Commonly made grammatical/spelling mistakes

[luken93]

My English teacher always told me to stop using 'split infinitives' such as 'to clearly understand' in my essays. Although I know that there is a bit of a divide as to whether or not split infinitives are 'grammatically correct', I think it is still best to avoid using them in your essays.

Can you explain this into more detail? I think I may do this but I've never heard anything about it...

[fuzzylogic]

This thread is making me twitch - it's like an amalgamation of my pet hates. My one is slightly less relevant, but whenever you use 'if' as an hyperthetical, use 'were' or 'had' not 'was'.

If I were to go to the shops?

Would you still go out with me if I were married?

*hypothetical?  I think, lol.
Reading this thread makes me think that English Grammar should be introduced as a subject in primary schools and lower secondary schools!

[herzy]

affect: verb
effect: noun
simple


..unless you're being wanky and using effect as a verb... but if I need to explain how, it's safer to just not use it

[herzy]

*hypothetical?

aaaawks

[herzy]

edit: ^^ techically affect can also be a noun, but I wouldn't use affect as a noun or effect as a verb. In everyday speech, the easiest way of being fail safe is to use affect as a verb, and effect as a noun. I.e. The GFC affected the Australian economy minimally. The GFC had a minimal effect on the Australian economy.

[Andiio]

S instead of a Z

e.g. Rationalise, not rationalize

[iNerd]

@herzy: Epic triple post

@fuzzy-logic: Where's the space/time for another subject, "English grammar".

@Andioo: ...but it's prize, not prise

[Aden]

My English teacher always told me to stop using 'split infinitives' such as 'to clearly understand' in my essays. Although I know that there is a bit of a divide as to whether or not split infinitives are 'grammatically correct', I think it is still best to avoid using them in your essays.

This one's interesting.. can you explain this further Aden?

A split infinitive occurs whenever an adverb 'cuts' or 'splits' the full infinitive of a verb. Normally a full infinitive would be 'to say', 'to do' or 'to go' (which many foreign languages would teach), but a split infinitive would be 'to slowly go', where the 'to' and the infinitive verb bit has been split in two parts by an adverb. The primary reason why people are arguing against this being grammatically incorrect is because there are just times when it is impossible to 'not' have a split infinitive without a sentence making sense or flowing well. You can read more about it here:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/page/grammartipsplitinfinitive

Although it wouldn't come up too often in an English essay: MUM not mom!!!!

Haha, EXACTLY!

[Ghost!]

Organisation, not Organization.

[Andiio]

@herzy: Epic triple post

@fuzzy-logic: Where's the space/time for another subject, "English grammar".

@Andioo: ...but it's prize, not prise

I only mean in some words obviously.

[iNerd]

@herzy: Epic triple post

@fuzzy-logic: Where's the space/time for another subject, "English grammar".

@Andioo: ...but it's prize, not prise

I only mean in some words obviously.

I was joking lol, you're right obviously and MS Word is quite annoying in that regard :/

[Furbob]

(un)consciousness and decision, damn c's and s's

[herzy]

should I get us all started on 'flammable' and 'inflammable'?

[fuzzylogic]

@herzy: Epic triple post

@fuzzy-logic: Where's the space/time for another subject, "English grammar".

@Andioo: ...but it's prize, not prise

If not another subject, schools should place a greater emphasis on grammar, especially in the early years.  If my memory serves me correctly, in Junior school we had grammar as a separate subject and in year seven/eight, we had two lessons of english devoted to grammar every rotation.  Also, French/German/Italian students have grammar drilled into them, so why can't we!  Sometimes I think our understanding of grammar in LOTEs is better than our understanding of grammar in our own language (in general, that is.)!

[iNerd]

@herzy: Epic triple post

@fuzzy-logic: Where's the space/time for another subject, "English grammar".

@Andioo: ...but it's prize, not prise

If not another subject, schools should place a greater emphasis on grammar, especially in the early years.  If my memory serves me correctly, in Junior school we had grammar as a separate subject and in year seven/eight, we had two lessons of english devoted to grammar every rotation.  Also, French/German/Italian students have grammar drilled into them, so why can't we!  Sometimes I think our understanding of grammar in LOTEs is better than our understanding of grammar in our own language (in general, that is.)!

You speak like my old (v. old) English teacher who got us to go through the latin roots of English words. Personally Grammar would bore me to death and LOL so true, I know more Japanese grammar than English!