What are your pet peeves re English usage?

I'm a native Seattlite (grew up in and call Kirkland home), but I'm studying in Tuebingen for the moment. (Pepper, the ferret, says thanks!)
Thanks for the warm welcome!

I figured that was the case. S'okay to use it in a chat room but not in a formal essay. No surprise there, but at least " I'd've " didn't having people bouncing up and saying "AHAHAHAHHH! That's horribly wrong!!". Then I'll keep using it .

I was always told that words that end in 's' took an apostrophe, but no extra 's' -- so sms (plural) should be sms'. I always used 1970's and 100's, because ummmm... that's how I was taught? I wonder if it is because it's you say "in the 1970's" and it's possessive?? Dunno.

SeattleFrettchen,
.....You just give yourself a gold star, you linquistical heavyweightt you.
If you want to know my position on pricision usage, you may check my post on the previous page. I believe we may be on the same page.

SeattleFrettchen,
.....You just give yourself a gold star, you linquistical heavyweightt you.
If you want to know my position on pricision usage, you may check my post on the previous page. I believe we may be on the same page.

Hi SeattleFrettchen. (I'm from south Puget Sound... that's why I asked.) Pepper is cute one. Did you take the photograph through glass? I like the iridescence.


I think you are correct about the apostrophe alone for words ending in 's' but as for the 1970's vs 1970s... I honestly don't know.

This authority says differently:

http://www.colorado.edu/Publications/styleguide/punctuation.html

Maybe someone else will weigh in with their thoughts.

There's an old Western Union-era story about using the least possible number of words in a message. [For those too young to remember, Western Union used to transmit something called 'telegrams,' sort of like e-mails, and charged by the word.] Anyway, Anna and her sister were vacationing in some wild part of the world when Anna got bitten by an insect which caused Anna to develop a terrible swelling and she had to be hospitalized for treatment. The sisters were due to be back home on a certain day and it became apparent that they would not make the flight because of Anna's sudden infirmity. Sister Mary wanted to send a wire ['Telegrams' were often referred to as 'wires.' I have some other jokes about that] but had only enough money to pay for half a dozen words. After giving it some serious thought, she wired her mother :

ANACIN HOSPITAL ADAMANT BITTER ASININE PLACES

God that cracked me up . . . classic stuff, MA . . .

Classic set of wires:

George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill:

By same messenger, two tickets to opening of new play, come and bring a friend, if you have one.

WSC to GBS:

Cannot possibly attend opening, will attend second performance, if there is one.

Robert Benchley is supposed to have sent this wire to his boss at The New Yorker when Benchley arrived in Venice, Italy, on assignment:

arrived venice. all streets flooded. please advise.

Ah jeebus, that's a screamer . . .

....You guys had me thinking I had stumbled into Dangerfields. Especially MA. You had me ROFLMAO!

My grandfather was a telegrapher, and he had a million such stories . . . unfortunately, he died more than forty years ago, and my memory is not what it once was . . .

I heard one about farmworker that took a week-end off to visit his brother in the big city. he was having so much fun the week-end stretche into a week. the boss sent him a telegram, which he asked his brother to read as he was illiterate. The brother said . "it doesn't make since, all he has is 5 m's on it" "Oh hell" the tardy worker said. I know what that means,Meet mule monday morning,Mother#@%##$%

As i have noted elsewhere, this crowd is hot to-day . . .

Yo Brother Setana,
....I missed the bid fight last night between You and JTT Iwould like you and he* to check out my tele...er..post at the bottom of 126. Might interest you two.


* Yes it's he because it's subjective, him would a direct object. Just being careful here :wink:

OHMYGAWD! ....I apologize SETANTA, for the inxcusable mistake of misspelling your moniker.

I scored it 98-97 Setanta.

Ferrets as pets are all very well, but don't try to kiss them.

I think I prefer the 1960's to the 1970s. But now I've written it, I'm not sure.

To quote the country boys, Boo, call me anything you like, 'cept late for meals . . .


McT, does that mean a TKO on the judge's decision?

I always use the apstrophe in that situation Mac.

Narrow points decision due to strong showing in the middle rounds.
Don't hang up your gloves yet, champ.

Booman, that doesn't strike me as correct, though I'm ill-equipped to explain by what rule. "I would like he to check out my post." I can see "I would like that he check out my post," as a subjunctive construction. Someone with a better grasp of the rules, please help me understand this.