Grammar on the Internet

Originally posted by SalkinVictory
I'm sure many times it's not about laziness but the actual poster not knowing when to put apostrophe's. To be honest, I'm very unaware on when to put apostrophes on plural words. Just like the word apostrophe, lol.

Just thought i would let you know that an apostrophe is not on plurals. An apostrophe is used in one of three ways:

1. to indicate ownership. dog's bone
2. replace letters lost from a contraction. is not --> isn't
3. eradicate ambiguity cross the t's, dot the i's

Hope that helps.

P.S. When talking about plural nouns, (things) the apostrophe is used like this when the noun ends in 's'. the horse's mane --> the horses' manes

I will be lenient on people typing from a phone or other mobile device and for non-native English speakers. For the most part, as long as I do not feel the need to grab a cereal box decoder ring to figure out a post, I can handle it. However, people that purposely use 1337, chatspeak, or aLtErNaTiNg caps drive me quite batty. It hurts my eyes, and worse...it hurts my brain. I could figure it out, to be sure, but do I really have the time and desire to do so? Absolutely not. I just skip posts that are unreadable.

a reply to: KyleOrtonArmy

You associate yourself with "Army" and "Beast".. but because you make a good point, I will make an exception to my usual routine of ignoring anyone with certain words, images or 'codes' implanted in their identity or posts, signatures, etc.

This is a very old post, but it's more relevant now than ever. So I am replying to it.

The destiny of anyone who tries to bring common sense to the table is to be ridiculed and deliberately misunderstood. Your destiny, when pointing out the mental laziness of people, who won't bother to take four seconds to check how the word "their" or "they're" is spelled, is to be accused of not allowing english learners to make mistakes.

Mistakes are ok. They are innocent, everyone probably makes them (unless they are way above the usual norm, or just extremely careful when they type and triple-check everything before posting). Heck, I have seen lots of mistakes in commercially available, high profile books and magazines!

Mistakes I have no problem with, and I don't think any rational human being would.

But it's the "american typos" that I can't stand. Because that tells of a problem in attitude and mental laziness, rather than honest and genuine 'not quite yet knowing how to spell it correctly'. These are adults, these are usually native-speakers (or non-native speakers who are mimicing the native speakers, because they think that's the correct way to spell it - so if you REALLY care about english learners, you will condemn the 'american typos' and despise anyone who makes them), and these are people, who could very easily check how the words are spelled, but CHOOSE NOT TO.

I have no mercy for such people, or such mistakes.

Here is a list of 'american typos' - BE READY TO BE SHOCKED! There are a LOT of them, that a LOT of people make every day!

americantypo.site11.com...

That list comes from actual, real-life posts and writing, they are not just some thought-of examples. They were actually typed by actual (human?) beings! I know, it's hard to believe.

The words on the left shouldn't exist (in the context they have existed, anyway).

I could understand such typos in the seventies or eighties, when it was tough and time-consuming to check them by using actual books, and when it was difficult to erase something you had typed with a mechanical typewriter, and so on. You have a deadline tomorrow, and you have to buy groceries, and the stores close soon - you just type whatever you think is correct and send it to press. Sure, that can be sort of understood, I guess.

But you lazily sit in front of a COMPUTER, a modern miracle of amazing, vast power that couldn't even be imagined a couple of decades ago, there's THE INTERNET (which is _NOT_ the same as "World Wide Web", by the way - a fact that you could have checked, ahem..) at your very fingertips, almost literally - and you have all the time in the world (figuratively speaking).

You lazily sit in your bathrobe, the sun is setting, there is no rush anywhere. It's weekend, no obligations for the next day, all chores have been done. Withour rush, you lean in to reach your keyboard, gaze at the monitors that are filled with useful programs, web browsers and file tools, video players and what not. You listen to soothing music, and let your energy flow to your fingers. You have something to say or you want to reply to someone, so you reach for the mouse and make the exciting click. Now you are posting.. your fingers start working their magic, there's an almost magical atmosphere in the air - fresh spring smells that the soft breeze brings through the open window evoke images in your mind, as you start pressing the keys.

And then.. you friggin' can't be arsed to simply check how the word is spelled, before butchering the english language, and making a total fool of yourself!

WHAT THE HECK? WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE IS YOUR EXCUSE?

I just can't understand that.