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Traditional Catholic Faith => Art and Literature for Catholics => Topic started by: Nadir on November 12, 2018, 11:04:35 PM

Title: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 12, 2018, 11:04:35 PM
English spelling can be a nightmare. There are just so many different rules to learn and so many exceptions to rules, and many different ways to pronounce any particular letter, unlike say Italian, which has basic rules which always apply,
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I’ve noticed that, since I first signed up to CathInfo, the standards of written English, in particular spelling, has gradually declined.  I am not speaking of mistakes made because members don’t reread to make corrections, but persistent mistakes which illustrate that the writer does not understand the formation or meaning of the word.
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So I have been wondering for a while how to approach this. This morning I did some reading from an anonymous thread and I discovered several mistakes, and decided to collect and try to correct – of course, on a new non-anonymous thread.
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So here we go. Feel free to add your own contributions or comments. I hope to add more as they appear. Not naming the poster of wrong spelling, of course, though she/she may recognise themselves. 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 12, 2018, 11:10:23 PM
I'm not saying that a feminist women is SOLEY responsible 
 Sole is an adjective so add ly to sole to make the adverb – solely
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dating is all about …..2) complimentary personalities
Complimentary means praising. The writer means to say Complement – one makes up for what the other lacks: hence complementary.
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wearing provacative clothing (possibly a mistype)
Provocative from provoke: pro meaning for, voke to call to call for a reaction, especially a negative one:
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Social chaos is immenent.
When I saw this one I thought it should be immanent, but I was wrong. Immanent means remain in or indwelling whereas the writer means to say “about to happen” or literally “hanging over”.
A very interesting explanation here:
http://www.educationbug.org/a/eminent--imminent--immanent.html (http://www.educationbug.org/a/eminent--imminent--immanent.html)
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feminism is being subtley taught to girls 
Subtle is an adjective so add ly to subtle to make the adverb – subtlely.
(My spell check tells me subtly, which I reject - it doesn't make sense.)
 
 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Maria Regina on November 12, 2018, 11:43:13 PM
There is a problem with the auto-correct feature as it cannot recognize homonyms such as their, there, and they're. In addition, archaic but correct spellings are often recognized as incorrect by the auto-correct features we use today.
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Even the words you, your, you're, yours, our, and ours are often not corrected by the auto-correct features because the words are spelled correctly in themselves, but they are not spelled correctly in the context in which they are used. Thus, the auto-correct feature will not flag many word as incorrect.
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In addition, as one reaches old age, with blurry vision, astigmatism, brain injury due to TIAs or strokes, and/or presbyopia, or as one develops pre-diabetes or diabetes, which is very common today, one's vision deteriorates and a person is more dependent on these auto-correct features.
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Furthermore, some people are legally blind from disease or injury, or they were born that way and must dictate their communications, which are totally dependent on an auto-spell feature, which also makes mistakes. I have communicated online with several individuals who are legally blind from birth, and it amazes me that they are able to participate in board discussions as well as they do.
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Then there are those who are dependent on their smart phones using tiny buttons and who are typing while driving. Not only are they endangering their lives and the lives of all them around them, but also they often use text message abbreviations or auto-dictate features that can drive prescriptive grammarians batty.
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Finally, those of us who are trying to revise our posts may make a change such as reversing our clauses. This leads to grammatical errors, which are not spelling errors but awkward construction errors.
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Those of us who are vision-compromised do try to correct our spellings within the 15 minutes allowed by Matthew's board, but sometimes, we receive a phone call or must answer the door bell, and then unfortunately, we fall outside the time to edit. And, yes, it is very embarrassing and humbling to see those glaring typographical errors. All of us in the end, must depend on the charity of others to be patient, loving, and kind as St. Paul recommends.
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I have found that books such as There is No Cow in Moscow can be very helpful. There are online help guides, too.
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Nadir, what online websites do you recommend?
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 13, 2018, 03:31:27 AM
Maria Regina, would you believe I half finished my response to you then accidentally deleted it!
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You make some excellent points. Life and literacy have changed tremendously in our latter days. These auto-correct and auto-spell features are meant to make life easier, at least for some, but they are not fool-proof and not always useful, at least to me. I prefer to do-it-myself correct. By the way, is it not ironic that auto means self, but you don’t do it your self, your computer does it.
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You touch on the issues surrounding physical problems and aging. I too feel those keenly, and it is important to keep one’s mind sharp and one’s thinking clear. You make good points to be considered. Smart phones are something I’m staying away from!
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I didn’t realise that Matthew allow 15 minutes for a post, but I must take longer as I am almost always told I’ve taken longer and do I still want to post. I do and it always “takes” (so far).
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My point in starting this thread was the hope of helping any who had trouble with spelling in particular, those who have for one reason or another missed out on learning the rules, such as they are, in our complex language, and those who are educating their own children at home. We can all improve and we can help one another.
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I had not heard of There is No Cow in Moscow. Here we are touching on the subject of pronunciation, I presume, which of course is closely related to the subject of spelling, and is a challenge for English speakers and English learners.  Ask any English speaker how he pronounces the vowel “a”. There are about seven or more correct answers, though I can’t think of them all right now. Consider the various “a” sounds here: What day does Mary plan to eat the awesome avocado?
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Maria Regina, I have no websites to recommend. I usually just do a ducksearch. My husband, coming later in life to English usage, likes to use https://www.vocabulary.com/play/ to constantly improve his knowledge of the language and is now graded “Walking Dictionary”! Ha ha! Also WordReference.com which is also useful for translations.
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I believe the best way to improve our knowledge of the written language and to learn how to express ourselves in it is to read, read, read good literature. The study of other languages can also be a big help in understanding your own.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Miseremini on November 13, 2018, 01:25:44 PM
This is not a spelling question but a pronunciation one.

When saying the word blessed,  when do we pronounce it as spelled and when do we pronounce it
as bles-said, as in the Hail Mary.
Blessed would fit perfectly in the Hail Mary (as one who has been blessed) yet we pronounce it
bles-said. ::)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 13, 2018, 04:04:23 PM
A good question. I have thought about this before. WHat you are wondering is, I guess, is whether the word has one or two syllables. In other words, is it pronounced blest or blessed. I had to duck again. (I just coined a new word. :cheers: That's how language grows.)
 I came up with this. 

https://grammarist.com/spelling/blessed-blest/


Title: "Bless_d"/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on November 13, 2018, 06:44:18 PM

This is not a spelling question but a pronunciation one.

When saying the word ["]blessed["],  when do we pronounce it as spelled [?] and when do we pronounce it as ["]bles-said["],  as in the Hail Mary[?]

Writing strictly, the exceptional "-ed" pronunciation should be indicated by a grave accent placed over the "e" under discussion, thus "-èd",  to distinguish it from the "-d" or "-t" pronunciations).  It'd be incorrect to use an acute accent, because that properly marks the emphasized syllable, which remains the first one.

U.S. English typically spells words without using any accent marks (harrrummmph!),  except those that appear in words of foreign origin, altho' not in many French words imported by the successful invaders from Normandy in 1066.

It's technologically intriguing that typewriters achieved widespread manufacture & use with the accent-free (i.e., accentless, for readers who feel deprived) keyboards of the U.S.A.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 14, 2018, 03:04:35 PM

Quote
... layity leading the charge...
... laity leading the charge...

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on November 15, 2018, 02:20:33 AM
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I'm not saying that a feminist women is SOLEY responsible
 Sole is an adjective so add ly to sole to make the adverb – solely
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The word is solely, not soley;  pronounced, sole-ly, with two l's. You got it right at the very end, though!
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You ought to decide whether your sentence is singular or plural: "I'm not saying that a feminist women is..." and conform to your rule accordingly:
----- If it is singular that you want, do this:  I'm not saying that a feminist woman is..., or else if plural, this is how:  I'm not saying that feminist women are...
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So far in one sentence you managed to pack 4 errors, but there's one more..................
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At the end of your sentence, use a period: I'm not saying that feminist women are SOLELY responsible.  
----- For a grand total of 5 errors in one sentence about errors!  ???
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Then in your next sentence, it is customary to place a hyphen before a suffix when indicating its use at the end of words: Sole is an adjective, so add -ly to sole...
----- Notice I took the liberty of inserting a comma after adjective. In this case, the comma isolates the message from the introduction,
       "Sole is an adjective,..."
      By distinguishing the intro from the message that follows, you make your sentence more clear WITH the comma than without it.
      Therefore it's a good thing to have.
     Sole is an adjective, so add -ly to sole to make the adverb – solely.  <---- plus, use a period at the end, again!
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The habitual failure to include the suffix -ly is rampant in America, and has been for over 100 years now.
It's not so common among educated British or educated foreigners in British colonies.
I knew a woman from Fiji for example, whose diligent inclusion of the -ly suffix to form adverbs on the fly was abidingly impressive.
That one thing alone in her speech made her seem like she must be royalty or something like that. Amazing.
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IN GENERAL,
While typing a message you have a lot to think about, and you might change what you write as you go.
So when you've finished a paragraph or a page, it's a good idea to go back and read it over to be sure you didn't miss something.
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I find the Preview feature helps a lot because the APPEARANCE of the text changes a little bit and there is something extra that jumps out at you when you see the same words in a little different style or font or spacing or whatever, and that something helps to make errors appear prominently.
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Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 15, 2018, 03:19:17 AM

Quote
I'm not saying that a feminist women is SOLEY responsible
Nadir: Sole is an adjective so add ly to sole to make the adverb – solely
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Quote
dating is all about …..2) complimentary personalities
Nadir: Complimentary means praising. The writer means to say Complement – one makes up for what the other lacks: hence complementary.
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Quote
wearing provacative clothing
Nadir: (possibly a mistype)
Provocative from provoke: pro meaning for, voke to call to call for a reaction, especially a negative one:
------------------


Quote
Social chaos is immenent.
Nadir: When I saw this one I thought it should be immanent, but I was wrong. Immanent means remain in or indwelling whereas the writer means to say “about to happen” or literally “hanging over”.
A very interesting explanation here:
http://www.educationbug.org/a/eminent--imminent--immanent.html (http://www.educationbug.org/a/eminent--imminent--immanent.html)
--------------------------


Quote
feminism is being subtley taught to girls
Nadir: Subtle is an adjective so add ly to subtle to make the adverb – subtlely.
(My spell check tells me subtly, which I reject - it doesn't make sense.)
Neil, I have redone reply #1 to make it clearer for you, hopefully. The words in quote boxes are from various other posters on one single thread. Each is a snippet from a longer sentence with the intention of exposing the spelling mistake. I have collected and commented on the errors therein, followed by my correction of the mistake.. I did not wish to identify the writers.
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Did you read the thread? None of these words in quotes is mine. These are not my mistakes. But thanks for the lecture anyhow! I can see you got a lot of pleasure in correcting my feeble efforts.
I did not pick up on "a feminist women is". Good catch!
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I was wondering when you would turn up.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on November 15, 2018, 03:20:05 AM
This is not a spelling question but a pronunciation one.

