When people mis-use literally it bugs me, Anyone else?

[maverick_starstrider]

The question is who here has a browser that spell checks for them? (I do not)

 

[maverick_starstrider]

AND can you properly use affect vs. effect. (There are obvious differences but I've seen some pretty subtle uses of affect)

 

[Andre]

Well at least you had to + the "then"...so maybe we're not that far gone, haha...I hope...

Link doesn't work for me, but "better then" googles up only 15.6 Mega hits while "better than" is worth 248 Mega hits. So maybe we're talking about ~7%.

 

[thomasxc]

The question is who here has a browser that spell checks for them? (I do not)

i use mozilla firefox.it has a spellcheck. it's way better then internet explorer.

 

[Richard87]

A pet peeve I have is when people, like, literally ask me if they can borrow some paper, you know? I think, no they can have it as I don't expect them to return it.

 

[mgb_phys]

The question is who here has a browser that spell checks for them? (I do not)

Opera does automatic real time spelling - like word it underlines bad words and offers suggestions.

The D on this keyboard doesn't work - which explains some of the gibberish I type.

 

[Phrak]

Indeed, the misuse of words is deplorable. My peeve is the word 'indeed'. I can be fairly certain a line of crap is about to follow.

 

[negitron]

The question is who here has a browser that spell checks for them? (I do not)

Bully for you. I use one; not because I can't spell but because I can't type.

 

[ideasrule]

Opera does automatic real time spelling - like word it underlines bad words and offers suggestions.

The D on this keyboard doesn't work - which explains some of the gibberish I type.

How do you type d's, then?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

AND can you properly use affect vs. effect. (There are obvious differences but I've seen some pretty subtle uses of affect)

Hmmm... 'affect' is not a word I often use but I don't really see the difficulty, at least not with the manner in which I am accustomed to it being used.



Oh and I usually use Google for spell check on words I'm not sure about.

 

[Sorry!]

Oh and I usually use Google for spell check on words I'm not sure about.

Lol me too, always find myself opening up the internet and typing define: blahblah.

 

[Redbelly98]

The D on this keyboard doesn't work - which explains some of the gibberish I type.

How do you type d's, then?

I'll take a wild guess. He presses the D key, then deletes all but one of the multiple D's that appeared.

Am I right?

 

[Danger]

A pet peeve I have is when people, like, literally ask me if they can borrow some paper, you know? I think, no they can have it as I don't expect them to return it.

This brings up another one in which a cartoonist (writer, not artist) displayed incredible ignorance while pretending to be brilliant. A couple of decades ago, in a 'Sally Forth' strip, her daughter asked Sally if she could 'borrow' her some money for something. Sally corrected her grammar by telling her that the proper term was 'loan' me some money.

 

[negitron]

Sally corrected her grammar by telling her that the proper term was 'loan' me some money.

Sorry, dude, but the ignorance is yours:

USAGE NOTE The verb loan is well established in American usage and cannot be considered incorrect. The frequent objections to the form by American grammarians may have originated from a provincial deference to British critics, who long ago labeled the usage a typical Americanism. Loan is, however, used to describe only physical transactions, as of money or goods; for figurative transactions, lend is correct: Distance lends enchantment. The allusions lend the work a classical tone.

http://www.answers.com/loan

 

[Danger]

Sorry, dude, but the ignorance is yours:

No, the ignorance is yours; I'm not American. I speak English. You lend someone money; the loan is the thing that you lent to someone.

 

[negitron]

Sally Forth is an American strip.

 

[Danger]

Sally Forth is an American strip.

As if that's an excuse for ignorance...

 

[negitron]

It is not ignorance, your claim to the contrary notwithstanding. It is not only considered correct usage now and has a long history behind it but it is properly considered standard English. And, in fact, your objection is itself based in ignorance:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loan

usage The verb loan is one of the words English settlers brought to America and continued to use after it had died out in Britain. Its use was soon noticed by British visitors and somewhat later by the New England literati, who considered it a bit provincial. It was flatly declared wrong in 1870 by a popular commentator, who based his objection on etymology. A later scholar showed that the commentator was ignorant of Old English and thus unsound in his objection, but by then it was too late, as the condemnation had been picked up by many other commentators. Although a surprising number of critics still voice objections, loan is entirely standard as a verb. You should note that it is used only literally; lend is the verb used for figurative expressions, such as “lending a hand” or “lending enchantment.”

