OT, Slow day, Grammar Hacks

[LionJim]

Someone once told me this and I agree completely: people use the word “that” entirely too frequently. I just now edited a post in which I removed two “that.” Reads smoother.

Also, something I learned from the movie “Shattered Glass:” Commas normally come in pairs. “My hearing, which is extremely deficient, prevented me from noticing the tram bearing down upon me before my wife pulled me out of harm’s way.” (Yes. My parents wouldn’t give me a bike for the longest time because I just couldn’t pay attention.)

 

[manatree]

Personally, I prefer grammar crackers. Since I don't write much other than emails and meeting minutes these days, my command of proper English is withering.

Commenting on commas, I remember reading in a Ripley's Believe It Or Not book as a kid about how a grammatical error allegedly saved a prisoner's life in the USSR. A government secretary was transcribing prison sentences and made the Russian equivalent of the following error. What was supposed to be transcribed as "Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia" was actually written as "Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia." Allegedly, the secretary was a distant relative of the prisoner.

 

[WEP6-12]

The serial comma.

 

[Bkmtnittany1]

Someone once told me this and I agree completely: people use the word “that” entirely too frequently. I just now edited a post in which I removed two “that.” Reads smoother.

Also, something I learned from the movie “Broken Glass:” Commas normally come in pairs. “My hearing, which is extremely deficient, prevented me from noticing the tram bearing down upon me before my wife pulled me out of harm’s way.” (Yes. My parents wouldn’t give me a bike for the longest time because I just couldn’t pay attention.)

F*ck THAT,,,,,,,,,, !

 

[LionJim]

The serial comma.

Yeah. It might look awkward but it does remove ambiguity.

 

[WDLion]

Someone once told me this and I agree completely: people use the word “that” entirely too frequently. I just now edited a post in which I removed two “that.” Reads smoother.

Also, something I learned from the movie “Broken Glass:” Commas normally come in pairs. “My hearing, which is extremely deficient, prevented me from noticing the tram bearing down upon me before my wife pulled me out of harm’s way.” (Yes. My parents wouldn’t give me a bike for the longest time because I just couldn’t pay attention.)

It's good to know that.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

Agree on use of the word "that". Although...

"I WOULD WRECK CHICK" just doesn't have the same ring to it

 

[LionJim]

Agree on use of the word "that". Although...

"I WOULD WRECK CHICK" just doesn't have the same ring to it

Nicely done, Otter.

 

[Woodpecker]

 

[FHSPSU67]

"Than" instead of "as"

 

[MtNittany]

I'd be happy if the word literally just went away.

 

[Woodpecker]

I'd be happy if the word literally just went away.

 

[rudedude]

 

[wbcbus]

This is funny. But also, I will defend the Oxford comma to the death. It adds necessary clarity. Tell me who you're introducing if I don't use the Oxford comma and say "I'd like you to come over and meet my dogs, Max and Emma."

Other things: people who try to correct you when using "me" because they were taught poorly. "Do you want to go to the store with Mike and me," is correct, but the majority of people will try to correct you.

A full date always has a comma, but the vast majority don't use it. Like the Oxford comma, more than half the briefs I edit I have to add it when people say things "after the June 27, 2024 letter plaintiff responded ..."

 

[LionJim]

This is funny. But also, I will defend the Oxford comma to the death. It adds necessary clarity. Tell me who you're introducing if I don't use the Oxford comma and say "I'd like you to come over and meet my dogs, Max and Emma."

Other things: people who try to correct you when using "me" because they were taught poorly. "Do you want to go to the store with Mike and me," is correct, but the majority of people will try to correct you.

A full date always has a comma, but the vast majority don't use it. Like the Oxford comma, more than half the briefs I edit I have to add it when people say things "after the June 27, 2024 letter plaintiff responded ..."

Yeah about your second paragraph. Simple hack is to try saying it when it just involves you.

 

[uh-Clem]

Yeah about your second paragraph. Simple hack is to try saying it when it just involves you.

Many years ago I had a secretary who "corrected" my dictation and handed me several letters to sign. When I challenged her changing "me" to "I", she told me that she was happy to correct my English. I told her to type it the way it is dictated. A couple years later she was let go for refusing to give up her IBM Selectric for a an IBM Desktop computer. Just another Luddite.

 

[psuro]

Many years ago I had a secretary who "corrected" my dictation and handed me several letters to sign. When I challenged her changing "me" to "I", she told me that she was happy to correct my English. I told her to type it the way it is dictated. A couple years later she was let go for refusing to give up her IBM Selectric for a an IBM Desktop computer. Just another Luddite.

I had to get my Funk & Wagnalls dictionary off the book shelf to look up the definition of "luddite".

 

[Grant Green]

This is funny. But also, I will defend the Oxford comma to the death. It adds necessary clarity. Tell me who you're introducing if I don't use the Oxford comma and say "I'd like you to come over and meet my dogs, Max and Emma."

Other things: people who try to correct you when using "me" because they were taught poorly. "Do you want to go to the store with Mike and me," is correct, but the majority of people will try to correct you.

A full date always has a comma, but the vast majority don't use it. Like the Oxford comma, more than half the briefs I edit I have to add it when people say things "after the June 27, 2024 letter plaintiff responded ..."

Doesn't an Oxford comma apply to lists of 3 or more things?

What kind of animal doesn't use a comma in a date?!

 

[Grant Green]

I had to get my Funk & Wagnalls dictionary off the book shelf to look up the definition of "luddite".

The story of the Luddites is pretty interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite

 

[Midnighter]

Watching ‘The Bear’ last night and a lesson Carmy learned in cooking - much like in writing and fashion - is that less is always more. Amy Hempel and Chuck Palahniuk are masters of sparsity.

