Most incorrect thing you were taught?

GLaDOS · 13-04-2012 12:43pm

eoferrall wrote: »

american english versus british english. came to english via french which has silent e so either pronunciation is correct really or least that's what I learnt. tomato tomato sort of thing vase vase vase also. maybe I have learnt something new (was wrong) today too....:pac:

Never heard that before, and a quick google suggest the only pronunciation is high-per-bowl-eh, so I'll continue to laugh at the hyper-bowls :P

weemcd · 13-04-2012 12:47pm

the customer is always right

excuse me while I :rolleyes:

deman · 13-04-2012 12:50pm

We were "taught" that practice drills were a good form of learning.

I can't believe that it works though as no matter how many times people have read the word "taught" on this thread alone, some still have difficulties spelling it.

Stercus Accidit · 13-04-2012 1:09pm

deman wrote: »

We were "taught" that practice drills were a good form of learning.

I can't believe that it works though as no matter how many times people have read the word "taught" on this thread alone, some still have difficulties spelling it.

Mixing up then & than is the new they're and their, thought & taught etc. You can't operate in the modern world with these mistakes, people will not take you seriously. I certainly don't, I wonder what kind of standards they hold for their other work and attitudes.

dalta5billion · 13-04-2012 1:17pm

There's still an ongoing argument with my Business teacher over exchange rates.

She makes me repeat her version at the start of each class. Of course I present my argument every time. It's getting old now.

I'm right! *stamps foot*

I'll attach the offending question if anyone cares

Mr Benevolent · 13-04-2012 1:19pm

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

Mixing up then & than is the new they're and their, thought & taught etc. You can't operate in the modern world with these mistakes, people will not take you seriously. I certainly don't, I wonder what kind of standards they hold for their other work and attitudes.

You're right, but it's not quite as silly as a habit of firing small plastic pellets at people for fun.

jblack · 13-04-2012 1:25pm

I went to school in Australia so was exempted from Irish when I arrived in 2nd year but I still had to sit in the Irish class. The teacher was very strict and had a zero tolerance policy on anyone speaking English.

When I had to go to the toilet I used to ask someone sitting next to me how do I ask to go to the jacks in Irish? Invariably I was misinformed and would end up saying things like "i like to ride boys" and so on.

In sixth year, tragically one classmate was knocked down and killed, and I had to do a reading in Irish at mass. A mate of mine who was also doing a reading borrowed the sheet of paper with my reading [and several others] to learn his part off.

When he gave it back he helpfully sat down and wrote out the two sentences I had to read phonetically.

I then stood in front of 850 people and said "Lord, may I please be excused as I need to go to the toilet".

Needless to say when I apologised to the poor guy's family I said it in English. My mate very nearly got expelled.

thethingis · 13-04-2012 1:35pm

[QUOTE=MrSnuffleupagus;

I also had to argue with a (different) JC teacher because she thought (as the rest of the class did) that to find the difference between a positive and negative number you subtract it

e.g. difference between -6 and 20 = 20-6 = 14

When I pointed out the error she called me "selfish" for interrupting class[/QUOTE]

How did your way of thinking differ to theirs?

daveco23 · 13-04-2012 1:44pm

3rd Year secondary school, was told by a sub civics teacher (nun) that your chances of heart disease in later life increased dramatically if you had a vasectomy as "the sperms have to go somewhere...."

Ludo · 13-04-2012 1:52pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I was thaught that there were 5 continents

Was just about to post this also. Was told the same in school and that the 5 rings on the Olympic flag represented the 5 continents...to be honest I am still not sure to this day as there are a lot of people who say 5 and a lot who say 7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent#Number_of_continents

Stercus Accidit · 13-04-2012 1:59pm

Confab wrote: »

You're right, but it's not quite as silly as a habit of firing small plastic pellets at people for fun.

A silly hobby doesn't make people look like an unemployable illiterate moron.

Dempsey · 13-04-2012 2:11pm

jblack wrote: »

I went to school in Australia so was exempted from Irish when I arrived in 2nd year but I still had to sit in the Irish class. The teacher was very strict and had a zero tolerance policy on anyone speaking English.

When I had to go to the toilet I used to ask someone sitting next to me how do I ask to go to the jacks in Irish? Invariably I was misinformed and would end up saying things like "i like to ride boys" and so on.

In sixth year, tragically one classmate was knocked down and killed, and I had to do a reading in Irish at mass. A mate of mine who was also doing a reading borrowed the sheet of paper with my reading [and several others] to learn his part off.

When he gave it back he helpfully sat down and wrote out the two sentences I had to read phonetically.

I then stood in front of 850 people and said "Lord, may I please be excused as I need to go to the toilet".

Needless to say when I apologised to the poor guy's family I said it in English. My mate very nearly got expelled.

I LOL'd

Probably not funny at the time though! :pac:

fishy fishy · 13-04-2012 2:23pm

Agent Smith wrote: »

I wonder if its the same one I had, who insisted that Bonn Was the capital of germany.