When saying the word blessed,  when do we pronounce it as spelled and when do we pronounce it
as bles-said, as in the Hail Mary.
Blessed would fit perfectly in the Hail Mary (as one who has been blessed) yet we pronounce it
bles-said. ::)
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I suspect that bless-ed (in lieu of blest) is a more antiquated usage, but also, it has a different connotation.
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We always say, "Bless-ed John" or "John the Bless-ed" when referring to the Apostle and Evangelist, St. John. 
     We don't say, Blest John, or John the Blest. That sounds too close to John the best.
     Or, we say, e.g., "Bless-ed Pius IX" when referring to a Catholic who has been beatified. 
     Even after they become canonized, sometimes the appellation "venerable" hangs on because of longstanding tradition, e.g., Venerable Bede.   
     I don't think we have to worry about that happening to such figures as JPII "the great" or Paul VI ("Beatified?" - Fr. Luigi Villa).
     There wasn't any time for any traditions to develop before their so-called canonizations.
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There is another word in the Hail Mary that hearkens back hundreds of years: amongst. 
     Some say, "...among women..." but others consistently say, "Bless-ed art thou amongst women..." 
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Then of course, there are the pronouns, thee, thou and thy. I've had friends who use "you... are you... your" (are you, instead of art thou).
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The different connotation includes the fact that one can be blest by holy water or by a blessing. 
But that's not what we're talking about when we say Our Lady is Bless-ed. 
Would that have been the result of the High Priest giving her his blessing? 
Is that why she is Bless-ed among women, because she got a priest's blessing?
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No.
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She is Bless-ed among women because 
    A)  She is full of grace, that is full to overabundance, such that she is bursting to overflow with graces. 
          Never was there, nor never could there be anything nor anyone more full of something like Our Lady is full of grace.
          This is why the Protestants cannot stand Luke 1:28 in its traditional form, and why the KJV changed it to "Rejoice favored one."
          The Greek Kecharitomene points without question to the most extreme and supersubstantial state of being full of grace.
    B)  Our Lady was in the mind of God before He created the universe, as OT Scriptures say, which the Church applies to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
          Nobody else in the history of creation holds the place that She does, and so while others might be blest, Our Lady is so much more than that.
    C)  The only reason the Hail Mary does not say she is bless-ed among all mankind is for one reason alone, and that is Her Son.
          Therefore she becomes bless-ed amongst woman-kind because of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is bless-ed among men. 
    D)  Anyone and everyone that we say is bless-ed, falls in line BEHIND Our Lady because she is the prototype of blessedness.
    E)  Some people perform sufficient penance in their life to save their own soul, others perform sufficient penance to save the souls of others too.
          But there is only one person who performed sufficient penance to save all the souls of all the people who ever lived, and she is Our Lady.
          Even so, she takes her place behind Our Lord, Who is the source of that salvation, while Our Lady is the chosen means by which we receive it.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Maria Regina on November 15, 2018, 03:22:07 AM
...

Maria Regina, I have no websites to recommend. I usually just do a ducksearch.


:)  When you said ducksearch, I visualized a pretty iridescent black and white Muscovy drake nodding his large red head forward and backwards as he walks. How do ducks manage to walk and to nod their heads at the same time without getting dizzy? And yet, while they are searching for the next slug, snail or silver legless lizard to grab in their beaks, they continue to nod.

For more information on Muscovy ducks or for information on raising them for their delicious eggs, do a duckduckgo.com search.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/MuscovyDuck.jpg/220px-MuscovyDuck.jpg)
God is so delightful in His creatures.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Cairina_moschata_momelanotus_head.jpg/220px-Cairina_moschata_momelanotus_head.jpg)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 15, 2018, 03:39:43 AM
I do like Muscovy ducks. I did a ducksearch and find out that they are native to Mexico, Central and South America - which causes me to wonder why they are named for an old name for the region around Moscow.

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 15, 2018, 03:46:49 AM
Why doesn't cloves rhyme with gloves :confused:
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Why doesn't love rhyme with move :confused:
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Who can explain these English language discrepancies?
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on November 15, 2018, 03:51:42 AM
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Neil, I have redone reply #1 to make it clearer for you. The words in quote boxes are from various other posters on one single thread. Each is a snippet from a longer sentence with the intention of exposing the spelling mistake. I have collected and commented on the errors therein. I did not wish to identify the writers.
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Did you read the thread? None of these words in quotes is mine. These are not my mistakes. But thanks for the lecture anyhow!
I did not pick up on "a feminist women is". Good catch!
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I was wondering when you would turn up.
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I don't like the way this platform's quote boxes works, either, so when I omit the quote box many times readers can't tell the words to which I refer are not my words. This is in contrast to other times when readers accuse me of having copied everything I post and that nothing is my own. Go figure.
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So you were wondering when I would turnip? How's this? 
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(https://s17-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi2.wp.com%2Finfinebalance.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F10%2F28252158755_1d1768c35e_b.jpg%3Fresize%3D1024%252C1024&sp=e0adda59fcdc10703788d49dee5eac3f)
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Quote
Did you read the thread? None of these words in quotes is mine. These are not my mistakes. But thanks for the lecture anyhow!
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None of these words in quotes  is  [are] mine!  .................... you're welcome.
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The test you use to prove the text right is this: omit words between (e.g., "in quotes") and see if it's right: "...these words ... are mine." 
That is obviously better than "...these words ... is mine." Corrected form:  None of these words in quotes are mine.
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There are tests like that you can easily use to check grammar in many ways.
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A very common mistake is to use "me" when you should be saying, "I." 
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Example:
They thought it was you guys who came for breakfast, but actually it was Joan and me. 
---- Check by removing extra words and reverse the sentence to make a simple statement, to see if it makes sense: 
      Remove these words: "...but actually it was Joan and" then reverse "who came for breakfast," by putting "me" in front of it.
      Therefore, the test sentence becomes, "Me came for breakfast." Which is incorrect, the right word is "I": I came for breakfast.
      Consequently, the completed sentence should be this: They thought it was you guys who came for breakfast, but actually it was Joan and I. 
      Because you would not say Joan and me came for breakfast, but you would say Joan and I came for breakfast.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on November 15, 2018, 04:17:51 AM
Why doesn't cloves rhyme with gloves :confused:
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Why doesn't love rhyme with move :confused:
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Who can explain these English language discrepancies?
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Cloves rhymes with droves, groves, By Jove's, coves and stoves.
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Gloves rhymes with above's, doves, shoves and loves.
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Love rhymes with above, dove (the bird) and wuv. (Wuv is +W's very seldom used silly-word for love.)
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Move rhymes with behoove and groove. So why isn't it spelled moove, or just moov? Final e should make the o long, like in moave.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: 1st Mansion Tenant on November 15, 2018, 12:00:36 PM

:)  When you said ducksearch, I visualized a pretty iridescent black and white Muscovy drake nodding his large red head forward and backwards as he walks. How do ducks manage to walk and to nod their heads at the same time without getting dizzy? And yet, while they are searching for the next slug, snail or silver legless lizard to grab in their beaks, they continue to nod.

For more information on Muscovy ducks or for information on raising them for their delicious eggs, do a duckduckgo.com search.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/MuscovyDuck.jpg/220px-MuscovyDuck.jpg)
God is so delightful in His creatures.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Cairina_moschata_momelanotus_head.jpg/220px-Cairina_moschata_momelanotus_head.jpg)
My personal opinion is that people who dislike ducks are highly suspect. However, ducks are known for their lack of spelling and grammatical acuмen.   :D
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on November 15, 2018, 02:10:56 PM
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What drives some of us crazy is the misspelling of you as one letter: u. 
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Now that's showing up on signs posting announcements for all viewers.
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                                           (https://s15-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2Fposter.keepcalmandposters.com%2F4798787.jpg&sp=908f04eaf7cdc44f85f344f726e9ee05)... could make it "b4 u enter"
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(https://s16-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhuscorporatesite-images.s3.amazonaws.com%2FTestimonials%2FChristineReichelt.jpg&sp=74eac5957c5470543adda83413851ccc)
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Would u wear this button? 
(https://s16-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2F2odv3619kk4e1ljgh719gqde-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F11%2Ffvs6676-400x267.jpg&sp=80ddd9b3c37a10493135dafae269679a)
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Might be a personal message: 
(https://s16-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.textmarks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F01%2Ftextspeak.jpg&sp=7bbc38422c7cc83fcaabec89416a42d0)
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British No U Turn signs:                                                
(https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/no-uturn-road-sign-is-seen-near-the-british-houses-of-parliament-on-picture-id3445301)  (https://media.gettyimages.com/photos/no-uturn-road-sign-is-seen-near-the-british-houses-of-parliament-on-picture-id3445302)
(It was a political message: British Government U-Turn On Euro Constitution -- LONDON - APRIL 19: A 'No U-Turn' road sign is seen near the British Houses of Parliament on April 19, 2004 in London, England. The British government seems set to announce plans for a referendum on a European Union constitution which is being seen as a major U-turn by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images))
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Sometimes it's not really information that's being posted.....
(https://s17-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http%3A%2F%2Ft0.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcRst_OvthrAESNfReOZSVSxHYoM7WysROZD5JhIott1FEUi2zes&sp=5dd0de4bf2a799128e348dfd7b5941fb&anticache=286727)
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Some people seem to treat spelling as a religion...
(https://s15-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.slideplayer.com%2F27%2F9101792%2Fslides%2Fslide_4.jpg&sp=bb93257e24c7a46c45ad95ca2ca7ba5c)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on November 15, 2018, 02:24:09 PM
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Danny Glover's name is all around "love." 
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GLOVER & GIBSON
(https://s17-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F10%2Flethal-weapon2.jpg%3Fcrop%3D0px%252C0px%252C3162px%252C2118px%26amp%3Bresize%3D446%252C299&sp=1365f0114448a9eb3b1e1687ab1a4fcc)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 15, 2018, 03:01:20 PM
Quote: Neil
Quote
None of these words in quotes  is  [are] mine!  .................... you're welcome.
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The test you use to prove the text right is this: omit words between (e.g., "in quotes") and see if it's right: "...these words ... are mine."
That is obviously better than "...these words ... is mine." Corrected form: None of these words in quotes are mine.
Neil, You are reasoning like a turnip!  :jester:

I said "None ...... is mine". None indicates negation (not one). Now "one" is singular and any more than one is plural. So if one is singular what is less than one? Could less than one possibly be plural?  "None" is an abbreviated form of "not one".

