>> ^kronosposeidon:

I was taught the same thing about prepositions. We were also taught to never split an infinitive, like I just did. But it's okay, actually. You can also start sentences with conjunctions sometimes, which is good news for me. Because I do it all the time.
<div><div style="margin: 10px; overflow: auto; width: 80%; float: left; position: relative;" class="convoPiece"> blankfist said:<img style="margin: 4px 10px 10px; float: left; width: 40px;" src="http://static1.videosift.com/avatars/b/blankfist-s.jpg" onerror="ph(this)"><div style="position: absolute; margin-left: 52px; padding-top: 1px; font-size: 10px;" class="commentarrow">◄</div><div style="padding: 8px; margin-left: 60px; margin-top: 2px; min-height: 30px;" class="nestedComment box"> I hate it when the grammar gods change the rules willy fucking nilly. I remember reading somewhere they changed the rule for possessives on words ending in s. So, Tobias' is now supposed to be written Tobias's.
Who are these grammarian busybodies that appointed themselves with the power to rewrite English language rules? And why? Is there still a need to hone the English language after all these years? Is Great Fucking Expectations a goddamn work-in-progress? Does that mean I should've passed my 11th grade English exams just by shitting in a bag of Doritos because how dare the teacher tell me what is and what is not correct English? Shit, with this kind of loose adherence to language I imagine cave paintings could be considered proper fucking diction. I don't want to get off on a rant here, but...

By the way, quality idea about the NSFW tab.
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<div><div style="margin: 10px; overflow: auto; width: 80%; float: right; position: relative;" class="convoPiece"> kronosposeidon said:<img style="margin: 4px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 40px;" src="http://static1.videosift.com/avatars/k/kronosposeidon-s.jpg" onerror="ph(this)"><div style="position: absolute; margin-top: 1px; right: 52px; font-size: 10px;" class="commentarrow">►</div><div style="padding: 8px; margin-right: 60px; margin-top: 2px; min-height: 30px;" class="nestedComment box">Maybe that's a bad thing if you're a 19th century grammarian. I live in the modern era.
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And can we fix this goddamn fucking quote system? I mean, what the fucking fucking fuck? My eyes just vomited blood from looking at this jumble of nonsense. But seriously, believe in Jesus.

I was taught the same thing about prepositions. We were also taught to never split an infinitive, like I just did. But it's okay, actually. You can also start sentences with conjunctions sometimes, which is good news for me. Because I do it all the time. >> ^blankfist:

>> ^kronosposeidon:
Maybe that's a bad thing if you're a 19th century grammarian. I live in the modern era.

I hate it when the grammar gods change the rules willy fucking nilly. I remember reading somewhere they changed the rule for possessives on words ending in s. So, Tobias' is now supposed to be written Tobias's.
Who are these grammarian busybodies that appointed themselves with the power to rewrite English language rules? And why? Is there still a need to hone the English language after all these years? Is Great Fucking Expectations a goddamn work-in-progress? Does that mean I should've passed my 11th grade English exams just by shitting in a bag of Doritos because how dare the teacher tell me what is and what is not correct English? Shit, with this kind of loose adherence to language I imagine cave paintings could be considered proper fucking diction. I don't want to get off on a rant here, but...

By the way, quality idea about the NSFW tab.

Ha! Start using XOR in your day to day life. Let us know how it turns out.>> ^jwray:

I'm fairly grammar-nazi-ish, but there are a few "correct" usages that I disagree with. I like split infinitives and using "they" as a genderless singular pronoun. Also, English needs to abolish the ambiguous "or" and just use separate words for inclusive or and exclusive or.

I'm fairly grammar-nazi-ish, but there are a few "correct" usages that I disagree with. I like split infinitives and using "they" as a genderless singular pronoun. Also, English needs to abolish the ambiguous "or" and just use separate words for inclusive or and exclusive or.

>> ^shuac:
^ To address the larger point: I think spelling and grammar do count. Given enough time and ever-diminishing education spending, all these errors could eventually become the norm, and I don't feel that's a good thing. It would be similar to "1984" where each edition of their dictionary is thinner than the last because they actively destroy words. We may not be actively destroying spelling and grammar but doing little to correct it produces a net equivalent, so to speak.

I, like you, want to be correct. You want to be correct in pointing out how silly I am spending time with this sort of thing. I simply want to be correct in my spelling and grammar because that's my profession. I feel we can both be right.


If writing is your profession then surely you are aware of the difference between prescriptive and descriptive grammar--particularly the fact that most prescriptive rules (the rules against double negation and split infinitives for instance) were completely arbitrary and not even being followed at the time of their invention?

Grammar and spelling change over time in any language, unless it is a dead language such as Latin. There's absolutely no stopping that. There's an estimated 800 new words added to English every year and that's not counting how we use old words in new and innovative ways. At the same time, other archaic words fall out of use. It's a natural process.

Language change is inevitable and is actually a good thing. I'm reminded of my Portuguese friend. He was telling about how the government in Portugal strictly regulates the language, particularly in publishing. It was a huge hassle for him as an academic back in the 80s because Portugal refused to allow the importation of foreign words. Personal computers were becoming common on college campuses, but because the government had yet to approve an official Portuguese word for them yet, they needed to be referred to in official publications as something like "machines that use electricity to calculate and process" or some such extremely long moniker. Of course, most Portuguese at the time in private simply referred to them by their English name of "computers."

Standards of language have their place in the realm of academia and legalese. The standards exist because precision in these areas is crucial to preventing costly misunderstandings. Even these standards change over time (as evidenced by the annually updated manuals of style), though much more slowly than common usage.

I, for one, am not concerned about grammar of spelling errors on the Internet at all. If those errors become accepted usage someday it will only be because the vast majority of English users agree that the supposedly incorrect form is easier to read, write, or understand than the supposedly correct one. And what's wrong with that?

piss off

In reply to this comment by jonny:
In reply to this comment by raven:
correcting a librarian on grammatical issues is never smart...

And gwaan, keep up the good work man, clearly there are many in the western world who need to better understand your chosen faith.

split infinitive - for shame.

In reply to this comment by raven:
correcting a librarian on grammatical issues is never smart...

And gwaan, keep up the good work man, clearly there are many in the western world who need to better understand your chosen faith.

split infinitive - for shame.