"Weird" is weird!

[BWClark]

...what's the plural of "stick in the mud?"

That would probably be "sticks in the mud"... Yes?

Just like "fathers in law" vs "father in laws".

I am aware of it when people make mistakes with the "Me and my wife" and "My wife and I" thing. I notice when people always use "My wife and I" because it *sounds* smart, even when it isn't correct.

"My brother bought tickets for my wife and I." WRONG! He bought them for my wife and me, or me and my wife. The trick is to refer to yourself the same way as you would if nobody else was involved.

"My brother bought tickets for me (and my wife)." He didn't buy them for "I".

I'm pretty pedantic about my grammar and spelling, which sometimes doesn't go well with forum use, but I'm also an understanding man.    Forums, emails, regular conversation, all informal language I am fairly cool with. It's official-looking signs and documents that really get me going. The poor apostrophe is rarely used correctly, and often when things are just plural. The worst transgression I have seen was in front of a bar...

"TEXA'S HOLD 'EM POKER"

Texa's? Please...    Who is Texa and what belongs to him?

"Boat's for sale." <sigh>

I'm a grammar nazi.

Affect and effect? That's always a little tough. I'm sure I get this wrong sometimes. 

[SacDuc]

The whole rule:

i before e except after c
and when forming "a"
like in neighbor or weigh
and on Sundays and holidays
and in the month of May
and you'll always be wrong
no matter what you say!


sac

[eltristo]

That would probably be "sticks in the mud"... Yes?

I can see this one both ways.  Traditionally, the noun is pluralized in a term, as with "Fathers-in-law."  My feeling on this scenario is that if you were speaking literally of two sticks in mud, it would be sticks in the mud.  But "stick in the mud" is a phrase, and it seems to make sense to pluralize it in its entirety.  Even though it sounds stupid.   

Moving on:

Nucular 

myself.  This one has had me going for a while now, and seems to be gaining popularity.   Members of the military are especially bad.  Myself is a reflexive pronoun, as in:  "I am placing myself in harm's way".  It can also be used as an intensifier (I myself find the pronunciation 'nucular' to be horrifying.)  It is NOT to be used in the place of me or I.  "Jim and myself are pathetic morons"  Incorrect usage, possibly true statement. 

[Big Troubled Bear]

Ennglesh my one langage not, so i am xscused

[TiNi]

i always spell friend as freind and have to fix it...
i know how it's spelled, but type it wrong, almost always

[Howie]

i always spell friend as freind and have to fix it...
i know how it's spelled, but type it wrong, almost always

Use buddy or pal instead

[TiNi]

Use buddy or pal instead

nice thinkin' there buddy 

[Desmo Demon]

For the i-before-e rule.... "their"  and "Einstein".
I like to think of it as "I before E except after C, unless it is a German name......and other exceptions."

I also hate the "I could care less".......but I also can't stand "What-not" and using the word "actually" and the phrase "you know"...


"You know, I actually went to the store and they actually had beer and what-not on sale, you know, but it wasn't actually the kind l actually like so I couldn't care less."

[cmorgan47]

furthermore, on the topic of "stick in the mud", i offer the following:

not only does "sticks in the mud" follow the "fathers in law" convention, it also seems more appropriate to what is typically being described.  i.e., you are typically referring to a few people and one "mud."

so if three people are each being a stick in the mud about what movie to see, then they are "sticks in the mud."  however, if one guy is being a stick in the mud about both the movie and dinner, he's a stick in the muds.  i suppose you could also have "sticks in the muds" by this logic.

i'll also throw out people who use "i.e." when they mean "e.g."

[Grampa]

but  u spelt evrything correkly.

werd


this time

[Kyna]

I avoid using i.e. or e.g. if possible.  I am guilty of misusing them and I bow my head in shame now.

I don't get upset, I just smirk in my mind when official things use your instead of you're or you are (as in "Your Invited" on an otherwise beautiful wedding invitation).  Other than that I forgive most grammar sins.  I am a horrible speller and I hope people forgive me for it, it's only fair I forgive them for their mistakes too.

[cmorgan47]

I avoid using i.e. or e.g. if possible.  I am guilty of misusing them and I bow my head in shame now.

i.e. = i explain
e.g. = example given

samples:
ducati makes lots of awesome bikes; e.g. the monster, 848, sport classic
ducati makes too many awesome bikes; i.e. i have a hard time deciding which one to buy

[DCXCV]

Literally!!!!

I literally almost died laughing.  really?...literally?


El Guapo: Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?
Jefe: A what?
El Guapo: A *plethora*.
Jefe: Oh yes, you have a plethora.
El Guapo: Jefe, what is a plethora?
Jefe: Why, El Guapo?
El Guapo: Well, you told me I have a plethora. And I just would like to know if you know what a plethora is. I would not like to think that a person would tell someone he has a plethora, and then find out that that person has *no idea* what it means to have a plethora.

[KnightofNi]

i always thought eh phrase "stick in the mud" referred not to a piece of a tree in the mud, but getting stuck in mud. meaning the person is draggin the conversation/atmosphere into the mire and just like getting a car stuck in the mud you arent' making any progress. that brough acceptace issues for the word stick being in there, but calling someone a stuck in the mud isn't right either, so i got over it and went with popular convention.

the idea of someone being referred to a piece of wood sitting in mud never made sense to me.

pluralizerationating of that phrase is just silly. i think that a group of people should be referred to as a singular stick on the mud, with the identifier of a group used before it.
e.g. "ya'll are a stick in the mud." (i'm from the south so 'ya'll' raises no concerns for me )

[jclin]

Using i.e. and e.g. wrong really pisses me off. Speaking of Latin terms, my old research adviser would use circa as meaning "approximately" and while this is technically true, its use is primarily for dates, not in other instances.

How about "its" versus "it's". Oh, what about when combining two ideas with "and" or "or", some people use an extra comma. For example,

"Ducati Monsters can go 120 m.p.h. and stop on a dime." versus "This sentence is right, but the previous sentence is wrong."

This thread is dangerous only because I have to re-read everything carefully to make sure I don't make any mistakes!