From https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quantifiers/no-none-and-none-of

In formal styles, we use none of with a singular verb when it is the subject. However, in informal speaking, people often use plural verbs:
Quote
None of that surprises me.

Quote
Indeed, none of his novels is well shaped or well written.

Quote
None of the products have been tested on animals and all the bottles are recyclable.(informal)

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Emitte Lucem Tuam on November 15, 2018, 07:14:47 PM
Unfortunately, in this day and age, ignorance of proper English, and spoken English slang are the choice, when it comes to English grammar and spoken English, in the 21st century.  This includes both North American English, United Kingdom English, Australian English and South African English along with the Caribbean English dialects. Correct English grammar and pronounciation will never change, BUT the willingness to use “proper English”, regardless of national pronouciation/grammar will ALWAYS be an effort and an ordeal.  Proper classical English is a beautiful language...it is so unfortunate that most English speakers, planet wide, revert to slang and ignorant speaking when conversing with their fellow human beings in the English language.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 17, 2018, 02:36:40 PM
Quote
And whom will be the real rulers the Zionist Jєωs enforcing тαℓмυdic laws.
These are two sentences written as one.
And whom will be the real rulers. The Zionist Jєωs enforcing тαℓмυdic laws.

Tip:
Use who for the subject.
Use whom for the object.

Who is at the door? Who is the subject of the verb is.
Whom did you see at the door? Whom is the object of the verb see.
To whom is he speaking? Whom should be used as the object of a preposition.


Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Maria Regina on November 17, 2018, 05:48:00 PM
These are two sentences written as one.
And whom will be the real rulers. The Zionist Jєωs enforcing тαℓмυdic laws.

Tip:
Use who for the subject.
Use whom for the object.

Who is at the door? Who is the subject of the verb is.
Whom did you see at the door? Whom is the object of the verb see.
To whom is he speaking? Whom should be used as the object of a preposition.U
Sometimes substituting a personal pronoun helps.

Who is at the door?
Is he at the door?
He is at the door.
Since he is the subject, the correct relative pronoun will be who.

Whom did you see at the door?
You saw whom at the door?
Did you see him at the door?
Since him is the object of the verb, whom is the correct relative pronoun.

To whom is he speaking?
He is speaking to whom?
He is speaking to him.
Since him is the object of the preposition "to," whom is the correct relative pronoun.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Student of Qi on November 17, 2018, 10:51:28 PM
English spelling can be a nightmare. There are just so many different rules to learn and so many exceptions to rules, and many different ways to pronounce any particular letter, unlike say Italian, which has basic rules which always apply,
.
I’ve noticed that, since I first signed up to CathInfo, the standards of written English, in particular spelling, has gradually declined.  I am not speaking of mistakes made because members don’t reread to make corrections, but persistent mistakes which illustrate that the writer does not understand the formation or meaning of the word.
.
So I have been wondering for a while how to approach this. This morning I did some reading from an anonymous thread and I discovered several mistakes, and decided to collect and try to correct – of course, on a new non-anonymous thread.
.
So here we go. Feel free to add your own contributions or comments. I hope to add more as they appear. Not naming the poster of wrong spelling, of course, though she/she may recognise themselves.
Thanks, Nadir. I always find these kinds of threads useful. I havent looked over the entirety of this one, but would like to say that a lot of spelling and or grammatical errors are also due to people spelling words the way they say them. Non native speakers I talk with tend to do this, and even I do too, as you've certainly noticed. It's pretty common for a number of young Americans too, though we should really try to do better since everyone wants to speak our type of English. 😅
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 17, 2018, 11:45:12 PM
Nice to get your feedback, Student of Qi. So you recognised yours!  :)


Quote
.... a lot of spelling and or grammatical errors are also due to people spelling words the way they say them.
Yes, but that is the difficulty with English. My husband, who is not a native English speaker, tells me that in his school days there was no need for spelling lessons as the English speakers need. You simply spell words exactly as they are pronounced, and once you've learned a comparatively small number of sounds, away you go. Home and hosed! Every vowel is sounded and none is superfluous, like the "k" in knife.

For some. spelling just does not come easily. Now, if you were Chinese that would be a different story altogether. You would have to get out your brush and illustrate your story or whatever.

Yes, wherever you go, the people want to learn English.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 26, 2018, 09:29:28 PM

Quote
In regards to your question about how to use ...
In regard to and with regard to are phrases that mean "regarding," "concerning," "on the subject of."
As regards—note the s on the end—means the same thing. Perhaps this is why people mindlessly pluralize regard and say in regards to and its partner in crime, with regards to.
Both of the following examples are correct: With regard to your friend, let's hope she is well. Compare that to With regards to your friend. Let's hope she is well.
In the first sentence, With regard to means "concerning." But in the second sentence, regards with an s is a plural noun meaning "best wishes."
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 04:52:33 PM
Apologies for the huge letters in last post.

---------------

The confusion between then and than seems to be of fairly recent origin, and I believe it stems from hearing poor diction.


Quote
Husbands job … show more progress then cleaning house/raising kids.

Corrections: 
Husband's job … shows more progress than cleaning house/raising kids.
.
Think: then rhymes with when so refers to timing. This sentence does not refer to timing, but rather to comparing two different jobs.
.
Then means (at) that time (in the past or in the future):
Examples:
I was working in the city then.
Give it to me next week - I won't have time to read it before then.
Call tomorrow - then I should have the details.
.
Compare with
.
Than - preposition, conjunction 

My son is taller than my daughter. (son compared with daughter)
You walk faster than I do! (you compared with me)
You're earlier than usual. (present compared with past)


I spent more than I intended to.
It cost less than I expected.
 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Maria Regina on December 01, 2018, 05:22:29 PM
Apologies for the huge letters in last post.

---------------

The confusion between then and than seems to be of fairly recent origin, and I believe it stems from hearing poor diction.


Corrections:
Husband's job … shows more progress than cleaning house/raising kids.
.
Think: then rhymes with when so refers to timing. This sentence does not refer to timing, but rather to comparing two different jobs.
.
Then means (at) that time (in the past or in the future):
Examples:
I was working in the city then.
Give it to me next week - I won't have time to read it before then.
Call tomorrow - then I should have the details.
.
Compare with
.
Than - preposition, conjunction
  • ·      is used to join two parts of a comparison:

My son is taller than my daughter. (son compared with daughter)
You walk faster than I do! (you compared with me)
You're earlier than usual. (present compared with past)

  • ·      Or is used with "more" or "less" to compare numbers or amounts:

I spent more than I intended to.
It cost less than I expected.
 
Another reason for misspelling the two words, then and than, can be due to old age and/or diabetes, which can cause blurry vision.
With only 10 to 15 minutes to edit my posts here at CI, many typographical errors go unnoticed. Factoring in all the robo-calls I receive at home, this distraction causes even more mistakes to go unnoticed.

I wish there was some way to stop all the robo calls. My own brother-in-law lowered the volume of his phone ringer so that  no one could contact him. Then when we finally were able to contact him, we discovered that he had been given a diagnosis of terminal cancer. It was too late to visit him as there was not enough time to make travel arrangements.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 05:57:33 PM
I am almost always timed out. You just need to click post again. It's always worked for me. It's a good idea to write first on a word docuмent and that makes less problem with formatting, as in the case of my penultimate post. Besides, I have not noticed mistakes in your posts, Maria Regina.
.
But we are not talking about typos here. We are talking about oft repeated errors due to poor knowledge of language. It is mainly younger posters who have problems with the spelling / grammar / formation of the language.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 06:40:20 PM
Quote: NeilNeil, You are reasoning like a turnip!  :jester:

I said "None ...... is mine". None indicates negation (not one). Now "one" is singular and any more than one is plural. So if one is singular what is less than one? Could less than one possibly be plural?  "None" is an abbreviated form of "not one".

From https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/quantifiers/no-none-and-none-of

In formal styles, we use none of with a singular verb when it is the subject. However, in informal speaking, people often use plural verbs:
.
Therefore, according to your principle, the following are properly rendered with the singular verb, "is":
.
None of the US presidents is women. (in lieu of "None ... are women.")
.
None of Alaska's earthquakes since 1964 is so strong as this one. (in lieu of "None ... are so strong...")
.
None of my socks is lost in the dryer. (in lieu of "None ... are lost...")
.
None of the stars in the sky is brighter than the moon.
.
None of the cans on the shelf is dented.
.
None of these used cars is for sale.
.
None of the police officers is out of uniform, sir.
.
None of the ships at sea is sinking.
.
None of the people using the Internet is sleeping.
.
None of the hairs on your head is gray.
.
None of our Christmas trees is dry.
.
None of these houses is available.
.
None of these sentences is correct.
.
None of these dog's fleas is immune.
.
None of these radio commercials is interesting.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 07:09:36 PM
.
Factoring in all the robo-calls I receive at home, this distraction causes even more mistakes to go unnoticed.

