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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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  • C [email protected]

    @[email protected]

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

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    wrote last edited by
    #49

    who/whom.

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

    R B dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zoneD H C 5 Replies Last reply
    3
    • B [email protected]

      I don't know if shouldn't've is grammatically correct but I hear it a lot so it seems like fair play. Same for other contractions that I never see in text, possibly because they're wrong. Because've. He'd've.

      Also like I'ma which can't possibly be ok, but "I am going to" is for suckers.

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      wrote last edited by
      #50

      Because have? When and how has that ever been used?

      B 1 Reply Last reply
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      • F [email protected]

        Grammar is literally just some made up notion

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        wrote last edited by
        #51

        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 1 Reply Last reply
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        • T [email protected]

          Because have? When and how has that ever been used?

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          wrote last edited by
          #52

          Hah! I mightn't've thought enough about that example, probably because of a lack of sleep.

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          • T [email protected]

            I will accept "would ve" before "would of"

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            wrote last edited by
            #53

            Agreed. I enjoy that I confused "because of" with "because have" in my own example tho

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            • 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.

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              wrote last edited by
              #54

              For me it depends on if you are quoting someone (punctuation inside quote) or just using a phrase like “woke” (punctuation outside).

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              • W [email protected]

                The right to gleefully split infinitives.

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                wrote last edited by
                #55

                Adverbs as a rule can go anywhere in a sentence, so split away, I say!

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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.

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                  wrote last edited by
                  #56

                  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 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • C [email protected]

                    @[email protected]

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

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                    wrote last edited by
                    #57

                    I’m fine with “free reign” and “beckon call” because the meaning is retained and language evolves.

                    kolanaki@pawb.socialK 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • R [email protected]

                      I’m fine with “free reign” and “beckon call” because the meaning is retained and language evolves.

                      kolanaki@pawb.socialK This user is from outside of this forum
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                      wrote last edited by [email protected]
                      #58

                      I feel like "free reign" means the same thing as "free rein" anyway. As in you're not shackled in your rule; a despot. "He has free reign over his domain."

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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
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                        wrote last edited by
                        #59

                        Whomst is a fun one.

                        F 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • 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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

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                                wrote last edited by
                                #63

                                Some would say it's fewer correct, however.

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                                • 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.

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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.

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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
                                    1
                                    • C [email protected]

                                      I really like to write 'gonna.'

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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.

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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
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                                          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.

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