Gentle rules for avoiding humiliation and embarassment

[SarDragon]

[a2capt]

A fun way to learn:

http://thefump.com/fump.php?id=1205 - Power Salad's It's Its.

From another viewpoint:
Its or It's | Learn English | One Minute English

Add:

11. 'u' and 'r' are not words.

12. Don't be afraid of the SHIFT key. It's got great uses.

13. Contrary to popular belief, (I can't think of any other reason) there is not a shortage of punctuation. Use them.


The English language has only three single letter words.

A: an indefinite article.  He left a pencil on the table.
I: a nominative pronoun used when describing from a singular person context.
O: commonly used in poetry to translate Latin vocatively in the form of an interjection.

I and O are always capitalized when used, and A would be if of course, it was the beginning of the sentence or a title.

[SarDragon]

Thank you, kind sir.  :clap:

[Luis R. Ramos]

Hanger - Hook, peg, or device to hang coats, clothes, and other stuff, or the individual that hangs such stuff.

Hangar - Structure built to protect aircraft.

Flyer

[Jaison009]

Thanks for sharing. It is amazing how far our grasp of English has slipped in the younger generations. There is someone on Ebay that is selling lots of CAP ribbons and cannot even spell the names of the persons the achievements are named after. I mean how hard is it to use spellcheck to spell Amelia Earhart, Eddie Rickenbacker, Robert Goddard, Charles Yeager, Charles Lindbergh, etc. These people only have significance to international history and all. Thanks for helping those who cannot write without using texting lingo.

[Critical AOA]

Hanger - Hook, peg, or device to hang coats, clothes, and other stuff, or the individual that hangs such stuff.

Hangar - Structure built to protect aircraft.

Flyer

You would not believe how often I see that very misspelling from other aviation professionals along with adding an s to aircraft to make it plural.   

[Private Investigator]

GR8 POV MHOTY L8R   

[Luis R. Ramos]

Hnm?



Flyer

[Private Investigator]

RBTL   

[Garibaldi]

I actually understood each and every acronym PI put up. Well done, sir...well done.  :clap:

[Luis R. Ramos]

Then please help us poor guys that are getting to be elderly... I am 58 and do not want or cannot do too much fast thinking... Do not want my remaining brain cells popping out.

Flyer

[Critical AOA]

An acronym was when you created an actual pronounceable word from the first letters or parts of other words.  For example: radar, sonar, laser, etc. 

A string of letters that do not produce a pronounceable word is just an abbreviation.  For example: FAA, CIA and even POV.  You do not pronounce these; you just say the letters so they are not acronyms.

If you are using a number such as 8 to replace the letters in a word such as GR8 or using 2 rather than using to or too, you are just using internet slang.  These are not acronyms either. 

[Private Investigator]

I actually understood each and every acronym PI put up. Well done, sir...well done.  :clap:

Your welcome sir. 

[ColonelJack]

I actually understood each and every acronym PI put up. Well done, sir...well done.  :clap:

Your welcome sir. 

His welcome what?   

Jack

[Critical AOA]

I actually understood each and every acronym PI put up. Well done, sir...well done.  :clap:

Your welcome sir. 

Please see # 1 on the OP list.

[ProdigalJim]

It didn't take long to reach humiliation and embarrassment! 

[a2capt]

You're welcome, sir. 

#1 and #13.

Save a life use a comma.

Let's eat Mom!
Let's eat, Mom!

[Private Investigator]

I am two funny at times   

[bosshawk]

flyer333555: at 58 you are still a kid.  Try 77.  I have no idea what some of those acronyms are.

[SarDragon]

An acronym was when you created an actual pronounceable word from the first letters or parts of other words.  For example: radar, sonar, laser, etc. 

A string of letters that do not produce a pronounceable word is just an abbreviation.  For example: FAA, CIA and even POV.  You do not pronounce these; you just say the letters so they are not acronyms.

If you are using a number such as 8 to replace the letters in a word such as GR8 or using 2 rather than using to or too, you are just using internet slang.  These are not acronyms either.

