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RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 6:09 pm
by tsimmonds
LOL!

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 6:28 pm
by Tankerace
Oh dear God......

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:36 pm
by Halsey
Where's Brady? We could use his input on this subject!

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:10 pm
by Admiral DadMan
Did anyone notice that the Thread Starter was from Italy?

I'm gathering that the teacher was teaching English as a Second Languauge there in Italy, Primary English as here in the U.S.

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:55 pm
by Knaust
sorry...time lag...thread grew longer than I expected[&o]
I was only willing to be sure that I was right (although I was sure)...no confrontation with the teacher, only to be sure to teach my granddaughter the correct term.
But the it's term is related to English speaking people[;)]

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:05 pm
by max_h
another reason why english sucks.


[:D]

lets make a fully logical language the world language - german!!!

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 10:27 pm
by Synjin
ORIGINAL: byron13
ORIGINAL: irrelevant
Arrrgh! You peasant! It's "From where is this teacher."

Out-of-Towner: "Where's the train station at?"
City Slicker: "Around here, we do not end our sentences with a preposition."
Out-of-Towner: "Oh. Okay. Where's the train station at, a**hole?"

I've been told something similar happened to Churchill. He put a preposition at the end of a sentence in conversation and was immediately corrected by one lady. Something to the effect of "you shouldn't end your sentences/phrases with a preposition. His response: "That is something up with which I shall not put."

Actually, it should be: "From whence cometh this teacher?"

Churchill has some great quips and quotes. My favorite was when he was a bit tipsy at some function and some lady said "You sir, are drunk!" His response was something like, "And you, madam, are ugly, but I will be sober in the morning."

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:29 pm
by pasternakski
ORIGINAL: donkuchi
Their's means their is. (Which is incorrect because it should be There's)

If you are teaching language arts to our children, no wonder they are failing.

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:30 pm
by DrewMatrix
If you are teaching language arts to our children, no wonder they are failing.

There Their, don't be two critical. [:D]

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:37 pm
by pasternakski
ORIGINAL: irrelevant
How about "That GD cat's playing outside my bedroom door woke me up this morning at four o'clock." (the playing of the cat)

This is a grammatically correct sentence, though awkward. "That GD cat playing ..." is an improvement. So tell me, how did the cat get the piano up the stairs and outside your bedroom door? Was he playing eine kleine Nachtmusik?

RE: As a former English teacher...

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:35 am
by tabpub
ORIGINAL: Oznoyng
ORIGINAL: RevRick

I would find a good Grammar book, Warriners comes to mind - notate the page(s), and send that lovely bit of misinformed miseducation to the schools department head, cc's to the Principal, and each member of the local School Board. That is attrocious.

I disagree. Show the grammar book to the teacher, then followup with the principal and school board only if the teacher refuses to "see the light" or you get a distinct impression of stupidity when you talk to him. So many people, both here and in life, want to kill a gnat with nukes.

Yes, the teacher was wrong *on this issue*. How many issues has the teacher been right on? How many of you have ever been wrong? How many of you are perfect in every act and manner of your being? How many of you are willing to be held to the standard you want to apply to the teacher? Are you willing to judge a potentially good teacher on the one mistake they make versus the 95 other positive things that they do in educating your grandchild?

In the end, the proper approach might be to do as suggested. However, the first approach needs to be a shot across the bow with a .50 cal, not a salvo of 16" gunfire.

RevRick - 10 points deducted for misspelling; only one 't' in atrocious....
Oznoyng - 20 points deducted for quoting it and not correcting it yourself; bad form, old boy...
The Rest of You - deduct 5 points for not catching the error in a "grammar" thread.

note: RR could always fall back and claim that it was satire; that would by my position...

RE: As a former English teacher...

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:57 am
by Skyros
Man, you guys sure are tough on teachers. I can't imagine how tough you can be on game programers.[:'(]

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 1:49 am
by donkuchi19
I don't know what you are talking about pasternakski. Unless you don't understand that students make mistakes and will use their's instead of there's. That is what I was talking about. I have that experience on a daily basis of students making mistakes, and then helping them to correct those mistakes.

But thank you for showing your ignorance by attacking me when I was talking about not attacking teachers.

(Ex. There's a way to defeat the Japanese in WITP. NOT Their's a way to defeat the Japanese in WITP.)

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:50 am
by Mike Scholl
We're off the basic point here gentlemen. A Teacher is human and can make a mistake like
anyone else. But when they are "called" on the error, they owe it to their students to check
the facts and admit it. The one in question was trying to perpetuate the error to cover his/her
own ignorance..., and that is inexcusable.

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 3:01 am
by Ron Saueracker
Reminds me of "Peggy Hill", Espagnol Teecher.[:D]

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 3:50 am
by RUPD3658
Now if we can just get people to tell the differnce between to and too.......


Examples: To + too = Fore

also:
Fore + four = Ate
one + won = too

No wonder few people can get it straight (Or is it strait?)

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 4:05 am
by rekab
I glad to see our older ex colonials still know the language, even if the teacher's don't [&o]

Mind you, I did put the 22nd on the front of a letter to someone in California and the USPS sent it to North Dakota, so perhaps the teacher is aware of the postal problem and is trying to help out the USPS?

I put the blame on PC and the education system, in the UK the Government has to change the exam system every few years. The reason, they have to kid us that children are being better educated under their patronage then the other guy's, so when you get results in the high 90's it time to look for a new measure of educational achievement.
Kids in the UK that I see at the Games Club I run can no longer spell, ask them to perform a little Mental Arithmetic and you will wait all night for the result. UK teachers are now highly paid, are a law unto themselves in the classroom, only work for for the school terms (2/3rds of the year) and because of all that free time form one of the largest group's of political activists.[>:][>:][>:]


Note to bad for 5am........

--Bob

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 4:37 am
by khelvan
My pet peeve is when people use "should of," "could of," or "would of" (which make absolutely no sense) instead of should have, could have, or would have.

RE: As a former English teacher...

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 4:44 am
by aspqrz02
ORIGINAL: RevRick

I would find a good Grammar book, Warriners comes to mind - notate the page(s), and send that lovely bit of misinformed miseducation to the schools department head, cc's to the Principal, and each member of the local School Board. That is attrocious.

Hmm. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" ... surely you mean "That is atrocious" rather than "That is attrocious?" [:-]

Phil (a current History/English Teacher)

RE: Off Topic: English grammar

Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 4:47 am
by ZOOMIE1980
ORIGINAL: Brad Hunter

Scary isn't it? I'm thankful that mine is only 2, and I don't have to deal with situations like this yet....

Brad

I'm thankful mine are in their 20's....... Grandchildren on the way, but their kids are their problem.