Happiness is an empty in box

[mamadeb]

The secret for me to keep on track and *finish* my work seems to be, "You can't play on LJ until you finish so many listings."

In other randomness:

One thing I haven't seen in all the various Lunacon reports is mention of one minor but amusing thing:

The convention posted notices all over the hotel saying "New York State Law prohibits smoking in all public area's". Yes. "Area's".

I reacted to my first sight of those notices in pain and horror. I apparently wasn't alone, because by Friday evening, all the apostrophes had been crossed out. Some signs were also amended with words like "boundaries" or "vicinities".

By Saturday afternoon, someone added his/her *own* signs below the notices stating that "Extra apostrophes (ie, "area's") is prohibited by the English language."

Others then corrected some of *those* to "eg", although that's actually a judgement call.

SF fans - editors all. :)

eta that the added signs said "are prohibited". Sorry.

Comments

[pewtergryphon.livejournal.com]

"Extra apostrophes (ie, "area's") is prohibited by the English language."

And NO ONE corrected the singular to a plural?

Extra apostrophes ARE prohibited! ARE!

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

That's my fault. Corrected. Oops

And thanks.

[pewtergryphon.livejournal.com]

I wondered. Because it's rather blatant.

It also fits the 'net-rule that any correction to spelling/grammar in a post will itself include a grammar/spelling error. :)

(Triple-checks these things in own post.)

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

i.e. and e.g. are not actually judgment calls, though people make them that. i.e. means you've covered all of the examples in a class, and e.g. means you're only presenting one or several things representative of that class.

They come from the Latin phrases which mean something or other (I can't remember, but I can look it up), and are therefore rather specific.

Most people, however, have it backward and use "i.e." most of the time, where "e.g." is usually what people should be using.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

"i.e." = "id est", literally, "that is"
"e.g." = "exempli gratis" (IIRC), literally, "free example"

You've fairly well noted what they're for (though I'd have said "i.e." is for summaries or explication, rather than having covered all examples in a class).

Most people have their head in dark dank places where grammar is concerned. We love them anyway, and secretly correct their errors so that if someone who knows what they're talking about sees their writing, said reader has a chance to get the content without being blinded by the failures of form :-)

We are the Gnomes of Correction, and we rule by means of whiteout and the Delete key :-D

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! I'm much obliged (never mind the poor grammar in THAT sentence!).

And yes, I would agree that your definition of "i.e." is better than mine. And I further agree that people have their heads in dark dank places where grammar is concerned. My father was the grammar nazi (if you'll pardon the expression), and it rubbed off on me.

[ratcreature]

Extra apostrophes are a bane. Due to a strong English language presence (and maybe some evil, twisted notion of "cool") some people here include apostrophes into German possessive cases, which just isn't done, the only time there are apostrophes present is when something ends on an "s" and you can't add another "s" so an apostrophe is added instead of the letter. And if that alone wasn't bad enough some people they also randomly insert them into plurals formed with an s (which thankfully isn't the most common way in German to form a plural, so it's not quite as rampant) like in your example.

[estherchaya.livejournal.com]

from the sounds of it, you'll appreciate this:

http://www.angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif

There's also one about "Its" vs "It's", but I can't find it right now. I'll have to ask my hubby when he gets home.

[ratcreature]

Heh. An angry flower indeed. I'm actually more laid back about grammar and spelling mistakes than a lot of people, it's just-- you really don't need to *import* additional problems and difficulties into German, you know?