Can we PLEASE use the english language correctly?

JaniceM said:
I've never heard that one, but around here it's used as a verb: "If you're not busy later, do you want to go Walmartin'?" :cautious:
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But it's not a verb. It's a proper noun. Just like in that last post. Walmart is one store. Not a plural.
 
MarciKS said:
Anything has to be better than trying to figure this out.
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Languages are fascinating stuff. They truly reflect the way we view and process life.

I believed that was the case when taking high school Spanish...first the noun, then the adjective (cup black, not black cup.) First you get a mental image of the object, then the description is refined.

How the same species can communicate in so many dissimilar ways almost defies comprehension.
 
I think the English Language is dead.. It's not like it use to be....They don't have Eng
Bonnie said:
It's 2020 .. so ...:)
iu
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I love this.....I couldn't care a "blank" …..
 
Mrs. Smith, the 4th-grade teacher, liked to occasionally call on her students' parents.

Saturday morning, she knocked on Johnny's door. Johnny answered.

"Good morning, Johnny. I'm calling on your mother. Is she home?"

"No, ma'am, she ain't to home. She done gone to the store."

"Well then, is your father home?"

"No, ma'am, he ain't to home neither. He done be at work today."

"Johnny, I must say I'm shocked! I thought I had taught you better. Where is your grammar, young man?"

"She ain't never home on a Saturday. She always a-playing bingo down at the Elks."
 
Some wonder why more folks don't contribute to this forum. Congratulations, you've probably just scared away a bunch of them. Not everyone is as literate as you all are. But, they can still have interesting stories to tell or ideas to share. I too grimace a little at some errors I see. But, I try to consider that person's background and experience.

I have a pen pal who makes some funny mistakes. But, if I corrected him on them he probably wouldn't be my pen pal. And, I would miss that.

Don
 
Grampa Don said:
Some wonder why more folks don't contribute to this forum. Congratulations, you've probably just scared away a bunch of them. Not everyone is as literate as you all are. But, they can still have interesting stories to tell or ideas to share. I too grimace a little at some errors I see. But, I try to consider that person's background and experience.

I have a pen pal who makes some funny mistakes. But, if I corrected him on them he probably wouldn't be my pen pal. And, I would miss that.

Don
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Yeah, grammar Nazi's tickle me, too. Especially when they don't realize how desperate they are to appear smarter than everyone else.
And, by the way, it's not "literate as you all are." It's "Literate as y'all are."
Ain't ya got no learnin'?
 
win231 said:
Yeah, grammar Nazi's tickle me, too. Especially when they don't realize how desperate they are to appear smarter than everyone else.
And, by the way, it's not "literate as you all are." It's "Literate as y'all are."
Ain't ya got no learnin'?
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I’m frequently called a grammar Nazi.

If I were desperate to appear smarter than anyone else there are so many other, faster ways to accomplish that.

I don’t ever correct anyone’s grammar, punctuation or word usage in person. Stopped doing that once my kids reached adulthood and it was no longer my job. I DO comment on seen or heard irregularities from strangers and complain about them because they’re pet peeves.

I know you can understand that @win231 because you also do your share of complaining about others’ choices too which tells me that you, like the rest of we flawed and imperfect humans, also have pet peeves.
 
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I had to scratch my head over the complaint.

Let's not lose site of which pre-defined group in which we're having this conversation:

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No one is bemoaning the lack of quality in any General area.

I've not seen anyone call out a specific person's skills (directly or passively) here or in any other thread (that's what a Grammar Nazi does), nor have I seen anyone complain about posters in general during my brief time here.

This forum has over 30 Groups and nearly 40,000 threads. This is only one of those 40,000 threads is in a group clearly named "English Language" titled "Can We Please Use the English Language Correctly." I doubt that this is gonna chase any one away. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there are things here I've yet to stumble across.
 
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Ronni said:
I’m frequently called a grammar Nazi.

If I were desperate to appear smarter than anyone else there are so many other, faster ways to accomplish that.

I don’t ever correct anyone’s grammar, punctuation or word usage in person. Stopped doing that once my kids reached adulthood and it was no longer my job. I DO comment on seen or heard irregularities from strangers and complain about them because they’re pet peeves.

I know you can understand that @win231 because you also do your share of complaining about others’ choices too which tells me that you, like the rest of we flawed and imperfect humans, also have pet peeves.
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Correcting people's grammar in person would only reach that one person. You do it on a forum because you are well aware that you are correcting many people's grammar & telling many people how smart you are.
 
You can’t see that the very title of this thread can be intimidating?

There are many otherwise intelligent people who are not conversant with all the rules of English grammar and spelling, rules that were arbitrarily created long ago. If you are a purist, you are fighting a losing battle. English has always been a language in flux.

I don’t like to see cuz used instead of because. But, I can see the logic of it. It’s phonetic, shorter and conveys the same meaning. There may come a time when the word because is considered archaic.

Certainly, people who write professionally should follow the rules. If you want to sell your writing, it should be easy to read. But, in an open and supposedly friendly forum, rules be damned. It’s what’s in members’ hearts and minds that counts.

Don
 


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