 

[Danger]

Merriam-Webster is a Yank publication, not a proper English one.

 

[negitron]

Well, we're talking about American usage in an American comic strip written by an American, so I feel I'm on solid ground here.

 

[maverick_starstrider]

Merriam-Webster is a Yank publication, not a proper English one.

Dude. Did you even read the previous posts?

 

[maverick_starstrider]

I declare Old Norse the true english language.

 

[Danger]

Dude. Did you even read the previous posts?

Of course. And while I dispute your claim that Old Norse was the origin of the English language, it definitely contributed to it, as did almost every other language on the planet. English is based primarily, though, upon Greek and Latin.

Incidentally, I thought that you were a fellow Canuck.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Incidentally, I thought that you were a fellow Canuck.

Dude's obviously Californian. ;-p

Sorry, dude, but the ignorance is yours:

Maybe if you didn't respond like such an *** this would have been a much simpler exchange. :-)

 

[negitron]

If he hadn't acted so smugly superior about his "correction" of the comic strip, it would have been.

 

[maverick_starstrider]

Incidentally, I thought that you were a fellow Canuck.

I am. But we just had a whole discussion about how at any given time talking about the "correctness" of language is basically nonsense. In order for something to be a "corruption" is implies that there was an uncorrupt version to begin with. So is loan or borrow correct? Well the CORRECT answer is it all depends on what people want it to be. That's why dictionaries are REVISED.

Of course. And while I dispute your claim that Old Norse was the origin of the English language, it definitely contributed to it, as did almost every other language on the planet. English is based primarily, though, upon Greek and Latin.

If anything I'd say english is bad German chock full of poorly pronounced french loan words due to the normans.

 

[maverick_starstrider]

Oh, another one. I like to use "irregardless" just to annoy people.

 

[cristo]

Oh, another one. I like to use "irregardless" just to annoy people.

Whatever floats your boat

 

[Sorry!]

Oh, another one. I like to use "irregardless" just to annoy people.

That is literately the most annoying thing in the entire world. (lol)

 

[maverick_starstrider]

That is literately the most annoying thing in the entire world. (lol)

*shrug*, inflammable means the same things as flammable, despoiled means the same things as spoiled. Give it a few years, regardless will be in common usage and it will be partially because of me *mwahahahahaha*

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

*shrug*, inflammable means the same things as flammable, despoiled means the same things as spoiled. Give it a few years, regardless will be in common usage and it will be partially because of me *mwahahahahaha*

disenfranchised

 

[maverick_starstrider]

disenfranchised

What's wrong with disenfranchise? To take away something that was enfranchised.

 

[negitron]

*shrug*, inflammable means the same things as flammable

They do, however, the "in-" prefix does not mean "not" in this case:

USAGE NOTE Historically, flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. However, the presence of the prefix in– has misled many people into assuming that inflammable means “not flammable” or “noncombustible.” The prefix –in in inflammable is not, however, the Latin negative prefix –in, which is related to the English –un and appears in such words as indecent and inglorious. Rather, this –in is an intensive prefix derived from the Latin preposition in. This prefix also appears in the word enflame. But many people are not aware of this derivation, and for clarity's sake it is advisable to use only flammable to give warnings.

http://www.answers.com/topic/flammable

There is a similar etymology at work with "despoil" since the "de-" prefix is not the more familiar one, but rather one meaning "from" similar to the modern Spanish de which means "of" or "from."

"Irregardless," however, is just nonstandard usage.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

What's wrong with disenfranchise? To take away something that was enfranchised.

Unnescessarily compunded prefixes

Franchise

Enfranchise

Disfranchise

Disenfranchise

though it is in common usage now.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

In a previous thread, I had mentioned the use of ultimate to mean great:

That was the ultimate dinner, Mom.

Let me add the use of incredible to mean great:

I believe in Intelligent Design because it is such an incredible theory.