Finicky about Grammar

[Calypso]

Let's not claim to be perfect people who have perfect command of the English language. But what are the most annoying misuses of grammar that you've encountered?

Here are some:
1)THE PLURAL
**luxuries, jewelries, equipments, softwares, hardwares, fishes -- please don't use the 's' and 'es' form of the plural. Their singular forms are their plural already.

EXAMPLE (correct usage):
a)Andy is knoweldgeable in different SOFTWARE such as MS Office, Macromedia Authorware and Adobe Premiere 5.0.
b)There are plenty of FISH in the sea.

2) SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Haaay naku!! Super basic! Kahit ako, I'm guilty of this, it's embarrassing!
Just look at some of the topics here at PeX! Ang daming mali-mali... meron ba namang nagtanong, "Where does Ceska Garcia LIVES?" OK talaga!





[This message has been edited by Calypso (edited 03-19-2000).]

[DEATHCRAYON]

....................ME IS VERY GOOD AND KNOWLEDGABLE IN ENGLISH'S GRAMMARS.

[Denise`]

me ALSO! ;) i can spoken english very good! hihihi! ;)

[Fortes in Fide]

Calypso,

Luxuries and fishes are actually the plural forms of luxury and fish, respectively.

Although the word fish can also be used in the plural sense, the word fishes is not any less correct if the speaker chooses to say it that way.

For proper form and usage consult a good English dictionary

[Mister Dean]

I used to feel the same way, but now I just breathe in and out. LOL It doesn't help to get all worked up over incorrect grammar, because some people didn't have the kind of experiences with the English language that I did.

[Ira]

Ditto what Mister Dean said. :) In the general scheme of things, grammatical errors, while occassionally funny, are way down there in importance. The person you're annoyed with because of his incorrect subject-verb aggreement may actually be fluent in Latin. Kanya-kanya lang iyang exposure.

[jepoy]

"I told you not to do, you do, now look at." :)

[green grin]

hahaha...(jepoy...three points!!!)

[Denise`]

ROTFL @ jepoy! :D

[wAgKaNgMaKuLiT]

ako kelangan ko ng English tutor din.
hahaha... bulok kse ako sa english at tagalog.
wala na akong tinama.
tuloy, i'm not fluent in any language.

tamo, taglish pa ang gamit ko.
kaka bwiset!!!


LoL @ jepoy :D

[Zen]

Ira... isn't??? :P

[crunchy]

grammar? i couldn't care less. heck, i can't even tell a dangling participle from a dangling earring. and spelling is another matter altogether. if only for spellcheck, i will forever be greteful to bill gates.

lol @ jepoy

[DEATHCRAYON]

.......HEY WAGKANA

.............YOU WANTS ME TO TUTOR YOU ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE THAT ARE CALLED THE ENGLISH GRAMMAR?!

[wAgKaNgMaKuLiT]

DC: sure. :)

[bLaCk]

hahahaha... grammar... funny ain't it? hehehehehe...

[ayeee]

calypso :

2) SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
Haaay naku!! Super basic! Kahit ako, I'm guilty of this, it's embarrassing!
Just look at some of the topics here at PeX! Ang daming mali-mali... meron ba namang nagtanong, "Where does Ceska Garcia LIVES?" OK talaga!

naiinis ka ba?
e bat nde mo i correct??

pasensya ka na tao lang ako e

[lipstickboy]

a really funny barok-style site...
http://owends.cjb.net

[PUGSLEY]

I think we ought to be finicky about grammar becaUse of the fact that

1. how can one relay his message clearly if his English grammar is poor?
2. The receiver of the message would think your too stupid/dull or trying to impress him with what your saying.
3. More often than not,the recepient would have a good insulting laugh about you.

Tell me what's wrong with this sentence which I found in one of the posts. NO OFFENSE MEANT TO THE WRITER!

MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT ARE THE BEST!!!



[This message has been edited by PUGSLY (edited 05-11-2000).]

[Assassin_Mage]

Actually, I really am not very finicky about grammar.

as long as the mesage is clear, cool. but if the message is not clear due to grammar, then learn.

as for the above statement.. do I have to say it? :D

[Anck-Su-Namun]

I'm only bothered by grammatical mistakes when people commit errors on the most basic stuff: use of have and has, difference between "you're" from "your" and "lose" from "loose." Even elementary students should be able to tell which word to use. I cringe when I see hs and college kids from the top Philippine universities make these mistakes. If students from the supposedly best universities in the country write this way, what more those who study in the provinces and in public schools? I dread to think about it.

[slurbrun]

Loosely "No offense to the writer" (?esta correcto? or is it for? :rolleyes:

The second, wala namang best eh.(patulan ba talaga? :p

Anck-Su-Namun, well said.

[~faux pas~]

phuleeze! as long as i can understand the message why should i be concerned whether it's written in bad english or good english? even native english speakers commit mistakes as 'basic' as the ones you mentioned. i've seen award winning university teachers here in Canada completely annihilate the english language while writing notes or reports, but that didn't make the message or idea that they're trying to get across any less forceful or important...

mga filipino nga lang finicky sa grammar eh (well, probably except for english teachers :D)

but... those people whose english defy understanding is another matter http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif

[This message has been edited by ~faux pas~ (edited 05-12-2000).]

