posted
DO NOT pluralize things using apostrophes. That is NOT the purpose for which they are intended. You do not have bean's for sale; you have beans for sale.
Please, for the sake of the English language, cut it out!
(And now will follow five-ish posts explaining how language is living and mutable, and calling me an unconscionable grammar nazi. I know. I'm just really, really, really thrown off by pluralization created with apostrophes. Don't mind me. It's been a rough week.)
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Don't capitalize words because you think they're important. That's not what capitalization is for.
Posts: 1903 | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
YES! i completly agree with what all of yous' have to say. grammer is so BAD and kids do'nt no a dam thing this day's.
Posts: 1245 | Registered: May 2002
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quote:Don't capitalize words because you think they're important. That's not what capitalization is for.
I disagree, to an extent. In formal writing, you are correct.
But in informal writing like this, creative capitalization and punctuation can be used to convey things that are easy to convey when speaking to somebody face to face, but impossible with formal writing.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Oh, and for Pete's sake, when you have a sign announcing "No Smoking" for instance, you DO NOT NEED to put it in quotation marks. One time I saw a sign that read "The Management "Thanks" you for your business." AAARGH!
Posts: 786 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Ooh! Ooh! I hate the quotation mark thing! Yesterday I was watching a T.V. program and the chiron (title-thingie on the bottom) identified a dog as "Molly". Is that her assumed name?
Arglebargle.
And all caps just hurts my eyes. The Army loves to do internal memos in all caps (I think it's actually a form requirement). How am I supposed to learn the most recent parking regulations if I can't read the form????
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
On an internet forum? Not a whole heck of a lot. I'd use bold to emphasize a single character with in a word, for instance.
Added: Using them to emhpasize user names (which is done here and pretty much everywhere) is fine; it makes them clearer.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
In publishing, italicization is the preferred method of setting off text for emphasis. Bolding should be avoided where possible because it draws too much attention to itself. I think the same thing holds true for the internet.
quote:What's the general feeling on off-setting Important Words (or actions) with asterisks?
Ugh. No.
I've generally found that good writing can convey the importance of something without resorting to scare tactics.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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quote:How about innappropriate use of parentheses?
Ok, I'll line up to be spanked for that one. Parentheses and ellipsis misuse are my punctuation vices; I admit that. That's only because they don't drive me insane the way pluralization with apostrophes does, though.
quote:I only CAPITALIZE because I'm too lazy to type in the italics tags when using quick reply.
I do the same thing.
Edited to add: Obviously.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
While I will only CAPS ONLY a word for emphasis in rapidfire AIM communication, using Capital Letters For Emphasis in the way just utilized is something that has become part of my writing style.
Actually, I think I may have stolen this from OSC...
Posts: 2689 | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
The quotation mark thing is one of my pet peeves. One summer when I taught drama classes for a city Parks & Recreation Department the person who put together the publicity brochure had this particular problem. I don't remember all the things she put in quotes, but I do remember the headline advertising that drama is “fun.”
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I love unnecessary quotation marks in ads or on signs. You see them a lot on plumber or HVAC vans.
quote:"We provide world-class plumbing."
I always imagine the plumber saying it while making finger quotes in the air. It always makes me chuckle.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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quote:Originally posted by jexx: Ooh! Ooh! I hate the quotation mark thing! Yesterday I was watching a T.V. program and the chiron (title-thingie on the bottom) identified a dog as "Molly". Is that her assumed name?
A registered purebred dog usually has two names. These are their registered name and a nickname. It is not common to refer to a dog by it's registered name. By the time I got my dog's name out he could be hit by a car.
My dog's full registered name is Serandida Sa Nesu Tesher Ra. We just call him Tesher.
Anyway I'm rambling. I would assume that "Molly" is the dog's nickname. Her registered name could be something completely unrelated to her used name.
Posts: 17 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I sometimes have asides to my asides and end up with nested paretheses, which even I have a hard time deciphering. I don't think even that is overuse, but I understand people who dislike that.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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