Holland is a Country, Holland America is a Cruise Line............

[AmberCascades]

I think I like you. :D. We share the same annoyances.

 

Will you both be my new BFFs? :)

 

I'm not Professor-Perfect-Pants or anything (and don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone who doesn't speak English as their first language), but I find it distracting and confusing when people don't write properly. If we are moving towards communicating via the written word rather than discussing things in person, then it behooves us all to be as clear as possible in trying to put forth our ideas.

 

Also, commas and apostrophes are not to be strewn about in paragraphs like so much confetti.

 

On the other hand, I'm still trying to teach my husband that "worn" and "warn" are two different words and are not interchangeable. :D

[3rdGenCunarder]

Continuation of lesson...

 

1) Your and You're

The first is possessive - it belongs to you.

The second is the contraction of "you are".

 

2) Then and Than

The first is a sequential word as in "First we did this, THEN we did that."

The second is instead of as in "I would rather have this THAN that."

 

3) Could/Should/Would have (or 've)

The word is HAVE with a contraction of 've. It is not could/should/would of.

 

4) Wonder and Wander

The first is to think about something, to ponder.

The second is to walk about aimlessly.

 

5) Mute and Moot

The first is to dampen sound.

The second is a point which really doesn't matter anymore.

 

And for the love of all things holy, 's is NOT the way to pluralize something. You don't get "book's" from the library. You get "books" from the library.

 

:)

 

Love your list! I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only grammarian around here. Can't resist adding a few more.

 

less and fewer

If you can't count the items, use fewer. If it's a quantity, use less. You would have less sand, or fewer grains. (All those supermarket express lanes should say "nn items or FEWER")

 

its/it's

Its without the apostrophe is the rare (only?) possessive that does not have an apostrophe before the s. "It's" is a contraction of "it is." Sadly, MS Word's spellcheck always wants to put the apostrophe into its, regardless of the use in the sentence.

 

Punctuation is a great mystery of life. For more on that, I recommend "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynn Truss. She was a speaker on our recent transatlantic, and her talks were as good as her books.

[jimbri]

Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! (Hand raised.) I can answer that one! But, since reading is so 20th century, let's watch a short film, shall we?

 

 

This is completely work safe and contains large, succulent, meaty chunks of learning.

 

 

Great video! Sent it to my kids. Thanks.

[sppunk]

Continuation of lesson...

 

1) Your and You're

The first is possessive - it belongs to you.

The second is the contraction of "you are".

 

2) Then and Than

The first is a sequential word as in "First we did this, THEN we did that."

The second is instead of as in "I would rather have this THAN that."

 

3) Could/Should/Would have (or 've)

The word is HAVE with a contraction of 've. It is not could/should/would of.

 

4) Wonder and Wander

The first is to think about something, to ponder.

The second is to walk about aimlessly.

 

5) Mute and Moot

The first is to dampen sound.

The second is a point which really doesn't matter anymore.

 

And for the love of all things holy, 's is NOT the way to pluralize something. You don't get "book's" from the library. You get "books" from the library.

 

:)

Here, here. And let's not get started on effect vs. affect!

[Murray's Pop]

Here, here. And let's not get started on effect vs. affect!

 

How about one of the MOST mis-used:

further and farther

To advance something (further my education)

A measure distance (that is farther away)

[puppycanducruise]

Mute or Moot?

 

Sometimes when I'm having an argument (uh, discussion) with my DH, I say the point is Mute ... that is, I don't want to talk about it anymore.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Here, here. And let's not get started on effect vs. affect!

 

I always got that right, as a science major should. Then I taught for 10 years and saw the two words abused so often by students that I have to struggle to remember the correct usage.

[VMax1700]

I like sailing on Holland,

I'd like to sail on Holland from Holland,

I'd really like to sail on Holland from Holland and back to Holland again,

It would be great to sail on Holland from Holland and back to Holland again in the company of President Hollande from France.

:D

[whogo]

It is "to each his own", not "to each their own".

[runnergirl71]

Mute or Moot?

 

Sometimes when I'm having an argument (uh, discussion) with my DH, I say the point is Mute ... that is, I don't want to talk about it anymore.

 

 

 

Nope. The point is MOOT.

 

You mute a trumpet or a television.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[marysb]

Lol .... You people have waaaaay too much time on your hands!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Lol .... You people have waaaaay too much time on your hands!

