"Whenever" and "Seen"

[Karen]

This thread reminds me somehow of the Robert Burns quote:

O wad some power the giftie gie us
To see oursel's as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us.
And foolish notion;
What airs in dress and gait wad lea'e us,
And ev'n devotion!

In more modern English, it says "Oh, would some Power the gift give us
to see ourselves as others see us!" and I'm sure you can all suss out the meaning of the rest.

I learned by first grade that one would not make friends by correcting one's classmates' grammar - but I did so anyway when it really bugged me, especially my neighbor who pronounced spaghetti as "puzgeddy" ...

My pet peeve are misplaced apostrophes, and when I see them used incorrectly on signage or in an advertisement, I will tell the store employees, especially on handwritten - and therefore easily corrected - signs.

[Lobodeb]

Here's one that bugs me. There, their and they're. They're different words and aren't interchangeble!

Also its and it's. I have to think twice before I type that one.

And, since we're all sharing our pet peeves, here's some that I'm terribly guilty of...(yes, I just ended my sentence with a preposition.)

Affect and effect. What is the proper way to use this? "How will this affect me?"

[CathyBogart]

The one that makes me want to tear out my hair is when people say "woof" instead of "wolf".

[Karen]

Affect and effect. What is the proper way to use this? "How will this affect me?"

From http://www.askoxford.com

To affect something is to change or influence it, To effect something is a rather formal way of saying `to make it happen'. Confusingly, either may produce an 'effect' or result. ('An affect' is a technical term in psychology.)

Correct usage:
The stability of the wall was affected by passing lorries.
The demolition of the wall was effected by the detonation of a charge of dynamite.
The dynamite did not just 'affect' (influence) the demolition of the wall: it caused it.

[prechrswife]

Also its and it's. I have to think twice before I type that one.

Affect and effect. What is the proper way to use this? "How will this affect me?"

On the its and it's thing, we actually bought a box of Christmas cards the year before last that were beautiful on the outside, and the sentiment inside was good, but it said something along the lines of "...the star of Christmas shines it's light..." We took them back to the store for a refund and purchased different cards. Now, I read the inside very carefully before purchasing any card.

As for affect and effect, the easiest way for me to remember is that "affect" is an "action." They both start with the letter a, so "affect" is a verb. "Effect," then is a noun.

[Lobodeb]

As for affect and effect, the easiest way for me to remember is that "affect" is an "action." They both start with the letter a, so "affect" is a verb. "Effect," then is a noun.

Ok, so "the special effects of the movie affected me in a way I didn't expect."



Is that wright? hehehehe, just kidding.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

My husband and I go back and forth about whether the word kitten should be pronounced "Kit-ten" with both t's pronounced sharply, or "Kit-en" with just one pronounced... It's the same with mit-ten versus mit-en

I've always pronounced it "Kit-en" and it would drive my ex-coworker crazy, she insisted it was "Kit- ten".

Affect and effect. What is the proper way to use this? "How will this affect me?"

That's one I can't get right. My husband has tried to help me with it many times, but I just can't get it right. I really try to avoid using those words.

[Catty1]

"Your" (means you own it) and "You're" (you are).

If there is an apostrophe in a word, chances are there's a letter missing - it's a contraction. Apostrophes are a hint...

I remember my grandmother saying "warsh" for "wash" all her life. She was born in Washington State and lived there til she was a teen. I have some friends born and raised there that say the same thing. Dialect, I guess.

[finn's mom]

I remember my grandmother saying "warsh" for "wash" all her life. She was born in Washington State and lived there til she was a teen. I have some friends born and raised there that say the same thing. Dialect, I guess.

My mom's from Illinois and she says the same thing.

[kokopup]

I remember my grandmother saying "warsh" for "wash" all her life. She was born in Washington State and lived there til she was a teen. I have some friends born and raised there that say the same thing. Dialect, I guess.

I think you can say warsh is a country term used in rural areas all over the US
and Canada. I hear it used here in rural Alabama, however, being raised in the
Birmingham Burbs, I never heard it used. We are talking about going just
30 miles to hear a major change in accent and word usage.

[Catty1]

"wierd" is wrong; it's "weird". I know it sounds like the EE sound that the i makes should come first...but English is a crazy language with many parents. One can't assume anything about it!

My mom and sister, who were very intelligent - Darcia skipped grades in school, my mom had two undergraduate degrees and a Master's...spelled it "wierd" for years. It was quite a good feeling to point this anomaly out to them...

[phesina]

One good way I learned to remember the proper order of the i and the e in "weird":

Think of the words "weirdo" and "hairdo." Both of them contain these four letters in sequence: i-r-d-o.

[luckies4me]

"wierd" is wrong; it's "weird". I know it sounds like the EE sound that the i makes should come first...but English is a crazy language with many parents. One can't assume anything about it!

My mom and sister, who were very intelligent - Darcia skipped grades in school, my mom had two undergraduate degrees and a Master's...spelled it "wierd" for years. It was quite a good feeling to point this anomaly out to them...

Yes! Finally someone who spells it correctly! "I before E except after C" isn't always correct.

[luckies4me]

Also, what about " and '...did I use those correctly? Gosh, this thread really makes you think!

[Pam]

I learned by first grade that one would not make friends by correcting one's classmates' grammar - but I did so anyway when it really bugged me, especially my neighbor who pronounced spaghetti as "puzgeddy" ...

Karen I wish I could do that. I work with a girl who misuses Moot and Mute. She always says that something is a Mute Point. I have to bit my tongue because I want to refer her to the remote control on her TV.

Moot - 1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful: a moot point.
2. of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.

Mute -1. silent; refraining from speech or utterance.
2. not emitting or having sound of any kind.

Another word that really bothers me is nuclear. So many people (our president is included in this) say nucular. That just makes me crazy!