[OT] Spelling

[Stoner]

Call me an idiot but I can't figure out how it's wrong. Besides the fact that my iPhone just inserted the last one for me.

 

Can you come over? About 10?

[SwampD]

Call me an idiot but I can't figure out how it's wrong. Besides the fact that my iPhone just inserted the last one for me.

It's = contraction for it is

Its = possessive for it. The way you remember is his and hers don't have apostrophes either.

[BetweenThePipes00]

So, you haven't been cashing those checks?

 

To be fair, if you have been sending me checks, I have not been earning them. I need to show up more like I did before the little guy was born.

[inkman]

It's = contraction for it is

Its = possessive for it. The way you remember is his and hers don't have apostrophes either.

Well tickle my rear, learn something new eveyday. Maybe I shouldn't be starrting threads like this. :-/

[Bmwolf21]

I'm gonna throw this one out there: I can't stand when people say "I could care less." That acknowledges that they do, in fact, care at some level. The expression they are usually looking for is "couldn't care less" as in "my level of caring is zero, therefore I have no interest in that topic."

[shrader]

I've always wondered if it bugs people when I type "a RFA" on this board, especially since I'll also type "an UFA". Every time I see "RFA", I read it as "restricted free agent", so in that sense, what I type is correct.

[evil_otto]

Firefox with the "Check my spelling as I type" option enabled.:thumbsup:

[korab rules]

I've always wondered if it bugs people when I type "a RFA" on this board, especially since I'll also type "an UFA". Every time I see "RFA", I read it as "restricted free agent", so in that sense, what I type is correct.

 

"an" is always supposed to precede an acronym, regardless of whether the first "word" begins with a vowel or consonant.

 

I hate the fact that affect and effect are two different words. I have the hardest time using them correctly, and that bugs the crap out of me, even though less than 1% of the population knows the difference.

[cdexchange]

I'm gonna throw this one out there: I can't stand when people say "I could care less." That acknowledges that they do, in fact, care at some level. The exp​ression they are usually looking for is "couldn't care less" as in "my level of caring is zero, therefore I have no interest in that topic."

 

 

Yes!! Man I freakin' hate that too. It's especially annoying, because not only does it NOT mean what they think it means, but in fact it means the EXACT OPPOSITE which makes it doubly stupid. :doh:

[Eleven]

"an" is always supposed to precede an acronym, regardless of whether the first "word" begins with a vowel or consonant.

 

 

Not sure that's right, either. I think it has to with how the first letter sounds. So it's a TPS report, but it's an MRI.

[MattPie]

It's = contraction for it is

Its = possessive for it. The way you remember is his and hers don't have apostrophes either.

 

Interesting mnemonic, I haven't heard that one before. When I get to 'it's/its' I generally think 'it is' and if that doesn't work in the sentence it must be 'its'.

 

Also, apostrophe misuse isn't limited to WNY: http://www.apostropheabuse.com/

 

The one that kills me are serial commas. I don't know what your 4th grade teacher taught you but there should be a comma before the 'and' or 'or' if there are more than two items in a list ("Blue, Gold, and Silver" not "Blue, Gold and Silver"). I have trouble reading books that get that wrong.

[nfreeman]

"an" is always supposed to precede an acronym, regardless of whether the first "word" begins with a vowel or consonant.

 

I hate the fact that affect and effect are two different words. I have the hardest time using them correctly, and that bugs the crap out of me, even though less than 1% of the population knows the difference.

Not sure that's right, either. I think it has to with how the first letter sounds. So it's a TPS report, but it's an MRI.

I will join 11 in respectfully calling BS on this.

 

As for effect/effect -- a bit tricky, but doable, as follows:

 

Affect -- verb only; never a noun. "Heavy drinking can affect the number of wings a hockey fan eats." or "Losing Drury and Briere really affected the Sabres in a negative way."

 

Effect -- usually a noun. "That movie had bitchen special effects." or "Losing Drury and Briere had a negative effect on the Sabres." However, sometimes it's a verb meaning "cause to occur" -- e.g. "The president claims he will effect real change in foreign affairs just by talking sweetly to a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics."

 

Carry on.

[inkman]

As for effect/effect -- a bit tricky

Not really.

