Grammar & Punctuation - AGAIN

[Uncle Al]

Here we go again

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE proof-read your posts, looking for errors in spelling and punctuation.
Don't rely on 'Auto-corrupt' to correct YOUR mistakes.

We can only understand what is printed on 'the page'. We can't tell any voice inflections, or sarcasm,
in a statement as we can't HEAR the intended use by the author.

Use a 'space', 'comma' or 'period' to help separate thoughts - and meanings.
Example;

Lets Eat punctuation and grammar JPG 2023-04-05.jpg

What is the difference between the two statements

Is Grand Ma going to be eaten or is she being asked a question

I'm mentioning this again as in the past 6 months, or so, the cognitive writing has
degraded. Missing words in sentences - leading the reader to question what the
original intent of the statement is/was. We, the readers, can't fully understand
what the meaning truly is. Some of the posts indicate that an A.I. or Chat-Bot is
actually writing the post, not a real person.


PLEASE proof-read your posts.
Make sure your posts may be understood by anyone who reads them.

I'll go back under my rock now -

Uncle Al

[crfriend]

Is Grand Ma going to be eaten or is she being asked a question

The first is a statement of intent. The second is a plea for sustenance. Both are devoid of terminators, but I'd posit that the former should have a period after it and the last an exclamation point. (Especially if Grandma's answer to the second was, "No.")

In any event, the canonical guide to this sort of madness is Lynne Truss' wonderful tome Eats, Shoots, & Leaves (subtitled, "The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation") and which should be mandatory reading for anyone who communicates using the written language. It's also hilarious in parts. I highly recommend it!

In the same vein we have the immortal "Should we help our uncle Jack off his horse?" Where do the commas go in order to make that either proper or rather "odd"? (Somebody here posted that one a while ago and I darned near spat out my teeth because I was laughing so hard.)

[Ray]

Sorry, Carl; that was me. The phrase had much the same mirth-inducing effect on me.

Al - are you sitting down? I AGREE with your post!

[Myopic Bookworm]

I have just been rather rude on Facebook by calling out a writer (I mean, someone who actually aspires to write books) for using "me" where it should have been "I"; so I hear you, brother.

[crfriend]

Sorry, Carl; that was me.

There's no need to apologise for that one, I definitely enjoy a good laugh from time to time, and word-play is one of my favourite games.

The only scary part is that my teeth are all original issue...

[Fred in Skirts]

Blame the %#)@%^##@ computer and cell phone, and lazy people!! As a whole we the great unwashed have decided that we do not have to follow the rules for grammar any longer.
I have received messages from people that hold very high positions of power in their companies and had to spend hours trying to decipher and understand what they were saying.

All of these shortened words leave me baffled most of the time. They do not makes sense at all.

[Faldaguy]

Hey Fred,
I guess you and I just ain't woke!

[Fred in Skirts]

Hey Fred,
I guess you and I just ain't woke!

Well I sure ain't "WOKE"

Don't plan on getting in that sick condition.....

[Jim]

Here are the symptoms to watch out for if you are concerned about getting "woke":

woke3.jpg

[Ray]

A succinct summary, Jim.

[ScotL]

Here are the symptoms to watch out for if you are concerned about getting "woke":
woke3.jpg

Not sure if this is supposed to be funny? Ironic? I’m no fan of crazy “wokeness” but those ten things are admirable? No? I’m a bit confused here.

[TSH]

I can't tell you how much it annoys me when people use a comma(,) instead of a semicolon(;) (or better yet, a period) to continue a sentence when the word after said comma doesn't even connect with the prior clause. Here's an example:

"This cave is too dark, we won't be able to see anything."

This is how the sentence SHOULD be written:

"This cave is too dark; we won't be able to see anything."

The second sentence makes more sense because the semicolon indicates a longer pause, while conjoining what would normally be two sentences into one. Commas DON'T do that — as they're supposed to be used in between parts of a sentence, after a conjunction (i.e. "as" and "after").

What also grinds my gears is how people keep using apostrophes to pluralize nouns. GOD. DAM. MIT. You DON'T need to put an "'s" after a decade. You SHOULDN'T do it, either, as it makes no sense from a logical perspective.

An abbreviation of a decade, such as the 1980s, would logically have an apostrophe BEFORE the decade ("'80s"), NOT after it ("80's"). Why the hell would anyone even use an apostrophe if the entire decade was going to be spelled out, anyway? What's wrong with people?

It's hard NOT to have my prescriptivist glasses on when people keep using punctuation marks without understanding WHAT functions these punctuation marks actually serve. Why make the language as inconsistent as possible? Christ...

[Faldaguy]

Such angst from a punctuation mark? I'm happy see the written word, with or without, grammatic precision. Oft times the errors are more fun -- smile, your are on...!

[Ray]

I’m with TSH on this one. Two very good examples of bad grammar.

[TSH]

Such angst from a punctuation mark? I'm happy see the written word, with or without, grammatic precision. Oft times the errors are more fun -- smile, your are on...!

If it were just one punctuation mark, I wouldn't be all up in arms about it, but it's at least three, so I don't mind being neurotic about this.