Grammar Discussions

[anat0l]

Along the lines of "lose" and "loose", this is an error which is quite common, even and especially on AFF:

1. Queue: As a noun, this refers to a sequence of things in some time-based order, e.g. at a bank in order of who is to be served first, or in computer terms, a objects sequenced in a FIFO fashion (first in, first out). As a verb, this is the act of forming or entering into a queue. Americans tend to refer to a queue as a line, and the act as lining up (compare join the queue with get in line).
2. Q: This is the 17th letter of the alphabet as Anglophones know it.
3. Cue: As a noun, it can refer to:
   • Some sort of signal intended to bring about a particular response, e.g. an audio cue
   • A hint or stimulus (on the same lines as the previous idea)
   • A long stick used in billiards or snooker, i.e. cue stick, or the white ball in those games used principally to hit the other balls when struck by the said stick, cue ball
   As a verb, it can refer to either:
   • To provide a cue as described previously, e.g. to give a hint
   • To introduce something
   • Idiomatically, to cue someone in means to give them information or news

However, what usually happens is:

• Hardly anyone can spell #1
• Those too lazy to try to spell #1 substitute #2
• #1 and #3 are often put in the wrong place for each other, especially the verbs

 

[SeatBackForward]

Along the lines of "lose" and "loose", this is an error which is quite common, even and especially on AFF:

1. Queue: As a noun, this refers to a sequence of things in some time-based order, e.g. at a bank in order of who is to be served first, or in computer terms, a objects sequenced in a FIFO fashion (first in, first out). As a verb, this is the act of forming or entering into a queue. Americans tend to refer to a queue as a line, and the act as lining up (compare join the queue with get in line).
2. Q: This is the 17th letter of the alphabet as Anglophones know it.
3. Cue: As a noun, it can refer to:
   • Some sort of signal intended to bring about a particular response, e.g. an audio cue
   • A hint or stimulus (on the same lines as the previous idea)
   • A long stick used in billiards or snooker, i.e. cue stick, or the white ball in those games used principally to hit the other balls when struck by the said stick, cue ball
   As a verb, it can refer to either:
   • To provide a cue as described previously, e.g. to give a hint
   • To introduce something
   • Idiomatically, to cue someone in means to give them information or news

However, what usually happens is:

• Hardly anyone can spell #1
• Those too lazy to try to spell #1 substitute #2
• #1 and #3 are often put in the wrong place for each other, especially the verbs

Que?

(I'm not from Barcelona)

 

[JessicaTam]

Que?

(I'm not from Barcelona)

And that spelling appears more and more often these days.

 

[Captain Halliday]

along the lines of "lose" and "loose", this is an error which is quite common, even and especially on aff:

1. queue: As a noun, this refers to a sequence of things in some time-based order, e.g. At a bank in order of who is to be served first, or in computer terms, a objects sequenced in a fifo fashion (first in, first out). As a verb, this is the act of forming or entering into a queue. Americans tend to refer to a queue as a line, and the act as lining up (compare join the queue with get in line).
2. q: This is the 17th letter of the alphabet as anglophones know it.
3. cue: As a noun, it can refer to:
   • some sort of signal intended to bring about a particular response, e.g. An audio cue
   • a hint or stimulus (on the same lines as the previous idea)
   • a long stick used in billiards or snooker, i.e. cue stick, or the white ball in those games used principally to hit the other balls when struck by the said stick, cue ball
   as a verb, it can refer to either:
   • to provide a cue as described previously, e.g. To give a hint
   • to introduce something
   • idiomatically, to cue someone in means to give them information or news

however, what usually happens is:

• hardly anyone can spell #1
• those too lazy to try to spell #1 substitute #2
• #1 and #3 are often put in the wrong place for each other, especially the verbs

q.e.d.
Edit. No matter how many times I add Q.E.D. In uppercase it defaults to lowercase.

There's nothing more frustrating than being unable to correct your own error in the grammar thread

 

[coriander]

q.e.d.
Edit. No matter how many times I add Q.E.D. In uppercase it defaults to lowercase.

It ( Q.E.D.) seems to have stuck in your edit.

 

[Captain Halliday]

It ( Q.E.D.) seems to have stuck in your edit.

But not the original post. Just my luck.

 

[get me outta here]

"We have doggy Bags,if your too full please ask a staffmember to take home" Where do I start, perhaps at the end with no full stop, then work backwards.

I read a beauty in the paper this morning. Apparently, a commercial TV program reported that Mick Fanning nearly met his demise, "at the hands of a shark".

 

[Warks]

Admittedly this was only a Facebook re-post but I almost had to blind myself after reading this:

World's biggest snake Anaconda found in Africa's Amazon river. It has killed 257 human beings and 2325 animals. It is 134 feet long and 2067 kgs. Africa's Royal British commandos took 37 days to get it killed

World's worst Photoshop followed by largest exaggeration and completely incorrect geography...

 

[Julesmac]

How exactly did they arrive at the (alleged) numbers of people and animals killed? Irrelevant I guess since it's a made up piece of nonsense.

My sister in law was a primary school teacher and she used to teach (about 50 years ago) a list of 'demon words', I think in about 3rd grade, which pupils had to just learn by heart similarly to learning times tables. Words such as lose and loose, there and theirs, its and it's - so many of the really irritating mistakes which drive us (or we) codgers nuts.

 

[Warks]

Can anyone tell me what this sentence means?

“Before we get pictures of the sorts we just got from Pluto, where we fly-by a distant exoplanet and beam back to Earth the images, the speed at which the aircraft can get there, the speed of light, is many decades."

From: Kepler 452b: Earth 2.0 discovered by NASA | Twin planet

 

[get me outta here]

I think it means that they are over excited and will be able to talk coherently some day soon. Hopefully.

l

Can anyone tell me what this sentence means?



From: Kepler 452b: Earth 2.0 discovered by NASA | Twin planet

 

[whatmeworry]

New study into those who love grammar.

Researchers at the Institute for Studies found that people who loudly exclaim about apostrophes and ‘who versus whom’ are actually better than everyone else.

People who highlight minor grammar points are amazing

 

[Warks]

Just doing a Virgin customer service survey and spotted this one (it was about pilot communication).

Audability of communications

Even Chrome just underlined that one when I pasted it in.

 

[JessicaTam]

New study into those who love grammar.



People who highlight minor grammar points are amazing

And the contributors to this thread are the amazingest of all.

 

[SeatBackForward]

And the contributors to this thread are the amazingest of all.

Winningest is an often used term in American sports, so why not start usingest for the restest.

 

[Warks]

Saw this in a post on a forum:

and the paper was dissenter-grating whilst trying to remove it

I struggled to work out what sort of monster would own a dissenter-grater. Didn't Saddam Hussein own something like that?

 

[SeatBackForward]

Saw this in a post on a forum:



I struggled to work out what sort of monster would own a dissenter-grater. Didn't Saddam Hussein own something like that?

Often incorrect grammar is a result of simplification, or phonetic mistakes. But the above is impressive for the effort required to get it wrong.

 

[sjd]

Audability of communications

Maybe this is a combination of laudable and audible. Worthy communications that you can also hear.

 

[andye]

Saw this in a post on a forum:



I struggled to work out what sort of monster would own a dissenter-grater. Didn't Saddam Hussein own something like that?

Might this have been dictation software? Pretty impressive though

 

[Hvr]

Well if you're going to stuff up you may as well do it properly.
This is on a new residential building I pass regularly.