NationStates Jolt Archive

I have a problem with some of the posters on here. Now, I'm not claiming to be a grammatical genius or anything. In fact, I suck. The one thing that gets on my nerves to the point where I want to boil my own hand is the use of 'then' and 'than'. A lot of people here use 'then' when they are describing a conditional situation. It can be used in things like conditional threats, such as, "If you don't finish you're homework, then, I will kill you." But people seem to use it more often than that. To make a comparitive example, I like oranges better THAN apples. I've noticed that a lot of people use 'then' in similar circumstances.

What's wrong with me? Why am I so retardedly anal about this? Tear this apart before it gets put in the spam-bucket: I'll give you a shiney penny... but you'll have to come find me first, you greedy pig!

They are called Spelling Nazis..... don't mind them

I have a problem with some of the posters on here. Now, I'm not claiming to be a grammatical genius or anything. In fact, I suck. The one thing that gets on my nerves to the point where I want to boil my own hand is the use of 'then' and 'than'. A lot of people here use 'then' when they are describing a conditional situation. It can be used in things like conditional threats, such as, "If you don't finish you're homework, then, I will kill you." But people seem to use it more often than that. To make a comparitive example, I like oranges better THAN apples. I've noticed that a lot of people use 'then' in similar circumstances.

What's wrong with me? Why am I so retardedly anal about this? Tear this apart before it gets put in the spam-bucket: I'll give you a shiney penny... but you'll have to come find me first, you greedy pig!
never even noticed that myself :confused:


oh well, must just be you than ;)

http://www.crownvic.net/cowman/spelling.jpg

never even noticed that myself :confused:


oh well, must just be you than ;)

IT'S THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT'S THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And also: only the I is supposed to be capitalized and just one exclamation point will do fine. :p

It's more annoying when people make mistakes in easy to spell words. I can understand them mispelling longer words, but getting short words like "lose/loose" wrong is just pathetic.

It's more annoying when people make mistakes in easy to spell words. I can understand them mispelling longer words, but getting short words like "lose/loose" wrong is just pathetic.

I agree

You could always just ignore them, but THEN they might cease to exist and we'll be stuck with the plague that is bad spelling and grammar... it's a catch 22.

Where are the people that totally rip apart this sort of spam? I want to be humiliated for my douche baggery!

I have a thing about people who confuse "there," "their," and "they're." Drives me nuts! :(

Where are the people that totally rip apart this sort of spam? I want to be humiliated for my douche baggery!
Douche Bagger! :p :mp5: :sniper: :gundge: :sniper: :mp5: :gundge:

I have a thing about people who confuse "there," "their," and "they're." Drives me nuts! :(

Yeah, that pisses the hell out of me, but it's not as frequent an error... or at least I don't notice it as often.

Spelling doesn't really bother me, unless I am bored or see a misspelling that I find particularly humorous. Then my finely honed proof reading instincts (instincts which are somehow incapable of finding my own mistakes unless I print them out) kick in. After all, sometimes even a Nazi fits the situation, isn't that right?
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a36/Fiddlebottoms/NS%20Comments/Jasmall.jpg

A simple spelling mistake is like a soft poke in the side. It doesn't hurt anybody, but it does cause some people to spasm uncontrollably.

(instincts which are somehow incapable of finding my own mistakes unless I print them out)

I hate how that happens! :headbang:

A simple spelling mistake is like a soft poke in the side. It doesn't hurt anybody, but it does cause some people to spasm uncontrollably.

And how! :p

I have some friends who are teachers, I help two of them grade papers sometimes. What annoys me is that the seniors make the same mistakes as the 4th graders. One would assume that after 12 years of school you would have figured out the difference between "your" and "you're", or that "Tommy and I are going to the movies" is correct, but that "She bought movie tickets for Tommy and I" is not. :headbang:

I have some friends who are teachers, I help two of them grade papers sometimes. What annoys me is that the seniors make the same mistakes as the 4th graders. One would assume that after 12 years of school you would have figured out the difference between "your" and "you're", or that "Tommy and I are going to the movies" is correct, but that "She bought movie tickets for Tommy and I" is not. :headbang:

Yeah, it's incredible how many people, old and young, will make silly errors, and I think Fiddlebottoms had it right: it could be purely accidental in some cases, and some of us are just so messed up that it bugs us.

