Then vs. Than

[brp]

Look on the bright side.. Posters could be using "text" lingo..

When people post here, I think the mind set is more along the lines of "talking" to someone - not writing/typing a message.. When I "talk" to people, I don't ask them to stop and spell each word of their sentence - so I certainly don't expect it here - where people are simply "chatting"..

Of course that's only my opinion - which I realize may differ from others..

It's just a pet peeve thread. Seems there a few of us with nothing better to do

Seriously, though - I guess I just hope for more regarding proper forms of words in written English. I would want it to just be second nature so that folks don't have to stop and think about it- it just happens. But, as you say, the points are still made, even with the poor grammar.

Cheers.

 

[FayeW]

The two that drive me bananas are advice/advise and lose/loose. Wah-la instead of Voila makes me nuts. Someone once typed "boku" instead of "beaucoup". I didn't know if she was just being funny or really didn't know what the word was, so I sent her a friendly PM so she could change it if she wanted to (didn't want to embarrass her in the thread). She told me to MYOB so now that's what I do. If people don't mind others thinking they are idiots, who am I to set them straight?

 

[Sorsha]

Yes, actually, proper language usage IS that important. If you are typing it wrong, you are probably speaking it wrong. If you are speaking it wrong, you sound uneducated. We have had thread after thread on why that is a bad thing, so I won't go into it again.

Yes, everyone makes typos. Yes, everyone misspells a word now and then, or punctuates inappropriately. The DIS doesn't have spell-check, more's the pity. But it DOES have an "edit" button, so when you re-read what you have typed and realize you have made a mistake, it is really easy to go back and fix it!

My biggest pet peeve right now on the DIS is the thread with the title "How many days do you got left?". Honestly this makes my teeth hurt everytime I look at it. Even worse, this is the 4th incarnation of that thread and no one has fixed it yet!!! Have = future/present tense.. "I have XX many days." or "How many days do you have?". Got = past tense of the "give" family of verbs. "Yesterday I got a new dictionary from my friend."

Ok, English class is out for the day. Continue on.

 

[ericamanda01]

Look on the bright side.. Posters could be using "text" lingo..

I hope that never happens. I had a hard time learning the DIS. text, DH, DW, DSIL, ect. I wouldn't know what anyone was saying if they only spoke in text.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

If that is your biggest complaint in life, grammar, than you lead a good life! How's that?!

I agree!

 

[sbell111]

If that is your biggest complaint in life, grammar, than you lead a good life! How's that?!

Agreed.

 

[Scurvy]

If that is your biggest complaint in life, grammar, than you lead a good life! How's that?!

You are very cruel.

 

[Sorsha]

Please, can we please, please use these words correctly?

Then tells order: I went to the store, then I went to the bank.

Than is a comparison word: My flight will be arriving later than yours.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many posts I have read today where then is used where it should have been than.

Good way to remember this is to say it out loud as you write it.

"I went to the post office, then to the bank." THEN rhymes with HEN.
"He has more cookies than she has." THAN rhymes with PLAN.

They should sound different.

 

[kpm76]

Improper grammar does drive me crazy, but I am also aware that everyone's level of education differs; therefore, I try not to be judgemental. If we have elementary school teachers making usage errors (i.e. there and their), what can we expect of their students? That is disgraceful......

I cringe when I receive an invitation that reads: "Please RSVP." If you are going to use a French acronym, at least make certain you know what it means.

 

[Handbag Lady]

To lighten the mood around here, the FUNNIEST thing I've read read on a message board was here and it went like this:

"So, I turned around in the hotel room and walla, there it was!"

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the poster was trying to say. Was the item she was looking for called "walla?"

When I finally sounded out her sentence, it dawned on me and I literally laughed out loud. I had to show a co-worker what was so funny, and she didn't get it. Turns out, my co-worker also thought voila was spelled walla.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

The one I've been seeing often on here is "weary" instead of "wary". It drives me crazy! I know it could easily be a typo, but I suspect many people just don't realize they are using the wrong word. They are not "weary" of the stranger following them in the grocery, they are "wary" of him. Well actually I guess they could also be weary of being followed by the guy if he has been shadowing them for a long time, but somehow I suspect that isn't what they were trying to say.

