Lose Vs Loose

[mbonwick]

too, to and two are another set that often get misused, particularly to and too.

 

[Seacook]

I've heard of homonyms and synonyms etc before, but never a heteronym, although I haven't done GSCEs yet. Heteronym reminds me of all those other fancy English terms and devices such as enjamblemant and caesura.

My favourite is tmesis - fan-bloody-tastic word.

 

[snail]

Saw another good on just now on another thread:

hair-brained

Not sure if that qualifies as a homophone?

 

[SS4]

I like tnetennba

Good morning, that's a nice tnetennba

 

[WestCoast]

I've heard of homonyms and synonyms etc before, but never a heteronym, although I haven't done GSCEs yet. Heteronym reminds me of all those other fancy English terms and devices such as enjamblemant and caesura.

My "favourite" device term is an anthropomorphic fallacy. Something you do at A-Level. :roll:

 

[HugePilchard]

Another one that's not uncommon... stationary and stationery. As in "a stationery train"; I know we had a recent thread complaining about the amount of paperwork on the railways, but devoting an entire train to carrying it is a bit steep!

 

[DaveNewcastle]

My "favourite" device term is an anthropomorphic fallacy. Something you do at A-Level. :roll:

and is sustained forever thereafter!

Another one that's not uncommon... stationary and stationery. As in "a stationery train"; I know we had a recent thread complaining about the amount of paperwork on the railways, but devoting an entire train to carrying it is a bit steep!

Ha Hah! Thats a good way of illustrating the error.

I have noticed that there's more going on with spelling than simple mistakes or confusion, though. The interchange of 'there' and 'their' on fora such as this appears to have reached and passed the point where they are used wrongly more often than correctly. (i.e. people wrongly typing 'their' when they mean the locative - the place, as in 'see it over there' and typing 'there' when they mean the possessive - belonging to, as in 'each person wears their own').
We're used to spelling shifting over time, but does anyone think that these two words might actually become exchanged with each other?

 

[LE Greys]

If I had my way, it would be 'looss' and 'looz', although 'loss' might cause some confusion. Perhaps we should go with the Newspeak version, 'untight'.

 

[the sniper]

Something that gets my goat is when people write 'Here here', when it should be wrote 'Hear, hear'! It's often written the wrong way and I think I may have seen it done on this forum today!

Though I can't really complain, as I used to write it 'Hear here'!

 

[snail]

Something that gets my goat is when people write 'Here here', when it should be wrote 'Hear, hear'!

That's something of a mute point if you ask me.

(Gosh, isn't it hard to deliberately spell something wrong when you know the correct version!)

 

[bnm]

If I had my way, it would be 'looss' and 'looz', although 'loss' might cause some confusion. Perhaps we should go with the Newspeak version, 'untight'.

Hmm.

I have a pocketful of untight change.

That doesn't sound at all right.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Would have or would of?

I think that there is a forum member who uses this comparison as part of his signature.

There is a further sign of youthful ignorance that is often seen these days, when they write graffiti saying would ov when they refer to the incorrect phrase would of.

Grumpy old man now retires from the debate.:roll:

 

[HugePilchard]

[Their and there are] two words might actually become exchanged with each other?

Not on my watch, they won't! Frankly, what people write on forums and what gets written elsewhere (published media, business communications, legal documents) are two very different matters, and it'll be a brave newspaper editor who stands in front of his newsroom and says "Alright, team - from today on we're swapping 'there' and 'their' around!".

Grumpy old man now retires from the debate.:roll:

Don't worry, there's plenty of us grumpy young 'uns left to carry it on!

 

[Wyvern]

That's something of a mute point if you ask me.

A moot point?

(From the Old Saxon "moot")

Would have or would of?

I always assumed this arose of the way people spoke. However, round my way it would be "would av"

 

[Oswyntail]

.....
I always assumed this arose of the way people spoke. However, round my way it would be "would av"

The problem is that the actual sound of the of/have/ov is "indiscriminate" in general speech, but that is a part of the standard processes by which language evolves.
[Grumpy old git mode]I also blame the pathetic teaching theories that held sway in the 80's, when English teachers were instructed not to correct "trivial" things like spelling and grammar lest it discourage the child's expression. We now have great swathes of young people who mistakenly believe that correct spelling and grammar are not important[/Grumpy old git mode]

 

[Greenback]

[Grumpy old git mode]I also blame the pathetic teaching theories that held sway in the 80's, when English teachers were instructed not to correct "trivial" things like spelling and grammar lest it discourage the child's expression. We now have great swathes of young people who mistakenly believe that correct spelling and grammar are not important[/Grumpy old git mode]

Has that changed now then? I remember people doing teacher training in the late 90's also being told that correcting trivial mistakes in spelling and grammar would damage the child's confidence and stifle their creative expression!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

....I always assumed this arose of the way people spoke. However, round my way it would be "would av"

Coming from "would've" I suspect, which as we all know is short for "would have"

 

[LE Greys]

Has that changed now then? I remember people doing teacher training in the late 90's also being told that correcting trivial mistakes in spelling and grammar would damage the child's confidence and stifle their creative expression!

