To offer some grammar tips to anyone who might want them?

[UnaCorda]

I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as either rude or patronising - it genuinely isn't meant to. It's also not intended as a pedants' thread.

I just thought it might be useful to list a few common mistakes, with an explanation, so that anyone who isn't very confident with their written English might be able to correct errors which, for example, could perhaps count against them in a job application or when used in a professional context.

I'll start with three:

1. "Your" shows that what you're referring to (probably a person or object) belongs to whoever "you" is in the sentence; for example, "Your brother showed me your book". If you mean "you are" you need to write "you're".

2. "Non" is not a word on its own - it is negating something, such as in "non-stick" or "non-committal". ("None-stick" would be incorrect, as would "non of them".) "None" means there aren't any. "How many cakes are left?" "Sorry - none." Or, "How many of the children finished the test?" "None of them."

3. "Alot" is not a word and the same goes for "abit", "infront", "incase" and "inbetween". Instead use "a lot", etc., just like "a little".

Hope I haven't made any mistakes myself...

[quote rainkeepsfallingdown]@UnaCorda Crossposted. The use of "myself" annoys me, because it's typically senior people trying to assert their positions by being unnecessarily pompous, but in reality, just being grammatically incorrect.[/quote]
Agreed (although not confined to senior people, ime).

People really struggle with I/me/myself. One of the worst I've heard is "Mary and I's exhibition" - but if you use the rule about taking away the other person you should get it right more often than not.

@maddiemookins16mum

Oooh just found this little gem of a thread. I’m off to get more tea.

Don't forget .

Oh, and yes, totally patronising.

No it isn’t. It’s interesting and informative.

Nice try OP. Don’t go anywhere near the weight loss threads, will you? There are a lot of people over there wishing to ‘loose’ weight

My ex boss used to say 'hence because'. Made my slappin' hand itch (disclaimer: figure of speech. I wouldn't really have slapped her. Punched her, maybe)

It's not patronising.
I left school with very poor grammar, it's still not great but better than it would've been without the internet. Threads like this are useful.

One that bugs me is an intstesd of and.

I had Marks and Spencer’s lamb kebabs yesterday. On the back of the pack it stated ‘needs cooking’. I was 😳

I think a good tip here is to think of yourself as a sexual adviser.

When people want your f*ing advice, they'll ask for it.

@InTropicalTrumpsLand

I speak English as a second language, and there are two things I never quite grasped:

Either/Neither, as in: "I don't like it." "Me either/neither".

In/On/At when it's not physical, such as: in/on/at television, a photograph, phone, etc.

"I don't like it either", but "me neither". Although I think this is different in American English.

Prepositions can be tricky, I think. On television, in a photo, on the phone.

I think "needs cooking" is fine!

I don’t find your thread patronising.

I frequently witness my students getting to their twenties without realising that it’s not;

Chester draws (chest of drawers)

Pacifically (specifically)

Defiantly (definitely)

And so on and so forth...

The more threads like this, with people genuinely willing to engage, the better IMO.

I think it should be ‘needs to be cooked’.

"Me neither". Neither is used to agree with a negative statement.

Sarah- I teach my students that may/might are interchangeable when referring to probability, and that "might" is more formal and arguably heading for archaic than "may" when used for permission.

As you say, and no doubt you notice in your line of work people rarely get it wrong anyway. There's a new thought in linguistics pedagogy about the fact that often we almost "create" doubt by trying to give something a rule when it doesn't matter what the rule is, just that we apply it correctly. It's why inductive approaches work so much better than deductive, but unfortunately, teaching materials and coursebooks etc are still reluctant to let go of that rule driven methodology.

The way to remember brought/bought is if you think of them in the present tense:

Brought = past tense of 'to bring'
Bought = past tense of 'to buy'

So brought/bring both have R in them - that's how I remember

Hope I haven't made any mistakes myself...

That is very sloppy writing. I do believe that should be "I hope that I have not made any mistakes myself"

HTH

A thread can't be patronising in of itself - if you are feeling patronised that is something going on in your own mind! Have a think about why you're taking it personally...

Not grammar so much as pronunciation but mischievous is NOT said "Mis cheeve eeous" - look at the letters, there's no i after the v. It's "Mis Chif Ous"

Not patronising?

Ok, so let's change the subject, let's imagine a skinnymalinks starts a thread saying "hello, I'm thin and you could be too! Gather round and I'll tell you how I do it"
Or, PigletJohn who could start a thread saying "now then, you're all a bit rubbish at this bathroom tap lark. Let me explain in simple terms how you do it"

The thread will turn into a tedious "oh I saw Chester draws ha ha ha on my FB selling page" soon enough anyway.

The OP is perhaps still googling the reason why that particular error is made, to come and wow us. (NB error not mistake, she'll explain that too)

On Monday’s I eat pasta” is not right

Also, there are not 3 Oliver’s in the class
Okay so what is right.
Monday's Mondays can you explain the errors? Is it no apostrophe in a sentence.

No it isn't. There is no /f/ in mischievous. It's a /v/.
I'm certainly not patronised by the OP. That doesn't mean I don't find the schoolmarm thing patronising.

@starfishmummy - one hopes your post has been with made with the intention of preventing micturation by prior extraction?

@MorningManiacMusic

Yeah - I wouldn't find any of those examples patronising. I wonder why you would?

I love this! I always remember receiving an email correcting my spelling of the word cheque/check it was underlined and bold! I was actually complaining to the person slid of the chair and under the desk!

I posted supporting you but you were very sharp demanding explanations- I presumed you would provide the explanations. You do come across as very Miss Jean Brodie!

Two- the number.
Too- as well ' I'm going too.' Also the idea of excessive "The music is too loud'.

To - apreposition. 'Give ittohim'
Also, amongst other things, adirection ' I'm going to the beach'.

There- a place/ direction ' There is a beautiful house in the village'/ ' Go over there'. TIP: COVER UP THE T AND IT SPELLS HERE.
Their- belongs to ' The children ate their lollies' / ' Noone listen to their opinion as they were so arrogant'.

They're- short for you are. The apostrophe indicates the letter a is missing. It is a contraction of two words.

Better OP?

On Monday’s I eat pasta” is not right

Also, there are not 3 Oliver’s in the class
Okay so what is right.
Monday's Mondays can you explain the errors? Is it no apostrophe in a sentence.

You’re correct with ‘errors’. You didn’t write error’s.
An apostrophe indicates ownership- so Oliver’s book for example.
To make a word plural you generally add s
So 3 Olivers