Grammar for Gunnies

[PhilA]

Like it or not, the way we speak and write says a great deal about the way others perceive us. Misspellings, poor grammar and misused punctuation are easy targets for members of the press and general public to use against us happy gun folk. We have a tough enough argument trying to convince the general public and the media that we’re responsible, intelligent citizens. So why give them more ammo in the form of bad grammar and spelling?

Sometimes we can chalk up a typo or two to posting too quickly. It happens. But in a great number of cases, I think some people don’t understand some of the seemingly tiny, but important, rules of good written communication. So in an effort to help some of us catch up, I’ve put together this list of common errors I see on this and other forums every day.

I’m sure I’ll get a few “grammar police” pushback comments, but I’m not interested in hearing from the stubborn or the indignant. I’m just trying to help our cause. If you’re offended by me pointing out the rules of good grammar and spelling, or if you’re the type to fire back an “it was close enough…you knew what I meant,” understand that the corollary to that logic is like saying “what’s it matter if I use .308 ammo in my .30-06…it’s close enough!” It isn’t.

Apostrophes (not Apostrophe’s) - An apostrophe is used to show possession, NOT when talking about two or more of something. CORRECT: That gun’s (the trigger of the gun) trigger is crisp and light. INCORRECT: I brought three gun’s (more than one gun) with me today. If you’re talking about more than one of something, just add an s, and leave the apostrophe out of it.

Me vs. I – Maybe this one is indicative of the way many in our society think these days with their “me first” attitudes, but “ME” never begins a sentence. I hear it all the time, and it makes me cringe. CORRECT: John and I are gonna shoot his AR-15 tomorrow. INCORRECT: Me and John are gonna shoot his AR-15 tomorrow. You wouldn’t say “Me is gonna shoot tomorrow,” would you? You’d say I. So say I when you’re including another person, and say their name first. Me belongs AFTER the verb…never before it.

Her vs. She, Him vs. He – Same problem here. I hear so many people botch this one, and it’s just plain wrong. Her and Him don’t do things; people do things WITH Her and Him. CORRECT: She and I bought new carry ammo this morning. INCORRECT: Her and I (or Him and I) bought new carry ammo this morning. Grammar like this makes the person sound like they dropped out of school after 3rd grade.

Run-on Sentences – we’re all busy we have jobs families yards to work on god knows nobodys perfect but please use periods and commas and capital letters this lets people know where to stop reading its hard to understand what you’re saying when I have no idea when you’ve changed thoughts ad a few mispeled words into this mess and people will discount most of what you say because theyll probably think your dumb

Misspelled Words – Yes, I understand we’re not all spelling-bee champions. But come on. If you’re older than fifteen, there’s no excuse for misspelling every other word. Especially in an era of spell-checking software. Like it or not, people will judge your intelligence based on how you spell: If you muff every other word, people will naturally assign a lower value to your opinions and comments. And as gun owners, we all want to sound like we know what we’re talking about, right? Slow down and re-read what you’ve written before punching the “submit” button. Another 20 seconds won’t kill you, and you might catch some mistakes that could, in the eyes of anyone reading your post, bump your credibility a few notches higher. Always a good thing.

Commas – I don’t want to get into the tangled web of proper comma usage since there are more rules about commas than there are grains of powder in a round of .50 BMG, but one major gaffe I see pretty often is the random comma in the middle of a sentence. CORRECT: Bill and I met for breakfast this morning before hitting the gun show. INCORRECT: Bill and I, met for breakfast, this morning before hitting the gun show. Commas separate thoughts and give the reader time to pause. If you wouldn’t pause when speaking, don’t pause when writing.

Should have, would have, could have – This is the proper way to say this, not “would of, could of, should of”. I see this a lot. And it’s wrong.

If anyone has anything to add, step up. If you want to flame me now, I don’t mind. Just make sure you spell-check it.

 

[fixyurgun]

I wood ov replied butt eye coodnt spell grammer notsee gym

 

[Mainsail]

An apostrophe is used to show possession…

Except in the case of it. For example, “The M9 has a decocking safety, its purpose is to safely lower the hammer.”

 

[LWGN]

An apostrophe is used to show possession, but it is also used to "hold the place" for omitted letters in contractions, such as we're for "we are", and often misused, it's for "it is".

 

[soccergod04]

Good point, however. A great cop once told me perception is sometimes more important than reality.

 

[jaytex1969]

Fortunately (or unfortunately) poor grammar is an internet-wide phenomenon.

Its almost accepted/expected in chat and forum environments, so we would not stand out as the sole perpetrators.

