Common Errors in English

[Protoclown]

This website is very interesting to me, and I figure VinceZeb could benefit from it more than anyone.

http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/erro...rs.html#errors

I found it when I saw someone here say "for all intensive purposes", which I've always thought was supposed to be "for all intents and purposes". So I did a web search, found out I was correct, and discovered this website in the bargain.

That paragraph reminds me that another pet peeve of mine is when people say "suppose to" or "use to" instead of "supposed to" or "used to".

Another one that bothers me is "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less".

Some of these are interesting, and I never knew about before. For example, "all goes well" is supposed to be "augers well". And "you've got another thing coming" is actually supposed to be "you've got another think coming"! Who knew? "Fit the bill" is also more correctly "fill the bill".

This is pretty damned interesting.

[CaptainBubba]

For all intents and purposes? That is sooo ghey.

[kahljorn]

"press alt-f4 and you can get admin priveledges"

[ScruU2wice]

wow even im no a bigg enuff of a dumbass to fall for that, and i cant type

[FS]

"accidently" (which should be "accidentally") was a long-time pet peeve of mine. I also used to question whether it was "definetly" or "definately", which is how I often saw it spelled on the Internet. Then someone pointed out to me that it was neither.

One thing that has failed to stick by me from my English classes is certain possessive terms. I keep forgetting whether or not, and when, I can use an apostrophe without an "s". Is it Max' or Max's? The Johnsons' or the Johnsons's?

It's an entirely different way of flying! Altogether!

[pjalne]

I think you should stick to just an apostrophe if there's a plural s at the end of a word. If the word ends in an s to begin with and it's in singular mode, there's supposed to be a genitive s at the end. I think. It's been a few years since I had English at school.

[Mockery]

The error on the web that I see more than anything is people who use "your" instead of "you're". They just don't understand the difference.

example: "Dude! Your such a loser!"

*sigh*

[AChimp]

One thing that has failed to stick by me from my English classes is certain possessive terms. I keep forgetting whether or not, and when, I can use an apostrophe without an "s". Is it Max' or Max's? The Johnsons' or the Johnsons's?

Like pjalne said, you put just an apostrophe if you're using the plural possessive (or a contraction, but that's a totally different set of rules )

For example, I had more than one cat, I could steals the cats' ball, assuming the ball belonged to all the cats. If there was just one cat, I could steal the cat's ball.

It's Max's rather than Max' because there is just one Max. A common error is to assume that the S at the end of a proper noun implied plurality.

The plural possesive form would be Johnsons' only if the last name was Johnson... It's kinda hard to explain, so I will try to make up a few sentences for examples.

(Last name is Johnson)
The Johnsons have a nice car.
I got a ride in the Johnsons' car. (In this case, Johnsons' refers to the whole family)
I got a ride in Johnson's car. (Only one guy named Johnson).

(Last name is Johnsons)
The Johnsonses have a nice car. (Ooooh... plural!)
I got a ride in the Johnsons's car.

[MrAdventure]

It's always a great day for me when a person posts, "dood its spelled 'digimon' ur grammer is awful go back to shcool," with true sincerity.

Way to show Pikaznchu130490, guy, way to show him.

[FS]

Ahhh. It's all clear again, thanks all.

A lot of people mix up "their" and "they're" too, though that's also often just a slip-up.

I once saw someone spell "ludicrous" in a Newgrounds review as "Ludacris"

[ziggytrix]

it's or its
there, their, or they're
caret or carrot
accept or except
affect or effect
forth or fourth
to, too, or two

homonyms make me angry.

[AChimp]

Honk if you love homonyms.

:honk

[jin]

"Looser" instead of "Loser" - is this some sort of gay inside joke???

AEHaHEhaEH

[FS]

I don't think those are homonyms. Homonyms are when a word has various possible meanings, but not when it's spelled differently.

[executioneer]

Homographs are words spelled alike but with different meanings and usually with different pronunciations (lead, v. [LEED], meaning “to conduct,” and lead, n. [LED], the name of the metal).

Homophones are words pronounced alike but different in spelling and meaning (to, two, and too).

Homonyms, a more general term, are words spelled or pronounced alike but having different meanings: soar and sore are one sort of homonym; gore, meaning “the tapered piece of cloth in a skirt,” and gore, meaning “blood,” are examples of another sort. Bow, v., “to bend at the waist,” and bow, n., “the front end of a boat,” are homonyms, and some would add the differently pronounced bow, meaning variously “the weapon for shooting arrows,” “the decorative knot used in hair ribbons and bow ties,” “the long, slender rod strung with horsehairs used to play stringed instruments.”

http://www.bartleby.com/68/21/3021.html

-willie

[Anonymous]

you're a homonym

[FS]

Ima correctly spell YOUR FACE