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Irish people and possessive pronouns...

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,690 ✭✭✭Whyner


    Don't use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns, i.e. hers, yours, its.

    The ONLY personal possessive pronoun with an apostrophe is "one's".


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84 ✭✭knoxor


    Would the problem with the ellipsis not be a punctuation error rather than a grammatical error ?

    Not that I'm a grammar nazi or anything. You may complain about the misuse of language in text messages or emails but is this a matter of language evolution ?
    Phlann wrote: »
    No he's not!

    The first part of his statement is clumsy and uneconomical and - wait for this - the ellipsis at the end of his post contains just two full stops!

    I think he's a disgrace and should be ashamed of himself, quite frankly.

    Shall we make this the official grammar nazi thread?


  • Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 827 ✭✭✭Phlann


    All hail the new Fuhrer


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 84 ✭✭knoxor


    Ah, you're too kind, why if I hadn't had the support of my family and friends... ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,878 ✭✭✭Rozabeez


    Got a delivery in work last week, on of the PJ tops has the caption, "Cat's meow".

    Lol.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,727 ✭✭✭✭Sherifu


    Phlann wrote: »
    It's really not that complicated... is there a problem with our primary schools or something?
    More likely a problem with memory or laziness.


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 36,496 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Honey-ec wrote: »
    Actually I think the American version of question 17 in that quiz would be:

    "IBM has increased its profits..." or whatever the rest of the sentence was.

    The US version would have: IBM has increased its profits by 120%.


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 36,496 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    Rozabeez wrote: »
    Got a delivery in work last week, on of the PJ tops has the caption, "Cat's meow".

    Lol.

    Yeah, as in "that's the cat's meow", i.e. something deadly, like "the bee's knees".


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,844 ✭✭✭Honey-ec


    Phlann wrote: »
    All hail the new Fuhrer

    Surely you mean Fuehrer??? :-)

    Or Führer

    Dear God, I'm actually correcting German grammar & punctuation now. I need help...


  • Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 827 ✭✭✭Phlann


    I mean the latter, but I wasn't sure how to get the umlaut over the u.

    How did you do it?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 991 ✭✭✭SuperGrover


    Some of the spelling and grammar is so bad.

    It leaps out at me and I have wondered why it doesn't do the same to the writers.

    I am pretty sure that it comes from not reading enough books. If you see something written correctly often enough, then when it is incorrect it is really obvious.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,844 ✭✭✭Honey-ec


    Phlann wrote: »
    I mean the latter, but I wasn't sure how to get the umlaut over the u.

    How did you do it?


    I did it in word and copied & pasted it!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 354 ✭✭RefulgentGnomon


    I find a horrendous amount of Irish people struggle with both written and spoken Irish, interestingly there seems to be a direct correlation between a person’s command of linguistics and the views they hold in regard to foreign nationals. I have seen a perfect example of this recently spray painted on the side of the Mill Shopping Centre in Clondalkin, written in big red letters was “Foreners go home”, I laughed, as did my Foren girlfriend (who pulls me up on my grammar and spelling all the time).

    There was a story about graffiti saying "Foreigner's out" where somebody had written under it "But he'll be back later" :D
    The US version would have: IBM has increased its profits by 120%

    I seriously doubt that as that would be just plain wrong mathematically.

    Funnliy enough,Eddie Hobbs caused a furore after telling us on Rip-off Republic that wine shops had marked-up/increased the price they paid by 340% from c. €7.00 to c. €24.00 (Can't remember the exact figures). The wine merchants were in the papers the weekend after saying there is no way that they have a mark-up of 340%.
    Nobody (No journalists, viewers, wine merchants etc.) seemed to realise if you looked at the figures he showed on the programme, it was 240%!

    The FAI have also made this mistake in reporting increases in prize money before...

    You'd think one person would notice before reporting it...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 476 ✭✭Nuggles



    I am pretty sure that it comes from not reading enough books. If you see something written correctly often enough, then when it is incorrect it is really obvious.


    Now that I think of it, all grammar fiends are big readers and all those who repetitively destroy it are tv watchers.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,467 ✭✭✭smemon


    I never read books and rarely would i read papers, yet my english is superlative :pac:

    Quite often i'd make mistakes when typing... that's just down to my hands not being able to keep up with my brain ;)

    A combination of web 2.0, txt msgs and dumb celebrities have contributed to our current grammar crisis imo.

    It drives me nuts when Irish people say 'i'll learn ye' - they know it's wrong yet they say it anyway?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,526 ✭✭✭m@cc@


    ejmaztec wrote: »
    Fair enough, people can slip into bad habits and forget what they were taught. Some others never got it in the first place.

    You'd expect sign-writers not to slip up and have these permanent displays of their ignorance bolted to the front of a shop or attached to a post.

    A guy in the local town opened a shop. He sold antiques, so to avoid any confusion, he named the shop "Antiques". A local sign-writer attached a large fancy-looking wooden board above the window. The board said "Antique's". I tried to explain to the shop-owner that the sign-writer had screwed up by sticking the apostrophe on it, but he didn't know what the fucking hell I was talking about.

    The sign was never changed, but remained there until the shop eventually closed down and was demolished (probably by the grammar nazis).

    Any individual who calls a shop "Antiques" is not going to be concerned about apostrophes.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,526 ✭✭✭m@cc@


    smemon wrote: »
    I never read books and rarely would i read papers, yet my english is superlative :pac:

    Quite often i'd make mistakes when typing... that's just down to my hands not being able to keep up with my brain ;)

    A combination of web 2.0, txt msgs and dumb celebrities have contributed to our current grammar crisis imo.

    It drives me nuts when Irish people say 'i'll learn ye' - they know it's wrong yet they say it anyway?


    For humour purposes I would have though.


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