"Whenever" and "Seen"

[Randi]

"The patient is lying in bed... please don't write laying!" Hmm, I'm not sure I've quite got this... isn't "lying" also if someone is not telling the truth? And "laying" someone laying something on a table?

[Karen]

I always had trouble with lie and lay. In fact when I was a freshman in college, a friend from Brazil who was a Library Science major at Simmon's college across the street asked me to explain it to her one day, and I said, "I can't! Call my mother, she'll tell you!"

Now I can always look it up - http://grammartips.homestead.com/lie.html is one example. Now can you imagine trying to explain "intransitive verb" to someone just learning English?

[cassiesmom]

"The patient is lying in bed... please don't write laying!" Hmm, I'm not sure I've quite got this... isn't "lying" also if someone is not telling the truth? And "laying" someone laying something on a table?

When I made that post, part of my job was transcribing medical chart notes for insurance payors and I had to try to catch those kinds of things (for example, the pregnant patient whose "do date" is July 12).

[Randi]

Cassiesmom, "for insurance payors" - should that be "payers", or have I got that wrong, too?


Karen, thanks for the link, that was a great explanation.

[cassiesmom]

I think payor/payer can go either way. I've almost always seen it as payor in the context of the ones I've worked for.

[Taz_Zoee]

I did not read through the entire thread again, but the one that's been bugging me lately is are instead of our. Those are two completely different words!!
Oh, and the other day the owner of the company I work for put in an email by instead of bye. That bugged me too.
I also get the lie lay words wrong. I guess I should go to the site Karen posted.

[Jessika]

My biggest pet peeves have probably been echoed in this thread already:

their, there, and they're
you're and your

I took a class in school that taught me the difference between words like "lying" vs "laying" (for writing in medical charts, which is a LEGAL DOCUMENT, and it just makes you look sloppy when you mix words like that up), but I do forget sometimes. I'd like to think I look like I'm a little educated though when I do speak/type as compared to many others.... granted, these smart phones nowadays sure can make you look dumb with their auto corrects...

[Randi]

Ha ha, a conniption fit. Another word I didn't know, that Sirrasim posted further up. I don't think I've ever heard anyone use it.

Jessica, the words you mention are misused everywhere these days and I can't understand why. Also, a lot of people use then, when they should use than. Those are two completely different words!

Even in articles in newspapers, there are lots of mistakes; in Denmark, too. Are there no proof readers anymore?

It's a shame that so many people can't spell (dysletic people), because they too have important things to say, but they are not given the same respect due to their bad spelling. Must admit that I find it easier and more enjoyable to read a well written article/book.

[happylabs]

The biggie for me that I see everywhere is when people use "your" instead of "you're".

I don't know why it bothers me so much though but it does. I'm not the best at grammar but I do have the basics down.