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On Accident vs By Accident

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24

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    #32
    Gwynplaine
    Registered Users Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭Gwynplaine


    In the car, on the train, in the bed, on the sofa.


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    #33
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    Gwynplaine wrote: »
    in the bed, .

    If you're actually in it yes. Under the covers. Otherwise you are on the bed.


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    #34
    silverharp
    Registered Users Posts: 17,848 ✭✭✭✭silverharp


    first time I have ever heard this, even with people where English isn't their first language

    A belief in gender identity involves a level of faith as there is nothing tangible to prove its existence which, as something divorced from the physical body, is similar to the idea of a soul. - Colette Colfer



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    #35
    topper75
    Registered Users Posts: 5,942 ✭✭✭topper75


    is_that_so wrote: »
    It's always existed. It's just non-standard grammar in the northern part of England. I always feel a need to correct that!

    You are right. It's origins can be seen by comparing to German and Dutch structures. English has Germanic origins after all. Many speak of English as though there is only one pure correct form; you hear references to the 'Queen's English', whatever that may be. There are many dialects in England and all are equally valid as they emerged at the same time, brought by the Germanic tribes - Saxons, Jutes, Angles, Danes that spoke proto Yorkshire, Northumberland, Scots, Wessex etc. There were many royal houses over the centuries that originated in different districts. The Tudors were actually Welsh! "I were just stood there laughing" is absolutely valid and correct, though it sounds odd to many.


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    #36
    biko
    Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    Slowly but Shirley the language is deteriorating.

    What amazes me is that there are so many spell checkers and grammar checking tools available now it should be easy to get a least the basics right.


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    #37
    Up Donegal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,236 ✭✭✭Up Donegal


    looksee wrote: »
    In the olden days, when people communicated by letter, their lack of grammar and spelling abilities would be shown up only to the recipient. Now everyone's creative approach to English is communicated to the world online, to the extent that 'correct' grammar and spelling is becoming extremely hazy and people are picking up bad habits.

    It is considered bad manners on-line to correct someone else's English, and oddly (not really) this one aspect of manners and courtesy is respected where otherwise anarchy reigns. Language changes and evolves, fair enough. However, the errors seep into formal writing, news reports, and ultimately legal documents. Many of the common errors, for example, confuse words that mean the opposite to each other. Either accept or except can be correctly used in a sentence, but one will mean exactly the opposite to the other, and could have catastrophic results. Look how much of an issue a single comma has caused in the American constitution.

    Rain, reign, rein are all different words. One of them is used incorrectly in Boards' rules and regulations - we keep telling them but it hasn't been changed. If they can be used interchangeably why not spell it rane and save ourselves a lot of bother?

    The only consolation is that when the current aging crop of people who were actually taught English grammar finally dies out, someone will have invented a computer program that can construct non-ambiguous sentences. Won't that be fun? Who needs literature and poetry?

    Yes.
    I would consider myself to have a decent grasp of the written English language. I agree that people shouldn’t be taken to task publicly over incorrect spelling/grammar etc. being used in social media posts between friends. There is a Facebook group out there which has been set up for that purpose only!! As far as I’m concerned they might be dyslexic, didn’t have the necessary education, or have some other difficulty which they have no control over and that they’re probably doing their best.
    What does bug me, though, is incorrect spelling/grammar on notices, signs, advertisements etc. that we see displayed openly every time we go to town. There are printed posters with glaring errors. I think that the companies that print these posters should inspect the wording before printing and, if necessary, consult the customer to make them aware of any such errors. We can’t forget the erroneous tattoos that appear from time to time either! At least with a cardboard poster, it can be ripped up and re-done, but a tattoo is forever!


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    #38
    Up Donegal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,236 ✭✭✭Up Donegal


    AudreyHepburn wrote: »
    By accident or accidentally

    I would say that both are fine.


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    #39
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    Up Donegal wrote: »
    !! As far as I’m concerned they might be dyslexic, didn’t have the necessary education, or have some other difficulty which they have no control over and that they’re probably doing their best.
    !

    Surely if that's the case, correcting them and showing they've made errors they might not even realise they've made is a good thing?

    You dont get to a point in school and just stop telling people when theyve done something wrong and just accept that that's what they think is right. That's what gets us to where we are with the likes of the Facebook thread where people are lashing up any old mixture of letters that vaguely resembles words.

    No one is saying that people should reply with "you ****ing idiot, that's not how you spell that, are you thick or something? But helpfully correcting errors shouldnt be an issue.


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    #40
    hgfj
    Registered Users Posts: 252 ✭✭hgfj


    biko wrote: »
    Slowly but Shirley the language is deteriorating.

    What amazes me is that there are so many spell checkers and grimmer checking tools available now it should be easy to get a least the basics right.

    Grimmer?


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    #41
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    I saw or I seen?

    I did or I done?

    I think these ones need to be pointed out on here at least


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    #42
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    tuxy wrote: »
    I saw or I seen?

    I did or I done?