 

[Mr. Potter]

I don't know if the Grammer is proper, Instead of Hock she said Hawk

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Watching ‘The Bear’ last night and a lesson Carmy learned in cooking - much like in writing and fashion - is that less is always more. Amy Hempel and Chuck Palahniuk are masters of sparsity.

Just saying ... that is almost flag worthy for not providing examples. @lionlover would not make that mistake.

 

[Midnighter]

Just saying ... that is almost flag worthy for not providing examples. @lionlover would not make that mistake.

Here is an entire story by Amy Hempel:

‘Housewife’

She would always sleep with her husband and with another man in the course of the same day, and then the rest of the day, for whatever was left to her of that day, she would exploit by incanting, “French film, French film.”

 

[OptionBob]

This is funny. But also, I will defend the Oxford comma to the death. It adds necessary clarity. Tell me who you're introducing if I don't use the Oxford comma and say "I'd like you to come over and meet my dogs, Max and Emma."

Other things: people who try to correct you when using "me" because they were taught poorly. "Do you want to go to the store with Mike and me," is correct, but the majority of people will try to correct you.

A full date always has a comma, but the vast majority don't use it. Like the Oxford comma, more than half the briefs I edit I have to add it when people say things "after the June 27, 2024 letter plaintiff responded ..."

Agree completely. Through my decades in the classroom, objects following the preposition between seemed to cause much confusion for my students. Examples as follows:

Allar placed that ball perfectly between he and the defender. [should be him]
Just between you and I, I think he's the best coach in America. [should be me]

 

[lionlover]

Just saying ... that is almost flag worthy for not providing examples. @lionlover would not make that mistake.

@Midnighter our friend @Tom McAndrew was looking for something like these as examples for "less is more."

 

[rudedude]

 

[CVLion]

So funny that this thread should pop up today. Earlier this afternoon, in a group text with some longtime friends, I called myself out for having omitted an Oxford comma in a prior text.

I absolutely live by the Oxford comma and don’t think it looks awkward in the slightest. To me, leaving it out is as wrong as trying to hitching the caboose to a train without using a coupler. I don’t get the logic — to me, it should be mandatory.

And I had a girlfriend years ago who had that mentality “it should always be you and I” regardless of where the phrase falls in the sentence. It drove me nuts!

 

[BobPSU92]

Now I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky
For you and I me

 

[CVLion]

Another thing I can’t stand — and I see a lot of it these days, even in “professional” journalism — is a sentence like, “After falling down the steps, I laughed my a$$ off at my brother.”

It’s the brother who fell. But the way that sentence is worded, “after falling down the steps” modifies “I laughed,” so it’s saying that I fell!

Why can so few people think to write, “After he fell down the steps, I yadda yadda” anymore? Ugh

 

[CVLion]

Now I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky
For you and I me

Till the stars fall in the sea
For you and me?

 

[step.eng69]

Another thing I can’t stand — and I see a lot of it these days, even in “professional” journalism — is a sentence like, “After falling down the steps, I laughed my a$$ off at my brother.”

It’s the brother who fell. But the way that sentence is worded, “after falling down the steps” modifies “I laughed,” so it’s saying that I fell!

Why can so few people think to write, “After he fell down the steps, I yadda yadda” anymore? Ugh

Now I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky
For you and I me

Beautiful my friends....another great tribute to our 60's and 70's culture...

 

[wbcbus]

Doesn't an Oxford comma apply to lists of 3 or more things?

What kind of animal doesn't use a comma in a date?!

Correct, but if you aren't a habitual Oxford comma user, you can't tell in my example whether I'm introducing you to my two dogs, or to my dogs, as well as Max and Emma.

Just to be clear on the comma in the date, I'm referring to the one that's missing at the end. So they write "the June 27, 2024 letter stated..." and I bet 75% of the time I have to add the comma after the date in "the June 27, 2024, letter stated..."

 

[Grant Green]

Correct, but if you aren't a habitual Oxford comma user, you can't tell in my example whether I'm introducing you to my two dogs, or to my dogs, as well as Max and Emma.

Just to be clear on the comma in the date, I'm referring to the one that's missing at the end. So they write "the June 27, 2024 letter stated..." and I bet 75% of the time I have to add the comma after the date in "the June 27, 2024, letter stated..."

Ha, I see it now. One comma turns it into one dog and two people instead of two dogs. Good example.

 

[wbcbus]

It's like opposing counsel read my post in this thread and decided to irk me first thing today. Draft settlement agreement included the following:

"entered into a subcontract dated February 12, 2023 (the “Subcontract”) whereby"

"as of the date of this Agreement with respect to the Project, the Subcontract and the Work."

But then also did this: "asserting claims for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, quantum meruit, and violation of the Federal Prompt Payment Act."

This guy can't even pick a side on the Oxford comma debate.

 

[saturdaysarebetter]

Drives me batshit crazy seeing people use loose when they mean lose. They shouldn't be allowed to graduate high school and then levy a fine to every English teacher for allowing that to occur.

Commas are very important. It's the difference between “Let’s eat Grandma!” and “Let’s eat, Grandma!”

 

[LionJim]

Someone once told me this and I agree completely: people use the word “that” entirely too frequently. I just now edited a post in which I removed two “that.” Reads smoother.

Also, something I learned from the movie “Shattered Glass:” Commas normally come in pairs. “My hearing, which is extremely deficient, prevented me from noticing the tram bearing down upon me before my wife pulled me out of harm’s way.” (Yes. My parents wouldn’t give me a bike for the longest time because I just couldn’t pay attention.)

Fixed. “Shattered Glass” is the story of Stephen Glass at The New Republic.