Well, since someone brought it up, I'll jump in.

As noted, an acronym is a combination of first letters that makes a pronounceable word. The string of letters that does not produce a pronounceable word is called an initialism (GPS, FAA). An abbreviation is usually the first few letters of a single, followed by a period. Through usage, these distinctions have blurred over time.

As an aside, CAP, as used to refer to our organization, is NOT an acronym. I learned that WIWAC. You say each letter. One of my former wing commanders used to give a practical demonstration with his ball cap, when he heard people using CAP as an acronym. [Got my Nomex on!  ]

[Eclipse]

I really dislike it when people, especially members, refer to SEE-AY-PEE as "KAP".

Worse, in the last few months, Google has started interpreting searches for "Civil Air Patrol" as also being for "CAP" and bringing up hats.

eBay has been doing it as well.

[Jaison009]

I hate that as well. When I am on EBay I put "Civil Air Patrol" and it narrows significantly. Google, not so much. 

I really dislike it when people, especially members, refer to SEE-AY-PEE as "KAP".

Worse, in the last few months, Google has started interpreting searches for "Civil Air Patrol" as also being for "CAP" and bringing up hats.

eBay has been doing it as well.

[Critical AOA]

As an aside, CAP, as used to refer to our organization, is NOT an acronym. I learned that WIWAC. You say each letter. One of my former wing commanders used to give a practical demonstration with his ball cap, when he heard people using CAP as an acronym. [Got my Nomex on!  ]

WIWAC - is that pronounced weewack?   

Yep, when I was a cadet and even for years afterwards, I always heard C.A.P.  Now I hear cap from most members.   

[Майор Хаткевич]

As an aside, CAP, as used to refer to our organization, is NOT an acronym. I learned that WIWAC. You say each letter. One of my former wing commanders used to give a practical demonstration with his ball cap, when he heard people using CAP as an acronym. [Got my Nomex on!  ]

WIWAC - is that pronounced weewack?   

Yep, when I was a cadet and even for years afterwards, I always heard C.A.P.  Now I hear cap from most members.

CAP irritates me to no end. We are not "Kap", "The KAP", "KAP members".

It is done one letter at a time, so "See Ay Pee" and so on.

As for WIWAC, it's sort of like "lol" to some people. Some say "El Oh el, others say it as "lol". For me, Weewack beats W - I - W- A - C by a mile.

[a2capt]

[UH60guy]

13. Contrary to popular belief, (I can't think of any other reason) there is not a shortage of punctuation. Use them.

Sometimes I think we have a surplus of punctuation. My pet peeve is the growing number of places that I find apostrophes used to make things plural.

As in: "CAP member's never commit punctuation infraction's."

For double demerits, the offenders often fail to maintain consistency in their error's and seemingly randomly apply the apostrophe like this.

[ProdigalJim]

^^^^

As a professional words guy, this drives me especially nuts. It has always been a rather common error, but its prevalence seems to have increased and I think I know why: predictive typing and texting. A generation of young adults has grown up with predictive typing on their various devices and those systems invariably insert apostrophe S after [darn] near anything. Thus, people have become inured to it and gloss over it when they see it. I can't tell you how many interns have told me over the years that "the whole apostrophe rule thing is SO confusing!"

Oy gevalt!

[a2capt]

Seems to matter not anymore, a left over from the era of mechanical type setting, mono spaced fonts, and readability. Offering the eyeballs a breaking point.  But a funny way to look at the debate.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I always did one...no one told me to do it differently. Then I met two-spacers...

[MIKE]

I learned two spaces after a period, and one space after a comma.  Might be one of those MLA stylebook rules or something.

[SarDragon]

I learned two spaces after a period, and one space after a comma.  Might be one of those MLA stylebook rules or something.

Did you learn that associated with a typewriter, or a computer? Typewriters are fixed pitch, computers are not, hence the change.

[UH60guy]

I'm very much in the one-spacer camp. APA and Chicago style manuals back me up, probably others too.