    I think these ones need to be pointed out on here at least

    I seed :)


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    #43
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    Guy:Incognito wrote: »
    I seed :)

    I dun


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    #44
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,108 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Up Donegal wrote: »
    Yes.
    I would consider myself to have a decent grasp of the written English language. I agree that people shouldn’t be taken to task publicly over incorrect spelling/grammar etc. being used in social media posts between friends. There is a Facebook group out there which has been set up for that purpose only!! As far as I’m concerned they might be dyslexic, didn’t have the necessary education, or have some other difficulty which they have no control over and that they’re probably doing their best.
    What does bug me, though, is incorrect spelling/grammar on notices, signs, advertisements etc. that we see displayed openly every time we go to town. There are printed posters with glaring errors. I think that the companies that print these posters should inspect the wording before printing and, if necessary, consult the customer to make them aware of any such errors. We can’t forget the erroneous tattoos that appear from time to time either! At least with a cardboard poster, it can be ripped up and re-done, but a tattoo is forever!

    But that is the whole point! People don't know the correct version because it is not taught (not 'thought') in schools; increasing numbers of teachers do not know what is correct, and the English that is on-line adds to the confusion.


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    #45
    Bobblehats
    Registered Users Posts: 4,707 ✭✭✭Bobblehats


    Must be infuriating spending your life listening out for something that nobody actually says


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    #46
    Franz Von Peppercorn II
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,398 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn II


    Omackeral wrote: »
    Don't forget that they play with "Legos" instead of Lego.

    Really?

    Personally with the exception of what’s already built in I think we should pluralise with an s, for all the new words.


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    #47
    Guy:Incognito
    Registered Users Posts: 38,247 ✭✭✭✭Guy:Incognito


    Franz Von Peppercorn II wrote: »
    Really?

    Personally with the exception of what’s already built in I think we should pluralise with an s, for all the new words.

    Lego is the collective word though.

    You dont play with 50 pieces of lego or 50 legos, you just play with lego.

    We shouldn't dumb language down, we should smarten people up.


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    #48
    AllForIt
    Registered Users Posts: 8,295 ✭✭✭AllForIt


    Once I said 'on accident' on accident.

    ...make that twice.


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    #49
    Up Donegal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,236 ✭✭✭Up Donegal


    Guy:Incognito wrote: »
    Surely if that's the case, correcting them and showing they've made errors they might not even realise they've made is a good thing?

    Correct them by all means, but not on a public forum like social media.
    I have, at times, privately pointed out errors to authors, usually people I know, of grammatical, factual or spelling errors in social media posts because I felt that the authors might be subjected to unnecessary criticism if they weren't pointed out.


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    #50
    Turquoise Hexagon Sun
    Registered Users Posts: 532 ✭✭✭Turquoise Hexagon Sun


    I could care less :pac:


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    #51
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users Posts: 6,465 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    marcbrophy wrote: »
    Who's the wanker that voted "On accident"? :P
    764dak wrote: »
    Maybe he or she did it by accident.
    I reckon they did it 'by purpose'...


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    #52
    Tokyo
    Politics Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,655 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tokyo


    From one of the school books over here:

    MPVYS2bl.png

    WTF is 'healthful'?


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    #53
    endacl
    Registered Users Posts: 22,237 ✭✭✭✭endacl


    mike_ie wrote: »
    From one of the school books over here:

    MPVYS2bl.png

    WTF is 'healthful'?
    Food that makes you stupid.

    It’s the only possible explanation.


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    #54
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users Posts: 6,465 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    I was talking to somebody today who used the term 'hating on'. When I spoke of my displeasure at the usage, he said "How else can you say what I just said?". I said "Exactly as you said it, without the word 'on'. The sentence works perfectly without it". :rolleyes:
    Guy:Incognito wrote: »
    Lego is the collective word though.

    You don't play with 50 pieces of lego or 50 legos, you just play with lego.

    We shouldn't dumb language down, we should smarten people up.
    You play with lego, or lego blocks. Not legos. Usually just lego, though.


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    #55
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    sugarman wrote: »
    I'm no grammar Nazi and I'm far from perfect myself, but a lot of it is very basic stuff! The likes of...

    "Should of" instead of "Should HAVE" or "Should've".

    Not knowing the difference between There, Their and They're.

    Not knowing the difference between Then and Than.

    Don't you think I seen and I done are much more common mistakes?

    On here are some forums worse for it than others?
    Out of the forums I read the motors one is by far the worst, I'm not sure why.


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    #56
    NickNickleby
    Registered Users Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭NickNickleby


    from now on, I'm keeping a dickshunry beside me whenever I post on boreds.


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    #57
    tuxy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭tuxy


    NickNickleby wrote: »
    from now on, I'm keeping a dickshunry beside me whenever I post on boreds.

    Which dickshunry can be used to correct grammar?


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    #58
    NickNickleby
    Registered Users Posts: 1,817 ✭✭✭NickNickleby


    tuxy wrote: »
    Which dickshunry can be used to correct grammar?

    Aha!
    However, its my spelling that let's me down. My grammar is impeccable!!

    What ho!

    (I'm off to check my post history for grammatical errors now. :pac::pac::pac:)


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    #59
    Pherekydes
    Registered Users Posts: 16,115 ✭✭✭✭Pherekydes


    Accidentally!


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    #60
    NSAman
    Registered Users Posts: 3,388 ✭✭✭NSAman


    Amazing the way just changing some words around, can give you a completely different meaning... no wonder English is a mad language to learn....

    E.g. I pricked my finger....

    or I fingered my..


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    #61
    Franz Von Peppercorn II
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,398 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn II


    Looking into the LEGO non pluralisation it looks like the company itself tries to enforce that rule. Probably to protect the brand.


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