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Author Topic: English 101  (Read 13665 times)

jmlphotography

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English 101
« on: April 07, 2013, 07:26:41 pm »

How can someone who is a publisher make the following statement: "We wanted to harness the elements that has lead to the iPad..."  (The Changing Magazine Business)?  Please tell me he wrote this sentence correctly and some bug in the system is to blame.
« Last Edit: April 07, 2013, 07:58:31 pm by jmlphotography »
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: English 101
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2013, 07:40:01 pm »

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jjj

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Re: English 101
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2013, 07:55:39 pm »

Huh?

There is a force in the universe that causes you to make typos, grammar or spelling mistakes anytime you comment on someone else's errors.

Though to follow on from the OP, I thought the entire article was poorly written.
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jmlphotography

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Re: English 101
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2013, 08:02:05 pm »

Well, that answers my question; clearly a bug in the system ;D
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: English 101
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2013, 11:27:08 pm »

In spite of my earlier snippy comment, I am gratified to learn that there are still some who care a little about (or even have heard of) English 101.
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David Sutton

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Re: English 101
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2013, 03:36:27 am »

In spite of my earlier snippy comment, I am gratified to learn that there are still some who care a little about (or even have heard of) English 101.


Indeed. I suspect the tide of poorly thought-out and badly written prose is not rising, but I have no proof.
Perhaps the article was hurriedly written. It does contain more than its fair share grammatical howlers, "myself created "Photique"" topping my list.
Nick Rains makes some valuable contributions to photography and usually writes better than this, so I for one don't want to take a club to the poor man. While I don't know what iOS is, and I have only seen an iPad once, I do know how to track down software to read his new app on my desktop and will do so. Looking forward to it.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: English 101
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2013, 03:48:14 am »

In spite of my earlier snippy comment, I am gratified to learn that there are still some who care a little about (or even have heard of) English 101.

I'm not sure I understand the "101" reference but I'm afraid that those of us who care about such things as grammar, spelling and punctuation are a dying breed. Even reporters on the BBC, which used to pride itself on correct use of English, commit solecisms in pretty much every report they produce.

I don't agree with David's comment that the tide isn't rising: I think the torrent of dreadful English has become a tsunami. It's sad.

Jeremy
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Rhossydd

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Re: English 101
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2013, 04:21:30 am »

I'm not sure I understand the "101" reference
It's an Americanism. It refers to lesson 1/page1/the first thing you learn about something.

Those us that studied English Literature and read Orwell's 1984 will have a different idea of what 101 means.
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Rob C

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Re: English 101
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2013, 09:01:00 am »

And there I was, thinking it had something to do with 1984.

I'm afraid that the Beeb has abandoned seasoned writers in favour of youngsters serving Community Service sentences in place of prison terms. Those news captions are a minefield of hidden mirth.

Should you be rash enough to watch Sky News, you w¡ll see much more of the same, and Aljazeera manages some especially brilliant howlers too.

Well, as someone wrote here on LuLa, castigating me for being a stickler for correct usage, language is a living, growing thing. Nobody actually said it was improving, though.

;-)

Rob C


P.S. Oops! sorry; didn't read the post above this quickly enough.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2013, 09:03:13 am by Rob C »
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: English 101
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2013, 12:04:06 pm »

It's an Americanism. It refers to lesson 1/page1/the first thing you learn about something...

Have not heard that one before, but the explanation is close enough.

At American universities, it is a course coding system, indicating first course in a given subject (e.g., English). As a metaphor, it means a basic, introductory knowledge of something.

And that would be Americanism 101 for the uninitiated ;)

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: English 101
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2013, 12:06:12 pm »

There is a force in the universe that causes you to make typos, grammar or spelling mistakes anytime you comment on someone else's errors.

A.k.a. potty justice?

Ooooppss! I meant poetic justice ;)

jjj

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Re: English 101
« Reply #11 on: April 08, 2013, 12:10:32 pm »

In 40 years times, a different set of old codgers will lamenting the passing of good English as it is not how it was used 2013.
 :P
"Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it"
« Last Edit: April 08, 2013, 09:51:21 pm by jjj »
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: English 101
« Reply #12 on: April 08, 2013, 12:50:37 pm »

"Those ignore history are condemned to repeat it"

Are you just trying to blend in? Or provide more fodder for the lament over proper English? ;)

John Camp

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Re: English 101
« Reply #13 on: April 08, 2013, 12:55:37 pm »

I'm a pretty serious professional writer, and I get mildly (only mildly) annoyed when I see complaints about misspellings on web entries, because it often seems to me that the complainer doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm pretty good at grammar and once was a copy editor for a newspaper. When I finish a book, which usually will run 350-400 manuscript pages, I print it out and sit down with it and comb over it for these kinds of errors. When I'm done, I make the corrections and then make another printout and send it to my daughter, who is also a good copy editor. She typically will find another 1,000 or so errors and recommended changes...about 2-3 per page.

Most good writers don't write primarily by eye -- they write by ear. You don't say a sentence looks good, you say it sounds good. Good writers are trying to make their text sound smooth in the ear and brain of the reader. Unconstipated, if you will. One of the common errors I find in my own writing is the confusion of "their," "they're" and "there," which are pronounced the same way. I've known the difference between these three words since second grade, but because I'm primarily writing by ear, I sometimes use the wrong one. So I do not find it at all strange that somebody would write "lead" for "led."

I also pay no attention to typos in web postings, because web postings are usually a hybrid of conversational and written English, are done quickly and idiomatically. Caring about something like that reminds me of the nuns who'd get all over your case if you said, "Uh..." when trying to formulate an oral reply to a question.

The only thing that really irritates me is the use of "loose" for "lose." Those are not only entirely different words, but are pronounced differently. To me, that's like saying "cow" when you meant "horse." But then I always have to wonder -- when somebody accuses somebody else of being a "looser," is that sarcasm? Or ignorance?
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Richowens

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Re: English 101
« Reply #14 on: April 08, 2013, 02:04:00 pm »

As well as than and then.
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Rob C

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Re: English 101
« Reply #15 on: April 08, 2013, 02:12:27 pm »

Loose and lose are my pet peeves too!


Are they from the same litter?

Rob C

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Re: English 101
« Reply #16 on: April 08, 2013, 02:36:19 pm »

I get annoyed with how USAians pronounce herbs as 'erbs. And whilst we're talking about herbs, it's oregano & basil, not oregano & basil. Er ...

Rob C

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Re: English 101
« Reply #17 on: April 08, 2013, 04:04:50 pm »

;D That gave me a good laugh, Rob.




Then that's made my day, Sharon, that's made me happy.

;-)

Rob C

GeraldB

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Re: English 101
« Reply #18 on: April 08, 2013, 07:20:28 pm »

As an engineer I have the utmost contempt for those that can only spell things one way  ;)

Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: English 101
« Reply #19 on: April 08, 2013, 08:04:23 pm »

I think it's time to present this item, which appeared on a different list recently:

http://www.lolbrary.com/content/751/when-comforting-a-grammar-nazi-17751.jpg
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