I have to disagee with that. I've never had the slightest doubt how to use those words (or other similar examples), but I still type them wrong.
Yes, but you don't consistently use them wrong across every single post you make.
I have a friend who is super smart - a PhD, works for the CDC as an epidemiologist, etc. And I *know* he knows the difference, but he still types "your" instead of "you're" once in a while. The difference is that he doesn't do it all the time ... just when he's in a hurry or not paying attention.
And generally, over the whole oeuvre of a person's posting, you can tell if it's a typo or a general lack of knowledge.
OK, so I know I'm late jumping in on this thread, but I just had to mention a funny thing that I read once in a rant someone had written about bad grammar on signs, etc.
The purpose of an apostrophe is not to announce, "Look out! There's an S coming!"
what i find interesting is some dont like the 'text' speak, yet TOM, MIL, DH, etc are commonly used in some posts even from those that dont like 'text' lol.. amuses me really.. text speak is really only abbreviations and the shortening of words to make them easier/faster to type in.. kind of the same as TOM,MIL, DH etc.
what i find interesting is some dont like the 'text' speak, yet TOM, MIL, DH, etc are commonly used in some posts even from those that dont like 'text' lol.. amuses me really.. text speak is really only abbreviations and the shortening of words to make them easier/faster to type in.. kind of the same as TOM,MIL, DH etc
Nope. Not the same at all.
DH, MIL, etc. are acronyms. An acronym is an accepted grammatical form.
Texting "words" aren't any form of acronyms, nor are they any form of standardized abbreviations.
It's a matter of using the appropriate form of writing for the appropriate venue. Texting words/jargon are appropriate for texting situations when brevity counts and the ability to type is restricted. It's not appropriate for other situations.
I have a friend who prides herself on being oh so smart.
But she will always use "and I" in place of "and me" in all the wrong places! My mother was an honors english teacher. I get a little stuck on this stuff.
FYI, I always correct her ONLY IN MY HEAD
Last edited by kittycat40; 11-05-2008 at 11:11 PM.
Affect and Effect - a good way to remember the difference is "if you can do it, give yourself a "A" - that is if it's a verb (you can do it) it starts with "A", but if it's a noun (you can't "do" a noun) it's "e."
Affect and Effect - a good way to remember the difference is "if you can do it, give yourself a "A" - that is if it's a verb (you can do it) it starts with "A", but if it's a noun (you can't "do" a noun) it's "e."
Weeelllll ....
Then's there's "affect" the noun, as in an emotional state.
And "effect" the verb, as in causing something to happen, to effect change.
You can effect an affect. And you can affect an effect. But only if you don't want anyone to understand what you mean.
True enough about the noun affect and the verb effect. And having a graduate degree in psychology, I should have definitely mentioned the exceptions (having used the noun "affect" frequently) However, in every day usage, the "rule" applies much more often than it does not. Affect as a noun, is generally not used in common usage, but by medical and mental health professionals (or those exposed to the terminology - patients and family members, for example. However, it is becoming more commonly used as pop-psych and self-help becomes more popular). Effect as a verb is also not particularly common.
But, like the "rule" - "i before e, except after c" - it doesn't always work - but it's still pretty useful (you just have to know the exceptions, which at least in the case of affect/effect, are fewer than the exceptions to "i before e," to which there are at least a dozen).