Not to say this makes it any more pleasant. I've grown rather fond of complete thoughts and sentences.

For the record, sentence two may or may not have an inappropriate comma...

 

[LWGN]

Jaytex1969,

Sentence two's comma is perfectly appropriate. You have joined two complete sentences with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. (It is so much nicer than using a conjunction that clashes, you know...)

I used to have my students chant, "Comma and, comma or, comma but, comma for , comma yet, comma so, comma nor!" to memorize the common conjunctions that could be used in this way.

Sentence two does, however, lack an apostrophe in the contraction of "it is".

 

[dmazur]

I was going to say "My grammar wasn't a gunny, but my grampar was..." but that's lame.

How about noting that the Internet is supposed to be capitalized (as there is only one of them), but corporate intranets are not.

This is a minor point for nit-pickers, and probably not grammar. However, it does show a lack of knowledge of current practice.

 

[mike724]

I don't know if these errors were deliberate or not...Run-on Sentences – we’re all busy we have jobs families yards to work on god knows nobody(')s perfect but please use periods and commas and capital letters this lets people know where to stop reading it(')s hard to understand what you’re saying when I have no idea when you’ve changed thoughts ad a few mispeled words into this mess and people will discount most of what you say because they(')ll probably think you(')r(e) dumb

 

[Nolo]

I take a sort of internal pride in ensuring that every post I put on the Internet is grammatically correct.
I check all of my posts up to five times before posting without even thinking about it.
Now, I still use colloquialisms; you'll see me say "ain't". And sometimes my punctuation's a bit off (I think technically you're supposed to put the period inside of the quotations, for instance), but in about a year and a half now of texting, MySpace, and forums, I still am known to write on the 'Net better than many people my age write term papers.
Not bragging, just saying I know the value of good grammar. People have often read my writings and been astonished that I was only 17. I also make it a point not to correct anyone else's grammar besides close friends. It's just as bad form to correct someone else's grammar as it is to use improper grammar yourself.

 

[.38 Special]

I don't worry too much about folks making the occasional typo, run-on sentence, or whatever. Most folks on the internets are pretty casual, and I think that's fine.

Just like dress, however, there is casual and then there is slovenly. I suppose perhaps some of the folks who make a habit of producing truly horrifying posts are also the same people who think nothing of walking around in public in a stained wife beater, cutoffs, and flip-flops.

Hopefully those people aren't surprised when other people avoid them both in public and on the 'net!

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Nyce, jawb, try'n two mayke' dis; on-topik:

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

There, their, they're is one I see used incorrectly a lot, albeit spelled correctly. They're, I said it

 

[Cosmoline]

We interrupt this thread to bring you a Public Service Announcement from Sgt. Quincannon

 

[loop]

Phil,

I wish to thank you, profusely, for your comments. I am the editor of a monthly business journal. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are my stock in trade. I also have a fair collection of firearms.

The way I see the language used on this site would offer me such fodder I could make any subject look like firearms supporters are nothing more than redneck hicks.

The English language is very evolved at this point in time. No one has an overwhelming command of it. But, excusing misspellings as typos they are too lazy to clean up, mixing past and future tense in the same sentence, utterly foolish use of apostrophes and failing to know when to utilize a comma are simply inexcusable acts in my trade.

We all have spelling and grammar checkers available to us. Why people fail to use them is beyond me. I have both reviewing my comments in this forum. It does not mean I will not slip up now and then - my name isn't on the masthead so I'm more lax in this environment.

Your words are true. If we hope to be "given" respect, we must "earn" it.

God help the Second Amendment if anyone who ever really understands the shooting community and the English language ever decides to take the Brady side.

I don't care what the argument - I can rip you a new you-know-what because I know how to put it in print.

If our side, the gun-owners' side, ever loses, it will be because we were unable to muster the appropriate words to combat those who do not understand how important the First Amendment is to the preservation of the Second Amendment.

 

[dm1333]

My personal favorite is "it needs fixed". Shakespeare would be sad over that.

 

[Huckle2]

You gotta love smell check!

 

[doc2rn]

I believe part of the problem stems from text contraction. When you text on your' Blackberry all day, it forms bad habbits.

