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This is not a Hall of Shame thread.  Please do not copy posts with people's names.

This is a condensed thread to teach specific lessons to those who want to learn correct grammar and spelling.
We have many members whose mother tongue is not English.

Please title your post if you choose to add a lesson.  A font size of 12 pt in capitals will make that post easy to find.  The lesson posts will also be referenced in the wiki.

LESSONS

1.   there / their / they're
2.   a vs. an
3.   went vs. have gone
4.   It's vs. Its
5.   Affect vs. Effect
6.   Capital vs. Capitol
7.   Much vs. Many
8.   We're vs. Were
9.   Your vs. You're
10. Definitely vs. Defiantly
11. Manner vs. Manor
12. Exasperate vs. Exacerbate
13. Gorilla vs. Guerilla
14. Idle / Idol / Idyll
15. Precede vs. Proceed
16. Rouge vs. Rogue
17. Independence vs. Indpendents
18. Ordinance vs. Ordnance
19. Weather vs. Whether

  • Commas go before the space, like this, not like ,this.
  • Commas/periods go after the close parenthesis (like this), not before (like this.)   (Unless the entire sentence is enclosed.)
  • All punctuation goes inside the quotation, like "this." not like "this".

« Last edited by SSLPhD on September 24, 2024, 03:32:05 PM »

Author Topic: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101  (Read 69409 times)

Offline etech0

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #20 on: January 12, 2016, 11:55:40 AM »
Thanks for the challenge  >:(   Working on it... >:(
Thanks!

Then we can start teaching people the difference between "regard" and "regards".

As in, "in regards to your recent credit card application..." ouch!
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Offline srap

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #21 on: January 12, 2016, 12:18:38 PM »
Thanks!

Then we can start teaching people the difference between "regard" and "regards".

As in, "in regards to your recent credit card application..." ouch!
Good one.  I look forward to reading your writeup. 
Best regards....@srap.

REGARD vs. REGARDS

Offline Venilla

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #22 on: January 22, 2016, 03:21:11 PM »
Is it wrong to start a paragraph with the word "And"?
I like vanilla but my name is Venilla.

Offline lechatchileh ariber

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #23 on: January 22, 2016, 03:24:07 PM »
Is it wrong to start a paragraph with the word "And"?

Quote
There is a widespread belief—one with no historical or grammatical foundation—that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such asand, but or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions.
I guess that the same would apply to a paragraph, but I'm not very well educated.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2016, 03:28:47 PM by lechatchileh ariber »
I don't sin, I give myself opportunities to repent.

Offline lechatchileh ariber

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #24 on: January 22, 2016, 03:25:34 PM »
Wth just happened?
Eta: I figured it out. I forgot to close the first parentheses.
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Offline good sam

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #25 on: January 23, 2016, 10:31:38 PM »
Is it wrong to start a paragraph with the word "And"?
My legal writing prof. ranked on me for starting a paragraph with the word "nor."

I maintain that it was appropriate usage.
If you don't care why would you comment?
HT: DMYD

Offline Work-for-ur-muny

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #26 on: January 25, 2016, 01:14:47 AM »
Grammarly is supposed to be a great and very advanced tool to help you out with all your needs in this area. Hope this helps someone.

Offline akivak

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2016, 01:36:44 AM »
Grammarly is supposed to be a great and very advanced tool to help you out with all your needs in this area. Hope this helps someone.
Cool!
Thanks

Offline etech0

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #28 on: January 25, 2016, 10:59:42 AM »
Grammarly is supposed to be a great and very advanced tool to help you out with all your needs in this area. Hope this helps someone.
I've been using it for a while and it's great. Catches lots of typos even before I see them :)
Workflowy. You won't know what you're missing until you try it.

Offline Work-for-ur-muny

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #29 on: January 25, 2016, 05:00:38 PM »
If the first letter of the next word is a vowel then you say/write "an" otherwise it's "a"
FTFY.

A vs. AN

Always use 'a' except if the next word
1. starts with a vowel or
2. starts with an 'h' that is not pronounced (IOW, it's as if the word is starting with a vowel)

This means that 'a' horse/historian/hotel is what we say in the US, but some English would use 'an' (h)orse/(h)istorian/(h)otel.
The English say 'a' herb where Americans say 'an' (h)erb.

Let me set this straight, as it is not vowels and silent Hs that are the determining factors:

A vs. AN

If the next word begins with a vowel sound then the preceding word is an. In all other cases it's a.

Examples:
  • Please pass me a banana.
  • I would love have an apple to eat.
  • Yesterday, I closed on a house.
  • Call me in an hour.
  • The word map is spelled with an "M", not with an "N" or with a "C".
To wrap it up, it all depends on the beginning sound of the following word, regardless of its spelling. (No need to keep track on rules which types of Hs and vowels etc.)

Offline Work-for-ur-muny

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #30 on: January 25, 2016, 05:12:26 PM »
It's vs. Its

It's is a contraction of the two words IT IS.
Its is a possessive pronoun (description of something belonging to something).

Examples:
  • It's time to go to go to the park already. (It is time to go to the park already.
  • The dog was just sitting there and wagging its tail all day long.

Offline Work-for-ur-muny

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #31 on: January 25, 2016, 05:14:41 PM »
Just found this in another thread. Sorry for cross posting but I really think this would label this thread correctly.

Offline GettingReady

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #32 on: January 25, 2016, 08:55:20 PM »
It's a moot point not a mute point.

Offline Welder

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #33 on: January 26, 2016, 01:36:33 PM »
It's a moot point not a mute point.
What if no one had responded?
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Offline GettingReady

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #34 on: January 27, 2016, 12:47:16 PM »

Offline ckmk47

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #35 on: April 13, 2016, 12:30:38 AM »
             1 Woman, several women.
Just like 1 man and several men.
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Offline Work-for-ur-muny

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #36 on: November 13, 2017, 06:33:49 PM »
I came across a couple blunders in this recently, so I figured I'll post.

Affect vs. Effect

Affect is the act of creating a change in something or someone else.
Effect is the outcome of the making of the change; or the change.

Examples:
  • The keynote speaker at last night's dinner affected my entire view of life.
  • Russia's radiation leak can have a disastrous effect on all of Europe.

Offline etech0

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #37 on: November 13, 2017, 07:17:29 PM »
I came across a couple blunders in this recently, so I figured I'll post.

Affect vs. Effect

Affect is the act of creating a change in something or someone else.
Effect is the outcome of the making of the change; or the change.

Examples:
  • The keynote speaker at last night's dinner affected my entire view of life.
  • Russia's radiation leak can have a disastrous effect on all of Europe.
Another way to differentiate - Affect is a verb, and Effect is a noun
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Offline hvaces42

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #38 on: November 13, 2017, 07:32:27 PM »
Another way to differentiate - Affect is a verb, and Effect is a noun
What means verb and im being a noun when I grow up.
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Offline Work-for-ur-muny

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Re: Grammar and Spelling Lessons 101
« Reply #39 on: November 13, 2017, 07:36:29 PM »
Another way to differentiate - Affect is a verb, and Effect is a noun
Hard to classify it that way. Sometimes Effect will be an adjective.