Grammar and spelling tips

[ppko]

Nah, I love it just the way it is. Unless someone wants to add a few buckets of mud or something slippery. That could be fun. Has anyone seen my hat? It fell off in the pile.



Sarah and I jumped on the pile, but she got off, leaving Feisty Mouse and me on the floor. Then I laughed myself silly when Joe tried to jump on and Sarah tripped him so he missed the pile.

Hey I didn't laugh

 

[ppko]

LOL... Pile on all you want, just DON'T SPILL THE GUINNESS!!!!

Brilliant!!!!!:drinkbeer

 

[mj-hi-yah]

The way I usually remember that one is: "he = who" and "him = whom." Basically, you use "who" for the subject and "whom" when it's an object. For example, you could say "I jumped on the pile with him;" therefore, "I jumped on the pile with whom?" Or, "He jumped on the pile," so "Who jumped on the pile?" Hard to explain in text, but I hope that that little sound trick of "he-who, him-whom" helps some.


Thanks for the website, HHJH.

That's a great little trick, and I like your thread. No need to be MA barbarians LOL why not try and improve your gramma? :uhyeah: LOL Thanks for sharing!

 

[ppko]

Anybody want to give me advice about semicolons? Not that I use them a lot (notice that?) on MT but in helping my son on his composition papers, I think I have led him astray. What's the rules on independent and dependent clauses and commas or semicolons again? I've been too long out of school. sigh! TW

How can you have a semicolon you either have or you don't (Just kidding)

 

[shesulsa]

No need to be MA barbarians LOL why not try and improve your gramma?

Barbarians? Barbarians. Hmm. Did you guys hear that?

Pig Pile MJ!

BANZAI!!!

 

[OUMoose]

LOL...

*thinks MJ just forgot her Capital One credit card*

 

[mj-hi-yah]

Barbarians? Barbarians. Hmm. Did you guys here that?

Pig Pile MJ!

BANZAI!!!

artyon: Bring it on...heh hee heh... I shall try
Kembudo-Kai Kempoka's statue effect that he learned from Doc to hold you all back!

LOL...

*thinks MJ just forgot her Capital One credit card*

:viking3::viking2::viking1::lookie::viking3: :viking2: :viking2: :viking1: :viking3::viking1: LOL I am among them OUMoose *silently whispering can I borrow your card?

 

[Feisty Mouse]

*bunches up into tiny furry ball of murine ferocity*

*scrabbling, lighting-fast scamper*

*LEAP!*

YEEEE-HAAAAAAA!!!!

 

[michaeledward]

Anybody want to give me advice about semicolons? Not that I use them a lot (notice that?) on MT but in helping my son on his composition papers, I think I have led him astray. What's the rules on independent and dependent clauses and commas or semicolons again? I've been too long out of school. sigh! TW

I think that semi-colons are supposed to be used when you are repeating yourself, but using different words; you know to say the same thing differently, with emphasis.

Don't know if it's correct or not, but that's how I use semi-colons; right or wrong.

 

[Feisty Mouse]

I think that semi-colons are supposed to be used when you are repeating yourself, but using different words; you know to say the same thing differently, with emphasis.

Don't know if it's correct or not, but that's how I use semi-colons; right or wrong.

I LOVE NERD HUMOR!

Not that I'm slandering you and calling you a nerd, Mike.

 

[shesulsa]

I think that semi-colons are supposed to be used when you are repeating yourself, but using different words; you know to say the same thing differently, with emphasis.

Don't know if it's correct or not, but that's how I use semi-colons; right or wrong.

I also believe that both statements on either side of the semi should be able to used as independent sentences, but that could be wrong.

Here is a link to semi usage from the U of Ottawa and here is one for Purdue discussing the comma vs. semi dilemma.

Welcome to the dogpile, Mike.

BANZAI!!

 

[psi_radar]

Anybody want to give me advice about semicolons? Not that I use them a lot (notice that?) on MT but in helping my son on his composition papers, I think I have led him astray. What's the rules on independent and dependent clauses and commas or semicolons again? I've been too long out of school. sigh! TW

In honor of the holidays, I think the women should add gravy and tinsel to their wrestling match.

I'm a copywriter among other things, so to me it's abhorrent to care too much about grammar on a forum. It's like work to me. However, internet posters in general do express concern about grammar, which is a good thing I suppose. I had an entertaining argument concerning this very topic on a sportbike forum, of all places.