I wish there was some way to stop all the robo calls. My own brother-in-law lowered the volume of his phone ringer so that  no one could contact him. Then when we finally were able to contact him, we discovered that he had been given a diagnosis of terminal cancer. It was too late to visit him as there was not enough time to make travel arrangements.
.
.
Disconnect the phone. Imagine a peaceful household of just 145 years ago. No phone ringing, ever, because: no phone.
.
Or imagine a remote cabin in a peaceful natural environment, without phone lines or Internet.
.
(All the following are the same place: Elidaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.)
.
(https://s15-us2.startpage.com/cgi-bin/serveimage?url=http:%2F%2Fcdn.earthporm.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F08%2Flonely-house-ellidaey-iceland-3.jpg&sp=690160af72a0de1df2807143d7dcae5f)

(http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lonely-house-ellidaey-iceland-10.jpg)

(http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lonely-house-ellidaey-iceland-9.jpg)

(http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lonely-house-ellidaey-iceland-67.jpg)

(http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lonely-house-ellidaey-iceland-66.jpg)

(http://cdn.earthporm.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/lonely-house-ellidaey-iceland-69.jpg)
(Springtime!)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 07:43:48 PM
ANd my home for 14 years 1983 - 1997. NO phone, no mains power, no MSM.  It was wonderful!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 08:56:05 PM
.
ANd my home for 14 years 1983 - 1997. NO phone, no mains power, no MSM.  It was wonderful!
.
You LIVED 14 years on Elidaey?
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 08:57:47 PM
.
Therefore, according to your principle, the following are properly rendered with the singular verb, "is":
.
None of the US presidents is women. (in lieu of "None ... are women.")
.
None of Alaska's earthquakes since 1964 is so strong as this one. (in lieu of "None ... are so strong...")
.
None of my socks is lost in the dryer. (in lieu of "None ... are lost...")
.
None of the stars in the sky is brighter than the moon.
.
None of the cans on the shelf is dented.
.
None of these used cars is for sale.
.
None of the police officers is out of uniform, sir.
.
None of the ships at sea is sinking.
.
None of the people using the Internet is sleeping.
.
None of the hairs on your head is gray.
.
None of our Christmas trees is dry.
.
None of these houses is available.
.
None of these sentences is correct.
.
None of these dog's fleas is immune.
.
None of these radio commercials is interesting.
Thank you for asking, Neil. I bet you timed out on this one!
According to my principle, when it comes to number, rather than amount, none is never more than one. None is always less than one. Therefore it requires a singular verb.
The first example should read:
None of the US presidents is a woman. Not None of the US presidents are women, or is women.
So, yes they are all properly rendered with the singular verb, "is".
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 09:13:17 PM
 Imagine a peaceful household ... No phone ringing, ever, because: no phone.
.
Or imagine a remote cabin in a peaceful natural environment, without phone lines or Internet.

The above pretty well describes where we lived on the far side of the Walsh River, (with no bridge) in Far North Queensland in dry sclerophyll forest. No power bills because no power. 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 09:42:33 PM
.
Thank you for asking, Neil. I bet you timed out on this one!
According to my principle, when it comes to number, rather than amount, none is never more than one. None is always less than one. Therefore it requires a singular verb.
The first example should read:
None of the US presidents is a woman. Not None of the US presidents are women, or is women.
So, yes they are all properly rendered with the singular verb, "is".
.
You wrote:
"None" is an abbreviated form of "not one".
.
Most of the time, "not one" is more than one: 2, 3, 4, ... and so on, are each "not one."
.
Zero is the exception, not the rule.
.
How many passengers are on the ship when the ship is empty?
   None are on the ship? or, None is on the ship?
.
How many of this farmer's tomatoes are rotten each day this time of year?
   None are rotten? or, None is rotten?
.
How many movies are rated G at this cinema?
    None are rated G? or, None is rated G?
.
How many of these are there?
     There are none of these? or, There is none of these?
.
So, then if the list of examples above are all right, including this one:   "None of these sentences is correct"  ...
  (In answer to the question, "How many of these sentences are correct?")
   ... then none of them are correct, because them be incorrect!  ::)
.
.
PS -- I did not time out on this one!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 09:50:13 PM
The above pretty well describes where we lived on the far side of the Walsh River, (with no bridge) in Far North Queensland in dry sclerophyll forest. No power bills because no power.
.
No bridge?  Good thing it was a DRY sclerophyll forest. 
.
You must have developed a personal relationship with the washboard. 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 10:06:48 PM
.
Thank you for asking, Neil. I bet you timed out on this one!
.
I came so-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o close!  Barely added a particular Return before running out of time.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 10:48:03 PM
.
No bridge?  Good thing it was a DRY sclerophyll forest.
.
You must have developed a personal relationship with the washboard.
Ah! But the river was wet, in spite of the the climate being dry. What is the significance of the washboard?
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 10:58:28 PM
.
You wrote:
"None" is an abbreviated form of "not one".
.
Most of the time, "not one" is more than one: 2, 3, 4, ... and so on, are each "not one."
.
Zero is the exception, not the rule.
.

But in your list of examples every "none" means zero, and not 2, 3, 4, and so on.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Maria Regina on December 02, 2018, 12:58:49 AM
The above pretty well describes where we lived on the far side of the Walsh River, (with no bridge) in Far North Queensland in dry sclerophyll forest. No power bills because no power.
Oh, I would move there in a heart beat.
Trouble is, I am too old to move to Australia or NZ.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 12, 2018, 02:56:07 AM
Quote
God created men and women to compliment each other.


God means for men and women to complement each other. That's God's plan. Man and woman complete each other.
Think E is for complete.

God wants that our compliments are sincere and proper.

Think: "you have beautiful eyes ('I's)."
"But your eyes are more beautiful."

There! Now you are complimenting each other.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 14, 2018, 08:24:29 PM
Quote
... without doubt to many men would be wrongly convicted.

should read

Quote
without doubt too many men would be wrongly convicted.

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 15, 2018, 11:59:36 AM
Quote from: Neil Obstat on December 01, 2018, 05:09:36 PM (https://www.cathinfo.com/general-discussion/spelling-challenge/msg635493/#msg635493)
Quote
.
Imagine a peaceful household ... No phone ringing, ever, because: no phone.
.
Or imagine a remote cabin in a peaceful natural environment, without phone lines or Internet.
.
Quote from: Nadir on December 01, 2018, 07:13:17 PM (https://www.cathinfo.com/general-discussion/spelling-challenge/msg635507/#msg635507)
Quote
.
The above pretty well describes where we lived on the far side of the Walsh River, (with no bridge) in Far North Queensland in dry sclerophyll forest. No power bills because no power. 
.
No bridge?  Good thing it was a DRY sclerophyll forest.
.
You must have developed a personal relationship with the washboard.
.
Ah! But the river was wet, in spite of the the climate being dry. What is the significance of the washboard?
.
You said you had no power, (therefore no power bills) -- that implies no electrical appliances, since it was referring to no phone lines or Internet.
.
If you had a generator or solar power and an electric washing machine, you could easily have had Internet via satellite ISP, too.
     Then you could have Amazon, e-mail, pizza delivery by drone, even Blue Apron for dinner, and a blender for smoothies!
     So much for rustic cabin life.
     Using Skype, you could then have a virtual telephone as well, without hard line hookups.
     But you said "without phone lines or Internet" describes where you lived in North Queensland.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Vintagewife3 on December 15, 2018, 12:10:44 PM
should read

  • To, too, two - If you run two miles to get home you will be too tired to cook the dinner?
    What's the difference between these homophones?
     
    • To can be a preposition before a noun --- I am flying to Rome.
    • or as an infinitive before a verb. --- It is important to do your best
    • too is a synonym for also --- Are you going too?
    • indicates excess before an adverb or an adjective. --- He walks too slowly. He is too fat.
    • two to spell out the numeral 2. This is the least confusing! --- I have two hands and two feet.
Thank you, Nadir!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Neil Obstat on December 15, 2018, 12:21:35 PM
.
But in your list of examples every "none" means zero, and not 2, 3, 4, and so on.
.
Not necessarily.
.
There could have been 2, 3, 4, or so on, of the cans suspected of being dented, but "None of the cans on the shelf are dented."
There could have been 2, 3, 4 or so on, used cars suspected of being for sale, but "None of these used cars are for sale."
And there most DEFINITELY could have been 2, 3, 4 or so on, of uninteresting radio commercials.
   Whereby, "None of these radio commercials are interesting."
.
How many molecules of water in your drinking glass contain deuterium? (There could be one, two, three, four,... or four thousand...)
   None of these molecules contain deuterium.
.
So it boils down to the context, and whether it is possible or implied that plural entities are the object of the quantity, "none."
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 15, 2018, 02:31:46 PM
You said you had no power, (therefore no power bills) -- that implies no electrical appliances, since it was referring to no phone lines or Internet.
Correct, we had no electrical appliances.

Quote
If you had a generator or solar power and an electric washing machine, you could easily (?) have had Internet via satellite ISP, too.
    Then you could have Amazon, e-mail, pizza delivery by drone, even Blue Apron for dinner, and a blender for smoothies!
    So much for rustic cabin life.
    Using Skype, you could then have a virtual telephone as well, without hard line hookups.
    But you said "without phone lines or Internet" describes where you lived in North Queensland.
No electric appliances means no electric washing machine.
.
My husband purchased a generator to help him build our home, but I never used it. It was purely for the stated purpose.
We had one small solar panel which allowed us to use 2 hours of power from one fluorescent light for about two hours at night.
.
We knew nothing about Skype, Amazon, e-mail, pizza delivery by drone, even Blue Apron for dinner or internet; still know nothing about Blue Apron for dinner.
.
We never had much delivered, I can assure you. My husband even made his own cement bricks. Yes, we had the cement delivered with some difficulty. As I said, we drove through the river, not over it, so we were cut off for some time every wet season.
.
One day we were amazed to see four men dressed to the nines approaching our home. They came to ask if we would like to have the phone connected. At first we said, No, thank you. But our neighbour had asked for it and if we joined in it would be more economical. We decided to get it. Telecom (I think it was at the time) had to bring the lines several kilometres and dig under the river bed. I think it cost us about $140 because we had previously been connected in NSW.
.
In case you are wondering, our water came by water wheel which my husband had built by an engineer, and water was heated by running black polypipe above ground from a dam my husband built at the top of the hill.

Quote
So much for rustic cabin life.
Is that rustic enough? A friend is amazed that we were able to homeschool successfully without internet! Many people lack imagination, not to mention history and how the other half lives.

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Vintagewife3 on December 15, 2018, 04:14:22 PM
Correct, we had no electrical appliances.
No electric appliances means no electric washing machine.
.
My husband purchased a generator to help him build our home, but I never used it. It was purely for the stated purpose.
We had one small solar panel which allowed us to use 2 hours of power from one fluorescent light for about two hours at night.
.
We knew nothing about Skype, Amazon, e-mail, pizza delivery by drone, even Blue Apron for dinner or internet; still know nothing about Blue Apron for dinner.
.
We never had much delivered, I can assure you. My husband even made his own cement bricks. Yes, we had the cement delivered with some difficulty. As I said, we drove through the river, not over it, so we were cut off for some time every wet season.
.
One day we were amazed to see four men dressed to the nines approaching our home. They came to ask if we would like to have the phone connected. At first we said, No, thank you. But our neighbour had asked for it and if we joined in it would be more economical. We decided to get it. Telecom (I think it was at the time) had to bring the lines several kilometres and dig under the river bed. I think it cost us about $140 because we had previously been connected in NSW.
.
In case you are wondering, our water came by water wheel which my husband had built by an engineer, and water was heated by running black polypipe above ground from a dam my husband built at the top of the hill.
Is that rustic enough? A friend is amazed that we were able to homeschool successfully without internet! Many people lack imagination, not to mention history and how the other half lives.
Blue apron is a rip off dinner delivery service.  Over priced ingredients to name your own dinner brought to your door.
Nadir, I can’t seem to find where you stayed you lived? You seem like an awesome example to all us wives :) 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: jen51 on December 15, 2018, 04:47:16 PM
Nadir, I so enjoy it when you share your bush experiences.