Odd how I did not encounter any of them at any of my schools, which I attended throughout the 90s. We used to have an hour of spelling practice every week at my second primary, and spelling corrections were always marked on every piece of work I handed in (until I got it right).

Maybe North Herts believed in traditional education.

 

[Greenback]

Odd how I did not encounter any of them at any of my schools, which I attended throughout the 90s. We used to have an hour of spelling practice every week at my second primary, and spelling corrections were always marked on every piece of work I handed in (until I got it right).

Maybe North Herts believed in traditional education.

More likely the trainee teachers were told these things in training, but were put right by others when they actually went to work in sensible places like North Herts!

 

[SS4]

Has that changed now then? I remember people doing teacher training in the late 90's also being told that correcting trivial mistakes in spelling and grammar would damage the child's confidence and stifle their creative expression!

I didn't get any of that during my 90s education either. Indeed, having very good spelling and grammar was essential in order to progress from a pencil to a pen - a great honour indeed! Perhaps Birmingham overlooked it too

I do still have a bit of trouble with the more obscure grammar such as using a semicolon.

 

[Class172]

I do still have a bit of trouble with the more obscure grammar such as using a semicolon.

I love the semi-colon; it's also a very versatile piece of punctuation.

 

[Crossover]

Would have or would of?

Am I right in thinking that "would of" is not a valid term anyway?

too, to and two are another set that often get misused, particularly to and too.

I was going to mention this one too - it can be a bit of a bugbear of mine.

----------------------------

Slightly different but another bugbear of mine at the moment is getting "a" and "an" in the wrong places

 

[LE Greys]

Slightly different but another bugbear of mine at the moment is getting "a" and "an" in the wrong places

Do you say 'a hotel' or 'an hotel'?

 

[Hydro]

Do you say 'a hotel' or 'an hotel'?

Depends if I'm wearing my telephone voice and not dropping my "H's".

 

[Crossover]

Do you say 'a hotel' or 'an hotel'?

That is a grey (gray? ) area and one that bothers me less than say "an camera"

Generally I probably say "an hotel" but then again, with my accent is probably comes out more as "an 'otel" which is probably why.

There are other times too where I find myself saying "an" something, because the first syllable starts with a vowel.

EDIT: Thinking about and speaking in through properly as it were, that would be "a hotel"

 

[LE Greys]

That is a grey (gray? ) area and one that bothers me less than say "an camera"

Generally I probably say "an hotel" but then again, with my accent is probably comes out more as "an 'otel" which is probably why.

There are other times too where I find myself saying "an" something, because the first syllable starts with a vowel.

EDIT: Thinking about and speaking in through properly as it were, that would be "a hotel"

A Frenchman with would almost certainly say "Un 'otel", and of course that is where the word comes from. This might explain it, and why we do not say 'an horse'. An 'orse maybe

 

[Crossover]

A Frenchman with would almost certainly say "Un 'otel", and of course that is where the word comes from. This might explain it, and why we do not say 'an horse'. An 'orse maybe

"an 'oss"

 

[SS4]

I always thought the use of "a" or "an" depending on whether the first syllable of the next word was a vowel or a consonant.

 

[Crossover]

I always thought the use of "a" or "an" depending on whether the first syllable of the next word was a vowel or a consonant.

I was always taught when the first letter of the next word was a vowel, it's "an"
There are some where the syllable naturally makes it that too though

 

[Seacook]

I always thought the use of "a" or "an" depending on whether the first syllable of the next word was a vowel or a consonant.

That's inaccurate. It depends on whether the word begins with a vowel sound. For instance, a university, a euphemism (start with a 'y' sound) but an heir (unaspirated, homophone of air), an x-ray machine, an FA cup match (start with an 'e' sound). Words beginning with h are the only ones I can think of where you have a choice and, in speech, most people will pick the indefinite article that fits their pronunciation. Herb was traditionally pronounced 'erb, but there is a shift towards sounding the h. It can therefore be an herb or a herb for different people.