 

[Siaharok]

The Big Seven:

your = A possessive personal pronoun. A personal pronoun is a word that refers to a specific person (you, I, they). If something belongs to you (possessive), then it's yours: your book, your car, etc. Do NOT confuse this word with "you're." Nothing is more embarrassing than an incorrect sentence like, "Your not doing it correctly."

you're = A contraction (a shortening) of 2 words (you + are). In every instance, the longer version can be substituted for the shorter version. If you are unsure when to use it, then use the longer version and ask yourself if it sounds right. For example: "You're going to regret that." Does it make sense with the longer version? Or how about: "He said you're check bounced." Does it make sense with the longer version?

their = The possessive of the word "they." There must be something (not necessarily an object) to possess: their book; their car; their behavior; their foolishness; etc.

there = A place: over there. It's not a personal pronoun. It doesn't refer to a person. When in doubt, ask yourself if it belongs to someone (their), or if you can substitute two words (they are). If neither of those work, then it must be "there".

they're = Another contraction -- a shortening of the words "they" and "are." Again, in all instances, you can substitute the longer version. So ask yourself if the longer version sounds correct. "They're coming over," is correct. "They're car broke down," is not correct.

it's = Another contraction -- a shortening of the words "it" and "is" (or "has"). Again, in all instances, we can substitute the full version. Say it aloud and see if it makes sense. "It's going to rain," is correct. "What's it's name?" is incorrect.

its = The possessive form of the pronoun "it." I know it's confusing because we usually use an apostrophe for possession (Tom's dog), but in this case, there's no apostrophe. Does it belong to someone or something? Is there possession involved? Then use "its", not "it's". "What's its name?" is correct." "Its over there," is incorrect.

Happy spelling,

Siaharok

 

[Knotthead]

Siaharok,

Those last two are the ones that had me reaching for my copy of the Harbrace College Handbook for years. I've finally reached the point where I don't need to anymore. I do think you should add "then" and "than" to your list. I see them misused as often as any of the others.

 

[Standing Wolf]

How about noting that the Internet is supposed to be capitalized (as there is only one of them), but corporate intranets are not.

Nope. Only proper nouns and those that start sentences are initial-capitalized. The word "internet" is like "television," "radio," and "telegraph:" dazzlingly exciting when it first appeared, and so given a spurious initial capital. Trademarked names are, indeed, proper nouns, but uniqueness has nothing to do with it.

But in a great number of cases, I think some people don’t understand some of the seemingly tiny, but important, rules of good written communication.

Journalists, many of whom couldn't even make the grade in education schools, have done their best for years to legitimate sentence fragments.

The rules of grammar are more descriptive than prescriptive. I certainly don't mean to embrace the "Hey, dude! Anything's cool as long as you really mean it, you know?" approach; I would, however, like to share an observation or two with you:

1. Spelling isn't grammar, nor is punctuation, nor is usage.
2. There's a world of difference between spoken and written English. Spoken English came first, obviously, but that doesn't mean it's superior.
3. Unlike French and German, English has never had a government-empowered authority to define proper usage, spelling, punctuation, and the like. The essentially democratic nature of our language is a good thing; absent authority, however, discussions tend toward unruliness, which find unnerving.
4. I didn't understand anything of English grammar until I'd spent some while contending with Greek, Latin, French, and German grammar. Painful? Yep. Worth it? Yep.
5. I didn't understand anything of English usage until I bought a copy of the first edition of Fowler's Modern English Usage and poked my nose into it. Slow going? Yep. Worth it? Yep.
6. What you read largely defines how you'll write. If all you read are newspapers, television, comics, and how to books, you'll never amount to anything as a writer. How much you write largely defines how well you'll write.

 

[MakAttak]

Thank you for posting this.

Some posts are just painful in this forum.

Fortunately, these posts are the minority.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

Fabulous Post!

May I add: Please do not substitute then for than. Ie. I would rather have a root canal than a Hi-Point. NOT I would rather have a root canal then a Hi-Point. (just kidding about the root canal)

 

[Top_Gunn]

Just a word about the absence of an apostrophe in the possessive "its." This isn't as odd as it seems: possessive pronouns don't use apostrophes. You write "his," "hers," and "theirs"; not "hi's," "her's," and "their's." (A possible exception is "one's," which can be written either with or without an apostrophe.)

There is one case in which an apostrophe is used to form a plural: the plural of a single letter or number takes an apostrophe. Thus: "All the a's were printed in red ink." This is pretty rare, though; as a rule, if you find yourself using an apostrophe in a plural, stop. It's also worth noting that the possessive of words that end in "s" has the apostrophe after the "s." For example, the possessive of "Dickens" is "Dickens','' not "Dicken's" (which would be the possessive of "Dicken").

I'd guess that most of the people reading this thread are people who don't need to.

 

[v8stang289]

I have to agree with HGUNHNTR and Knotthead. It drives me crazy when people interchange then and than. It seems like they are misused at least once in every thread.