How many hidden (from me) mistakes do you think I made in the last question I asked?
While message boarding I find I make a lot of silly typing mistakes and I don’t know why I’m so consistent at it. It’s the kind of thing where I wont even notice a mistake until days after and usually after I’ve re-read and re-read my writing a few times. It’s like mistakes can hide from me for a while until I’m far enough removed from the writing that I can look at it fresh again.
What suggestions do you have for getting a writing technically (grammar/spelling) right the first time you post and avoiding embarrassing errors found days later?
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39 Answers
PM/ Email it to some of the grammar-nazi’s here first, they’d probably love to critique you.
“nazi’s” indicates possession of something. The plural would simply be “nazis” :D
@poofandmook Cool, guess we found the weiner of that contest…lol
Gasp! Guess I can’t follow @KNOWITALL‘s advice. haha
Sorry… I’m a part-time half-assed grammar policewoman :)
I noticed you forgot the apostrophe in “won’t”. (I am not sure about period placement.)
Since you aksed:
Email it to some of the grammar-nazi’s here first, they’d probably love to critique (usage; correct ) you. This is a run-on sentence and requires either a semi colon after “first” or a period.
Email it to some of the grammar nazis first; they’d probably….
Or: Email ait to some of the grammar nazies first. They’d probably…
These are neither grammar nor spelling issues, but punctuation; using it correctly does generate more clarity and smoother traveling for the reader.
@KNOWITALL: One common and weird error that i see over and over is using the apostrophe for plurals of common nouns. One cat, two cats, the cat’s in the cradle….
@ninjacolin. Congratulations on the correct use of the hyphen in re-read.
@KNOWITALL Also, that’s ’‘winner’’. :p
I read my answers a few times over before submitting them, and this way I can get most of the icks out of there…but, like you, I always find more errors later. Not a pro. No advice. Even if you know all your English properly, after writing something, most people probably need to look it over, no?
There are also some rules in English that I don’t know…I’m always having trouble with the following; the cats’ bed. If you have more than one cat, and they sleep on the same bed, is that how you do it? The cats’ bed? @gailcalled?
And I’m always mixed up with say; men’s clothing. Is it men’s, or mens’? Ugh. Worse thing is, I’m much worse in French, and that’s my first language. Good thing Fluther isn’t en français.
Cats’ bed would be the bed of multiple cats. I believe
Cat’s bed would be the bed of one cat.
@Symbeline: Don’t forget how much you have helped me with my French, particularly when it comes to renting or buying outhouses.
The cats’ bed is covered with 18 of my 19 cats.
The special cat’s bed, made of sable, with its (note its) caviar holder on the side, is designed only for Milo, who is a special cat. His bed is special also, so the sentence about the special cat’s bed is ambivalent ambiguous.
Milo has a caviar dish? Damn, woman. :D
I know lol. :p Or at least, I pretty much figured.
Well. this is the very last question you have asked to date, but I am guessing you meant the one asked just before this question, your most recent prior question. I’ll answer on that assumption, but correct me if I am guessing incorrectly.
Your most recent prior question was: “For Christians who believe only God can help you to understand the true meanings in the Bible.. How do you account for other Christians who share that view but who disagree about other important understandings in the scriptures?”
“For Christians who believe only God can help you to understand the true meanings in the Bible.” is not a complete sentence and adding a second period to it does not convert it into one. Perhaps you were shooting for an ellipsis which is three dots, and indicates an omission. I think either an em dash or a colon would provide clearer punctuation merging the two thoughts into one long sentence. Another strategy might be to make the first clause a true sentence, perhaps wording it, “This question is for Christians who believe only God can help you to understand the true meanings in the Bible.”
Personally, I would have wordsmithed it down to a question half that length yet clear in its meaning.
@gailcalled “Since you aksed:”
The killer of all spelling errors…
@SavoirFaire: in reference to your first link… nuh-uh. No way. Sorry, don’t buy it.
We’re on a rool roll here.
Is “to wordsmith” suddenly a verb?
@gailcalled Although I can’t provide citations or examples, I have seen numerous occasions when an author creatively uses a noun as a verb.
@dxs The pronunciation of “ask” as “aks” or “ax” is usually associated with the Southeastern US (Southern Dialect—see this Dialect Map); however there is documented use of this pronunciation in some of the “lower class” dialects of London in the 1600’s.
I’m still not convinced that aks is an acceptable alternate spelling in the English language. I was just giving @SavoirFaire the benefit of the doubt.
And I hit the “k” before the “s” in my eagerness to show off.
@gailcalled Can you clear something up for me?
Regarding apostrophe use with a word ending in “s”, is the possessive “s” dropped only in the case of a plural, or is it dropped for all words ending in “s”?
For example:
It’s the cats’ bed, but is the cross Jesus’, or Jesus’s?
I think the latter, but I’d like confirmation. ^_^
@dxs The letter “x” and the digraph “ks” were interchangeable in Middle English (which wasn’t exactly standardized).
@poofandmook What’s not to buy? It’s a claim about history, and we have the texts to prove it. The same goes for singular they.
@Seek_Kolinahr: When a proper noun ends in “s,” both are acceptable. Jesus’ tool box or Jesus’s fishing rod. Ditto for family names. When saying it out loud, “Jesus’s staff” is easier to pronounce than “Jesus’ staff.”
“Although names ending in s or an s sound are not required to have the second s added in possessive form, it is preferred.” Source
Examples:
Mr. Jones’s golf clubs
Texas’s weather
Ms. Straus’s daughter
Jose Sanchez’s artwork
Dr. Hastings’s appointment (name is Hastings)
Mrs. Lees’s books (name is Lees).”
^^Although in the case of “Texas’s weather” I’d probably dispense with the possessive, change the noun to an adjective and use “Texas weather”...if you don’t like it, wait five minutes!
In reference to @gailcalled‘s last post, even if “Jesus’ staff” is technically acceptable, I would view it as incorrect, because of the source @gailcalled posted.
What about if the whole family has golf clubs?
The Joneses’ golf clubs?
How about “the Jones family’s golf clubs”.
^I try my best to avoid possessive plurals at all costs. I was just curious.
@Yetanotheruser: I am well aware that it says preferred. As far as I’m concerned, “preferred” means that it is widely known to be the correct punctuation.
I love this thread.
I edit obsessively before I post, and still manage to miss my own errors from time to time. Composing in Word would likely pick up a few errors beyond the usual spell check, and you could copy/paste the finished product here. Personally, I am far too lazy to do that.
There are bound to be errors in my answer. I just know it.
I have a full-time job these days, and it’s keeping me awfully busy! Still managing Fluther, but my actual presence is very sporadic. I miss you people. :)
I miss your face, Auggie! Glad you’re making the monies, though!
“There are bound to be errors in my answer. I just know it.”
Preface paradox.
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