Grammar

[Sunstroke]

^^^Don't forget needing to get "untracked".  Love that one, especially in sports.

Scratching my head on this one a little. Do you not like the term itself, or do you think that "untracked" is the wrong term to use there.

Example:

"The Suns offense finally got untracked in the second half against the Spurs, scoring a franchise record 46 fourth quarter points."

...this is a correct use of the term "untracked." It is often misused as "on track," but the correct term really is "untracked."

[StL FinFan]

It annoys me when people don't know the difference between "ho" and "hoe".

[Tenshot13]

I can tolerate people using the wrong forms of they're/there/their, to/too/two and so on.  What grinds my gears is text speech.  "U" instead of "you", "gr8" instead of "great"...LOL and some others are fine, but when it is used too much, it really pisses me off.

[bsmooth]

Between the leet speak for online and texting, and the "hip hop" speak, English and proper use of grammar is almost in a tailspin in parts of this country.
In the last college English class I took, the teacher made the final an hour long writing exercise that had most of the younger members of the class freaking out. They had gotten so used to using spelling and grammar check on their computers, that they were almost paraniod when faced with the daunting task of writing a paper by hand.
The older students got better grades, than the younger computer savy students. The best part was that one of the younger students was a journalism major and a writer for the school paper and she was always bragging about her stories. She got a C+ on her final and she freaked out claiming that the test was unfair, and no one could get a good grade. During her rant I showed the other people around me the A I had gotten. As the people nearby me laughed at this, she looked over and saw my grade and clammed up. She left the room in tears.
So I am with your 100% Dave on the whole grammar thing. Everytime I read something that is written poorly, or hear someone talk using bad grammar, I instantly wonder about their intelligence or education level.

[JVides]

Scratching my head on this one a little. Do you not like the term itself, or do you think that "untracked" is the wrong term to use there.

Example:

"The Suns offense finally got untracked in the second half against the Spurs, scoring a franchise record 46 fourth quarter points."

...this is a correct use of the term "untracked." It is often misused as "on track," but the correct term really is "untracked."

I completely disagree.  To be "on track" is a good thing.  "Untracked" is like derailing, no?  Seems like a bad thing to me.  I think the correct term would be "on track".


http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/untracked.html

[Dave Gray]

Between the leet speak for online and texting, and the "hip hop" speak, English and proper use of grammar is almost in a tailspin in parts of this country.

I actually don't think that this is correct.  Slang has always been used.  I use it, too.  But I know that "Bitch, you crazy!" isn't proper.  I think that most people who adopt this kind of thing know when to use it and when not.

I think that the big problem isn't with these things like text and verbal talk, but in the professional world.  I notice a lot of errors on websites, emails, and business postings.  A facebook update is one thing, but a facebook cause, that can be edited and proofed, is quite another.  I think that these things (far from the hip-hop community) are contributing to the issue.

[bsmooth]

I completely disagree.  To be "on track" is a good thing.  "Untracked" is like derailing, no?  Seems like a bad thing to me.  I think the correct term would be "on track".


http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/untracked.html

They should be getting the other teams offense untracked.

[bsmooth]

I actually don't think that this is correct.  Slang has always been used.  I use it, too.  But I know that "Bitch, you crazy!" isn't proper.  I think that most people who adopt this kind of thing know when to use it and when not.

I think that the big problem isn't with these things like text and verbal talk, but in the professional world.  I notice a lot of errors on websites, emails, and business postings.  A facebook update is one thing, but a facebook cause, that can be edited and proofed, is quite another.  I think that these things (far from the hip-hop community) are contributing to the issue.

The problem is that the younger generation is bringing the slang into the professional workplace with them. Instead of a sub language, slang has become their primary form of communicating throught childhood and primary schooling. Now they are bringing it into secondary schooling and into the workplace.

[Sunstroke]

I completely disagree.  To be "on track" is a good thing.  "Untracked" is like derailing, no?  Seems like a bad thing to me.  I think the correct term would be "on track".


http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/untracked.html

You'd be disagreeing with the dictionary...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/untracked

No disrespect to whoever this "Brian" person is up at WSU, but I'll go with the dictionary before that guy's blog page.

[JVides]

You'd be disagreeing with the dictionary...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/untracked

No disrespect to whoever this "Brian" person is up at WSU, but I'll go with the dictionary before that guy's blog page.

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002148.html

These guys call it an "egg corn" error, like when people call Alzheimer's disease "old-timer's disease", or when people call an acorn an "egg corn" (hence the term)

On this term, they end by saying "By the way, the OED so far knows only the "not furnished with a track or path" and "not tracked or traced" senses of untracked; Merriam-Webster's 3rd Unabridged has essentially the same two senses; and the AHD doesn't have it at all. Encarta had nothing, and suggested helpfully (though bizarrely, in my opinion) that I might be interested in unfrocked. It's curious that such a common usage is lexicographically ignored -- I wonder if sports terms in general are similarly underdictionaried, and if so, why?"

This is as of 2005.

[Sunstroke]

It didn't get red-marked when used on Journalism papers in college, and that is good enough for this fella.

[JVides]

It didn't get red-marked when used on Journalism papers in college, and that is good enough for this fella.

I would've red-marked your ass!   

[StL FinFan]

Whenever I decide to torture myself and read comments to an article, I come across the immortal "your an idiot".  It drives me crazy.

[Philly Fin Fan]

I would've red-marked your ass!   

Ummm... nevermind.

[JVides]

^^^You had to go there, huh?  Sorry for unintentionally violating you, 'Stroke...