grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

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kenyancowgirl
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Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:59 pm

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by kenyancowgirl »

And the whose/who's confusion grates too!
Justinterested
Posts: 65
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2014 11:16 am

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Justinterested »

I think "to give an exam " or to " appear for exam " along with a "seat in a school " are cultural as these phrases are commonly used in Indian sub continent. In UK to give an exam means something different as in a doctor gives an exam to a patient .
KS10
Posts: 2516
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:39 am

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by KS10 »

I always want to spell canteen the French way. I always have to check my spelling of inoculate and harass (checked both just now).
Guest55
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Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Guest55 »

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... e-you.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Found this ... have fun!
Hyacinth
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:45 pm

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Hyacinth »

mad? wrote: Constant abuse of ellipses.
I am also guilty of this. Sorry if I've caused anyone anguish with my posts :)

My 'favourites' are:
Compliment/Complement
Specific/Pacific
amongst many others.

The one that really trips me up is practice/practise. I've never managed to work it out.
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Tinkers »

Practice is a noun (I remember the c standing for a noun is what something is Called), practise is a verb.

I'm not one to criticise, as I make mistakes all over. Being dyslexic I don't notice straight away. :oops: Honestly I do proof read before I hit send, and I still don't see all the mistakes.

My bugbear is autocorrect, or as I've started to call it, autouncorrect. For goodness sake, it's supposed to be on my side!

I work with a number of foreign engineers. Weirdly they ask me advice (there's another word like practise/practice) on English. I suppose in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King.
Peridot
Posts: 2195
Joined: Thu May 16, 2013 5:02 pm

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Peridot »

Justinterested wrote:I think "to give an exam " or to " appear for exam " along with a "seat in a school " are cultural as these phrases are commonly used in Indian sub continent. In UK to give an exam means something different as in a doctor gives an exam to a patient .
Absolutely! Let's try to remember this is the UK, folks!

On which subject American spellings do annoy me but are frequently caused by autocorrect functionality.

My personal hates are definitely:

less/fewer
practice/practise (just say advice/advise to yourself out loud and apply the same principle and you will get it right)

And, on that topic,
principle (truth or belief)/principal (chief)

I'm afraid I too am guilty of overuse of ellipses...
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Tinkers »

One recent project I worked on, we had to use American spelling in all documents. Not good for me at all.
Hyacinth
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 4:45 pm

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Hyacinth »

Tinkers wrote:Practice is a noun (I remember the c standing for a noun is what something is Called), practise is a verb.
Oh good, that's what I thought. Thanks! I think I get mixed up because US English uses 'practice' for both so I read it in books etc and start to confuse myself :D
Moon unit
Posts: 654
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:14 am

Re: grammer! #### common errors and pet hates.

Post by Moon unit »

Hyacinth I struggled with practice/ practise for years until it was pointed out to me that they are used in the same way as advice/advise would be.
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