The English language

By starting this as a new thread, I'm not pointing the finger at any individual. Let's see this as a way to teach people.

My writing isn't perfect. I make general typos, I make spelling mistakes. Although I always read again before posting, these things happen. For now, forget about spelling mistakes (or have a dictionary next to the keyboard as I have), let's look at the misuse of words.

Many times I've seen the word 'due' used where 'do' is the correct word, this being obvious by the context in which it is used. I suppose this could happen because there are places where the pronunciation for both words is the same?

do - can be used like "that truck needs a wash, I will do it"
due - can be used as "the house caught fire due to an accident"

Can anyone think of other words that could do with clarification? Or have I just wasted a couple of minutes?

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Permalink Reply by Oldman on April 9, 2009 at 9:29am

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I don't speak English. I speak the Texas dialect of American. We always leave our participles dangling. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Sharon J on April 9, 2009 at 8:20pm

I am not great with spelling either as a matter of fact, I failed typing in school . But lately I have noticed that people that text on their phones or even leave messages on the myspace or facebook always use..."u" for the word "you" or the letter "r" for the word "are", or even the number "2" for the word "to". Maybe I am being to critical but I am use to the old fashion way of doing things, like actually spelling and checking the words. Ok now I feel a little better. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Tony P on April 10, 2009 at 7:16am

Thanks Sharon (in my youth you would have been called 'Shaz' - you can stop cringing now!) - I send text messages in English. Now I have an iPhone it means I use a qwerty keyboard as well, much bettter than poking tiny number keys in the hope of getting the correct letter!

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Permalink Reply by Chad Furr on April 18, 2009 at 10:44am

why thanks fir yur compli compla comple oh hell your gud wurds LOL

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Permalink Reply by Matthew on April 18, 2009 at 4:23pm

Heh, this makes me think of a email I got from someone

Making English Easier!
The European Union commissioners have announced that an agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European
communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations with the Germans, the British government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five year phased plan for what will be known as EuroEnglish (Euro for short).

In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c." Sertainly, sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard "c" will be replaced with "k." Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the
troublesome "ph" will be replaced by "f." This will make words like
"fotograf" 20 per sent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go.

By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" by "v." During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou," and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst place...