What causes me great nerd rage in working in the Army- the Government Printing Office style guide states that one space shall be used. However, the Army (apparently we ain't gub-ment) regulation governing writing (AR 25-50) apparently knows better and dictates two spaces.

My private little shadow war involves deleting those extra spaces, in flagrant violation of Army Regulations, from every piece of correspondence I write or edit.

[JeffDG]

I learned two spaces after a period, and one space after a comma.  Might be one of those MLA stylebook rules or something.

That's the way I learned it too...and still use.

[Al Sayre]

Me too.

[Eclipse]

There's only two choices.

The wrong way...

...or two spaces after a period.

[Luis R. Ramos]

I learned when typing one Masters thesis, two spaces after periods. Then I started other Graduate college, and studied MLA and APA styles.Which stated basically that when typing up manuscripts with a typewriter you had to use two spaces after a period, but when computers you can use only one. The same resources also stated that typewriters and printing presses made difficult using italics, you underlined titles. However because of advances in printers what was before underlined can now be italicized only. And that is how I have been doing it since 1988...

Flyer

[Jaison009]

Actually the latest edition of APA requires double spacing and two spaces after a period.  :angel:. Hopefully after my MBA is done in February I will never have to use it again.

I'm very much in the one-spacer camp. APA and Chicago style manuals back me up, probably others too.

What causes me great nerd rage in working in the Army- the Government Printing Office style guide states that one space shall be used. However, the Army (apparently we ain't gub-ment) regulation governing writing (AR 25-50) apparently knows better and dictates two spaces.

My private little shadow war involves deleting those extra spaces, in flagrant violation of Army Regulations, from every piece of correspondence I write or edit.

[Panache]

You would think that the two-spaces-after-a-period camp would be the ones with the spear.

[Eclipse]

You would think that the two-spaces-after-a-period camp would be the ones with the spear.

Bring correct gives their sword force power!

[UH60guy]

Actually the latest edition of APA requires double spacing and two spaces after a period.  :angel:. Hopefully after my MBA is done in February I will never have to use it again.

I'm very much in the one-spacer camp. APA and Chicago style manuals back me up, probably others too.

What causes me great nerd rage in working in the Army- the Government Printing Office style guide states that one space shall be used. However, the Army (apparently we ain't gub-ment) regulation governing writing (AR 25-50) apparently knows better and dictates two spaces.

My private little shadow war involves deleting those extra spaces, in flagrant violation of Army Regulations, from every piece of correspondence I write or edit.

Yeah I saw that after I wrote the post- When I did my Masters thesis I was on I think APA version 4, I can't remember- It was 2009. I could have sworn I saw it in there for a single space. Well, I did single space at the time and still got the degree

However, that thesis was an exercise in another grammatical problem: "Data" is plural, folks. You say the "data are" or the "data indicate" if you want to be correct. My thesis prep class drilled that home. I admit, I have to say "dogs" in place of "data" under my breath when reading it to get the tenses straight in my mind. After all of that, the thesis committee told me to change it all to "data is" and the "data indicates." Well, it was either fight to my dying breath to be right on another series of revisions, or as the saying goes "cooperate to graduate."

Pride? Swallowed. Degree? Attained.

[Eclipse]

Data can be plural or singular depending on its usage, unless I suppose, you're writing in Latin.

[UH60guy]

Yeah, I guess the usage has evolved over time. Both ways can be considered correct (depending on the reviewing authority's guidelines) as long as the other words in the sentence match the tense- "much of this data are" is wrong, but "many of these data are" is acceptable. Switch around if you use the singular "data." It's frustrating for the student to get caught in the middle of the acceptable use debate between members of the review committee though!

[Майор Хаткевич]

Four years of college. MLA. No one mentioned period spacing.

[Jaison009]

It's all about the piece of paper in the end  . I have been involved in a few of those battles myself. My wife is working on a Doctorate of Nurse Practice and it is the worst. Saying "indicated by" is an absolute no. APA is currently up to V6 now and V7 will probably be out in the next few years.

