| Author | Message | ||
     Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro  Post Number: 3451 Registered: 5-2004  |
I don't normally get irritated by word usage errors, however this one has been driving me nuts. I have seen it more and more lately, including in newspapers. It is not typographical. It is simply misusing the word. When doing a comparison, the word to use is THAN, not THEN. Greater THAN... Bigger THAN... Stupider THAN... It is NOT dumber then... THAN THAN THAN THAN THAN!!!!! I feel much better now. | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1328 Registered: 7-2005  |
Than I should use then for comparisons? ...or was it the other way around?  | ||
| Nohero Supporter Username: Nohero Post Number: 5565 Registered: 10-1999  |
I know I have used the wrong word in the past. I was dumber then, but I am smarter now. | ||
| Arnomation Citizen Username: Arnomation Post Number: 611 Registered: 7-2003  |
Their are people that just don't know how to use there language properly | ||
| Carla Citizen Username: Elbowroom Post Number: 97 Registered: 9-2005  |
That makes me "loose" my mind! | ||
| fabulouswalls Citizen Username: Fabulouswalls Post Number: 101 Registered: 10-2005 |
Their has bean times in the passed if I had only known than I would've fixed it. Than I wood of not made that misteak again. Ed | ||
| fabulouswalls Citizen Username: Fabulouswalls Post Number: 102 Registered: 10-2005 |
Oh. If you don't like the word usage throw a banana at the offending party. | ||
| Rastro Citizen Username: Rastro Post Number: 3452 Registered: 5-2004 |
It's tough to tell improper homonym usage is a verbal conversation. And tougher still to throw a banana at someone through a computer screen. Besides, I've heard Brett is filing for patent protection on that method of protest, and I'd hate to violate his intellectual property rights. | ||
| las Citizen Username: Las Post Number: 1983 Registered: 10-2003 |
Their are people that just don't know how to use there language properly Arnomation, is that a joke? That's my pet peeve. Should be people WHO don't know how to use there [sic] language properly. I don't mean to single you out, but when the subject-pronoun don't relate it makes me MAD!!! | ||
| ess Citizen Username: Ess Post Number: 2509 Registered: 11-2001  |
While we are on the subject of offensive grammatical errors, I submit the following: Improper use of "it's", as in, "The dog lost it's bone." Ugh. Improper use of an apostrophe for a plural noun. This is basic stuff! ARGH. | ||
| fabulouswalls Citizen Username: Fabulouswalls Post Number: 104 Registered: 10-2005 |
I bet monster can make an avatar of a banana going through a screen. | ||
| Zoesky1 Citizen Username: Zoesky1 Post Number: 1574 Registered: 6-2003  |
The "it's" thing drives me NUTS NUTS NUTS. Maybe it's because I edit and write copy for a living, but it just drives me crazy. You even see it creep into so-called professional publishing sometimes. It has to be the single most common written grammatical error out there. And I think the most common verbal grammatical error has to be people who say, "Me and him went to the pool..." or "Joe and me went to the pool..." | ||
| ess Citizen Username: Ess Post Number: 2513 Registered: 11-2001 |
Nails on a chalkboard, Zoesky!! A corollary to your cited error, above, is when people say "between you and I"...more nails on a chalkboard. | ||
| Joanne G Citizen Username: Joanne Post Number: 279 Registered: 10-2004 |
