see a mailbox
labled: The Smith's. The Smith's what? that means ONE SMITH who OWNS
SOMETHING. It does not denote MORE THAN ONE SMITH. Argh! My students get
big points taken off for that.>>>

When I started writing the FAQs I had to stop and ask the FAQ group the
correct usage in this sense. I must admit I did not have a clue and would
normally have made the mistake that Heather highlights. Now I think I have
it sorted.

I was most amused when I got one collection (small exam, not counting
towards my final grade) and found that not only had the tutor taken the
effort to mark it (for the grade I got that was hardly worth his effort)
but he had also gone to the trouble of correcting my spelling, punctuation
and grammar. This is for a non-essay based subject, in which none of my
answers had anything over a couple of sentences strung together. It was
almost entirely mathematical proofs with little actual written content.


Jen: <<< On the whole though, this group (and HPFGU) have the largest
collection of people who can spell, punctuate and capitalize, and put a
sentence together with proper syntax I've ever seen on a mailing list, with
the exception of the Classics list.  I've never understood how people can
be that inarticulate and incomprehensible in posting without any guilt at
all... >>>

It is quite nice around here. A simple check of a message, for such things,
before sending is, to me, a courtesy to whoever the intended recipient is.


Gurgling on

The Owl