Some of the things you describe are what my husband is interested in and has dabbled with. We've not depended on it as a way of life though.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 15, 2018, 04:58:52 PM
Blue apron is a rip off dinner delivery service.  Over priced ingredients to name your own dinner brought to your door.
Nadir, I can’t seem to find where you stayed you lived? You seem like an awesome example to all us wives :)
We lived on the Walsh River close to its source up in the Great Dividing Range at the back of Atherton in Far North Queensland and 15 kms from
Herberton.
I had to learn submission to my husband.   :o
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful 14 year retreat. :incense:  

See http//www.aussietowns.com.au/herberton-qld

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 15, 2018, 05:07:30 PM
Nadir, I so enjoy it when you share your bush experiences.

Some of the things you describe are what my husband is interested in and has dabbled with. We've not depended on it as a way of life though.
I was hoping you were at least lurking, Jen. 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Vintagewife3 on December 15, 2018, 05:22:33 PM
We lived on the Walsh River close to its source up in the Great Dividing Range at the back of Atherton in Far North Queensland and 15 kms from
Herberton.
I had to learn submission to my husband.   :o
Nevertheless, it was a wonderful 14 year retreat. :incense:  

See http//www.aussietowns.com.au/herberton-qld
I’m not sure if you have, but a post about your whole experience. Including learning on how to be a holy submissive wife would be fascinating:)  I love stories like these!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 15, 2018, 06:17:39 PM
My husband's says the first step is to eat, almost exclusively, Italian food!  :ready-to-eat:
.
Seriously though, both topics - learning submission and  life experiences - would take a lot of time, though I do enjoy both writing and reading them. I already edited four of my husband's books on the latter. I will consider your suggestion, VW3.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Vintagewife3 on December 15, 2018, 08:35:01 PM
I’m covered in the Italian food department! 


I think you’re very inspirational, Nadir! Reading anything you put out would be a learning experience.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 15, 2018, 09:15:14 PM
Just going through some old posts I found:

on: September 03, 2012, 08:16:28 PM »

Sorry to interrupt! I'm not changing the topic but just wanted to say when to use it's.

Quote
Quote
reject it's existence. The Church itself has changed it's view



When you proofread say it is for it's and see if it makes sense; if not it's its
The apostrophe represents an "i" in "it's"

Say: "reject it is existence. The Church itself has changed it is view."   Uh uh! that doesn't sound right.  So it's 

Quote
reject its existence. The Church itself has changed it view

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 15, 2018, 11:54:50 PM
The last line should read:
Reject its existence. The Church itself has changed its view.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 18, 2018, 02:45:02 PM
Quote
And it's not just me, any descent astronomer can do the same -- disprove Geocentrism.


Quote
And decent ones too?

Descent - accent on second syllable - the act, process, or fact of moving from a higher to a lower position.

Decent - accent on the first syllable - conforming to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty, respectable; worthy; adequate; fair; proper.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Charlemagne on December 19, 2018, 03:16:23 PM
One of my pet peeves: Someone saying, "My thoughts and prayers go to you and your family during this difficult time." Really? You're offering your prayers to earthly creatures, not to God? Ugh!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 20, 2018, 09:40:00 PM
Quote
Haven't you ever typed the wrong word which happens to sound like the word you meant? It's like my fingers heard what I said in my head, and picked the wrong word.
This quote refers to a comment on the misspelling of the words, then and than, interchanging one for the other, which I have noticed appears frequently here. In this case I think it may have been simply a typo, and not a confusion about the proper spelling. But the comment is an interesting one, in that the implication is that than and then sound alike. I have even seen a claim on one of these (American) spelling websites that these words sound alike which, in my mind, I immediately rejected.

Where I come from these words sound distinctly different, so I am wondering:

is it general in U.S. English that they sound alike,
or is it only that way in certain American accents or certain states,
or is it just sloppy speech that sets the trap?
Title: Misled by prepositional phrases/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on December 23, 2018, 07:23:47 PM

Therefore, according to your principle, the following are properly rendered with the singular verb, "is":
• None of the US presidents is women a woman. (in lieu of "None ... are women.")
• None of Alaska's earthquakes since 1964 is so strong as this one. (in lieu of "None ... are so strong...")
• None of my socks is lost in the dryer. (in lieu of "None ... are lost...")
• None of the stars in the sky is brighter than the moon.
• None of the cans on the shelf is dented.
• None of these used cars is for sale.
• None of the police officers is out of uniform, sir.
• None of the ships at sea is sinking.
• None of the people using the Internet is sleeping.
• None of the hairs on your head is gray.
• None of our Christmas trees is dry.
• None of these houses is available.
• None of these sentences is correct.
• None of these dog's fleas is immune.
• None of these radio commercials is interesting.

They are indeed properly rendered with the singular verb "is".

It's the subject of a clause that properly determines the number (i.e., singular or plural form) of the verb.

But in the examples above, it's the noun objects of the prepositions "of" in subject phrases that seem consistently to tempt writers into the common errors being debated.  I assume that the errors arose in previous examples because those objects are often nearer to the verbs than are the subjects.  It's a rule that requires extra alertness from me to avoid violating it myself.
Title: "Than" | "then"/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on December 23, 2018, 08:31:58 PM

Where I come from these words ["than" vs. "then"]] sound distinctly different, so I am wondering:

[I]s it general in U.S. English that they sound alike, or
is it only that way in certain American accents or certain states, or
is it just sloppy speech that sets the trap?

My experience with U.S. English, being a native speaker who's lived in 2 other regions aside from the South of my birth, and listened for many years to the homogenized speech of mainstream network news (before cable-network access dominated t.v. viewing), causes me to expect U.S. native speakers of most regions to pronounce these words thus:
• "than" using "a" with the same sound as in "man" (IPA "mæn"); and
• "then" using "e" with the same sound as in "hen" (IPA "hen", later revised to "hɛn").

The difference becomes less distinct when these words, which properly consist of 1 syllable, are drawled into 2 syllables, often separated by a consonantal ‘y’ sound:
• "than" as something like "tha-n", using the same initial "a" sound as in the corresponding vowel above; and
• "then" as something like "the-n", using the same initial "e" sound as in the corresponding vowels above.
The final vowel drawled into each is nearly the schwa "ə", i.e., a short-e shortened so much that it can hardly be heard at all.
Title: English ‘a ’/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on December 23, 2018, 10:43:53 PM

Ask any English speaker how he pronounces the vowel “a”.  There are about seven or more correct answers, though I can’t think of them all right now. Consider the various “a” sounds here:

What day 1 does Mary 2 plan 3 to eat 4 the awesome 5 avocado 6,7 ?

I'd insert before the ‘?’: "outside the cathedral 8,9".

In the early International Phonetic Alphabet, a French invention credited mostly to Paul Edouard Passy, the sounds italicized & numbered above would have been indicated, at an intermediate stage of development between the World Wars [*], by these distinct characters, in which no modifications to typographic style are allowed [†]:

1: dei, exemplifying the English long-a, whose sound is signified in the Francocentric IPA by its "ei" diphthong (consider pronunciation of Latin "Dei" at various speeds).
2: Mɛə ɹi (U+25B U+259; &#603 &#601).
3: plæn (U+E6 &#230).
4: t (‘i’ U+02D0; ‘i’ &#720: the IPA triangular colon, which the IPA uses instead of the familiar macron to signify the long pronumciation of a vowel, altho' common screen resolutions make it difficult to distinguish from the ordinary colon:’).
5: ɔː sʌm (U+0254 U+02D0; &#596 &#720: where the letter apparently a turned-c is actually the vowel open-o) (also, altho' not under discussion, the short-uʌ’: U+028C &#652).
6,7: ævocɑː do (U+E6 æ U+0251 U+02D0; &#593 &#720).
8,9: cəθiːdrəl (both schwa: U+0259; &#601), as if an alternative English spelling were "c'thedr'l" (also, altho' not under discussion, the voiceless-th of theta: U+03B8 &#952, which Germanophiles & Celtophiles probably prefer to replace by their runic thornþ’, as assimilated into the Latin alphabet: U+FE &#254).

And to provide further frustration among learners of English, the final ‘a’ in "avocado" is pronounced differently from the final ‘a’ in "avocation"; the latter uses the ‘a’ sound that in English is its long-a (i.e., the sound signified in the IPA by its diphthong "ei").

-------
Note *: Cassell's New Fr.-En. En.-Fr. Dictionary, (c)1930.  The International Phonetic Alphabet of the time, then often called "Passy's Alphabet", is listed with examples, on p. x--xi.  I verified the examples quoted above by referring to entries in its En.-Fr. section.  The IPA underwent later episodes of revision and update, e.g., 1993 and 1996 (respectively), and maybe even early in the 21st Century.

Note †: No modifications in styles of IPA characters were allowed because the alphabet was implemented by low-tech methods such as turning or mutilating printers' movable types (e.g., ‘ɑ’ being produced by cutting the ascender off a ‘d’).  At the time of the reference work above, the distinct shape that might be called the crested-a, common in printing English (i.e., the ‘a’ in upright Arial or Helvetica, but not all other sans-serif fonts), was not used by the IPA to signify any sound of ‘a’ in English, but it was used for some sounds of ‘a’ in French.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 23, 2018, 11:19:00 PM
I appreciate your comments, Alligator. I would like to be more familiar than I am with those symbols which are used to depict sounds precisely.

But you missed out on the first 'a' - the 'a' in 'what' which sounds like 'o' in cot. This is a general rule, or at least it is common, for 'a' after 'w'. Wander sounds like wonder, and wonder sounds like wunder! No wonder children have to spend much time and effort to learn a subject called Spelling.