You can tell a good proofreader - it's in our blood!!! Yeah I admit my typing is often poor on MOL, because I'm in such a rush to get it out of my head and into yours, it's more a conversation than 'just' a typed thing to me. (I wonder what your voices REALLY sound like???) In my editing/proofing days when it was the only thing I did to earn my living (before I changed career direction a little while ago), I was in hospital for surgery. Having an adverse reaction to the pre-op meds, flying on pain killers and heart meds (they discovered a heart murmur no-one else has ever found evidence of), and scared of unknown men in the public health system playing around with my ovaries trying to unknot them from the huge cysts that had suddenly decided to invade my body - I insisted the orderlies stop the gurney at each staff memo and notice with a typo or grammatical on the way from the lift doors all down the corridor and into the operating theatre so I could correct the errors. Delayed the op 20 mins and gave me such a sense of power not to mention tidying up other people's mess...felt so good and righteous! I've made shopkeepers change signs, refused to shop at chain stores becuase head office can't spell, corrected contracts, leases, forecd a bank to re-issue all its paperwork to me because it wasn't legal (everything with my name was wrong and I cared even if they didn't); working at a bookshop and reading advance copies, I'd alert the publishers and ask for more free books in return!! I used to (professionally) proof food labels - that's a thankless task, and no money is enough for that job. I've proofed dictionaries (argued with the editorial board on the ascribed definitions too), telephone books, medicine labels - doesn't matter what you do because think grammar and spelling don't matter because rules don't matter. Now I just swear in another language and grab another caffeinated drink! | ||
| entertainer Citizen Username: Entertainer Post Number: 319 Registered: 11-2001 |
More often than not, I've found myself using than than then, and therefore since then, my sentences have more clarity than before.  | ||
| Lou Citizen Username: Flf Post Number: 201 Registered: 8-2005 |
i often don't read before I post on MOL, so sometimes i notice that instead of "here" i write "we're", days later when I can't edit the copy anymore. and i do misuse then and than quite often. | ||
| Matt Foley Citizen Username: Mattfoley Post Number: 715 Registered: 6-2004  |
This totally applies to me. I feal so dumb. | ||
| Tuxedo Citizen Username: Tuxedo Post Number: 68 Registered: 7-2004 |
How about who and that? Everyone gets this wrong. "He was a person that took his time." NO! The correct construction is: "He was a person, who took his time." Here's another one: "That was a fight between my wife and I" NO! "That was a fight between my wife a me." I feel better too. | ||
| Jersey_Boy Citizen Username: Jersey_boy Post Number: 1260 Registered: 1-2006  |
Express lane: 10 items or less. it should be, "10 items or fewer." Shop Whole Foods for better grammar. J.B. | ||
| Matt Foley Citizen Username: Mattfoley Post Number: 716 Registered: 6-2004 |
"We Got Movies" pissed me off to no end. MOVIETIME? | ||
| entertainer Citizen Username: Entertainer Post Number: 329 Registered: 11-2001 |
Point taken. But somehow, "We Have Movies" just doesn't grab me either. | ||
| bets Supporter Username: Bets Post Number: 23436 Registered: 6-2001  |
"There were over 100 attendees..." No, there were more than 100 attendees! | ||
| entertainer Citizen Username: Entertainer Post Number: 332 Registered: 11-2001 |
There were more than 100 attendees over 100. Now everybody's happy. | ||
| mooewe Citizen Username: Mooewe Post Number: 357 Registered: 6-2001 |
If you hate typos - or just plain bad spelling - steer clear of the renovated entrance to CHS, and the inlaid school seal on the floor: "Excelcior" | ||
| jab Citizen Username: Jab Post Number: 577 Registered: 3-2003 |
I would of thought that you use "then" for a comparison. | ||
| ess Citizen Username: Ess Post Number: 2518 Registered: 11-2001 |
You would have thought that you use "then" for a comparison.  However, for a comparison, one would use "than". | ||
| Dave Supporter Username: Dave Post Number: 10030 Registered: 4-1997  |
Correct: Ess knocked over Superman, then blamed me. Incorrect: Ess knocked over Superman, than blamed me. | ||
| Soparents Citizen Username: Soparents Post Number: 1696 Registered: 5-2005  |
I would prefer to see Portugal knocked out of the World cup THAN any other team. I really want to see Portugal holding their teeth in their hands, rather THAN the world cup... If Portugal (hiss and spit while I type this) play Germany in the World Cup, THEN we will truly see them spinning.... GO any team other than Portugal... Sob.. | ||
