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  3. We all know grammar Nazis. What incorrect grammar are you completely in defence of?

We all know grammar Nazis. What incorrect grammar are you completely in defence of?

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  • R [email protected]

    To whom/for whom is supposed to be the rule for when to use whom, but in American English it sounds way too formal.

    starlinguk@lemmy.worldS This user is from outside of this forum
    starlinguk@lemmy.worldS This user is from outside of this forum
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    wrote last edited by
    #59

    Whomst is a fun one.

    F 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • H [email protected]

      Putting question marks or exclamation points after "quotation marks"! I've never understood the point of putting the punctuation inside the quotation unless it's part of the quotation itself.

      starlinguk@lemmy.worldS This user is from outside of this forum
      starlinguk@lemmy.worldS This user is from outside of this forum
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      wrote last edited by [email protected]
      #60

      Quote is full sentence: inside. Quote is part of sentence or word: outside.

      Eg:

      “Oh no!” he gasped.

      And

      Apparently she's “done with me”!

      Love, an editor.

      1 Reply Last reply
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      • N [email protected]

        who/whom.

        Maybe it's because that English is not my first language but I always find it confusing.

        B This user is from outside of this forum
        B This user is from outside of this forum
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        wrote last edited by
        #61

        There's a pretty trivial rule for getting this right. Phrase your sentence using who/whom as a question. Respond with he/him. If your response contains a "he", your initial statement should be "who"; if it contains a "him" then you're looking at a "whom" use.

        • ex: "To who/whom should the gold be given?" -> "To him" -> "whom"
        • ex: "Who/whom wants the gold?" -> "He wants the gold" -> "who"
        • ex: "Who/whom did you see at the party?" -> "I saw him" -> "whom"
        • ex: "The man who/whom called earlier is here" -> "Who/whom called?" -> "he called" -> "who"
        T 1 Reply Last reply
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        • P [email protected]

          You literally wouldn't be able to write this without it...

          I mean, what would be the altenative? Throw a bunch of relevant words in random order and hope that someone would understand?

          Notion is literally just some made up grammar

          I bet this one would convey anything but what you'd mean originally.

          F This user is from outside of this forum
          F This user is from outside of this forum
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          wrote last edited by [email protected]
          #62

          What I wrote is grammatically incorrect, there is no full stop. You understood what I meant with no ambiguity despite an incorrect use of grammar. I literally did write that without adhering to grammatical rules and it didn't impede either of our abilities to communicate.

          P 1 Reply Last reply
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          • S [email protected]

            It is perfectly cromulent to use "less" in place of "fewer".

            T This user is from outside of this forum
            T This user is from outside of this forum
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            wrote last edited by
            #63

            Some would say it's fewer correct, however.

            1 Reply Last reply
            7
            • F [email protected]

              What I wrote is grammatically incorrect, there is no full stop. You understood what I meant with no ambiguity despite an incorrect use of grammar. I literally did write that without adhering to grammatical rules and it didn't impede either of our abilities to communicate.

              P This user is from outside of this forum
              P This user is from outside of this forum
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              wrote last edited by [email protected]
              #64

              Of course it is correct! Let me break it down for you.

              Grammar is literally just some made up notion

              Subject: Grammar

              Verb: Be -> Is

              Adverb: Literally, Just

              Pronoun: Some

              Adjective: Made-up

              Object: Notion

              The lack of full stop is indeed an error. But the structure of your sentence is still valid.

              F 1 Reply Last reply
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              • gradually_adjusting@lemmy.worldG [email protected]

                The one thing I will insist on is the use of is/are. It's pretty simple, if referring to a countable set, use "are". E.g. there are four turtles in my sewer. You would not say "there are too much shit on this webpage", because that shit is uncountable.

                T This user is from outside of this forum
                T This user is from outside of this forum
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                wrote last edited by
                #65

                Some things work differently between dialects of English. For example "the band is" (it is) vs "the band are" (they are).

                gradually_adjusting@lemmy.worldG 1 Reply Last reply
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                • C [email protected]

                  I really like to write 'gonna.'

                  G This user is from outside of this forum
                  G This user is from outside of this forum
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                  wrote last edited by
                  #66

                  I'm never gonna give it up.

                  1 Reply Last reply
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                  • W [email protected]

                    Have to / need to - At some point in my 20s it was pointed out to me that "need to" is the correct phrase and that "have to" isn't correct. But actually "have to" is used in both English and Spanish "tengo que" which is "have to" or technically "have that". Grammatically, if "have" is a state of being then "have to" is like a state of being with a direction or target implied.

                    D This user is from outside of this forum
                    D This user is from outside of this forum
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                    wrote last edited by
                    #67

                    While I might use them interchangeably, as a non-native I would think "need to" is supposed to mean that the situation came out of necessity, such as feeling the need to pee or resorting to selling your car because of an empty wallet, while "have to" is more like the result of some rules or discipline, such as showing up to work in time - but I understand that the line between the two can be rather blurry.