To my way of thinking 'a' in eat has no sound, but merely the function of making the 'e' long.
Title: Re: English ‘a’/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on December 24, 2018, 12:20:48 AM

I appreciate your comments, Alligator. [....] But you missed out on the first 'a' - the 'a' in 'what'

Ooops!
Could've been worse: I almost omitted the ‘a(y)’ in "day" before I posted.  This remedy is in a format comparable to mine above:

What 0

0: Hwɔ t (U+0254; &#596: the letter that's apparently a turned-c is actually the IPA vowel-character open-o).  Also, altho' not under discussion, the sound of English "wh" is phonetically considered to comprise the rough-breathing of "h" followed by "w" (consider the pronunciation of the word as a 1-word exclamation by a person who's angered by an unpleasant surprise).


[...] which sounds like 'o' in cot.

Indeed, its pronunciation is signified by the IPA as "kɔ t".
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: MaterDominici on December 24, 2018, 12:51:24 AM
You might find this thoughtfully entertaining...

An American homeschool curriculum provider has his own definition for what "spelling" is. See if you agree.

He defines spelling as, “the correct retrieval of sequentially stored, virtually random bits of information.”
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: MaterDominici on December 24, 2018, 12:52:19 AM
I'm sure a few people here can identify who that quote is from.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 24, 2018, 02:27:31 AM
I'm trying to make sense of this:
"Spelling is the correct retrieval of sequentially stored, virtually random bits of information" --Andrew Pudewa

Never heard of Andrew Pudewa before today so I "ducked" your quote, Mater, and found his name, then I "ducked" his name and got:

Andrew Pudewa is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor.
https://www.iew.com/intro-iew/history-mission-people/founders-and-history/andrew-pudewa (https://www.iew.com/intro-iew/history-mission-people/founders-and-history/andrew-pudewa)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Cantarella on December 24, 2018, 11:21:03 AM


Quote
Fake Columbian Priest exposed

Col-O-mbian  ;)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: jvk on December 24, 2018, 04:03:19 PM
Too bad there's not some way to have a spelling bee on here!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 24, 2018, 05:22:14 PM

Quote
I'm sure a few people here can identify who that quote is from.
Hmmm...

I'm sure a few people here can identify whom that quote is from.
Whom is the object of identify.
.
Oho! Never end a sentence with a preposition.  :fryingpan:
Here's a challenge for you:

Who can rewrite this sentence:
Quote
I'm sure a few people here can identify whom that quote is from.

without ending the sentence with a preposition?



Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Student of Qi on December 24, 2018, 08:07:54 PM


Who can rewrite this sentence:

I'm sure a few people here can identify who that quote is from.
without ending the sentence with a preposition?
"I'm sure a few people here can identify from whom is that quote."
Is that satisfactory, Ma'am? 

I would also consider using "from whom that quote is", as a number a Romamce languages end sentences with "to be/is".
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Student of Qi on December 24, 2018, 08:26:39 PM
This quote refers to a comment on the misspelling of the words, then and than, interchanging one for the other, which I have noticed appears frequently here. In this case I think it may have been simply a typo, and not a confusion about the proper spelling. But the comment is an interesting one, in that the implication is that than and then sound alike. I have even seen a claim on one of these (American) spelling websites that these words sound alike which, in my mind, I immediately rejected.

Where I come from these words sound distinctly different, so I am wondering:

is it general in U.S. English that they sound alike,
or is it only that way in certain American accents or certain states,
or is it just sloppy speech that sets the trap?
I would personally say that young Americans, like myself, use them interchangeably and don't always make or note a distinction. For a while I didn't comprehend why Alligator would always change my "then" to "than" in sentences. Corrective changes have since been made. Part of this may actually be/is a lack of edyucashun in propr eenglish.
 Here in the South, if it's because of the drawl, I could understand one thinking these words sound similar. Also, some folks drawl more or less than others or don't at all.
  Some say I have some sort of accent, some say I dont have a "Texas" accent and others do. I've been mistaken for an outsider in my own town.  :laugh1:
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 25, 2018, 05:24:57 AM
"I'm sure a few people here can identify from whom is that quote."
Is that satisfactory, Ma'am?

I would also consider using "from whom that quote is", as a number a Romamce languages end sentences with "to be/is".
That is fine by me, Student. I really could not think straight when I asked that question. Thank you!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 25, 2018, 05:40:43 AM

Col-O-mbian  ;)
Good catch, Cantarella! I would not have picked that up.
.
There are Columban missionary priests and there is a newspaper called The Columbian and Columbia pictures. But the country is Colombia.

Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 25, 2018, 08:47:05 PM

Quote
Today for dinner I had two prosciuto, cheese, and pesto.

should read:


Quote
Today for dinner I had two slices of prosciutto , cheese, and pesto.
... prosciutto is a whole leg cured in salt and air-dried over months to produce its trademark aroma and distinctive flavour. Ideally you need to cure a large, fat leg, as this means it will have more chance to air-dry properly. Small legs tend to dry too quickly. 
(https://www.sbs.com.au/food/sites/sbs.com.au.food/files/styles/full/public/8_gourmet_farmer_075.jpg?itok=S_KUGVZw&mtime=1376361305)
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/prosciutto-0
Title: Ending Sentences/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on December 26, 2018, 09:03:18 AM

Oho!  Never end a sentence with a preposition.

Here's a challenge for you:  Who can rewrite this sentence:

   I'm sure a few people here can identify who that quote is from.

without ending the sentence with a preposition?

Ah, yes: An overly pedantic rule that was mocked in least 1 famously sarcastic observation:

   "A preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with."
   --W.L.S. Churchill [*] (quote attribution from memory, thus possibly incorrect attribution).

When a syntactic structure is awkward, don't preserve that awkwardness by applying a trivial fix--recast the whole sentence or clause!

   I'm sure a few people here can identify
•   the person to whom that quote is attributed.
•   the origin of that quote.
•   the originator of that quote.
•   the source of that quote.
•   the speaker (who's) being quoted.

Where "origin" & "source" could instead be a citation from what might broadly be considered the literature in some field, instead of the name of a person.

-------
Note *: Churchill is the author, most relevantly herein, of the 4-or-5-volume series A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, altho' his comparably long series on the Second World War might've gained more readers.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: jvk on December 26, 2018, 10:52:30 AM
But sometimes a preposition isn't always a preposition.  Sometimes it's a verb.  In the above sentence, wouldn't "is from" be a verb phrase?
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 26, 2018, 02:56:31 PM
If I say "he thought it was safe to up the ante" the word UP has become a verb, whereas usually up is a preposition (up the waterpipe) or an adverb (the smoke rose up). It all depends how you use it.

But in the case of "is from" the preposition "from" does not become a verb. It is still a preposition governing the pronoun whom. The verb is simply "is".
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: jvk on December 26, 2018, 04:03:48 PM
Well, thank you, Nadir.  Grammar isn't my strong point...but I still try!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 27, 2018, 11:04:59 PM
.
FR has to depat at 11am
WE have to out of the premises by 12pm

One often sees confusion or feels confusion on this issue of how to label midday. My reasoning tells me that 12 noon is one hour after 11am and so should called 12am, but to be correct and avoid confusion I would say 12am or 12 noon.

It doesn't become pm or afternoon untill after 12am. 12.01pm is one minute after 12am or noon.
.
12pm is midnight and 12.01 is am or morning of the next day.
So if the quote is correct you have 13 hours to clear the premises, so no hurry. You could have a cleaning party.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: jvk on December 28, 2018, 08:20:11 AM
Yes, but I think this is a case where common usage would take precedence over correctness!  If you said 12 am, but really meant 12 noon...people would think you were confused or just made a simple mistake!  
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Student of Qi on December 28, 2018, 09:17:38 AM
I am with jvk on this one. I have never heard anyone say "12 am" and mean Midday or "12 pm" to mean Midnight. It's not hard to imagine folks down here would consider a person confused or crazy to use such terminology.

To be honest, Nadir, this is the first I've heard of this concept. Unless it was just forgotten, dumped knowledge. 🤔

"Very interesting! I shall do my best to forget it." - Sherlock Holmes
Title: It's "M."!/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on December 28, 2018, 01:04:04 PM

One often sees confusion or feels confusion on this issue of how to label midday.

Yes, but it's quite surprising--and even more disappointing--to see such confusion propagated in CathInfo, where readers should be able to expect that members whose postings are intended as corrections would refer to Latin, the sacred language of Roman Catholicism, when appropriate.  As it is herein.


My reasoning tells me that 12 noon is one hour after 11 am and so should called 12am, but to be correct and avoid confusion I would say 12 am or   12 noon.

It doesn't become pm or afternoon untill   after 12 am .  12.01 pm is one minute after 12 am or   noon.

ArrrGH!  NoooOOOOOO!

Noon is exactly "MERĪDIĒ" (m. ablative-of-time), contracted from "MEDIŌ DIĒ", meaning "midday",  and properly abbreviated as "M."--no "A." and no "P."!   Awareness of this set the explicit U.S. federal standard until recently [†].

The familiar "A." abbreviates the Latin preposition "ANTE", meaning "before"; the familiar "P." abbreviates the Latin preposition "POST", meaning "after" (each preposition taking the accusative case).  Is it really necessary for me to point out that in any natural reckoning of time,  "noon" is neither "before noon", nor "after noon"?


I think this is a case where common usage would take precedence over correctness!  If you said 12 am, but really meant 12 noon ... people would think you were confused or just made a simple mistake! 

A fine example of nonsense in defense of ignorance and ambiguity!  That which is correct can be looked up in a credible prescriptive reference source.  Whereas whatever are the most common usages of the moment can't always be--perhaps to avoid propagating ignorance--and may change with each arriving generation.  Maintaining & using that which is correct is the simplest way toward preventing or eliminating confusion when attempting to convey thoughts or ideas accurately.

