Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Grammar

Today you have to go to Kim's Big Quilting Adventure. She has a slightly cranky comment on an anonymous comment left on her blog. She hits on a big problem I have. I can see grammar mistakes. Not that I don't make my own, but the thing that EVERYONE should know, such as numbers under ten are written out. Only when you get to 11 can you just use a number. That kind of thing drives me crazy, but I usually keep it to myself. There are times when it is a good idea to point it out (when editing for my students for one), but most of the time it is nicer to just let it go. Of course, I have to tell someone and that usually ends up being my daughter or a friend who thinks like me. Now there are three of us! The funny part is that I obsessively went back over some of my posts to see if I had committed that unforgivable error. So far, so good! Have a great day today! Julie

2 comments:

  1. I agree with you 100%. However, I do have something to add to your thoughts.

    I'm from Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada. We have a very unique dialect and vernacular. Often we use words in different ways and grammar is correct in our English when it's incorrect in "your" English.

    I realize we all speak the same language. However, when I was studying remediation of language problems during my Special Education degree, we were specifically told if it makes sense in that community and everyone understands what was said in that community, then it was acceptable and we're not to correct it.

    I have to comment that we were always told to write out numbers smaller than 100! I typically don't do it but that's part of my style of writing. It is a lazy habit lol!!! (I also use excessive !!!!!!!!!'s... because I'm a generally happy person).

    I specifically write the way I speak to add a bit of Newfoundland and Labrador flare to my blog. I often use local sayings and meanings for words.

    Just as an example... typically you'd say "where are you to?" in NL we say "Where are you at?" In fact if you said 'to' in that sentence people would have to stop and think about what you meant.

    Also, you'd say "What are you doing" in NL we say "What are ya at?" and yes, "ya" is a word.

    I love discussing all this stuff, I think it's a part of folklore that helps make us who we are. Although, Canada is a multicultural mosaic and in other parts of the world they are melting pots. We really try to celebrate our unique language and grammar here.

    ReplyDelete