 

Or we had really good English teachers and what we learned has stayed with us. Thank you, Miss Benz, wherever you are!

[Boytjie]

Here, here. And let's not get started on effect vs. affect!

 

 

"Here, here" is used to call a dog.

"Hear, hear" is used when agreeing with a speaker as in "hear him, hear him".

:D

[Mytime2014]

Moot means open to debate. A moot point, however, is one that is academic, or of little practical value.

 

Then there is a moo point - it is a cow's opinion...it just doesn't matter. It's moo.

I can't help myself....:o

[runnergirl71]

Then there is a moo point - it is a cow's opinion...it just doesn't matter. It's moo.

I can't help myself....:o

 

Love it!!!

[sapper1]

Or we had really good English teachers and what we learned has stayed with us. Thank you, Miss Benz, wherever you are!

 

We used to have marks deducted for spelling errors regardless of the exam subject---even Math. At the time I thought it was mean and unfair but now am so grateful.

[hrhdhd]

Agreed on the grammar lessons.

 

Now can we stop calling the ships by not-so-cute nicknames? If I see "I'll be on the Westy" one more time, I might puke.

[runnergirl71]

Agreed on the grammar lessons.

 

Now can we stop calling the ships by not-so-cute nicknames? If I see "I'll be on the Westy" one more time, I might puke.

 

I have been guilty of that one. Sorry!

 

Although, at least in the context of HAL we don't have to translate that. It really irks me when someone feels the need to use a cutesy name for something and then parenthetically say what most of us call it. Example: frappe (milk shake) - every time the word "frappe" was used. It's a milkshake! Call it a milkshake!

[AmberCascades]

Agreed on the grammar lessons.

 

Now can we stop calling the ships by not-so-cute nicknames? If I see "I'll be on the Westy" one more time, I might puke.

 

 

:eek: Don't let Muffy and Biff hear you say that!!!:D

[AmberCascades]

May I also comment on the three "to"s?

 

Two = one more than one (e.g. I went on two cruises)

 

Too = also, in addition (e.g. I want to cruise too!)

 

To = used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward - opposite of "from" (e.g. I will be cruising to Bermuda)

 

If people don't stop mis-using these words I may "loose" my mind. (See what I did there?? Snuck that in :D)

[bcd2010]

Me, myself, and I are not interchangeable.

 

Myself is a reflexive or stressed pronoun, which means that, generally speaking, it should be used in conjunction with the subject pronoun I, not instead of the object pronoun me.

Right: I booked myself a cabin.

Wrong: I booked me a cabin.

Me is an object pronoun, which means that it refers to the person that the action of a verb is being done to, or to whom a preposition refers. Especially a problem when including another person.

Please call Mary or (me/myself?) with any questions.

Right: Please call me with any questions.

Wrong: Please call myself with any questions.

Therefore: Please call Mary or me with any questions.

I is the first person singular subject pronoun, which means that it refers to the person performing the action of a verb. Especially a problem when including another person.

He told Tom and (I/me?) to get ready.

Right: He told me to get ready.

Wrong: He told I to get ready.

Therefore: He told Tom and me to get ready.

 

(P.S. This thread is fun - thank you for starting it Joanie!)

[amster65]

The reason it is called the Holland America Line is that it went from Holland to America, DUH. Otherwise it would be called the Netherlands America Line.

Rotterdam to NY with a stop in Southampton, at least thats what we did in 59. PS there were no public bathrooms on the early Ryndam, they were ALL public bathrooms, unless ofcourse you were one of the fortunate 50 in First Class.

[Globaliser]

And the White House is a building, not a person, but we hear all the time in the news that "The White House said today......" ... Seriously, people use shorthand like this all the time, and I marvel that something like this could be an annoyance to someone.

People do use shorthand like this, but the use which IRL_Joanie complains about is akin to the news saying "The White said today that ...".

 

But in a context in which some CCers will actually type "vacay" and publish it to the world without embarrassment, I agree there's no point making a fuss about this.

[RuthC]

I It's a milkshake! Call it a milkshake!

Oh! You mean a cabinet! Goes great with a grinder.

[Lizzie68]

I wonder how many newbies are sitting out there now, even more afraid to post than ever, onto this oh-so-particular internet forum.