-------
Note †: The change away from straightforward Latin would fit the overt hostility to Western Civilization for which the Obama Administration was notorious (less so the Clinton Administration).
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 28, 2018, 05:25:40 PM
I am pleased to see you are correcting me. Thank you, Alligator for clarifying and correcting. I see now that 00.00 and 12.00 are neither a.m. nor p.m. I had not given sufficient thought to it.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 28, 2018, 05:32:15 PM
Yes, but I think this is a case where common usage would take precedence over correctness!  If you said 12 am, but really meant 12 noon...people would think you were confused or just made a simple mistake!  
Common usage can be correct or incorrect.
That's like saying "everybody does does it so it must be OK". I know you wouldn't say that to your children, when it comes to doing wrong. Not that this is a moral issue. But it is always better to clear/correct in what you say than to be unclear/incorrect.
Title: Re: It's "M."!/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: jvk on December 30, 2018, 02:01:11 PM

A fine example of nonsense in defense of ignorance and ambiguity!  That which is correct can be looked up in a credible prescriptive reference source.  Whereas whatever are the most common usages of the moment can't always be--perhaps to avoid propagating ignorance--and may change with each arriving generation.  Maintaining & using that which is correct is the simplest way toward preventing or eliminating confusion when attempting to convey thoughts or ideas accurately.

-------
Note †: The change away from straightforward Latin would fit the overt hostility to Western Civilization for which the Obama Administration was notorious (less so the Clinton Administration).
Duly noted and properly chastened, AlligatorDicax. 
Actually, I was planning on looking up the clarification of am and pm, but other more important issues intervened.  (Children, diapers, and meals, specifically!)  It would actually be a good homework assignment some time for one of my older ones.  I'll have to TRY to remember that.
And yes, Nadir, clarity is always good.  My husband's always telling me to just say what I mean.  Writing is easier; you can step back a moment and tweak a word or two and correct your grammar.  Speaking properly from the moment you open your mouth can be a work in progress!  I'm sure there's something in this paragraph that could be corrected, too.  Well, that's I come to this thread!  :-\  
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: forlorn on December 30, 2018, 02:19:34 PM
Some pet peeves of mine. 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on January 10, 2019, 08:26:54 PM
Since: from a particular time in the past until a later time, or until now:
(From Cambridge Dictionary online)


Quote
Quote from: Clemens Maria on Today at 05:21:29 PM
and the fake popes since Pope Pius XII.

Quote
Quid asks:
Are you saying Pope Pius XII was a fake pope - an antipope?

My guess is in the negative. I think that in this sentence CM uses the word since to mean after that time, i.e. after Pius XII

Here is an example in which it is plain that since means after, but there are many times where it is not so plain.

Your piano playing has really come on since I last heard you play. 

In other words when I last heard it, it wasn't up to scratch.

I'd never before thought about the possible confusion/misunderstanding. So thanks, Quid.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Maria Regina on January 10, 2019, 11:32:47 PM
I am pleased to see you are correcting me. Thank you, Alligator for clarifying and correcting. I see now that 00.00 and 12.00 are neither a.m. nor p.m. I had not given sufficient thought to it.
That it why it is best to use military time.
0001 UT and 0002 UT would be minutes after midnight Universal Time. At 0500 UT, it would be 4:00 PM PST.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on January 23, 2019, 02:12:02 AM
I would of come if I had been invited
I could of laughed my head off.
I should of said my prayers.

When an English Speaker intends to say "Would HAVE", he may contract the written form to would've. Less literate persons, when they hear WOULD'VE, write would of, leaving the poor sentece without a verb. It matters little in spoken English but it written English it is a no-no!

I would HAVE (would've) come if I had been invited
I could HAVE (could've) laughed my head off.
I should HAVE (should've) said my prayers.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on January 30, 2019, 04:12:52 AM
Quote
It’s not scriptural at all but comes from the heretic, John Calvin, who's extremism caused him to believe in such false notions.

Who's or whose?

Who’s is a contraction of  who is or who has.

If you are confused as to when to put an apostrophe try replacing the apostrophe with the missing letter.


Quote
It is not scriptural at all but comes from the heretic, John Calvin, who is extremism caused him to believe in such false notions.

Doesn't make sense does it.


The correct word here is whose - a possessive pronoun used here as an adjective: 

Whose cat killed the rat?  


Whose is the possessive form of who  used as an adjective, meaning belongs to whom .
Whose painting won the Archibald prize?

Or the possessive form of which used as an adjective, meaning belongs to which.
A town whose name escapes me.


Quote
It’s not scriptural at all but comes from the heretic, John Calvin, whose extremism caused him to believe in such false notions.

Title: Time per UTC/Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: AlligatorDicax on February 03, 2019, 12:44:28 PM

At 0500 UT, it would be 4:00 PM PST.

Huh?   That's a difference in UTC of 13 hours westward (+5, -8 hours).  Or 11 hours eastward (i.e., UTC+11).  For what abbreviated "P" in PST would that be true?

If "P" is inended to signify the Pacific Standard Time of North America, the difference in UTC is only 8 hours westward (i.e., UTC-8).
•  At 0500 UT, it would be 4:00 9:00  PM PST, in that Pacific Standard Time.
•  At 0500 0000 UT, it would be 4:00 PM PST, also in that Pacific Standard Time.

The quoted time-zone translation is true for New Caledonia, the Solomon Is., and the Loyalty Is. in the S.W. Pacific, but I'm puzzled about where one would find a prominent "P" for naming a time-zone.
•  Petropavlovsk (Kamchatka, Russian Far East)?  No, it's 1 time-zone (UTC+12) too far east.
•  Papua New Guinea (British Commonwealth)?  No, it's 1 time-zone  (UTC+10) too far west.
•  Perth (Western Oz)?  No, it's 3 time-zones (UTC+8) too far west, as also are Rep. of Philippines and Peking [*].

-------
Note *: The latter name is certainly on-topic for "spelling" (but if anyone wants to pursue it, its pursuit probably ought to be in a separate new topic): "Peking" is the spelling according to the Wade-Giles romanization of Chinese, developed by 2 Brits from their experience as diplomats in China in the 19th Century.  Their spellings prevailed in English (notably on maps) until the 1970s or 1980s.  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade%E2%80%93Giles (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade%E2%80%93Giles)>.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: clare on February 04, 2019, 09:00:21 AM


Quote
... to fall pray to ...

... prey...
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 18, 2019, 03:54:32 AM

Quote
Who Did More Damage: Elvis or The Beetles?


Beetle - Beatle
Do not confuse the two homophones -  beetle and Beatle.
beetle (noun) is
1. an insect, one of an enormous number of species in the order coleoptera.
2. a type of heavy hammer, rammer or pounder. Both the word and the tool are  not in common use nowadays.
 To beetle (verb):
1. To overhang. A seaside cliff may 'beetle over the shore'. hence beetle-browed, meaning 'having over-hanging eyebrows'. The entomologist Charles Darwin could in later life have been appropriately described as 'beetle-browed', as could Rudyard Kipling, whose schoolboy nickname was Beetle.
2. The second is 'to move in an undignified manner', 'to move aimlessly, like the insect'. This was first used of aeroplanes around the time of World War 1.
3. To strike with a beetle [hammer, or rammer]. This word is now obsolete.

Beatle (noun) is one of four members of a musical group whose name was chosen because they played music with an insistent beat, as well as being a reference to Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. While there are many species of beetle, and millions of individuals, there were only four Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George hαɾɾιson and Ringo Starr,
 
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 18, 2019, 09:24:41 PM
Quote
I'm asking this in regards to the lecture I attended last night.

Interestingly, the poster who wrote “in regards to” also acknowledged that “modern language, especially modern English, is a butchered language”, which is kind of ironic!
.
"In regards to" seems to have fairly recently popped into the language.
The correct phrase is singular: "in regard to."
The three word phrase could be replaced by one word, “regarding”, "concerning" or even “about”. For example:
.
This letter is in regard to your kind invitation.
I write concerning your kind invitation.
This letter is about your kind invitation.
.
What could be confusing the issue is:
As regards is used to introduce a new or different issue.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 22, 2019, 10:32:46 PM

Quote
I am a misogynist by normie standards. But I do not hate women at all in reality…

The writer has demonstrated many times that he is a thorough gentleman, so this post puzzled me. And it seemed to me surprising, he did not know the meaning of the word “misogynist”, but I was wrong. He was using it in some sort of a different sense.

To me saying 
“I am a misogynist … But I do not hate women” 
is like saying 
“I am a canine but I am not a dog”.

To complicate matters the word “normie” is unfamiliar to me, as also the expression “normie standards” makes no sense to me. I am still working that out.

But how many meanings has the word “misogyny”. 
Only one, as far as I can decipher.

Etymonline tells us:
misogyny (n.)
"hatred of women," 1650s, from Modern Latin misogynia, from Greek misogynia
abstract noun from misogynēs "woman-hater,"

from miso- "hatred" (see miso- (https://www.etymonline.com/word/miso-?ref=etymonline_crossreference)) + gynē "woman" (from PIE root *gwen- (https://www.etymonline.com/word/*gwen-?ref=etymonline_crossreference)"woman").
 
I have just discovered that I possibly could be a misoneist (https://www.etymonline.com/word/misoneism?ref=etymonline_crossreference) "hater of novelty", especially as far as language goes.

Now the question of “normie” is for another post maybe. Can anyone enlighten me?


Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 22, 2019, 10:36:36 PM
Oh, here's some more gyn words.

androgynous (https://www.etymonline.com/word/androgynous?ref=etymonline_crossreference); gynarchy (https://www.etymonline.com/word/gynarchy?ref=etymonline_crossreference); gynecology (https://www.etymonline.com/word/gynecology?ref=etymonline_crossreference); gynecomastia (https://www.etymonline.com/word/gynecomastia?ref=etymonline_crossreference); polygyny (https://www.etymonline.com/word/polygyny?ref=etymonline_crossreference).

Interestingly enough the Australian aboriginals refer to their women as gins.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: forlorn on February 23, 2019, 06:24:17 AM
The writer has demonstrated many times that he is a thorough gentleman, so this post puzzled me. And it seemed to me surprising, he did not know the meaning of the word “misogynist”, but I was wrong. He was using it in some sort of a different sense.

To me saying
“I am a misogynist … But I do not hate women”
is like saying
“I am a canine but I am not a dog”.

To complicate matters the word “normie” is unfamiliar to me, as also the expression “normie standards” makes no sense to me. I am still working that out.

But how many meanings has the word “misogyny”.
Only one, as far as I can decipher.

Etymonline tells us:
misogyny (n.)
"hatred of women," 1650s, from Modern Latin misogynia, from Greek misogynia,
abstract noun from misogynēs "woman-hater,"

from miso- "hatred" (see miso- (https://www.etymonline.com/word/miso-?ref=etymonline_crossreference)) + gynē "woman" (from PIE root *gwen- (https://www.etymonline.com/word/*gwen-?ref=etymonline_crossreference)"woman").
 
