You use it wrong as well, for all we know.
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ladybird · 46-50, F
@mamawhatswrongwithme: That all?
greenmountaingal · 80-89, F
@ladybird:
"varie's"
"instance's"
"retailer's"
It could be your autocorrect function. Most of my bad spelling comes from that.
"varie's"
"instance's"
"retailer's"
It could be your autocorrect function. Most of my bad spelling comes from that.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
Misused apostrophes?
Many people now don't really understand simple words properly!
They know what they want to say, and it's usually possible to understand their messages, but in some situations I feel they lose credibility. The most common effects are:-
tautology,
inability to make elegant plurals of Greek- or Latin- based words (I blame Microsoft for much of that - e.g. try typing the proper, more elegant, plural of "forum"),
excessive use of the "[is]ation" suffices,
"baby talk"* and
metaphors based on misunderstood technical terms like "epicentre".
You also see a bizarre effect on a few words by American English hacking letters randomly from their root syllables - geology-texts tend to refer now to the Cainozoic as "Cenozoic", thus reversing its meaning (so I was told recently by a science teacher), while a "pedophile" is actually one with a fetish for feet, not children! Simply by the roots of the words.
The whole effect is not the language changing and adapting as it has done for centuries, but being cheapened and debased.
"baby talk". For example: each Spring when the eggs hatch, staff from the world-famous Abbotsbury Swannery erect temporary road-signs reading "Baby Swans". This patronises the adults driving the family cars to the swannery, and fails to teach the children the proper, and shorter, "Cygnets".
Many people now don't really understand simple words properly!
They know what they want to say, and it's usually possible to understand their messages, but in some situations I feel they lose credibility. The most common effects are:-
tautology,
inability to make elegant plurals of Greek- or Latin- based words (I blame Microsoft for much of that - e.g. try typing the proper, more elegant, plural of "forum"),
excessive use of the "[is]ation" suffices,
"baby talk"* and
metaphors based on misunderstood technical terms like "epicentre".
You also see a bizarre effect on a few words by American English hacking letters randomly from their root syllables - geology-texts tend to refer now to the Cainozoic as "Cenozoic", thus reversing its meaning (so I was told recently by a science teacher), while a "pedophile" is actually one with a fetish for feet, not children! Simply by the roots of the words.
The whole effect is not the language changing and adapting as it has done for centuries, but being cheapened and debased.
"baby talk". For example: each Spring when the eggs hatch, staff from the world-famous Abbotsbury Swannery erect temporary road-signs reading "Baby Swans". This patronises the adults driving the family cars to the swannery, and fails to teach the children the proper, and shorter, "Cygnets".
QuietSophie · 26-30, F
MartinII · 70-79, M
And another thing. My surname contains an apostrophe, but many websites refuse to allow apostrophes. Sometimes, if I am told "enter your name exactly as it appears on your credit card", that proves to be impossible.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@MartinII
A lot of the bad English now appearing is forced by Microsoft adding automatic "correction" or prediction that mirrors its programmer's individual taste and level of literacy.
As well as the problem you cite, it is extremely difficult to describe more than one "forum" elegantly because MS does not know how Latin or Greek rooted plurals work.
It is equally hard to write proper-noun abbreviations too, because some programmer had not been taught such things - I wonder if the Civil Service organisation, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, uses "Dstl" rather than the proper DSTL because MS 'Word' especially, finds the concept too hard to grasp.
(I encountered an amusing side of how too much computing can b****r things up needlessly, when my then-employer's directors were bamboozled by "marketing consultants" into buying a very expensive "corporate font". It was virtually indistinguishable from Calibri or Ariel already standard on everyone's computers, and like them, sans-serif so equally ugly when in a solid block of text; further, the text would not appear in that font if transmitted electronically to, say, a customer!)
A lot of the bad English now appearing is forced by Microsoft adding automatic "correction" or prediction that mirrors its programmer's individual taste and level of literacy.
As well as the problem you cite, it is extremely difficult to describe more than one "forum" elegantly because MS does not know how Latin or Greek rooted plurals work.
It is equally hard to write proper-noun abbreviations too, because some programmer had not been taught such things - I wonder if the Civil Service organisation, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, uses "Dstl" rather than the proper DSTL because MS 'Word' especially, finds the concept too hard to grasp.
(I encountered an amusing side of how too much computing can b****r things up needlessly, when my then-employer's directors were bamboozled by "marketing consultants" into buying a very expensive "corporate font". It was virtually indistinguishable from Calibri or Ariel already standard on everyone's computers, and like them, sans-serif so equally ugly when in a solid block of text; further, the text would not appear in that font if transmitted electronically to, say, a customer!)
SW-User
I have bigger worries
but understand you feel passionate about it
but understand you feel passionate about it
SW-User
stand as " president of apostrophe use" and I'll vote for you
mama probably does have a point. Is there any way to edit a personal story on SW?
Goralski · 56-60, M
About time ...Or what about the incorrect use of s'
Goralski · 56-60, M
@ladybird: Hmmmmmmm I concur
Pop0159 · 61-69, M
Proper gramer is fading into imogies 😲😁🙂😭🤒🤧🤡
Redstar · 36-40, M
That man is my hero
MarkA · 56-60, M
Trust me.....
You are definitely not alone.
Simple plurals do not warrant an apostrophe...!!!
However, for many people 'ignorance is bliss'. Sadly.
You are definitely not alone.
Simple plurals do not warrant an apostrophe...!!!
However, for many people 'ignorance is bliss'. Sadly.
This message was deleted.