(i showed that bitch a capital.... Bitches Love capitals....) :pac:

depending on when you were taught this, your teacher was right.

mikemac1 · 13-04-2012 2:23pm

Xivilai wrote: »

swallowing chewing gum will stick to your insides, my mom still swears by it

The mammy told me that too

And had some story of a young lad who swallowed chewing gum and died

I was freaked out
And decades later I've never bought chewing gum since

Another lad told me if you eat a load of mentos mints and then drink coke the reaction will explode your stomach
I didn't believe that one but I did believe the chewing gum

The mammy is never wrong

fishy fishy · 13-04-2012 2:26pm

im invisible wrote: »

That cocaine came from the same plant as the cocoa bean, and this was a secondary school science teacher

you sure you didn't 'get mixed up with the coca plant.

mikemac1 · 13-04-2012 2:27pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Vote yes and we'll all be on €1.34 an hour

I voted yes

I got grabbed in the dole office and bundled into a European super army

Cóir told me this would happen, my own fault

coffee_cake · 13-04-2012 2:29pm

thethingis wrote: »

How did your way of thinking differ to theirs?

It's 26

murpho999 · 13-04-2012 2:30pm

That Spring starts on February 1st (Only every heard that in Ireland!)

All the rubbish to do with religion

Pherekydes · 13-04-2012 2:34pm

thethingis wrote: »

How did your way of thinking differ to theirs?

His way of thinking was right; theirs (and the teacher's) was wrong.

Caliden · 13-04-2012 2:37pm

That 'an' goes before a word starting with a vowel whereas the correct rule is it goes before a word which starts with a vowel 'sound'.
eg. an hour, a hero.

smash · 13-04-2012 2:39pm

Caliden wrote: »

That 'an' goes before a word starting with a vowel whereas the correct rule is it goes before a word which starts with a vowel 'sound'.
eg. an hour, a hero.

Depends how you talk. I'd never say "an house", but it's correct.

mikemac1 · 13-04-2012 2:40pm

Grew up on a farm :cool:

Red does not make a bull charge, such nonsense.
Maybe that came from TV, I don't know how it started

And putting UP TIPP or KERRY FOR SAM in white paint on round bales is also nonsense and does nothing to keep away the crows
I suspect the hardware stores of Ireland started that story to do a roaring trade in paint sales

If you put UP THE DUBS on your bales then may the crows rip your plastic to pieces
The Meath crows hate that

Stercus Accidit · 13-04-2012 2:40pm

smash wrote: »

Depends how you talk. I'd never say "an house", but it's correct.

'an house' isn't correct by any rules surely.

murpho999 · 13-04-2012 2:41pm

smash wrote: »

Depends how you talk. I'd never say "an house", but it's correct.

Really don't see how that's correct!

Grammar rules don't make allowances for speech impediments or accents?

smash · 13-04-2012 2:42pm

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

'an house' isn't correct by any rules surely.

say it in a British accent...

Sky King · 13-04-2012 2:42pm

murpho999 wrote: »

That Spring starts on February 1st (Only every heard that in Ireland!)

It depends on your location, obviously.

murpho999 · 13-04-2012 2:51pm

Sky King wrote: »

It depends on your location, obviously.

Obviously not.

The correct way to time changing of the seasons is based on Equinoxes & Solstices.

So March 21st would be the metrological start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Some countries might move this to March 1st but February 1st is just wrong no matter where your location is.

Kolido · 13-04-2012 2:53pm

MrSnuffleupagus wrote: »

I also had to argue with a (different) JC teacher because she thought (as the rest of the class did) that to find the difference between a positive and negative number you subtract it

e.g. difference between -6 and 20 = 20-6 = 14

When I pointed out the error she called me "selfish" for interrupting class

thethingis wrote: »

How did your way of thinking differ to theirs?

bluewolf wrote: »

It's 26

Pherekydes wrote: »

His way of thinking was right; theirs (and the teacher's) was wrong.

Actually the teacher was right, you do subtract it.

20 - (-) 6 = 26

pickarooney · 13-04-2012 2:58pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Obviously not.

The correct way to time changing of the seasons is based on Equinoxes & Solstices.

So March 21st would be the metrological start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Some countries might move this to March 1st but February 1st is just wrong no matter where your location is.

It's correct in Ireland though, even Wikipedia says so. Spring is not really a meteorological concept in a country with no seasons.

Cool Mo D · 13-04-2012 3:08pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Obviously not.

The correct way to time changing of the seasons is based on Equinoxes & Solstices.

So March 21st would be the metrological start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Some countries might move this to March 1st but February 1st is just wrong no matter where your location is.

There is no official, correct, start of spring. If you want the sunniest weather to be in summer, then Spring should start in the middle of March. If you want the longest days to be in summer, February should be the start of spring.

It's all just convention, there is no official right or wrong.

Most incorrect thing you were taught?

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