'Read' and its past tense are spelled the same. How should they be spelled?
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Also the language is called English. By default, the English are doing it right and anything else is wrong. Maybe better, the argument can go for decades longer, but if anyones wrong its everyone else.
My point is no one is wrong. Well, you are, but not for the way you spell things.
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The primary accent for 2-syllable words that are used as both a noun and a verb depends on the part of speech. The noun places the primary accent on the 1st syllable, the verb on the 2nd syllable.
Examples:
The musician records a record.
The farmer produces produce.
You're not permitted to fish without a permit.Potential exception: "Adult." Arguably because it generally isn't a verb when emphasis is on the second syllable, some people do that even when it's a noun.
I'm an Adult vs. I'm an aDULT. *
Use as of "adult" as a verb is non-standard and where to emphasise that is even less clear-cut for those of us who put the emphasis on the first syllable of the noun. Interestingly, "adulterate" is less strange as a verb and the emphasis is definitely on the second syllable there.
We could tie ourselves in knots analysing the late emphasis form as a verbified noun, re-nounified. Ow.
* The underlying truth of said statement is irrelevant. Chronologically, I have been one for some time. Mentally... ehh.
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The alarm went off so i turned it off.
My ally turned on me and then I turned her on
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/) (I couldn't find the link to the actual comic)The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité (1922)
https://ncf.idallen.com/english.html
Dearest creature in creation
Studying English pronunciation,
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse.I will keep you, Susy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy;
Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear;
Queer, fair seer, hear my prayer.Pray, console your loving poet,
Make my coat look new, dear, sew it!
Just compare heart, hear and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word.
...Very long. Highly recommended
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It's "its," by the way.
This is the grammar thing I fuck up the most, and I don't call people on it because I'm pretty sure I don't know how it works. Autocorrect changes it & I just say "oh, whoops", and it still looks wrong...
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Spanish is awesome. All its verbs in their regular form do end in "-ar", "-er" and "-ir".
The conjugations can get as weird as English sometimes, though. Case in point: Ser.
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This is the grammar thing I fuck up the most, and I don't call people on it because I'm pretty sure I don't know how it works. Autocorrect changes it & I just say "oh, whoops", and it still looks wrong...
Here's a shortcut: test if you could drop "his" into the same spot and have it make sense. (And you'd definitely never write it as hi's.) If "his" would work, "its" would work.
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/) (I couldn't find the link to the actual comic)Reed, red. Homophones should be homographs too.
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/) (I couldn't find the link to the actual comic)its, not it's.
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This is the grammar thing I fuck up the most, and I don't call people on it because I'm pretty sure I don't know how it works. Autocorrect changes it & I just say "oh, whoops", and it still looks wrong...
it's means "it is". It is really not difficult, just pretend you are Data and swear off contractions.
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The conjugations can get as weird as English sometimes, though. Case in point: Ser.
"que sera sera" es un ejemplo.
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it's means "it is". It is really not difficult, just pretend you are Data and swear off contractions.
I think the contraction vs possesive thing messes with me, and my brain can never settle on what goes where when, how, or why...
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/) (I couldn't find the link to the actual comic)Where, were, we're. Even native speakers have problems with this. I don't know how many times I had to correct such cases, especially with American authors.
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/) (I couldn't find the link to the actual comic)Reed and Red
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I think the contraction vs possesive thing messes with me, and my brain can never settle on what goes where when, how, or why...
Just try changing it to "it is". If the sentence still makes sense, it's "it's". Otherwise it's "its".
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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/) (I couldn't find the link to the actual comic)They should be spelled the way they currently are.
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Reed, red. Homophones should be homographs too.
What dialect of English will we base the new spelling system on?
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Wait until you hear about how we pronounce colonel!
What about parmesan?
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Where, were, we're. Even native speakers have problems with this. I don't know how many times I had to correct such cases, especially with American authors.
Where, were, we’re.
I never had a problem with those, until I started with stuff like Reddit.
Now, I find myself making the mistake and catching it in proofreading.
Guess my brain is starting to age too. -
Me too, thanks!
