OT, 3rd grade grammar & spelling for adults

[Sarah Fox]

Hi Dave,

You are of course correct, and I certainly share your frustration with
faulty grammar and spelling.  I hear it constantly, not only from those
around me, but also on the television news.  I even read it in the paper!
(Shouldn't professional journalists know better?)

However, I think the better part of valor is to teach by example, rather
than by scolding.  Put another way, anyone who recognizes a problem with
someone else's spelling or grammar is probably better off holding their
tongue.  (That's a joke, BTW.)

Peace,
Sarah


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Nereson" <davner@kaosol.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 1:19 AM
Subject: OT, 3rd grade grammar & spelling for adults


> its vs. it's
>
> "Its" refers to things that belong to 'it'.
> "It's" is a contraction (a shortening) for "it is."
>
> I                    my, mine
> you               your, yours
> he                 his, his
> she               her, hers
> it                   its, its     (NOT it's) !!!!!
> we                our, ours
> you (plural)   your, yours
> they              their, theirs
>
> This is my piano.  It is mine.
> This is your piano.  It is yours.
> This is his piano.  It is his.
> This is her piano.  It is hers.
> This piano belongs to the school.  It is ITS piano.  (Not "it's").  It is
> its.  (It belongs to it -- the school).
> This is our piano.  It is ours.
> This is their piano.  It is theirs.   Not to be confused with "there",
which
> refers to a place, as in "over             there", or with "they're",
which
> means "they are", as in "They're coming over tonight."
>
> The dog.  Its bark. Its tail.
> The cat.  Its whiskers. Its meow.
> The piano.  Its pitch, its lid, its keys, its action.  ITS !   NOT   it's
> !!!
>
> "It's" means "it is".  The apostrophe takes the place of the 'i' that is
> left out of 'is'.
>
> It's (it is) very hot today.  It's (it is) no mean feat.  It's (it is) a
big
> job to rebuild a piano.
>
> 'your'  vs.  'you're':
> 'Your' is for things that belong to you.  Your tools, your piano, your
> house.
> 'You're' is for when you're really saying "you are."  "You're going to
raise
> pitch."  "You're crazy."
>
> 'Accordion' is with -ion, not -ian.
> It's "mahogany", (remember "hog") not "mahagony";  "lauan" paneling, not
> "luaun" or whatever else.
>
> Bridle straps, not bridal straps.  It's bridles, like on a horse -- straps
> that connect things.  Not "bridal"-- that has to do with brides, weddings.
>
> And for R. Breckne:   Allow me to introduce the word "than".  This piano
is
> longer THAN that one.  This job is no harder THAN that one.  It is more
> blessed to give THAN to receive.  "Then" refers to a period in time.  "I
was
> a lot younger back then."  "Then you do the fine tuning after the pitch
> raise."   (But:  "I am older than you are."  "This piano has a
> thinner-sounding tone than that one.")
>
> for everyone:  it's 'wippen', not 'whippen'.   That was settled years ago.
> There was a Journal article.
>
> I know it's "square" to care about spelling, grammar -- we don't want to
> appear too educated or anything, and certainly not intellectual, god
forbid,
> or professional or high class.   Thing is, this isn't college or even high
> school material -- it's from elementary school.
>
>
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