Also I hate it when someone says "Mute point" when they mean "Moot point" - it irks me every time I see that.

Basically, typos don't bother me much but it really bothers me when it someone uses the wrong word entirely for what they are trying to say.

To add another common one, if you are wary of a stranger that is following you in the grocery store, he is stalking you not stocking you.

If the stranger was placing you on the endcap with other wary shoppers, then he may be "stocking" you.

 

[mhsjax]

The two that drive me bananas are advice/advise and lose/loose. Wah-la instead of Voila makes me nuts. Someone once typed "boku" instead of "beaucoup". I didn't know if she was just being funny or really didn't know what the word was, so I sent her a friendly PM so she could change it if she wanted to (didn't want to embarrass her in the thread). She told me to MYOB so now that's what I do. If people don't mind others thinking they are idiots, who am I to set them straight?

Just because you can't spell very well and maybe your grammar stinks, that doesn't make you an idiot. That was RUDE RUDE RUDE. Hubby and son both have very high IQ's but can't spell if their life depended on it, but they are not idiots. I would rather deal with an "idiot" than someone as self righteous as yourself.

 

[Scurvy]

If the stranger was placing you on the endcap with other wary shoppers, then he may be "stocking" you.

Oh, the mental image is priceless! I'm practically crying. From now on when I hear someone talking about a stalker, I'm afraid I'll picture someone in a grocery store uniform following them around putting price tags on them or trying to shove them into a shopping cart.

 

[rie'smom]

Supposebly instead of supposedly
If in doubt about a spelling, I type it into Microsoft Word and use spell check. Sometimes though, I don't pay close enough attention and press the wrong key.

 

[yoopermom]

My DS calls me the "grammar police" because I've been known to pull into a place of business who has a word spelled wrong on its sign in order to complain. Right now, the message board at the turn off for our small town has "luncheon" on one side and "lunchoen" on the other! Aaaargh!

And if a semicolon is good enough for my 99DGM to use in her weekly letter to me, it's good enough for me. (Although she would NEVER start a sentence with a conjunction like I just did!)

Terri

 

[brp]

My DS calls me the "grammar police" because I've been known to pull into a place of business who has a word spelled wrong on its sign in order to complain. Right now, the message board at the turn off for our small town has "luncheon" on one side and "lunchoen" on the other! Aaaargh!

I was running the other day and passed a hotel that advertised "FLAT SCREEN TV's." I even thought about contacting them, but figured it was a losing proposition. Sort of like ID's or IQ's or similar

Cheers.

 

[kpm76]

My DS calls me the "grammar police" because I've been known to pull into a place of business who has a word spelled wrong on its sign in order to complain. Right now, the message board at the turn off for our small town has "luncheon" on one side and "lunchoen" on the other! Aaaargh!

And if a semicolon is good enough for my 99DGM to use in her weekly letter to me, it's good enough for me. (Although she would NEVER start a sentence with a conjunction like I just did!)

Terri

This made me laugh because I can be the same way at times. There is a TV ad in our area for an upscale restaurant promoting their "Pre-fixed" menu. I could not believe their marketing and production people let that one slip.

 

[Scurvy]

This made me laugh because I can be the same way at times. There is a TV ad in our area for an upscale restaurant promoting their "Pre-fixed" menu. I could not believe their marketing and production people let that one slip.

Maybe all the food on the menu really is "pre-fixed" and it's just sitting there under the heat lamp waiting for someone to order it. I admit it doesn't sound terribly appetizing to me, but you do have to appreciate truth in marketing these days!

(. . .or maybe their ad people just need to do a better job! )

 

[FayeW]

Just because you can't spell very well and maybe your grammar stinks, that doesn't make you an idiot. That was RUDE RUDE RUDE. Hubby and son both have very high IQ's but can't spell if their life depended on it, but they are not idiots. I would rather deal with an "idiot" than someone as self righteous as yourself.

Who was I rude to? I didn't call anyone an idiot.

 

[trip]

Hubby and son both have very high IQ's but can't spell if their life depended on it, but they are not idiots. I would rather deal with an "idiot" than someone as self righteous as yourself.

There is a difference between misspelling a word and using the wrong word.