Apostrophes or is it apostrophe's?

[KnottedYet]

Oh, cool, I'm someone's hobby!

What a warm feeling that gives me! My very own stalker!

Yes, more than that. Maybe 10 or 12 versions by now. How do I say what I want with just that right touch of righteous indignation, the right level of gutter repulsion, the right firmness defending someone I really like who keeps getting slammed for the same damn (meaningless) thing over and over again?

I'm glad you enjoy the show. Maybe I'll change it a few more times.

Stay tuned!

[ClockworkOrange]

I have met many people over the years who are dyslexic, also people on other forums and although I totally agree with the OP, we still have to remember this is only a forum and it would be a shame to put anybody off from posting, for fear of being ridiculed.

PS Only just noticed this, love it.

Oh, cool, I'm someone's hobby!

[OakLeaf]

Well, y'know, right at this very moment we have the other thread going on about people who give well-meaning but unsolicited advice about diet.

The consensus in that thread is that although it's really tempting to give that sort of advice, it's also extremely inappropriate, and very hurtful to the person on the receiving end.

The difference would be ....... ?

[Crankin]

I would never give anyone direct grammar advice on this forum.
Most people don't care about grammar, in any situation, so this is *my* issue. In a lot of cases, poor grammar is some form of learning disability; in others, poor teaching.
Just saying it bothers me to see it, as it seems to be a growing problem, everywhere, even in professional contexts, as so many of you have mentioned.

I am glad Veronica is inspiring young writers to learn the correct usage of grammar, in a way that makes it useful. When I first started teaching English, I was very much against direct teaching of grammar rules, because as a Special Ed teacher, it just never worked. But, I developed some strategies that worked in the context of some pretty detailed and creative writing pieces. Not everyone learned everything they needed to, but it didn't feel painful, in the way it had in the past.

[yellow]

in any situation, so this is *my* issue.

+1

Hence my feeling that I need therapy to deal with it. Much like I need therapy to deal with riding in a car for a long time.

Things become standard and accepted after a while. It's happened throughout the history of language. I do think that while this is happening, those of us who might write for a living should try to produce professional, readable documents with correct punctuation and correct spelling. Outside of the professional realm? Doesn't matter so much. That's when it really becomes my problem. Language is changing. It happens.

So, Oak, you can use as many ellipses as you want! (And for the record, I didn't really have much of a reaction to ellipses until this co-worker came along. She completely destroyed them for me, which is too bad, because they are a genuinely cool form of punctuation.)

[indysteel]

Well, y'know, right at this very moment we have the other thread going on about people who give well-meaning but unsolicited advice about diet.

The consensus in that thread is that although it's really tempting to give that sort of advice, it's also extremely inappropriate, and very hurtful to the person on the receiving end.

The difference would be ....... ?

I see some difference. What is and is not an "appropriate" diet is both highly subjective and highly personal. Grammatically correct communication is arguably neither of these things, minus the areas that are the subject of debate or style. I do think you have to tread lightly when correcting someone's grammar, but it can be done constructively and with good intentions. Perhaps I just have thicker skin about it. My boss edits my writing every day. I'm the queen of unintended typos, so red ink is my friend. I know grammar far better than he does, so I will edit his writing if necessary, too. The point is that we strive for effective communication.

Now, I must have missed the part where Veronica directed this at a particular member. I was also unaware that this has come up before with this member. Perhaps it is time to let the subject go then if past attempts have failed. If this thread was intended for her or she takes it that way, then I hope that she views it as constructive criticism. No one wants to ridicule her; at least I don't.

[Irulan]

You didn't miss it as it didn't happen. I for one was enjoying this thread as an educational discussion that we all could either contribute to or take something from. Or as they say elsewhere, "take what you like and leave the rest". Or, is that, ."?

[snapdragen]

You didn't miss it as it didn't happen. I for one was enjoying this thread as an educational discussion that we all could either contribute to or take something from. Or as they say elsewhere, "take what you like and leave the rest". Or, is that, ."?

Thank you, I thought I was losing (loosing!!!! ) my mind trying to find the singled out individual.

As a grammatically challenged individual, I appreciate this thread.




snap "who has been known to run posts through the Word grammar checker" dragen

[Eden]

I think I know of whom Knot refers, but my world is a bit happier I guess, as the thought never passed my mind that the OP was directing this at anyone in particular.

I'm not a huge grammar stickler -especially in formats like a forum, where I actually appreciate (and use) lots of non-standard punctuation to simulate more of a conversational rhythm in a written form. I think if I didn't, I might sometimes come across as a bit deadpan or be misunderstood, because no one else can hear the voice in my head that carries all of the emotion and intonations...

I've also been studying a foreign language recently, and it's an Asian one, so I have little expectation of ever being able to read more than a few words here and there.... The fact that I'm really concentrating on spoken language and trying to understand normal every day conversation has made me very aware of how incredibly different written language and spoken language really are. People simply speaking to one another rarely speak in complete formal sentences - to do so makes you sound very stilted and strange. When we write it's totally different - and I think it is because there isn't immediate context, so writing in sentence fragments becomes very difficult to understand.