I have just discovered that I possibly could be a misoneist (https://www.etymonline.com/word/misoneism?ref=etymonline_crossreference) "hater of novelty", especially as far as language goes.

Now the question of “normie” is for another post maybe. Can anyone enlighten me?
Normie is just internet slang for ordinary people. Usually it's used by 4chan types to refer to people who don't use their site or else people who haven't been "redpilled" so to speak, but in this case that guy meant normie as in someone who drank the feminist kool-aid - which is the vast majority of regular Joes out there these days.

He recognised that it's not the proper definition of misogyny. What he's saying is that according to how they misuse it(to mean anyone who's not a feminist), that he'd be a misogynist according to their false definition.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Matto on February 23, 2019, 09:00:38 AM
Forlorn is correct about what I meant. I do have a fondness for the term "normie". It is internet slang. As I understand it, "normie" is a word used by members of counter-cultural or isolated or marginalized groups to refer to regular people who are not a part of those groups and do not understand them. I believe I am fond of the term because I consider myself to be isolated and marginalized and not "normal" in the eyes of society. So as traditional Catholics, we could call Novus Ordo Catholics "normies" or "normie Catholics". The term may or may not be derogatory, but I generally don't take it to be an insult like the term "NPC." I learned the word from Youtube. There is a member there whose videos I watch who considers himself to be a part of the "Forever Alone" community which is a group of mostly troubled men who have difficulty having relationships with women and are lonely. He sometimes calls regular people who have relationships "normies" and talks about how they often do not understand lonely men and have contempt for them and offer bad advice.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 24, 2019, 12:24:38 AM
Normie is just internet slang for ordinary people. Usually it's used by 4chan types to refer to people who don't use their site or else people who haven't been "redpilled" so to speak, but in this case that guy meant normie as in someone who drank the feminist kool-aid - which is the vast majority of regular Joes out there these days.

He recognised that it's not the proper definition of misogyny. What he's saying is that according to how they misuse it(to mean anyone who's not a feminist), that he'd be a misogynist according to their false definition.
Thank you, Forlorn, for your explanation. Much appreciated. Though I must say that I still needed to decipher some of the language you have used even in this explanation. Sometimes I feel like I have fallen down a rabbit hole, like Alice. It is all so foreign! I need to employ an interpreter, what with 4chan, red-pilled kool-aid, normie. I'm not meant for this world!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: MaterDominici on February 24, 2019, 12:39:08 AM
There is a member there whose videos I watch who considers himself to be a part of the "Forever Alone" community which is a group of mostly troubled men who have difficulty having relationships with women and are lonely. He sometimes calls regular people who have relationships "normies" and talks about how they often do not understand lonely men and have contempt for them and offer bad advice.
Probably not a very good use of the term as his situation is much more normal than he thinks it is.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 24, 2019, 01:10:38 AM
Thank you, Matto, for your post enlightening. Yes, our society has really failed in the relationship and communication sectors. We struggle on to make sense of it all.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: forlorn on February 24, 2019, 03:49:21 AM
Thank you, Forlorn, for your explanation. Much appreciated. Though I must say that I still needed to decipher some of the language you have used even in this explanation. Sometimes I feel like I have fallen down a rabbit hole, like Alice. It is all so foreign! I need to employ an interpreter, what with 4chan, red-pilled kool-aid, normie. I'm not meant for this world!
4chan is just an anonymous messaging board. 

Redpilled is a tougher one to explain. Someone might call themselves redpilled if they think they can see through lies about the world that "normies" accept and believe. It's mostly used in reference to race or the Jєωs. If someone says they're "redpilled" on the Jєωs, it means they believe in the Jєωιѕн conspiracy. One could say they were "redpilled" on Vatican 2 if they realised it for the heretical council it really is and not some "vibrant progressive council" nonsense that most believe. 

The term comes from the film "The Matrix" where the protagonist could take a blue pill and live in blissful ignorance, or take a red pill and be shown the horrible truth about the world. 

Drinking the koolaid comes from a cult in the 70s I think, that committed mass ѕυιcιdє by drinking poisoned koolaid. Drinking the koolaid refers to blindly following/believing someone against all rationality.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 24, 2019, 02:33:37 PM
Thanks , Forlorn. before replying I had sussed out the first two, but not the third. It's good, not  only to understand the meaning, but to know from where it originates.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on April 11, 2019, 04:51:02 PM

Quote
no woman can follow or accept any tenant of feminism and still claim to be a Christian 
The bolded word is often misused, in lieu of the correct word here which is TENET.  

We all know what a tenant is but....

A tenet is a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true especially one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on April 11, 2019, 05:42:11 PM
It might help to know the derivation: from Latin, 3rd person singular of the word "to hold", i.e. Tenet - he holds.

By the way this post got thumbs up from me.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Kazimierz on April 11, 2019, 09:50:12 PM
Truly thou art tenacious ;)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 13, 2019, 01:23:32 AM
I've been a bit slack lately.

Here's a common error:

Anti-semetic political thought crime division in NYPD (https://www.cathinfo.com/catholic-living-in-the-modern-world/anti-semetic-political-thought-crime-division-in-nypd/msg679198/#msg679198)

Think of the noun 'semite', then make it the adjective: semitic.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on December 13, 2019, 01:48:53 AM
This is from Anonymous who recommends improving skills to Anonymous.


Quote
Than he needs to develop the skills and / or education to earn that wage.  No one owes him noanything#, regardless if of he has no kids or a dozen.
Someone (singular) wants a living wage? Than they he (requires singular pronoun) needs (matching verb for singular pronoun) to figure out how much they he needs to earn and then do what they he have has to do to develop the skills and knowledge to earn it.  
It is no one else’s responsibility to take care of you...or your family.
The confounding of then and than:
Than is used in comparisons as a conjunction, as in "she is younger than I am," and as a preposition, "he is taller than me."
Then indicates time. It is used as an adverb, "I lived in Idaho then," noun, "we'll have to wait until then," and adjective, "the then governor."

# A double negative makes for a positive.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Kazimierz on December 13, 2019, 09:03:56 AM
Doubleplusgood  ;)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on February 04, 2020, 02:19:56 AM

Quote
...pretenses from a bad shepard, versus an individual believing they were healed of terminal ailments (via a bad shepard) 

shep·herd
  (shĕp′ərd)
n.
1. One who herds, guards, and tends sheep.
2. One who cares for and guides a group of people, as a minister or teacher.
3. A German shepherd.

...

[Middle English shepherde, from Old English scēaphierde : scēapsheep + hierdeherdsman.]
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on August 01, 2020, 04:31:40 AM
So as not to derail the "Bishup (sic) Pfeiffer's Santeria Warlock" thread I am reviving this one:

Quote
This forum has archived rheems reams of information about strange and occult behavior of Father's sidekick.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ream (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ream)
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on October 02, 2020, 06:58:09 PM
Quote
"Equity" for these people simply means "Re-distribution of wealth".

another words, they intend to STEAL what you worked for ...
Correction:
Quote
"Equity" for these people simply means "Re-distribution of wealth", in other words, they intend to STEAL what you worked for ...
By using incorrect pronunciation, we internalise what we hear. Thus develops common usage of incorrect grammar.

Clue: “another” is singular (an-other); “words” is plural.

“An” is an adjective (isn’t it?) while “in” is a preposition.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: claudel on October 03, 2020, 03:44:19 PM

“An” is an adjective (isn’t it?) while “in” is a preposition.

Broadly, yes, although with a and the, an falls into the special category called "articles." Prior to 1800 or so, an was also used as a conjunction with the same meaning as if. Shakespeare's plays are full of instances where characters say "An it were true, then …" or something similar. Indeed, there might even still be rural or backwoods people in places such as Yorkshire and Kentucky who use conjunctional an. There certainly were when I was a boy sixty-plus years ago.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on October 03, 2020, 08:34:39 PM
Of course! It’s called an article. Why wouldn’t that come to mind?

Thanks for the information, Claudel. Fascinating.
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: claudel on October 04, 2020, 12:24:49 AM

By using incorrect pronunciation, we internalise what we hear.

When I wrote my earlier comment, Nadir, I meant to remark upon the very apt sentence above, but I simply forgot to. The phenomenon that the sentence points to is as characteristic of the way (i.e., the unfortunate way) young people learn nowadays as a related but also contrary phenomenon was characteristic of learning in most of the prior thousand years and more. Since ever fewer people now seem to read for pleasure, instruction, or information—most seem to reflexively look to videos for everything—the tendency when writing is simply to try to spell out, more or less faithfully, the usually badly pronounced words and crude usages of the speakers one hears. That the result often tends more to the catastrophic than the successful should hardly come as a surprise.

The problem, of course, is that a large, flexible, responsive vocabulary and a comprehensive grasp of the tools available to one who has mastered the complexities of English grammar and semantics are not things that anyone ever acquired through listening to people talk, especially in the informal and familiar manner that everyone has come to expect in almost every contemporary situation, even funerals! For centuries it was common to hear students and young people mispronounce words that they had encountered only in reading but wanted to make part of their active vocabulary. (I was well into my thirties before I learned that I had been mispronouncing "Chimaera" since I first saw the word in the Iliad in high school!) Such errors, of course, were praiseworthy in that they were the side effects of a laudable desire for self-betterment. Would that we encountered more of them today!
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: forlorn on October 04, 2020, 02:21:02 PM
For centuries it was common to hear students and young people mispronounce words that they had encountered only in reading but wanted to make part of their active vocabulary. (I was well into my thirties before I learned that I had been mispronouncing "Chimaera" since I first saw the word in the Iliad in high school!) Such errors, of course, were praiseworthy in that they were the side effects of a laudable desire for self-betterment. Would that we encountered more of them today!
Kai-mera?

Woops...  :laugh1:
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: claudel on October 04, 2020, 05:47:55 PM

Kai-mera?

Woops...

You're easily amused, aren't you?
Title: Re: Spelling Challenge
Post by: Nadir on November 18, 2020, 04:12:38 AM

Quote
In my opinion, I think he would of loved to speak in front of this huge crowd of true Americans, but was probably told by his lawyers not to.  Also, I think it would not of been safe standing in front of millions of people….

 
The abbreviated spoken form would’ve, for would have, causes the confusion here.


Correction:

In my opinion, I think he would have (would’ve) loved to speak in front of this huge crowd of true Americans, but was probably told by his lawyers not to.  Also, I think it would not have been safe standing in front of millions of people….
 
subject + would + have + past participle