                    As for my thing: there are a few shortened words in my language (similarly to the English "hubby", "preggo", etc.) that got shortened according to pronunciation, and not the original (longer) word, having a different spelling at the start (as if "circle" got shortened to "circ", but spelled as "cirk"). It feels like a kid came up with the spelling, and now it's the official form. It's bugging my inner spelling nazi every time I see it.

                    N 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • N [email protected]

                      who/whom.

                      Maybe it's because that English is not my first language but I always find it confusing.

                      dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zoneD This user is from outside of this forum
                      dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zoneD This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote last edited by [email protected]
                      #68

                      if you are familiar with object vs subject in grammar you already know the rule, who is used when it's the subject, whom when the object:

                      Who is that?

                      That's who ate my ice cream.

                      Whom did you give ice cream to?

                      The ice cream went to the one whom I saw first.

                      This rule is the same as knowing when to use she or he vs when to use her or him, it's no different.

                      However, most people don't use whom correctly and it can just be avoided entirely, most people will just use who as the object anyway and it will sound more natural to them:

                      Who did you give ice cream to?

                      The ice cream went to the one who I saw first.

                      Using whom in these cases can make you sound formal or fancy, and draws attention.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      1
                      • D [email protected]

                        That's not just you, that's people who know the rules of the English language and don't care about Latin or what dead idiots thought.

                        https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/prepositions-ending-a-sentence-with

                        gedaliyah@lemmy.worldG This user is from outside of this forum
                        gedaliyah@lemmy.worldG This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote last edited by
                        #69

                        Gotta love Merriam Webster. They are fantastic.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        1
                        • P [email protected]

                          Of course it is correct! Let me break it down for you.

                          Grammar is literally just some made up notion

                          Subject: Grammar

                          Verb: Be -> Is

                          Adverb: Literally, Just

                          Pronoun: Some

                          Adjective: Made-up

                          Object: Notion

                          The lack of full stop is indeed an error. But the structure of your sentence is still valid.

                          F This user is from outside of this forum
                          F This user is from outside of this forum
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                          wrote last edited by
                          #70

                          Yeah almost like in different contexts different grammar is appropriate exactly like the original comment said you evolutionary col-de-sac

                          C 1 Reply Last reply
                          2
                          • T [email protected]

                            Some things work differently between dialects of English. For example "the band is" (it is) vs "the band are" (they are).

                            gradually_adjusting@lemmy.worldG This user is from outside of this forum
                            gradually_adjusting@lemmy.worldG This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote last edited by
                            #71

                            There are vague cases. A band could be a singular entity or a group of countable members, and whichever you use would come with a shading of connotation about that. "The band are all upset about this deal... The band isn't taking its roadies for granted."

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • C [email protected]

                              @[email protected]

                              As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                              M This user is from outside of this forum
                              M This user is from outside of this forum
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                              wrote last edited by
                              #72

                              Irregardless, for all intensive purposes your point is mute.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              3
                              • C [email protected]

                                @[email protected]

                                As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                                A This user is from outside of this forum
                                A This user is from outside of this forum
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                                wrote last edited by
                                #73

                                RAS syndrome.

                                N 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • A [email protected]

                                  RAS syndrome.

                                  N This user is from outside of this forum
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                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #74

                                  MLB Baseball?

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • C [email protected]

                                    I really like to write 'gonna.'

                                    N This user is from outside of this forum
                                    N This user is from outside of this forum
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                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #75

                                    I spells it like I says it

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    1
                                    • D [email protected]

                                      While I might use them interchangeably, as a non-native I would think "need to" is supposed to mean that the situation came out of necessity, such as feeling the need to pee or resorting to selling your car because of an empty wallet, while "have to" is more like the result of some rules or discipline, such as showing up to work in time - but I understand that the line between the two can be rather blurry.

                                      As for my thing: there are a few shortened words in my language (similarly to the English "hubby", "preggo", etc.) that got shortened according to pronunciation, and not the original (longer) word, having a different spelling at the start (as if "circle" got shortened to "circ", but spelled as "cirk"). It feels like a kid came up with the spelling, and now it's the official form. It's bugging my inner spelling nazi every time I see it.

                                      N This user is from outside of this forum
                                      N This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #76

                                      Relatedly, it really bugs me out when I'm watching English-language media from outside North America and someone says "what are we meant to do" in a situation where I would say "what are we supposed to do". Like, a lot. Best I can figure, it implies to me a sort of outside intention driving one's actions, as opposed to the mere regard implied by "supposed", and my anti-authoritarian ass rankles at that.

                                      Anyone else have feelings about this one?

                                      D 1 Reply Last reply
                                      1
                                      • C [email protected]

                                        @[email protected]

                                        As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                                        S This user is from outside of this forum
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                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #77

                                        Mooses and gooses

                                        C S C T 4 Replies Last reply
                                        3
                                        • P [email protected]

                                          Would've: fine.
                                          Would have: fine.
                                          Would of: me go mental! Why do people do this?! Argh!

                                          N This user is from outside of this forum
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                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #78

                                          Don't confuse dialectal differences with bad grammar, please.

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