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Achtung! Grammatik! :insert Nazi-saluting smiley as the Wehrmacht marches by: Tom Send a noteboard - 05/10/2011 08:10:45 PM
1. Does anybody (besides me) use proper grammar when texting, posting on Facebook, etc.?

I always make a conscious effort to use proper grammar. Anything less would be uncivilized.

2. Do you correct somebody who uses incorrect grammar while talking? If not, do you at least do it in your head?

Yes. Errors that irritate me most as of late: 1) incorrect use of the subjunctive (e.g., "I wish I was..." ); 2) incorrect use of the nominal case for personal pronouns when the direct object or object of a preposition (e.g., "Between you and I..." ); and 3) misuse of apostrophes (e.g., "The website has an error on it's homepage" ).

3. Do you wince whenever you read a particularly awful Facebook post?

I don't just wince. I usually make a snide remark that points out the error.

4. Have you noticed a trend on Facebook where people don't even bother using periods to separate sentences anymore?

Yes. The majority of people are stupid. One must always keep this in mind. A corollary to this is that no one believes himself to be stupid.

5. Have you noticed misspelled words that have nothing to do with 140 character length? (Today I saw somebody spell "do" as "dew";)

Of course. On LinkedIn, where one would hope a higher level of perfection is sought since it is primarily a business tool, I saw one person refer to himself as a "principle" of his company. It's refreshing to see people representing abstract ideas again, like in the Greek tragedies.

6. (Off topic) Are people whiny bitches on Facebook or what?

The majority of statements on Facebook are self-absorbed narcissistic bullshit.

7. Has anybody ever called you a Grammar Nazi?

All the time. I like to take the analogy another step and say that I'm the Führer of the Grammar Reich, may it last a thousand years.

8. Has Twitter and texting eroded proper grammar for today's youths?

Since we're discussing grammar, I would note that you have a plural subject with a singular verb form, and that "youth" is a collective noun better left in the singular (though that last point is really more a stylistic choice). I believe that the failure begins in the educational system, and social media are nothing more than a reflection of this failure.

9. Have you succumbed to the 140 character shortcuts? How often do you text or tweet this way?

I do not use Twitter. I loathe sending SMS messages, but prior to getting a smart phone I did abbreviate out of irritation (e.g., "can i c u b4 2mrw?" ). However, this was the result of having a numeric keypad only.

