Well, strictly speaking it's more of
a homonym gripe than a spelling gripe, but I like the
title so I'm going with it. Alright, I'm going to regret
it I know, but I have to get this out.
First off, let me just say that I am a pedantic bastard
when it comes to grammar and spelling. Pedantic and anal.
I admit it, and that's the first step you know. So having
said that, perhaps you can understand why it drives me
mental when I continuously see the same words being misused
over and over again.
I'm not talking about typos or the occasional mistake here and there -
I'm certainly no roaring hell when it comes to typing, and I'm sure you
will find loads of typos on this very site. I'm talking about people who
repeatedly use the wrong word in the wrong place.
Let's take the words "loose" and "lose" for starters,
and yes I know they're not homonyms because they sound
different. And you'd think that would be enough to clue
people in right there, yet I see this one so often I actually
went and looked it up to make sure they hadn't changed
the rules on me. You don't LOOSE your keys, unless of
course you just flung them at someone with the intent
of doing them damage, in which case it could be said that
you "let loose your keys with a vengence". Generally speaking
however, if you misplace your keys or they fall out of
your pocket never to be seen again then you LOSE your
keys. A screw can be LOOSE, but if it drops off and sinks
to the bottom of the Marianas Trench (hey, it could happen)
then chances are you will LOSE it. Follow me?
Here's another popular one that some people just can't seem to grasp.
"There", "their", and "they're". THERE means somewhere other than here.
It is over THERE. It refers to a place or a point in the physical three
dimensional world we live in. Or in the non-physical world for that matter,
as in "you've got a point THERE". It does not specifically refer
to a group of people or objects nor does it imply any ownership of any people
or objects. It can refer to a place that a group of people or objects
are occupying as in "THERE they are", or "THERE it is". THEY'RE is a contraction
of THEY ARE. THEY'RE over THERE. THEIR means something or someone belonging
to THEM. It is THEIR house. THEY'RE over THERE in THEIR house. Got it?
Come on people, this is Sesame Street stuff. What's the point of having
a nice fancy looking website if you can't communicate properly?!? I would've
made a great Victorian headmaster, wouldn't I?
Here's another of my favourites. It could of been
you. No, it couldn't. It could HAVE been you, but not
of. 'Could of' makes no sense whatsoever.
And finally we come to "your" and "you're". YOUR means
it belongs to you. YOU'RE is a contraction of YOU ARE.
YOU'RE the captain of YOUR boat. Thus endeth the English
lesson for today. Any questions? There'll be a test on
this later so I do hope you were all paying attention.
Man, I feel much better. Who would've thought a simple
website could be so cathartic? Next week I'll do "Drivers
who don't use turn signals". Stay tuned.
Back
to Rants Main