The Guardian's grammar test

Most problems people have with the English language are not grammatical but spelling and punctuation - and using correctly spelled wrong words thanks to the reliance on spelling checkers. e.g. your/you're and there/their/they're.

And the most heinous of crimes is using American spellings of perfectly good words and using their stupid phrases like 'my bad', 'I guess' and 'I could care less'.

phil8139 said:
only one I knew was #10
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And using # instead of No. as a shortened form of number!


Steve.
 
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Steve, # isn't a shortened version, it's just a numerical one.
 
Steve Smith said:
It's an Americanism.



Have I fallen fowl of Muphry's law somewhere?!


Steve.
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Dunno but it I wonder if you are being henpecked about it or are you just ducking the issue?


The irony was for you disliking shortened words when you display your name as Steve!
 
13 out of 14 for me ( my old man was an english teacher) - the only one i got wrong was the last one - i cannot remember what a gerund is so that didn't suprise me
 
Another point......how many words do we use, in our everyday conversation, are actually English?..Not many I would guess.
 
Didn't President Bush once say.....'That's the trouble with the French....they have no word for entrepreneur'
 
Steve Smith said:
And the most heinous of crimes is using American spellings of perfectly good words and using their stupid phrases like 'my bad', 'I guess' and 'I could care less'.

.
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Personally my real pet hates are

a) people who say "different to", or "different than" - you can be similar to something, but you can only differ from it

b) The misuse of aprostrophes - particularly on signs such as at MK central Station " Train's stop here"

and

c) people who write "would of" , "could of" etc - its "would have" FFS,
 
big soft moose said:
Personally my real pet hates are

a) people who say "different to", or "different than" - you can be similar to something, but you can only differ from it

b) The misuse of aprostrophes - particularly on signs such as at MK central Station " Train's stop here"

and

c) people who write "would of" , "could of" etc - its "would have" FFS,
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Breathe.......
 
big soft moose said:
Personally my real pet hates are

a) people who say "different to", or "different than" - you can be similar to something, but you can only differ from it

b) The misuse of aprostrophes - particularly on signs such as at MK central Station " Train's stop here"

and

c) people who write "would of" , "could of" etc - its "would have" FFS,
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Now then Pete you've got to accept that there are people who'se opinion's are different to your's. I would of explained why but its' too much trouble.
 
tiler65 said:
The irony was for you disliking shortened words when you display your name as Steve!
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I don't mind properly shortened words such as No. instead of number in my earlier post. I dislike the use of # in place of number though. It's another Americanism which is creeping into English.

I saw someone on here a couple of days ago use the word check instead of cheque. And someone else refer to fall instead of autumn.


Steve.
 
But what makes No. opposed to # the correct choice....opinion?
 
Steve Smith said:
I don't mind properly shortened words such as No. instead of number in my earlier post. I dislike the use of # in place of number though. It's another Americanism which is creeping into English.

I saw someone on here a couple of days ago use the word check instead of cheque. And someone else refer to fall instead of autumn.

Steve.
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Did said user claim to originate from Surrey rather than somehwere in the US? (You really must be clearer in your definitions). If not, then what's your problem?
 
PatrickO said:
Now then Pete you've got to accept that there are people who'se opinion's are different to your's. I would of explained why but its' too much trouble.
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:clap: :LOL:
 
Steve Smith said:
It's another Americanism which is creeping into English.


Steve.
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Is it just the Yanks you do not like or can I tempt you into the world of self answering aussies

What's your favourite colour blue?

What's your favourite hobby sport?

What's your name Sheila?

What's your job digger?

[insert obligatory smiley of your choice]
 
Steve Smith said:
I don't mind properly shortened words such as No. instead of number in my earlier post. I dislike the use of # in place of number though. It's another Americanism which is creeping into English.

I saw someone on here a couple of days ago use the word check instead of cheque. And someone else refer to fall instead of autumn.


Steve.
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I think you'll find that fall isn't an Americanism. Although it's mostly Americans that use it nowadays, it originated here and is a very English word at its roots.
 
skysh4rk said:
I think you'll find that fall isn't an Americanism. Although it's mostly Americans that use it nowadays, it originated here and is a very English word at its roots.
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We need proof!
 
True. Gotten is very much an old English word but now it sounds strange to us and very American.


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
True. Gotten is very much an old English word but now it sounds strange to us and very American.


Steve.
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Yes, exactly. Many words that are treated as Americanisms are originally very English words that fell into disuse here, whilst Americans continued to use them. Along with gotten and fall, soccer is another one of these words.
 
I'm just waiting for someone to describe a point as "mute". Few things wind me up as much.
 
I got 11 out of 14, but I'm not sure how.

I've lived in England all my life, but studied English as a foreign language at the foreign language school I went to - I had no idea what most of the questions meant and just tried to guess what the questions meant - I was only really confident of the bear one!

I learnt mostly by reading \ hearing as opposed to strictly being taught grammar correctly, I think (it was a while ago now!).
 
Johnd2000 said:
I'm just waiting for someone to describe a point as "mute". Few things wind me up as much.
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Ohhh yes....This! Drives me insane.
I really need to get out more.
 
viv1969 said:
Ohhh yes....This! Drives me insane.
I really need to get out more.
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I agree, there is no such thing as a mute point, everyone's point of opinion is valid. Or is this a mute point now?
 
akr said:
I agree, there is no such thing as a mute point, everyone's point of opinion is valid. Or is this a mute point now?
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Isn't it spelled "moot"? If so, guess what that makes your point? :D
 
akr said:
I agree, there is no such thing as a mute point, everyone's point of opinion is valid. Or is this a mute point now?
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Are you serious?
If it were a mute point, no one would hear it.
It's MOOT.
 
Moving on.... writing loose or loosing when you mean lose or losing is probably the biggest English language crime on the internet.

I once saw a comment about loosing quality cleverly replied to with "how was it loost?".


Steve
 
Ruth see post 151 .......... You missed it earlier!
 
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