| Calliope Citizen Username: Calliope Post Number: 500 Registered: 3-2006  |
Nails on a chalkboard, ess? Oh yes! OK, since we are at it---here is my pet peeve. This grammatical error nearly puts me into a state of apoplexy! Please, please, PLEASE teach children the instances in which it is appropriate to use a reflexive pronoun! IMPROPER: Lisa and myself acted as chairpersons of the committee. PROPER: Lisa and I chaired the committee. PROPER: I painted this room myself. (yes, many things grammatical irritate me) Next to get my goat: IMPROPER: They invited Mike and I to the barbecue. PROPER: They invited me to the barbecue (I'm not seeing Mike anymore) "Me" is a perfectly good pronoun. I'll calm down now (and remember I don't teach English anymore) Calli | ||
| Joanne G Citizen Username: Joanne Post Number: 281 Registered: 10-2004 |
Calli, it gets your goat? As a good animal person, perhaps another word? (I mean, it's a harmless goat, minding its own business, isn't it?) Although, I guess it goes together with 'pet' peeve...if your pet is a goat.... | ||
| Calliope Citizen Username: Calliope Post Number: 501 Registered: 3-2006 |
JOANNE, You are BAAAAAAAAD!!!! So, you are getting my goat!  Calli and this is my 501st post! wooohooo! | ||
| Tom Reingold Supporter Username: Noglider Post Number: 14861 Registered: 1-2003  |
Why do people toss in "at the end of the day" in their sentences. It adds no meaning whatsoever, as far as I can tell. | ||
| Wendy Supporter Username: Wendy Post Number: 2663 Registered: 5-2001 |
At the end of the day the sun sets. The sun sets at the end of the day. | ||
| red Citizen Username: Redy67 Post Number: 6147 Registered: 2-2003  |
Okay, I must apologize for all my grammatical mistakes. I am a horrible speller and terrible at grammer. So in advance I am sorry for irritating everyone! | ||
| mooewe Citizen Username: Mooewe Post Number: 358 Registered: 6-2001 |
It's "grammar". | ||
| Glock 17 Citizen Username: Glock17 Post Number: 1340 Registered: 7-2005 |
"Y'all need 2 shut up cuz I learninated my gramur skillz in duh streetz n u shuld all shut up."  | ||
| jeffl Supporter Username: Jeffl Post Number: 1757 Registered: 8-2001  |
I just found out that you no longer put two spaces at the end of a sentence! When did that happen? | ||
| tom Citizen Username: Tom Post Number: 5214 Registered: 5-2001 |
I can only hope that this thread insures it will never happen again! ( ) Double spaces were for back in the old monospace days. Proportional-width computer-generated typography includes the right amount of space around characters, including periods, so that double-spacing isn't necessary. | ||
| ess Citizen Username: Ess Post Number: 2524 Registered: 11-2001 |
Wait a sec...since when? Does this mean a double space at the end of a sentence is incorrect? Or just optional? Too bad I knocked over Superman; otherwise, I would ask him. In general, typographical errors are a tad more tolerable than true grammatical errors. Grammatical errors , especially that use of "I" as an object, get my dander up, raise my hackles, and get my goat. Incidentally, is my entire post negated now that I have used double spacing at the end of each sentence? | ||
| sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 3588 Registered: 5-2001 |
I still put two spaces at the end of sentences. But I try not to obsess over my children not doing so, since I know I should be glad that they (more or less) know how to type. Although I had never heard it stated before, I just assume that it is now optional. ess - Aren't we talking about space characters after the period as opposed to double spacing (two presses of enter or, dating myself, two carriage returns)? I assume that typographical errors result from haste or carelessness (or, occasionally, defective keyboards), while grammatical errors result from ignorance. I'm afraid that I am less tolerant of the latter also, but perhaps should reconsider ... |
