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Hyeon Een
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
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 Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:54 am Post subject: Should/Shouldn't Can/Can't / |
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This is the SINGLE THING which annoys me the most on the internet right now.
People saying the OPPOSITE of what they mean, by neglecting a 'not' or a 'cnt or a 'nt' or a 'nt or another 'nt.
It anoys me NO END. And it is rampant on this board. I will stretch this further by saying that it is NORTH AMERICANS who commit this travesty of miscommunication the most (that ESPECIALLY includes YOU CANADA). I'll go even further by saying that the British posters on this board never make this mistake. Ever.
I'd quote a hundred posts to support this but I don't need to. In YOUR next half hour of browsing simply watch out for it. It's rampant and it's appalling. Say what you mean, not the opposite. This is a PSA, not criticism. The next person who commits the offense of saying the opposite of what they mean by neglecting a negative WILL be called out though. Be warned. |
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Gibberish
Joined: 29 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't really see how it's even possible for people to make mistakes with those words, it's not like it's difficult to use them or something. I can't believe so many people here claim to know to speak English. |
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blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| are you talking about the I could care less vs I couldn't care less? (The first one just makes no sense) |
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Hyeon Een
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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| blackjack wrote: |
| are you talking about the I could care less vs I couldn't care less? (The first one just makes no sense) |
Actually not this one so much, because people ignorantly write "could care less" deliberately. I do hate it though. It confused me no end as a child when I'd read American books where characters said this. I'd stop and think for a while about why the character could care less but isn't currently caring less haha. I put it down to bad proofreading. |
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beercanman
Joined: 16 May 2009
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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There is a good bit of sloppy writing. I guess many don't care, as it's only a forum, but it does weaken whatever you want to express when your post is full of mistakes.
My pet peeves include the often misused apostrophes and the same words being wrongly spelled again and again. I use Firefox and it underlines mistakes in red, so anyone using that who makes numerous mistakes has no excuse if they merely look before pressing submit. |
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roknroll
Joined: 29 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Hyeon Een wrote: |
| blackjack wrote: |
| are you talking about the I could care less vs I couldn't care less? (The first one just makes no sense) |
Actually not this one so much, because people ignorantly write "could care less" deliberately. I do hate it though. It confused me no end as a child when I'd read American books where characters said this. I'd stop and think for a while about why the character could care less but isn't currently caring less haha. I put it down to bad proofreading. |
Granted, I'm still working on my cofee to clear the cobwebs after oversleeping, but this bolded part throws a monkey wrench into your OP. So, you're saying that people 'ignorantly write "could care less" deliberately'. Which kind of grammar mistake is that?...lol This implies (at least to me) that you're not happy with people deliberately using the opposite of what they mean? However, in your OP you say that the Brits never make this mistake. Of course this implies that the mistakes are arising out of ignorance. So which is it? Is it arising out of ignorance or laziness (or what)?
Just for some clarification, let's say I use "could care less" in a post. First, let's assume that I'm blissfully unaware that the phrase is being used incorrectly. So, I'm ignorant of the actual meaning. Next, let's assume that I use this phrase despite knowing it does not convey the proper meaning. Perhaps I'm a bit lazy and also know people will get the drift. Thus, I'm deliberately omitting the "n't". So, in the first case I am ignorantly using the phrase but can it be said that I'm doing it 'deliberately'? In the second case, I'm using it in spite of knowing better, so I'm not ignorant of it but I'm deliberately using it incorrectly.
Do clarify, I need some more coffee now.
Last edited by roknroll on Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:42 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 3:32 am Post subject: |
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The post would be clearer with some examples. What exactly is the problem in usage?
If it's just that people write they "could care less," it has become part of the language. Semantically, it implies that you could care less, and so you do care. But I think it can also be interpreted sarcastically: "I could care less... but not much less." At any rate, it is understood by the majority of English speakers, which is the crucial test. There are many idioms which don't make literal sense. Inflammable should mean it does not burn. Why do we say blow job when the main action doesn't involve blowing? But these are acceptable terms just out of long usage.
I guess if I have a pet peeve, it is people writing it's for its.
Ken:> |
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aboxofchocolates
Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Location: on your mind
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 7:00 am Post subject: |
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| I agree- people on this board, stop neglecting your 'cnts! |
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maryjanes
Joined: 22 Jul 2009
Location: Cheongju
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:12 am Post subject: |
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| I've been neglecting my cnt for way too long. |
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maryjanes
Joined: 22 Jul 2009
Location: Cheongju
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| Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 11:22 am Post subject: |
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| What are you lot on about? |
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warren pease
Joined: 12 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| I cnt understand this thread. |
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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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| Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 1:58 am Post subject: |
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The only people I notice regularly making a mistake with can/can't are Koreans, cos they find 'can't' hard to pronounce.
If people posting here drop a negative from time to time (can't say I've noticed it) then it's a typo. |
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