Yeah, that pisses the hell out of me, but it's not as frequent an error... or at least I don't notice it as often.
Perhaps I just notice them more. Hardly a day goes by that someone on here doesn't use "there" as reference to the plural. :eek:

Yeah, it's incredible how many people, old and young, will make silly errors, and I think Fiddlebottoms had it right: it could be purely accidental in some cases, and some of us are just so messed up that it bugs us.
I think he is right too, grammar and spelling aren't my "hot button issues" but I do have some things that annoy me more than it would a "normal" person. LOL


I think the other thing is that kids get corrected so much without anyone ever telling them what the actual rule is (at least I think that's the problem sometimes) I remember being young and my parents would always correct my use of the words good and well. They never did tell me when to say good or when to say well though, so I kept making the same mistakes. My husband has since explained to me the rule, and I don't make the mistake of saying well when I mean good anymore. ;)

Perhaps I just notice them more. Hardly a day goes by that someone on here doesn't use "there" as reference to the plural. :eek:

I'm a pretty slow typer because I have to take the time to go back and check everything: I'm notorious for that.

once their was a little boy who didnt no how to speel. he was liek 'i can speel cus im kool'. than he dyed rather then be a live cus he was kool. teh end.

One would assume that after 12 years of school you would have figured out the difference between "your" and "you're", or that "Tommy and I are going to the movies" is correct, but that "She bought movie tickets for Tommy and I" is not. :headbang:

For some people the years of schooling are longer - therefore, there shouldn't be any excuse ;) :rolleyes:
lol :D

[Retry: Right, I'd misunderstood the use of the example, but the main comments still stand...]

..."If you don't finish you're homework, then, I will kill you."

Did you intentionally use "you're" instead of "your", and why the second comma?

I would write it as "If you don't finish your homework, then I will kill you." (And there are more grammatical ways of doing it, but [it] would be Ok as a spoken quote...)

[Darn my shorthand way of typing... I'm now as up for ridicule as anyone else...]

once their was a little boy who didnt no how to speel. he was liek 'i can speel cus im kool'. than he dyed rather then be a live cus he was kool. teh end.

I think you put too much effort into that.

[Retry: Right, I'd misunderstood the use of the example, but the main comments still stand...]



Did you intentionally use "you're" instead of "your", and why the second comma?

I would write it as "If you don't finish your homework, then I will kill you." (And there are more grammatical ways of doing it, but would be Ok as a spoken quote...)

See? SEE??? I fall into the stupid-trap too!

One would assume that after 12 years of school you would have figured out the difference between "your" and "you're", or that "Tommy and I are going to the movies" is correct, but that "She bought movie tickets for Tommy and I" is not. :headbang:
A good rule of thumb for that one is that if you can drop out the other person and it still makes sense, you're good to go:

Original: "She bought tickets for Tommy and I."

Test: "She bought tickets for I." Heh! :p

A good rule of thumb for that one is that if you can drop out the other person and it still makes sense, you're good to go:

Original: "She bought tickets for Tommy and I."

Test: "She bought tickets for I." Heh! :p

I learned that one later in life. Made my superiority complex vanish.

The 'than/then' thing doesn't bother me nearly so much as people replacing have with of. By that I mean when people put 'should of/could of/would of' instead of 'should've/could've/would've'. It's not like anyone says 'I of' instead of 'I've' so why is it any different for other words? Arr!

They're/their/there errors can be pretty annoying, too.

I agree with the OP.

I also have my own pet peeves and I question the seriousness of the poster's argument when I see them, even when I agree with them. I've recently begun to notice this example:

"I would of gone to the store sooner if I had time."

Utterly unacceptable. People who do this should be sterilized. I also resent the shame I feel for them.

I agree with the OP.

I also have my own pet peeves and I question the seriousness of the poster's argument when I see them, even when I agree with them. I've recently begun to notice this example:

"I would of gone to the store sooner if I had time."

Utterly unacceptable. People who do this should be sterilized. I also resent the shame I feel for them.

Yeah, there is that whole resentment issue, but it's so much more interesting to bitch. :D

I agree with the OP.

I also have my own pet peeves and I question the seriousness of the poster's argument when I see them, even when I agree with them. I've recently begun to notice this example:

"I would of gone to the store sooner if I had time."

Utterly unacceptable. People who do this should be sterilized. I also resent the shame I feel for them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes people switching "'ve" or "have" for "of".

I'm glad I'm not the only one who dislikes people switching "'ve" or "have" for "of".
I of to disagree. Some have us just of more exciting ideas about grammar and word usage then the rest of you of got.

I of to disagree. Some have us just of more exciting ideas about grammar and word usage then the rest of you of got.

Maybe you should be awarded the penny I offered.

I of to disagree. Some have us just of more exciting ideas about grammar and word usage then the rest of you of got.

:D That's great.

I also find it weird when people don't complete thoughts they start in writing. It's like they start writing, and then, as though they up and forgot what they were thinking.