Seriously, tho ...
So often "stationery" and "stationary" are used incorrectly. I've seen this twice in as many days, so let's set the record straight.
StationAry = immobile i.e. not moving.
For example: Your car should be stationary at a red robot.
StationEry = pens, pencils, notebooks etc.
For example: Stationery can be bought at the CNA.
An easy way to remember which is which:
How do you spell "pen"? p - E - n. StationEry is spelt with an E.
Comment:
Spelling errors such as mentioned above slip through very easily, because they're not picked up by a computerised spellcheck. The spellcheck can't be expected to know in which context the word is being used.
Technology is great, but my Mom pulling my ears because I made a spelling mistake was even better
So often "stationery" and "stationary" are used incorrectly. I've seen this twice in as many days, so let's set the record straight.
StationAry = immobile i.e. not moving.
For example: Your car should be stationary at a red robot.
StationEry = pens, pencils, notebooks etc.
For example: Stationery can be bought at the CNA.
An easy way to remember which is which:
How do you spell "pen"? p - E - n. StationEry is spelt with an E.
Comment:
Spelling errors such as mentioned above slip through very easily, because they're not picked up by a computerised spellcheck. The spellcheck can't be expected to know in which context the word is being used.
Technology is great, but my Mom pulling my ears because I made a spelling mistake was even better
Last edited:
The other mistake which is very often made is "Dual" and "Duel"
Dual - Consisting of 2 parts
Duel - A prearranged contest with deadly weapons between two people in order to settle a point of honour.
There are a lot of seriously offended tanks and mods on this forum!
Dual - Consisting of 2 parts
Duel - A prearranged contest with deadly weapons between two people in order to settle a point of honour.
There are a lot of seriously offended tanks and mods on this forum!
What really gets me is the use of
Your
You're
Drives me nuts. They know the difference but insist on using your in every sentence directly.
Your
You're
Drives me nuts. They know the difference but insist on using your in every sentence directly.
there their
where were
where were
I was never that great at English at school and have always been a bad speller... when spell checkers came into being that was a huge win for me... and now we have "Grammarly for Chrome" which is a real bonus for me.
Who - whom
whomst
Patato - Potato
Tomato - taymayto
Then ipo than.
Why you acin so cray cray?
Regards
Why you acin so cray cray?
Regards
I think that with the advent of text messaging, spelling will eventually change e.g. in 100 years time we'll probably write "you" as "u" and that's what makes language interesting. It's a living, ever-changing entity.
An example of how language has changed is the connotation of "gay".
Another example from much further back (can't remember which century now) is the current word "apron". This used to "a hapron" but over time the "h" was dropped. Interesting, isn't it?
An example of how language has changed is the connotation of "gay".
Another example from much further back (can't remember which century now) is the current word "apron". This used to "a hapron" but over time the "h" was dropped. Interesting, isn't it?
Understanding English, when spoken with an accent, can also be difficult sometimes. When I returned to SA after having lived in China for 6 years and Oman for 5, I couldn't understand the African (i.e. "black") accent. My brother and I would go to a restaurant and he'd have to translate for me, because I had no idea what the waiter was saying. Now that I've been back for 3 years my ear has become attuned and I no longer have that problem.
I know, I know but rules are rules and not all changes are for the greater good. Some change seeks to destroy the logical basis of a language which is change in the direction of decay, not growth.
Geez, now I sound like one of those old farts that I laughed at when I was young and stupid.
Regards
No, you sound like our government (and other countries' governments who want to ban vaping "for the greater good".
In what way can a linguistic change not be for the greater good? Language is simply a means of communication from sender to receiver. So long as the receiver understands the message that was sent then it has served its purpose.
It won't be long now before "whom" is dropped, as nowadays it's seldom used. And for whom will the bells then toll?
Seen on FB:
Starts with a shining halo and ends with a bad double. Now that was a rapid decline.
Starts with a shining halo and ends with a bad double. Now that was a rapid decline.
Ouch! Call the burn unit! Quick! Lol
Ok, challenge accepted but I will need a proper keyboard to adequitly rise to the occasion.
Regards
Sorry @Raindance - I didn't mean to burn you at all - it's just me and my direct speech method lol. I truly didn't mean it in a nasty way. Forgive me?
EDIT
This is the problem with messages - one can't see the person's facial expression or hear the tone of voice.
It seems like South Africa is (as with most things) trying to reinvent the English language.
Adjectives are getting promoted to nouns - one of the banks is offering loans "for your new". New what?
DSTV is offering it's programming "for this festive".
Is this being lazy or are the scriptwriters that uneducated.
Adjectives are getting promoted to nouns - one of the banks is offering loans "for your new". New what?
DSTV is offering it's programming "for this festive".
Is this being lazy or are the scriptwriters that uneducated.
That phone number doesn't exist
And which item were you interested in? Hmm?
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