[blue babe]

i think fortes in fide is right. luxuries and fishes are grammatically correct. i think the word fishes is used when talking about many kinds of fish. in the same way that peoples is the correct term for speaking about many different groups (usualy racial or cultural distincitions ) of people.

as for being finicky about grammar... depends talaga. if its a place like this, okay lang. dati, super grammar police ako. but since in pex, its conversational, i just don't mind common mistakes (one of the mistakes i myself am often guilty of is using your and youre. i'm just not all that concious of it.). except of course, pag may hihirit ng panggulo or pang asar, or pang insulto, tapos mali pa yung grammar, hmmm.. di ko talaga ma-help na i-point out. the temptation is just too great! http://www.pinoyexchange.com/evil.gif

pero in my line of work, impeccable english is a must! right gg? ;) there is nothing worse than a grammatical disaster that somehow managed to pass the bar... (gg: remember atty. abellera... the one with a small time claim? http://www.pinoyexchange.com/lol.gif )

[This message has been edited by blue babe (edited 05-13-2000).]

[Seele]

Before becoming too finicky about the English Grammar, let's check first if we're good at our own Filipino Grammar. Are you aware that Tagalog and Cebuano have a number of significantly different grammar rules? What about Hiligaynon, Capampangan, etc.?

Now that I'm trying to learn a third language, I've started to appreciate the beauty in the different languages. Learning a third or a fourth language helps one appreciate the strong similarities and vast difference among languages. Sometimes, one wonders how the English language evolved from German and French. The most important matter is we are able to diliver the message well to the other party.

[dagny]

The grammar (and spelling) of most people is already bad enough, but I think text shorthand just excacerbates the problem.

[l'ange]

although errors in grammar sometimes come too close to being anoying, let's not be too hauty to say we never did erred in our english.
when we were still children (or for the children-at-heart here) and were still watching tweety bird of looney tunes, have we ever taken into consideration how erroneous it was when it habitually says "i thought i saw a ***** cat. i did... i did.... i did saw a ***** cat."
i thought it was good english then.<;lol>;

[This message has been edited by l'ange (edited 05-22-2000).]

[angelicDAW]

yikes! i'm so guilty. i just posted a msg somewhere correcting the grammar used in the subject heading. i'm not claiming that i speak and write perfect english, but some things are just so elementary (like subject-verb agreement nga). to be really honest, i get turned off big time when someone speaks that way (more easier, did u ate na). speaking of which, do u guys know of this letter sent to jessica zafra? she printed it out unedited, nakakatawa talaga. tapos meron pa yung letter found in malate (who does he want to kiss? you or me? me or you? you have bad breathe....) hilarious!

[FarOutFreak]

God. I'm not finicky about my grammars. It's goods enough, right?

http://www.pinoyexchange.com/silly.gif

[RALPH WALDO]

I'm a grammatically careless person myself. I think what's important is you're able to get your message across...

*E-mail me: ralphwaldo@edsamail.com.ph

[cally]

I must admit, I AM finicky about grammar. I need to be in my line of work, and of course, I easily get irritated when others fail to follow simple grammar and spelling.
And you're right, Seele, we have to be real excellent first in our own dialect before we can police others on their English. Because I'm from Bulacan, I'm easily fired up when people have many mistakes in Tagalog. If we can't speak and write well in our dialect, what more in another?

[vijdaq]

Back to the original topic: most annoying misuse of grammar, as Calypso terms it. Well, for me it's the usage of the word "avail." Here's the typical phrasing:

"He availed of the 10% discount."

Do you think that sentence is correct grammatically? If you don't, how would you rewrite it?

[misanthrope]

I think young Filipinos have comparatively (as compared to an average teen from, let's say, Iowa) good spelling sense (eck. meron ba ganun?)

Some common mistakes:
existence = existance
definitely = definately
misspelled = mispelled
etc...

[zimdude]

I am finicky about my own grammar, but for others', I really don't care much as long as it is comprehensible.

[agungal]

equipments ... i cant believe Manila Bulletin made that error. see it here:

Globe enhances data network backbone with Cisco equipments (http://www.mb.com.ph/INFO/2000-07/IT071104.asp)

[Dombo]

Iyam not edukasyon..wats da matter for you?

[snowcrash]

Grammar is the oil that keeps any language from squeaking and shrieking to a stop. It is also fluid, in that sense - Shakespeare would have probably said "equipments" without batting an eyelash. This fluidity extends to the way it's used and perceived. A corporate website with poor grammar invites a raised eyebrow. But Joyce Jimenez with bad grammar? Heck, bring her on!

[Anali]

Americans are just as terrible with English grammar and spelling, at times even worse than we are! I also post on other US message boards, and you will not believe the errors you see there.

I often see people posting "should of been" as in "This movie should of been better". And they have absolutely no distinction between its and it's.

[Mateen Cleaves]

When I first started teaching, I was such a stickler for grammar (even if I don't teach an English class) Pero sa dami ng mali ng mga estudyante ko (college upperclassmen), napagod na rin ako.

Basta hindi ako kinikilabutan at naiintindihan ko pa....sige na.

Isa lang ang grammatical mortal sin ng sa klase ko... "coz" or "cuz", as in "The best strategy would be Plan A CUZ...."

[BabyFATS]

agungal : Equipments is already accepted in modern English.

Some other common mistakes:
your - you're
beside - besides

[tRiStAn]

To add, quiet is usually confused with quite, at least in writing.

[tRiStAn]

To add, quiet is usually confused with quite, at least in writing.

[kukai]

what did i did?