Linguistic Linguine

[kejedo]

One method I use in trying to make new ones comfortable is learning a few greetings in their language. I am always happy when someone adjusts my feeble attempts. For example, I have been corrected in the proper use of 'caliente' vs. 'calor,' in Spanish.

 

Many on this forum may be learning English, which is extremely difficult. 

 

Of course, we all make typos and grammar gaffes when writing quickly.  I would never correct someone right after their post, but thought I'd mention a few that I have observed (in general.)

 

1.) He could of done better.

 

2.) To each their own.

 

3.) The dog wagged it's tail.

 

4.) Please send it to Mary or I.

 

5.)She was the tallest of the two sisters.

 

6.) I had already boughten mine.

 

You are welcome to correct each sentence by removing one word and replacing it with one or more words.  If you have come across a sentence that could be written more accurately, please feel free to add it here. (But not immediately after it has been posted.)  This is not to embarrass anyone, but to emulate the accurate grammar used in 'our literature'.

 

[Tortuga]

33 minutes ago, kejedo said:

1.) He could of done better.

He shuda done better...

 

'Could of' is loser talk.....

 

[kejedo]

1 minute ago, Tortuga said:

He shuda done better...

 

'Could of' is loser talk.....

 

Of course, and contractions are not just for women in labor.  

                                                                                              Y ( unfondly remembering Braxton Hicks )S

[niall]

I'm tired but I'll give it a go.

 

1) He could have done better.

2) To each his own.

3) The dog wagged his tail. ("It's" is a contraction of "it is" which is not correct, but I'm not sure that "its" is correct either, so I'll go for something completely different.)

4) Please sent it to Mary or me. (Remove "Mary" see if it still makes sense - please send it to I, or, please send it to me?)

5) She is the tallest of the two sisters. (Presuming "she" is not now shorter than the other sister, she is still the tallest)

6.) I had already ... mine? Did they buy it, or bring it? If I remember correctly, "had already" is the past perfect tense - but that's not what you're asking. I'm not sure about "boughten." This is where context is helpful.

[Buttons]

I think No. 5 should be, "She is the taller of the two sisters."  

[kejedo]

1 hour ago, niall said:

I'm tired but I'll give it a go.

 

1) He could have done better. Perfect. "Shoulda, woulda, coulda" should actually be ' should have' contracted to should've....et. al. 

 

2) To each his own. This idiomatic sentence fragment was correct, as Niall has written it, when it was used in the 1700s (dates back to 1500s) and means each one is entitled to his or her preference. ' Their' is incorrect because it does not agree with the singular antecedent, "each." In correct modern English, it should be rendered, "To each, his or her own...."

 

3) The dog wagged his tail. ("It's" is a contraction of "it is" which is not correct, but I'm not sure that "its" is correct either, so I'll go for something completely different.) In English an animal is considered neuter, so 'its,' is correct. 'It's' is a contraction for 'it is.' Correction: The dog wagged its tail. If one knows the gender of the canine, Niall's is correct. Same rule applies to the word "baby."

 

4) Please sent it to Mary or me. (Remove "Mary" see if it still makes sense - please send it to I, or, please send it to me?) Right again, brother. Please send it to Mary or me. 'Me' is always used in the objective form of a sentence.

5) She is the tallest of the two sisters. (Presuming "she" is not now shorter than the other sister, she is still the tallest) Buttons nailed this one. When comparing two items, the the correct adjective is 'taller'. She is the taller of the two sisters. Yay, Sister Helen!

6.) I had already ... mine? Did they buy it, or bring it? If I remember correctly, "had already" is the past perfect tense - but that's not what you're asking. I'm not sure about "boughten." This is where context is helpful. The correct past and perfect participle of 'buy' is bought. Brother Niall spotted it, again.  I had already bought mine.  In the simple past, it would be: "I  already bought mine."

 

[Dalbyj]

Good subject, Sister Pauline! Grammar and the English language has always fascinated me and, while I'm no expert and frequently make mistakes, I love to 'edit' - always in my head unless I know my subject very well! Here are a couple of things I often hear and 'proofread' as I'm listening ..

 

- 'Jane and myself are going to the park' - Similar to the 'Mary and me' scenario above - if you are going to the park by yourself, would you say 'Myself is going to the park'? 

 

- 'You're a Jehovah's Witness' - My father's name is Martin. Martin has two daughters. I am one of Martin's daughters, or I am a daughter of Martin - I am not a Martin's daughter. I realise that most of the world does not know the depth of our relationship with our heavenly Father and there are still many who do not even know that Jehovah is God's name, but it still sends a little irritation through my head when someone asks me if I'm 'a Jehovah's Witness' .. or even worse .. 'a Jehovah Witness'!!

[kejedo]

Thanks Sister Dallas. We have a dignified God and  it is worth it for each of us to dignify the language that we speak. Learning an additional language makes it more challenging. 

 

When I was teaching high school, until last year, I was surprised by how many students had learned incorrect grammar in primary school and had to relearn to pass their exams.  

 

Texting has deteriorated daily, informal communication.

 

                                                                                               Y (still trying to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses)S

[kejedo]

IMHO, the  New Zealand accent is similar to my native Boston accent, except if I am trying to talk Kiwi. Then, an apartment is a flat and a mailbox is a litter (lit ter not li tter) box.  

 

When an person from Australia is saying "Australian," it sounds something like "Strine" but dragged out a bit. I could be wrong, but I will keep listening for refinement. 

 

                                                                                                          Y (language loving)S

Edited December 6, 2016 by kejedo