10. Were there any grammatical mistakes in this survey?

Yes. I just told you.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
This message last edited by Tom on 05/10/2011 at 08:11:34 PM
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Grammar junkies - 05/10/2011 06:46:31 PM 1143 Views
I'm not always sure that I'm correct, but.... - 05/10/2011 07:04:13 PM 838 Views
I didn't see any errors - 05/10/2011 07:24:27 PM 823 Views
Re: I didn't see any errors - 06/10/2011 03:14:07 PM 701 Views
You mean ... - 06/10/2011 03:58:32 PM 788 Views
Must ... have ... grammar. - 05/10/2011 07:53:34 PM 1015 Views
For you and Tom as well, the same question about question eight. - 05/10/2011 08:33:39 PM 1300 Views
Tom can probably give you actual terms and correct rules, but here's my take on it. - 05/10/2011 08:43:47 PM 788 Views
That makes sense as far as it goes. - 05/10/2011 09:02:42 PM 824 Views
But do you actually regard them that way? - 05/10/2011 09:08:36 PM 807 Views
Yeah, pretty much. - 05/10/2011 09:25:18 PM 768 Views
Re: Yeah, pretty much. - 05/10/2011 09:29:33 PM 650 Views
OK then. - 05/10/2011 09:59:50 PM 811 Views
You bring up a point that I was researching the other day - 05/10/2011 08:53:40 PM 859 Views
You guys mean a hyphen, not a dash. - 05/10/2011 09:00:25 PM 820 Views
You're right of course! - 05/10/2011 09:13:44 PM 884 Views
I frequently am. - 05/10/2011 09:16:38 PM 893 Views
So I've noticed. - 05/10/2011 09:19:38 PM 804 Views
I like telling people, too. - 05/10/2011 09:34:50 PM 799 Views
You can use charmap. - 05/10/2011 10:21:32 PM 850 Views
Re: You guys mean a hyphen, not a dash. - 06/10/2011 01:15:02 PM 748 Views
Mmm, dashing. - 05/10/2011 09:02:53 PM 801 Views
Emdashing is an entirely different form of punctuation. - 05/10/2011 09:07:36 PM 872 Views
Achtung! Grammatik! :insert Nazi-saluting smiley as the Wehrmacht marches by: - 05/10/2011 08:10:45 PM 916 Views
I love this bit. - 05/10/2011 08:26:52 PM 900 Views
Bring back the BSG! - 05/10/2011 08:55:32 PM 837 Views
Re: your 2nd irritating error for question 2 - 06/10/2011 04:12:49 PM 773 Views
Good poll, especially for this site. - 05/10/2011 08:11:10 PM 925 Views
Re: serial comma. - 05/10/2011 08:31:58 PM 802 Views
Maybe I was being a little anal there. - 05/10/2011 08:35:33 PM 775 Views
Same here - 05/10/2011 08:43:34 PM 680 Views
I think it's conventional to use a comma before "etc". - 05/10/2011 08:55:11 PM 756 Views
Re: Grammar junkies - 05/10/2011 08:33:06 PM 816 Views
Re: Grammar junkies - 05/10/2011 08:49:43 PM 876 Views
People should talk in a way that can be understood, else they are not communicating. - 05/10/2011 09:17:37 PM 865 Views
Re: "everyone's". ~winky~ *NM* - 05/10/2011 09:22:18 PM 399 Views
Is it time for my lecture on superfluous apostrophes again? - 05/10/2011 09:43:47 PM 775 Views
You mean your lecture on "superfluous" apostrophes. - 05/10/2011 09:53:31 PM 717 Views
As have I. Multiple times. *NM* - 05/10/2011 09:55:08 PM 382 Views
I am not stubborn, just true to my convictions. - 05/10/2011 09:56:39 PM 968 Views
Unsurprisingly, I don't really agree with you at all on this point. :p - 05/10/2011 10:29:59 PM 860 Views
I do not really think I am "right" on this one so much as "not wrong." - 06/10/2011 12:01:36 AM 780 Views
But contradictions are inherent in the entire English language! - 06/10/2011 01:25:39 AM 767 Views
Sure, but not deliberate ones created by grammarians who know better. - 06/10/2011 05:40:58 AM 780 Views
I'm going to listen to the others. - 06/10/2011 06:17:18 AM 788 Views
Like I say, I appreciate exceptions when justified (and again, only claiming to be "not wrong." ) - 06/10/2011 07:26:18 AM 678 Views
But you are wrong - 06/10/2011 02:17:40 PM 814 Views
that is OK he is very good at being wrong *NM* - 06/10/2011 03:43:23 PM 412 Views
I disagree. - 07/10/2011 12:15:14 AM 757 Views
How utterly unsurprising - 07/10/2011 02:21:38 PM 736 Views
"We want to be nothing if not persistent." - 07/10/2011 02:39:19 PM 786 Views
Doesn't matter. - 07/10/2011 03:12:14 PM 794 Views
What. - 06/10/2011 06:17:41 PM 862 Views
You called? - 05/10/2011 08:53:54 PM 852 Views
Grammar schmammar! - 05/10/2011 09:01:47 PM 885 Views
Wongy tip #77 - 05/10/2011 11:15:12 PM 750 Views
#1) I do not use NetSpeak while playing games, texting or using social media. - 05/10/2011 11:34:12 PM 754 Views
What about NateSpeak? *NM* - 06/10/2011 04:01:08 PM 368 Views
I did use that once to tell the story of you and CNRedDragon going to see Ice Princess. *NM* - 07/10/2011 01:46:50 AM 389 Views
A timeless classic. - 07/10/2011 01:53:36 AM 725 Views
Re: Grammar junkies - 06/10/2011 01:17:28 AM 778 Views
Yes. - 06/10/2011 06:53:46 AM 715 Views
I forgot about "of" for "have." - 06/10/2011 07:31:11 AM 754 Views
I try - 06/10/2011 09:18:29 AM 808 Views
I freebase split infinitives on a regular basis. - 06/10/2011 01:53:36 PM 684 Views
The split infinitive is not grammatically incorrect. - 06/10/2011 02:04:34 PM 773 Views
I wish more people knew this. - 06/10/2011 07:38:46 PM 710 Views
Junky Grammar. - 06/10/2011 04:24:01 PM 706 Views

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