I edit a corporate Intranet.

I spend a lot of time chasing down greengrocer’s apostrophe’s. I have started to think that people do it to annoy me. Either that, or the machines are rising up against me, also a strong possibility.

(before anybody jumps on me, my incorrect use of the possessive apostrophe was IRONIC)

In this day and age if people can understand what’s written then it probably doesn’t really matter about spelling, grammar and punctuation.

But they are just rules and norms, aren’t they? Occasionally though I find I have to go back and read sentences again because incorrect spelling or poor grammar has misled me. The excersice you posted agrees with my expectations making it easier to guess what is being said.

7H15 M4554G3

53RV35 7O PR0V3

H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N

D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!

1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!

1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG

17 I5 H4RD BU7

N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3

Y0UR M1ND AR

R34D1NG 17

4U70M471C4LLY

W17H0U7 3V3N

7H4NK1NG 4B0U7 17,

B3 PROUD! 0NLY

CUR741N P30PL3 C4N

R3AD 7H15.
Any better?

@ Hels… i wanted to mention the apotrophe ‘s, but i thought if i started off on that tangent people would think i was a pedantic nazi. i see it quite a lot here. that or ‘s rather than ‘re.

@ captainflashheart… no. 🙂

Ernie – you’re referring to the word, not using the word. Hence the use of quotes.

(before anybody jumps on me, my incorrect use of the possessive apostrophe was IRONIC)

The use of internet forums [fora?] encourages people to use the written language which is a good thing in this day and age.
To be able to write in such a way that readers can identify emphasis, inflection [inflexion?], irony, etc., especially on the internet takes some skill. Or is the skill in reading it?

How do posters feel about ‘massively’ and its increasing use?

7H15 M3554G3

53RV35 7O PR0V3

H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N

D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!

1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!

1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG

17 WA5 H4RD BU7

N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3

Y0UR M1ND 1S

R34D1NG 17

4U70M471C4LLY

W17H0U7 3V3N

7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,

B3 PROUD! 0NLY

C3R741N P30PL3 C4N

R3AD 7H15.

I thought they were all ‘personalised’ number plates found in Essex.

Incidentally, this forum will not let you say ‘Summ-at’ (without the dash…) as in when you say,’I want a cup of tea or summ-at’, It auto-corrects it to ‘Something’..

I reckon the grumpy one must have set it up as a defence if Fred ever finds his way back in – kind of an education aid of the little blighter…

We have to make signs in our shop for card categories. Many hours are spent discussing whether it is Fathers Day, as in a day for all fathers to celebrate. Or Father’s Day , a day belonging to a father.
It is open to the forum.

I definately find people using your alot more now than I would of a few years back. FTW

Would have.

There is no such word as alot.

Presuming you got the deliberate joke sentence, but shame on you for not spotting the most often used spelling mistake: “definately”

Good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this you have a strong mind:

7H15 M3554G3

53RV35 7O PR0V3

H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N

D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!

1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!

1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG

17 WA5 H4RD BU7

N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3

Y0UR M1ND 1S

R34D1NG 17

4U70M471C4LLY

W17H0U7 3V3N

7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,

B3 PROUD! 0NLY

C3R741N P30PL3 C4N

R3AD 7H15.

LOVE that!
After reading the first line slowly I could read the rest of like it was normal English 🙂

Does that make me better than other people? 😉

It makes you well 1337; congratulations.

How do posters feel about ‘massively’ and its increasing use?

iconic innit

We have to make signs in our shop for card categories. Many hours are spent discussing whether it is Fathers Day, as in a day for all fathers to celebrate. Or Father’s Day , a day belonging to a father.
It is open to the forum.

That would be Fathers’ Day, no?

Luv that tee

What about?

There, they’re and their

Fathers Day… Or Father’s Day

Surely it would be Fathers’ Day, as in a day belonging to all Fathers.

EDIT: beaten too it 😉

There seems to be an exponential rise in the “would of” instead of “would have”, mostly in the last 6-12 months? I both hear it, but also see it in writing.

Is there a particular commoner responsible for spreading this or is it more systematic? Reality TV? Facebook?