So, here are some incomplete answers concerning commas and semi-colons:

In modern writing, commas are placed almost subjectively. They are used most commonly to indicate a small interruption of thought or sentence structure.

There are a few steadfast rules. Commas are obligatory when joining a compound sentence with a conjunction unless the clauses are really short and closely related. Commas are also used to set off nonrestrictive clauses, such as this clause I'm writing right now. Dependent clauses are also bracketed by commas. Adverbial phrases at the beginning of a sentence are also followed by a comma, unless the verb it modifies directly follows the phrase.

"That" is not generally preceded by a comma, "which" is. Parenthetical elements are often surrounded by commas if the sentence would lose meaning with their omission. It's in vogue to use em-dashes--those long dashes seen here--in these cases rather than commas.

There's more; I suggest looking at Strunk and White or another good style guide like the Chicago Manual of Style. In a pinch, speak a sentence out loud. Place the commas at the pauses. Reading a sentence out loud quickly reveals any flaws in its structure.

Semi-colons are used when connecting two parts of a compound sentence that don't have a conjunction linking them. They should also be used to separate items in lists that have items that are described within the list by subordinate phrases and broken by commas.

Semi-colons can also be used in place of i.e. (that is), e.g. (for example), and other expressions. Basically, they're commas that carry more emphasis. Again, check a style guide for more details.

 

[KenpoTess]

*thinkin' I would prefer whipped cream to frolic in than gravy*

It's rather amazing how much we delve into that dark region of judgementalism. We 'judge' people on how they dress, how they act, how they speak. If someone is eloquent in their verbage, are they are better person? I think not. I was college educated, able to converse with just about any person speaking 'Americanized English'. Now, when I'm talking and listening to someone (not typing mind you), I don't look at them and wonder if they can spell the words they speak, nor do I question their pauses, enunciation points, or where they inserted a comma or any other punctuation point. I would rather think that a very strange and yes, rude thing to do. Sure I quirk a brow when someone completely pronounces a word oddly. Vehicle.. the 'h' is silent (but to alot of people, they do pronounce it VeeHickle) *twitch* But that's just me and my idiosyncrasies. If I dare leave my participle dangling-- woe is me.. Bah.. It's How you Communicate, It's how you Listen, Not how you Punctuate............

~Tess

 

[shesulsa]

In honor of the holidays, I think the women should add gravy and tinsel to their wrestling match.

Women? Wrestling? Gravy and tinsel????

Clearly, you have misunderstood the purpose of this gathering. Let us ladies (to include Steve, Dan, Mike, Moose, Mr. Farnsworth, Xequat, and PPKO) explain it to you ....

BANZAAAAAAIIIII!!!

 

[jfarnsworth]

~Tess

So then you are telling me that you don't judge me by my hillbilly english when we talk on the phone?

 

[Feisty Mouse]

In honor of the holidays, I think the women should add gravy and tinsel to their wrestling match.

Ouch! No tinsel on my mouse skin. And I hope you don't mean sausage (white) gravy... yuck!

 

[psi_radar]

Women? Wrestling? Gravy and tinsel????

Clearly, you have misunderstood the purpose of this gathering. Let us ladies (to include Steve, Dan, Mike, Moose, Mr. Farnsworth, Xequat, and PPKO) explain it to you ....

BANZAAAAAAIIIII!!!

Guess I lost myself in reverie after reading the phrase "four wriggling women". (Yes I cut you out of the image, Steve.)
*gets trampled*

*thinkin' I would prefer whipped cream to frolic in than gravy*

I've got no problem with whipped cream. Gravy adds sort of a David Lynchian-edge though.

 

[jfarnsworth]

Guess I lost myself in reverie after reading the phrase "four wriggling women"....

I've got no problem with whipped cream. Gravy adds sort of a David Lynchian-edge though.

How about we stick with Jell-o and whipped cream. (Pulls up the lawn chair to watch the show).

 

[jfarnsworth]

Women? Wrestling?

Clearly, you have misunderstood the purpose of this gathering. Let us ladies (to include Steve, Dan, Mike, Moose, Mr. Farnsworth, Xequat, and PPKO) explain it to you ....

1. I like to watch such stuff


2. Just Jason please.

 

[Sarah]

sooo Jason...you dont think you're gonna get outta it that easy do ya?

**takes a running jump, knocks Jason off his feet and into the pile**

1. I like to watch such stuff


2. Just Jason please.