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It's however totally different asking for clarity when someone truly doesn't understand the meaning of what's been written to when someone points out grammatical errors such as missing or misplaced apostrophes when they can still easily understand what's been written. Some of the Internet shorthand and slang used these days can be confusing to some people however, but if a person politely asks for the meaning most people wouldn't have any issue.The multi-faceted problem going on here is that often a letter/communication is not readable and does not get its information across correctly but that nobody is allowed to point that out anymore. One asks for clarity and they get raked over the coals for "thinking they are better than others," when maybe that's not what they actually think. Maybe they truly just want clarity, not a feeling of superiority.
It's however totally different asking for clarity when someone truly doesn't understand the meaning of what's been written to when someone points out grammatical errors such as missing or misplaced apostrophes when they can still easily understand what's been written. Some of the Internet shorthand and slang used these days can be confusing to some people however, but if a person politely asks for the meaning most people wouldn't have any issue.
Yes, and I've also noticed that people are fond of using acronyms instead of writing something in full. I very often come across acronyms that I don't know, and it makes it hard to read and understand what the person is saying. I was taught that one should always write it out in full, and then put the acronym for it in brackets, after which one may use the acronym. But on the internet, people just assume that others are going to know the acronym, it doesn't even occur to them that people might not be familiar with it. Personally, I always adhere to this rule, unless it's a really common one or something like 'ASD' which I think that everyone will know.I think part of the reason a lot of people have become lazy with both grammar and spelling is because of Internet chat including on smart phones (also SMS messages) where people want to communicate as quickly and efficiently as possible, often in real time, commonly using Internet short hand and slang.
I can’t believe what I’d seen today! THIS! I was guided to walk into a random shop on the way to the Portrait Gallery to buy this book. I had no idea I’d come across such a thing. There were only two left in stock and it came at the right time.Apostrophes do not denote plurals. They denote possessives. I think what you are talking about is what might be called a plural possessive. For instance:
The problem is that sooooo many people confuse plurals and possessives and scatter apostrophes all over the place. I recently saw on Instagram the following, "This was one of my favorite Christmas' ever." Well, that person (my niece, bless her soul) was getting plurals and possessives mixed up. No, I didn't point it out; yes, I hope she learns the correct rule at some point. I think there's this thing going on where people think the mere addition of an apostrophe makes what they are saying correct.
- CORRECT: "The cats were at play." (No apostrophe needed in "cats" because it's just talking about more than one cat, not something that a cat possesses.)
INCORRECT: "The cat's were at play."
ALSO INCORRECT: "The cats' were at play."
- CORRECT: "We took our cat's scratching post away." (This means one cat had their scratching post taken away.)
- CORRECT: "We took our cats' scratching post away."(This means more than one cat had their scratching post taken away.)
Conversational and real doesn't have to mean sloppy. Clear thinking leads to clearer writing, and vice versa.
For example, you might notice that throughout the email Jobs uses proper:
Did that come by chance, on the first try? Don't bet on it.
- Capitalization
- Punctuation
- Spelling
- Grammar
- Syntax
Takeaway: I'm amazed at how sloppy most emails are nowadays. If you pay attention to your writing, it will be easier to understand and carry the full weight of your thoughts. By showing attention to detail, you'll stand out among peers and leave a better impression.
Ducking apostrophes? Why would you duck apostrophes in water? lol!I can’t believe what I’d seen today! THIS! I was guided to walk into a random shop on the way to the Portrait Gallery to buy this book. I had no idea I’d come across such a thing. There were only two left in stock and it came at the right time.View attachment 41846 View attachment 41847 View attachment 41848
According to the Oxford Dictionaries they both have exactly the same meaning and are equally correct in most sentences such as "She moved further down the train." or "She moved farther down the train.", although "further" is a much more common word and is additionally used in various abstract and metaphorical contexts where "farther" would be unusual, for instance you wouldn't normally use "farther" in the sentence, "Have you anything further to say?".I've taught myself to ignore poor grammar but it does irritate me. My pet peeve is when people improperly interchange 'further' for 'farther'. They have separate meanings; you don't sound smart by saying 'further' in both contexts! /rant
@CMZ
Sometimes I lose all sense of what the person is saying
because I can't figure out WHAT the person IS saying
when the words don't look like real words to me, or are
words that don't fit the context (like homonym substitutions.)
I was taught differently but that's interesting. In America it's generally more strict about not mixing them. Have you seen the movie 'Finding Forrester'? There's even a scene where someone corrects another person.According to the Oxford Dictionaries they both have exactly the same meaning and are equally correct in most sentences such as "She moved further down the train." or "She moved farther down the train.", although "further" is a much more common word and is additionally used in various abstract and metaphorical contexts where "farther" would be unusual, for instance you wouldn't normally use "farther" in the sentence, "Have you anything further to say?".
Please a full description please see:
‘Farther’ or ‘further’? | Oxford Dictionaries
It is however odd because amazingly there is differences of opinion, I read on another site that you should use "farther" for physical distance and "further" for metaphorical, or figurative, distance. If dictionary sites don't even agree there's no hope of everyone conforming to a standard.
I was always taught that they had the same meaning and I live in the UK. Could it be a UK and USA difference? I'm only guessing at the moment.
Edit:
Yes, I've hit the nail on the head, "further" and "farther" mean the same thing in most sentences and are interchangeable in the UK and British Commonwealth countries because they both mean "at a greater distance", but "further" is much more often used for everything, however in the USA "farther" is more often used to refer to physical distances, and "further" more often refers to figurative and nonphysical distances:
Farther vs. further - Grammarist
More often still doesn't mean that it's officially incorrect for people even in the USA to interchange the words like in the UK and British Commonwealth however, although perhaps there is differences in opinion.
I have that book (not the badly punctuated book in the joke, but the book about punctuation called Eats, shoots & leaves with a panda on the cover).
Like when people write something like "would of" instead of "would've"? That's another increasingly common error.
What would be even better, would be to use "Would have" instead, I know it's more characters, but unless you're on a phone with character limits that's usually not an issue.
Topic.
I do tend to pull people up on forums if their spelling and/or grammar is not very good, and most people don't like it.
Is it just me though or is it a common Aspie trait?
Same with mostly everything else in life, sadly.I'm afraid that we're going to have a situation where people who don't know nor care about rules somehow end up making rules.
I don't use it, but as it's matter of style and doesn't impede communication, it doesn't bother me when people use it.What are your thoughts on the Oxford comma?