Using Your for You're or You Are

wazup

Well-known member
Jun 12, 2010
4,280
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Many people don't understand grammar. Then is a time frame, than is a comparison. They are also too stupid to realise loose isn't lose. They can't figure out loose rhymes with goose and moose instead of choose.

Seems to be mostly a 40 and under problem.
 

shack

Nitpicker Extraordinaire
Oct 2, 2001
50,196
9,326
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Toronto
I hate them all. But for me the absolute worst has to be spelling loose instead of lose. They're not even pronounced the same. The other errors sound the same at least.

Drives me nuts as well.
But interestingly enough, I have seen extremely well educated intelligent people make that mistake many times.
I gotta disagree with JTK a bit here, if somebody is routinely making these kinds of errors of the most rudimentary English, I think that they cannot be considered well educated and intelligent. Those errors and intelligent are mutually exclusive.
 

MissCroft

Sweetie Pie
Feb 23, 2004
7,110
848
113
Toronto
This one's a bit more obscure but the words "enormous" and "enormity" do not mean the same thing. Enormous indicates size. Enormity indicates something very horrible, outrageous, or wicked.

But the Merriam-Webster dictionary now accepts both to indicate size because of popular usage. The Chicago Manual of Style still frowns upon confusing the two.
 
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gcostanza

Well-known member
Jul 24, 2010
7,818
528
113
I know someone that just cannot figure out the proper use of to/too. They use ”too“ practically every time
That's two bad.
 

Leimonis

Well-known member
Feb 28, 2020
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Drives me nuts as well.

But interestingly enough, I have seen extremely well educated intelligent people make that mistake many times.
only native speakers. Immigrants know better
 

onomatopoeia

Bzzzzz.......Doink
Jul 3, 2020
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Cabbagetown
National Geographic magazine has several different editors verifying spelling and grammar for every line of text before an issue goes to press. Many people in many countries learn written English from reading the magazine, and their reputation for accuracy is very important to the staff. The same cannot be said of The Toronto Star or The Sun. Almost every article has some grammar error.
 
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bemeup

Well-known member
Nov 12, 2010
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Chomping at the bit. The correct expression is champing at the bit. Unchartered territory. The correct expression is uncharted territory. I hear both of these used frequently on radio and tv.
 

Mr.Know-It-All

Giver of truth
Jul 26, 2020
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So is it "by accident" or "on accident"?

Older generations use "by accident" but younger use "on accident". Apparently both are grammatically correct?
 

Jasmina

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2013
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Toronto
On accident makes no logical or linguistic sense.

Just remember "then" is a sequence and "than" is a comparison.
I prefer oranges than apples so first I will eat the orange then I will eat the apple
So is it "by accident" or "on accident"?

Older generations use "by accident" but younger use "on accident". Apparently both are grammatically correct?
 

y2kmark

Class of 69...
May 19, 2002
19,071
5,443
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Lewiston, NY
The grammar police are right there with the fashion police and other forms of thought police...
 
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