+1 Fathers’

Is there a particular commoner responsible for spreading this or is it more systematic? Reality TV? Facebook?

Stupid people.

Is there a particular commoner responsible for spreading this or is it more systematic? Reality TV? Facebook?

Stupid people.

And the country/media/shops/government that needs their money/votes and has to accommodate/pander to them.

PMSL @ samuri!

+1 Fathers’

See, I disagree. I think there’s no apostrope at all: Fathers Day
Plural….. 🙂

Who cares ?

I think there is a common theme between this thread and the ”technology consumers” one:

some people seem to be proud that they are ignorant of this stuff and slightly suspicious of those that do.

See, I disagree. I think there’s no apostrope at all: Fathers Day
Plural…..

belonging to the fathers.

GrahamS – Member

Who cares ?

I think there is a common theme between this thread and the “technology consumers” one:

some people seem to be proud that they are ignorant of this stuff and slightly suspicious of those that do.

everyone has learnt – and needs – to read and write to get by in life and judgements will be made on those people on the way they communicate. whether that is on here or in the real world when applying for jobs or dealing with customers. not everyone needs to know how to hang a door, write a will or program a computer. these are specialised tasks. writing, and therefore spelling and grammar in general are not specialised tasks as such. ignorance of another field isn’t a bad thing, per se. but when that field is the common language then it is, IMO. surely everyone reads a newspaper from time to time…? or maybe people just don’t think too much when hitting the keys on their keyboard?

the view out of my office window, wen I used to werk at a univercity

Surely a couple is singular? One couple, two couples..

My wife and I are a couple. We is not a couple.

I think this video sums this topic up in a suitably childish manner…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LfxkbMG2rY[/video]

See, I disagree. I think there’s no apostrope at all: Fathers Day
Plural…..

Indeed, but as it is the day of all Fathers, it belongs to them, hence the possessive apostrophe after the pluralising “s”. 😛

surely everyone reads a newspaper from time to time

I don’t. I like my news to be unbiased and factual.

My wife and I are a couple. We is not a couple.

Yeah, but you’ve reordered the sentence. There, the clause “my wife and I” is the subject of the sentence and “couple” the object. Is / are applies to the former. EDIT – I’m not sure that’s right actually. But it’s still a couple rather than several couples. I think.

I don’t. I like my news to be unbiased and factual.

Ooooooh, Handbags. How does that work in practice?
Edit: 😀

How does that work in practice?

Badly, I have an account on here.

Badly, I have an account on here.

Well it may not be unbiased – but at least you get every side of the story.
Including some less mainstream opinions 😯

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7WSzxQ0nX4[/video]

Whilst David Crystal is one of the leaders in the field of linguistics, I don’t think his shooting down of this theory on CMC is right. He states that teens must know the correct spelling of words to be able to shorten them and the teens tell him such. But the ‘cool’ issue when a ‘voice’ in the community they are in starts spelling a word a certain way can lead to uneducated youths following that spelling. Parents who are illiterate cause issues with their children. Celebrities don’t help either. At least dumb ones. Interestingly, I think Russell Brand shows a literate intelligence that may have caused his descent into self abuse.

I personally think ‘stupid people’ are the cause of so many language errors. But then our education system must be flawed since I watch third year undergrad native speaking linguists without an adequate vocabulary or the ability to form sentences with correct spelling, grammar or punctuation.

Muphry’s law is an adage that states that “if you write anything criticising editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written”. The name is a deliberate misspelling of Murphy’s law.

Muphry’s law is an adage that states that “if you write anything criticising editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in what you have written”. The name is a deliberate misspelling of Murphy’s law.

I was going to post up a suggestion that grammar threads on the internet should be hooked up to a dynamo – we’d have all the energy we need.

While we’re doing this, can we make everyone spell ‘Loose’ and ‘Lose’ properly please. I see so many examples of folk stating things such as ‘I’m loosing my mind’ that I may actually lose MY mind…

While we’re doing this, can we make everyone spell ‘Loose’ and ‘Lose’ properly please. I see so many examples of folk stating things such as ‘I’m loosing my mind’ that I may actually lose MY mind…

I wouldn’t hold your breathe.