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Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
posted
They’re not the same, and confusing the two seems to be more common all the time.

It’s yet one more thing that causes me to wonder what’s taught in elementary school these days. I read about all the ways modern teachers try to make learning “fun and exciting,” but then (not than) I ask if anyone realizes these days that learning the proper meaning and usage of common words will never be a lot of fun, but it is one mark of an educated person.




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
 
Posts: 47365 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Stop Talking, Start Doing
posted Hide Post
I hated ‘If Than’ statements in school.


_______________
Mind. Over. Matter.
 
Posts: 5070 | Location: The (R)ight side of Washington State | Registered: August 31, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
For real?
Picture of Chowser
posted Hide Post
The schools are not focused on education. They are focused on making sure the kids pass the state exams.

College is even worse. We have new officers (under age 30) that cannot write coherent reports.

I'm fighting a losing battle with them that OF does not go after COULD/WOULD/SHOULD. They also don't know the difference between then, than, weather, whether, they're, there, their, to, too and everything else you can think of.



Not minority enough!
 
Posts: 7993 | Location: Cleveland, OH | Registered: August 09, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Fighting the good fight
Picture of RogueJSK
posted Hide Post
Yep.

"Then" is roughly equivalent to "next"; a function of time.

"Than" is roughly equivalent to "compared to", used when discussing how multiple things fare against one another.


More than just what is (or isn't) taught in school, I blame texting and the internet. People learn spelling and grammar primarily from what they read. Back in our day, people read things like books, newspapers, and magazines, which were heavily edited to ensure proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Nowadays, the majority of what people read consists of text messages, social media messages, and other informal written content on the Internet, which is not edited and often incorrect.

Therefore, poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation habits are repeatedly seen and reinforced. It's a losing battle. If you don't already have a solid foundation, both from proper schooling as well as reading copious amounts of properly edited content, you have little hope of developing the correct habits these days.

We're quickly heading the way of Idiocracy. Few young people I know have any interest in reading books. Nearly all young people I know have atrocious spelling and grammar.
 
Posts: 32421 | Location: Northwest Arkansas | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
אַרְיֵה
Picture of V-Tail
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
"Then" is roughly equivalent to "next"; a function of time.
A construct that is common to many programming languages:

If (a test condition that returns a value of TRUE or FALSE)
Then {
action(s) if test condition is FALSE
}
Else {
action(s) if test condition is FALSE
}



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
 
Posts: 30544 | Location: Central Florida, Orlando area | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
A Grateful American
Picture of sigmonkey
posted Hide Post
We need less than more then.




"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
 
Posts: 43810 | Location: ...... I am thrice divorced, and I live in a van DOWN BY THE RIVER!!! (in Arkansas) | Registered: December 20, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
sick puppy
posted Hide Post
i love the Oatmeal webcomic's collection of comics on Grammar.

http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar



____________________________
While you may be able to get away with bottom shelf whiskey, stay the hell away from bottom shelf tequila. - FishOn
 
Posts: 7546 | Location: Alpine, Ut | Registered: February 17, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
The Unmanned Writer
Picture of LS1 GTO
posted Hide Post
except/accept

to/too/two

it's/its

"The Jones' car" vs "The Jones's car" is the one which really gets me though (FYSA - Jones' is the correct one)



seems as long as it is not underlines red, people today think it's the correct word







Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.



Only in an insane world are the sane considered insane.


The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime


 
Posts: 14020 | Location: It was Lat: 33.xxxx Lon: 44.xxxx now it's CA :( | Registered: March 22, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Fighting the good fight
Picture of RogueJSK
posted Hide Post
Another side-effect of the dearth of well-read people in our society is that most folks don't understand (or are afraid to use) "big words".

As a result, English is increasingly becoming dumbed-down to the point of being boringly simple. Descriptors like "really XXXX" or "very, very XXXX" have become the norm.

 
Posts: 32421 | Location: Northwest Arkansas | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Staring back
from the abyss
Picture of Gustofer
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Chowser:
I'm fighting a losing battle with them that OF does not go after COULD/WOULD/SHOULD.
Thank you for joining the battle against that and best of luck. This irritates me to no end.


________________________________________________________
"Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton.
 
Posts: 19975 | Location: Montana | Registered: November 01, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
A Grateful American
Picture of sigmonkey
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Gustofer:
quote:
Originally posted by Chowser:
I'm fighting a losing battle with them that OF does not go after COULD/WOULD/SHOULD.
Thank you for joining the battle against that and best of luck. This irritates me to no end.


Ah...

The difference between the ofs and the of-nots.




"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
 
Posts: 43810 | Location: ...... I am thrice divorced, and I live in a van DOWN BY THE RIVER!!! (in Arkansas) | Registered: December 20, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of cne32507
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
"Then" is roughly equivalent to "next"; a function of time.
A construct that is common to many programming languages:

If (a test condition that returns a value of TRUE or FALSE)
Then {
action(s) if test condition is FALSE
}
Else {
action(s) if test condition is FALSE
}


Whatever happened to: if (test condition) is TRUE?
 
Posts: 2520 | Location: High Sierra & Low Desert | Registered: February 03, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of ShouldBFishin
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by cne32507:
quote:
Originally posted by V-Tail:
quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
"Then" is roughly equivalent to "next"; a function of time.
A construct that is common to many programming languages:

If (a test condition that returns a value of TRUE or FALSE)
Then {
action(s) if test condition is FALSE
}
Else {
action(s) if test condition is FALSE
}


Whatever happened to: if (test condition) is TRUE?


It's an optimization - that condition will never happen in the real world. Big Grin
 
Posts: 1799 | Location: MN | Registered: March 29, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
So they lose the ability to tell the difference between than and then, causing them to use both in a loose manner?
 
Posts: 2358 | Registered: October 24, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Experienced Slacker
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
except/accept

to/too/two

it's/its

"The Jones' car" vs "The Jones's car" is the one which really gets me though (FYSA - Jones' is the correct one)



seems as long as it is not underlinesd red, people today think it's the correct word


Wink
Don't feel bad, I know it was just a typo and that I screw up much worse than that on a regular basis. I just couldn't help myself this time.
 
Posts: 7486 | Registered: May 12, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of 2BobTanner
posted Hide Post
They’re there their.


---------------------
LGBFJB

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." — Mark Twain

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” — H. L. Mencken
 
Posts: 2692 | Location: Falls of the Ohio River, Kain-tuk-e | Registered: January 13, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of mikeyspizza
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
"The Jones' car" vs "The Jones's car" is the one which really gets me though (FYSA - Jones' is the correct one)

Uh, depends on the style guide being followed.

APA and Purdue: the possessive of a singular name is formed by adding an apostrophe and an s, even when the name ends in s

GPO Style Manual - add apostrophe only
 
Posts: 4006 | Location: North Carolina | Registered: August 16, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
A Grateful American
Picture of sigmonkey
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by 2BobTanner:
They’re there their.


There their they're.




"the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב!
 
Posts: 43810 | Location: ...... I am thrice divorced, and I live in a van DOWN BY THE RIVER!!! (in Arkansas) | Registered: December 20, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
"The deals you miss don’t hurt you”-B.D. Raney Sr.
posted Hide Post
How about having an affect, or getting the proper effect?
 
Posts: 6288 | Location: East Texas | Registered: February 20, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of tgtshuter
posted Hide Post
"That's very unique!" Mad
 
Posts: 711 | Location: SC, USA | Registered: October 09, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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