Actually the latest edition of APA requires double spacing and two spaces after a period.  :angel:. Hopefully after my MBA is done in February I will never have to use it again.

I'm very much in the one-spacer camp. APA and Chicago style manuals back me up, probably others too.

What causes me great nerd rage in working in the Army- the Government Printing Office style guide states that one space shall be used. However, the Army (apparently we ain't gub-ment) regulation governing writing (AR 25-50) apparently knows better and dictates two spaces.

My private little shadow war involves deleting those extra spaces, in flagrant violation of Army Regulations, from every piece of correspondence I write or edit.

Yeah I saw that after I wrote the post- When I did my Masters thesis I was on I think APA version 4, I can't remember- It was 2009. I could have sworn I saw it in there for a single space. Well, I did single space at the time and still got the degree

However, that thesis was an exercise in another grammatical problem: "Data" is plural, folks. You say the "data are" or the "data indicate" if you want to be correct. My thesis prep class drilled that home. I admit, I have to say "dogs" in place of "data" under my breath when reading it to get the tenses straight in my mind. After all of that, the thesis committee told me to change it all to "data is" and the "data indicates." Well, it was either fight to my dying breath to be right on another series of revisions, or as the saying goes "cooperate to graduate."

Pride? Swallowed. Degree? Attained.

[Jaison009]

That is because it is mainly an APA thing. Unless you use the APA style, it is usually not something that comes up.

Four years of college. MLA. No one mentioned period spacing.

[Eclipse]

I know it "is", but interesting a guide for writing articles for a publication few people have heard of and fewer will ever read is considered
an authority on general writing and publication.

[Panache]

I just got into a "grammar argument" with somebody because I used a single apostrophe to mark a possessive with a person whose name ended with an "s" (example: "That is Jones' cat") instead of an apostrophe-S ("That is Jones's cat").

Apparently, both styles are right, depending on local preferences.

[RRLE]

Sometimes I think we have a surplus of punctuation. My pet peeve is the growing number of places that I find apostrophes used to make things plural.

Apostrophe Protection Society

[RogueLeader]

You would think that the two-spaces-after-a-period camp would be the ones with the spear.

Bring correct gives their sword force power!

Does than mean we get lightsabers?  And if so, what color?

[Peeka]

You would think that the two-spaces-after-a-period camp would be the ones with the spear.

Bring correct gives their sword force power!

Does than mean we get lightsabers?  And if so, what color?

Blue and green for the cadets.

Red for the senior members. 

[Garibaldi]

You would think that the two-spaces-after-a-period camp would be the ones with the spear.

Bring correct gives their sword force power!

Does than mean we get lightsabers?  And if so, what color?

Blue and green for the cadets.

Red for the senior members. 

Double-bladed red, thank you.

[Peeka]

^^Only if you wear the horns on your head......

[Garibaldi]

^^Only if you wear the horns on your head......

Who says I don't?

[a2capt]

Fix Your Grammar

[SarDragon]

 :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Thank you!

[a2capt]

[Jaison009]

That is AWESOME!  :clap: :clap: :clap:

Fix Your Grammar

[Eclipse]

One issue is that it is hard to tell legitimate hyperbole, or the incorrect use of a term to make a point,
from the chaff of the poor grammar and spelling in use by many people who wear adult clothes but
speak and write like a 4th grader.

I think, for example, that "literally + 'x' (exploded)" started as extreme hyperbole, used by people who
knew it was incongruent, but it got picked up into the lexicon and is now misused by people
who don't understand the word "literally".

[Jaison009]

I would agree with that point Eclipse.

One issue is that it is hard to tell legitimate hyperbole, or the incorrect use of a term to make a point,
from the chaff of the poor grammar and spelling in use by many people who wear adult clothes but
speak and write like a 4th grader.

I think, for example, that "literally + 'x' (exploded)" started as extreme hyperbole, used by people who knew
knew it was incongruent, but it got picked up into the lexicon and is now misused by people
who don't understand the word "literally".