There was a thread similar to this once, but I think it got deleted in the flood apocalypse.
List the English/writing mistakes that you see people commonly make.
Also kindly nudge the person making the mistake, to help them avoid it in future.
If someone tells you to stop correcting their mistakes because they find it annoying, please oblige.
In addition to errors in spelling and grammar, also point out stylistic weaknesses.
I guess who wants can start by going through my posts.
No making fun of anyone.
EDIT: And no listing of typos. Tell those to the person individually if you want. The purpose of posting here should be to help other people realize common mistakes so they can avoid them.
When people insert apostrophes before the "s" in plural words (example: apostrophe's), it perplexes me. Not the fact that they do it, but the immense number of people who do it. As if there is some faulty English teacher somewhere, who is teaching all those people incorrect English like Monty Python's Hungarian phrasebook.
Another very common mistake is the misuse of spaces with punctuation. It does not apply to hand writing, but it is part of keyboard writing grammar: the space goes only and always after the punctuation mark and never before, unless you are writing in French.
There is another thing that makes me cover my face with a palm, and it concerns Comms Channel post style. It is when players sign audio-visual transmissions. How do you sign your name on a video? Do you say it out loud when you are finished telling the message? Do you make moves in the air with your finger in the shape of your signature just before the camera stops recording? Signatures are for textual messages. In audio-visual, your character should present themselves verbally instead, usually at the start of the message.
PS: I almost forgot. This is something a certain person always does, despite me having mentioned it so often. There is no double Past Simple in negation in English. The form "did not talked" does not exist. The correct form, if out of context, is "did not talk". Only the auxiliary verb "do" is turned into Past Simple, if the action is in Past Simple. If the action had happened before something else happened, both actions in the past, then you will use Past Perfect, in which case "had not talked" is the correct form. Never "did not talked", never. Example 1: "She did not talk to him." Example 2: "She had not talked to him before he invited her to dinner."
Gutan tag instead of Guten Tag (okay this isn't really important, but apparently some people get super annoyed when they see this happen)
Then = at that time - i.e: First save up 400,000,000 then buy a Bison and a CAU6.
Than = introducing the second element in a comparison - i.e: The Bison is a better transport than the Uruz.
Powerful, careful, lawful, unlawful, any word with the suffix "full" loses one L and becomes "[word]ful".
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: There is another thing that makes me cover my face with a palm, and it concerns Comms Channel post style. It is when players sign audio-visual transmissions. How do you sign your name on a video? Do you say it out loud when you are finished telling the message? Do you make moves in the air with your finger in the shape of your signature just before the camera stops recording? Signatures are for textual messages. In audio-visual, your character should present themselves verbally instead, usually at the start of the message.
Screen-overlay? That's how I imagine it with my layout. Like, at the bottom is the name and at the top the ID and stuff.
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: When people insert apostrophes before the "s" in plural words (example: apostrophe's), it perplexes me.
People tend to make that mistake especially for abbreviations and acronyms. Like CD's instead of CDs.
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: It does not apply to hand writing, but it is part of keyboard writing grammar: the space goes only and always after the punctuation mark and never before, unless you are writing in French.
Erm... I don't think it's done in French either. In what situation would someone do that in French?
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: There is another thing that makes me cover my face with a palm, and it concerns Comms Channel post style. It is when players sign audio-visual transmissions. How do you sign your name on a video? Do you say it out loud when you are finished telling the message? Do you make moves in the air with your finger in the shape of your signature just before the camera stops recording? Signatures are for textual messages. In audio-visual, your character should present themselves verbally instead, usually at the start of the message.
To be fair, some CNN reporters do that. They finish their report with "I'm Marcia Clark, CNN". I've replied with written messages to audio-visual messages too, although is possibly wasn't clear until it was signed at the end.
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: It does not apply to hand writing, but it is part of keyboard writing grammar: the space goes only and always after the punctuation mark and never before, unless you are writing in French.
Erm... I don't think it's done in French either. In what situation would someone do that in French?
All sentences in all my French textbooks had spaces both before and after exclamation and question marks. Like this: "Allons, enfants de la Patrie !" Might have been Hungarian French textbooks, who knows.
(08-23-2017, 01:40 AM)Karlotta Wrote:
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: There is another thing that makes me cover my face with a palm, and it concerns Comms Channel post style. It is when players sign audio-visual transmissions. How do you sign your name on a video? Do you say it out loud when you are finished telling the message? Do you make moves in the air with your finger in the shape of your signature just before the camera stops recording? Signatures are for textual messages. In audio-visual, your character should present themselves verbally instead, usually at the start of the message.
To be fair, some CNN reporters do that. They finish their report with "I'm Marcia Clark, CNN". I've replied with written messages to audio-visual messages too, although is possibly wasn't clear until it was signed at the end.
Then they should say "I'm Marcia Clark", not provide a written signature after the message. You can try writing on a microphone, but it will not produce anything meaningful.
(08-23-2017, 01:40 AM)Sombra Hookier Wrote:
(08-23-2017, 01:32 AM)Thunderer Wrote: There is another thing that makes me cover my face with a palm, and it concerns Comms Channel post style. It is when players sign audio-visual transmissions. How do you sign your name on a video? Do you say it out loud when you are finished telling the message? Do you make moves in the air with your finger in the shape of your signature just before the camera stops recording? Signatures are for textual messages. In audio-visual, your character should present themselves verbally instead, usually at the start of the message.
Screen-overlay? That's how I imagine it with my layout. Like, at the bottom is the name and at the top the ID and stuff.
Imagine that you are talking with someone via Skype with a microphone and a camera. There is no purpose to sign your name with your hand on some kind of a touch-screen every time before you start. Your face is your signature. Your face is the proof that, well, it is you on the other side. In case that you are contacting someone who does not know you, there can surely be a programme that keeps your name and organization tag, your ID or whatever, next to your picture on the screen, so they know who they are talking with. But certainly not a hand-written signature, unless the message is textual.
Quote:Imagine that you are talking with someone via Skype with a microphone and a camera. There is no purpose to sign your name with your hand on some kind of a touch-screen every time before you start. Your face is your signature. Your face is the proof that, well, it is you on the other side. In case that you are contacting someone who does not know you, there can surely be a programme that keeps your name and organization tag, your ID or whatever, next to your picture on the screen, so they know who they are talking with. But certainly not a hand-written signature, unless the message is textual.
But this isn't Skype/Chatroulette/ICQ. I can think of many Sci-Fi series or movies where video transmission have such overlays. No, it's not necessarily realistic or functional, but that's why it is Sci-Fi. Science and Fantasy. I agree, tho, a handwritten signature is weird.
But then again, this is hardly the thread to discuss about people's forum post layouts.
If I were to really get my hands dirty correcting people's English as much as I could, I would be here all night long.
Abuse of punctuation and funky tense usage is probably the main thing I see that annoys me. I don't judge ESL people too harshly, but there are plenty of native speakers whose spelling and grammar would be put to shame by even a late primary school student.
That said, the number one thing that really sets me off is the people who think they're really great and verbose writers because they use obscure words, flowery language, and stilted/overcomplicated grammar to try and sound smart. Half the time they don't even get it right, but even when they do I don't think they realise how terrible it actually reads back. I'm sure these people know who they are, too.
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