[shrader]

The one that kills me are serial commas. I don't know what your 4th grade teacher taught you but there should be a comma before the 'and' or 'or' if there are more than two items in a list ("Blue, Gold, and Silver" not "Blue, Gold and Silver"). I have trouble reading books that get that wrong.

 

I see that one in high end medical journals so much now that I have no idea which is the right way anymore. I've always gone with that extra comma though.

[korab rules]

I will join 11 in respectfully calling BS on this.

 

As for effect/effect -- a bit tricky, but doable, as follows:

 

Affect -- verb only; never a noun. "Heavy drinking can affect the number of wings a hockey fan eats." or "Losing Drury and Briere really affected the Sabres in a negative way."

 

Effect -- usually a noun. "That movie had bitchen special effects." or "Losing Drury and Briere had a negative effect on the Sabres." However, sometimes it's a verb meaning "cause to occur" -- e.g. "The president claims he will effect real change in foreign affairs just by talking sweetly to a bunch of bloodthirsty lunatics."

 

Carry on.

 

I agree, doesn't sound right when you say it, but I stand by it. Unfortunately, no universal source for most of the these so called "rules".

 

as to affect/effect - affect can be a noun - as in a person's affect (relating to demeanor).

 

The difficulty (for me, anyway) is discerning between the verb form of affect and effect, two different words meaning almost the exact same thing. Drives me batty, just one of those personal stumbling blocks in life. I literally spend a minute or two trying to determine which one I should use when it is necessary to use one. Thank god for synonyms.

[korab rules]

Not really.

 

Then you are a better or more discerning man than I.

[spndnchz]

Just wait till we get Regehr and everyone spells it Regier.

 

This thread's really having an affect on hockey thread effectiveness.

 

Can we start the GDT Season Opener thread yet?

[korab rules]

I see that one in high end medical journals so much now that I have no idea which is the right way anymore. I've always gone with that extra comma though.

 

 

You are correct, Shrader. Most professional writing, including legal, medical and scientific, teaches not to use the extra comma. Outside of the professional fields, the, use, of, commas, is, liberalized. :-)

[Stoner]

Just wait till we get Regehr and everyone spells it Regier.

 

This thread's really having an affect on hockey thread effectiveness.

 

Can we start the GDT Season Opener thread yet?

 

Bzzzzzzzzzz.

[Stoner]

Interesting mnemonic, I haven't heard that one before. When I get to 'it's/its' I generally think 'it is' and if that doesn't work in the sentence it must be 'its'.

 

Also, apostrophe misuse isn't limited to WNY: http://www.apostropheabuse.com/

 

The one that kills me are serial commas. I don't know what your 4th grade teacher taught you but there should be a comma before the 'and' or 'or' if there are more than two items in a list ("Blue, Gold, and Silver" not "Blue, Gold and Silver"). I have trouble reading books that get that wrong.

 

Dropping the serial comma isn't wrong. It depends on the style book you are adhering to.

 

Now, dropping the comma before a conjunction that joins two independent clauses...

 

This thread is just beyond sad. Are we not men?

[Stoner]

I agree, doesn't sound right when you say it, but I stand by it. Unfortunately, no universal source for most of the these so called "rules".

 

as to affect/effect - affect can be a noun - as in a person's affect (relating to demeanor).

 

The difficulty (for me, anyway) is discerning between the verb form of affect and effect, two different words meaning almost the exact same thing. Drives me batty, just one of those personal stumbling blocks in life. I literally spend a minute or two trying to determine which one I should use when it is necessary to use one. Thank god for synonyms.

 

Good pickup on the noun "affect." Anything that humbles nfreeman is a good thing.

 

Just to confuse things more, you can affect an air of superiority.

[nfreeman]

as to affect/effect - affect can be a noun - as in a person's affect (relating to demeanor).

Nice. Very seldom used, but it still counts. You got me.

[korab rules]

Nice. Very seldom used, but it still counts. You got me.

 

 

Goon hockey and the finer points of grammar. What a board!

 

Makes me wonder what all you people do in your real lives!

[Eleven]

Goon hockey and the finer points of grammar. What a board!

 

Makes me wonder what all you people do in your real lives!

 

Very little.

[Stoner]

Very little.

 

I wonder if anyone has seriously studied the toll that the Internet has taken on the productivity of the average American worker (with access to the Internet).