Apr
30
For the record, I am writing this post because I love you, not because I want to poke fun at anyone and certainly not because I fancy myself some Grammar Queen or something. No, I do not delight in pointing out every misspelling or improperly-used word I see.
(Gabe may beg to differ. And I probably do correct people more than I realize, but I do really try to let stuff go, because really? Who likes to be around a smarty-pants? NOT ME.)
HOWEVER, I’ve seen one particular mistake about 46 times in the past little while and felt the need to make a Public Service Announcement.
You might not believe me, but there’s actually an honest-to-goodness word in the English language spelled L-O-S-E, as in, “I hope we don’t LOSE the game,” said Olivia. I know some of you didn’t know that such a word existed, because when you want to talk about losing games, you spell it L-O-O-S-I-N-G.
In your defense, the word LOSE sure doesn’t look like it rhymes with CRUISE, but it does.
There IS a word spelled L-O-O-S-E, but it’s used to describe things like “Ava’s LOOSE tooth” or “Don’t tell Marla, but I think she has a few screws LOOSE.”
The whole LOOSE TOOTH thing is actually your key to remembering. LOOSE and TOOTH both have two O’s.
And I don’t know how to tell you to remember how to spell LOSE. Suggestions anyone?
And while we’re at it, does anyone have any other mnemonic devices to help us remember confusing grammar/spelling rules?
Happy Weekend!
p.s. If it makes you feel any better, I HATE the words further and farther, because even if I’m 98% sure I’m using the right one, I still pause in anguish before I let it leave my tongue.
The one that gets me:
Dessert – after dinner treat
Desert – arid, sandy terrain
My tip…You want seconds of dessert and want to walk the desert once. So you want two “s” with dessert and only one with desert.
Oh how I loathe poor grammar! I know we can all make the occasional mistake but on a Facebook status or, heaven help me, on a church sign (or any public sign for that matter)–that’s the worst! I just want to pull in to the place of business and tell them to FIX.IT!
We do Shurley Grammar for homeschool and it has great “jingles” that help us remember parts of speech, their jobs, etc..it’s awesome!
Oh, and if it wasn’t clear “what Janelle does” — it’s just give up and write. (My post didn’t make as much sense as I thought it did without that clarification!)
I think, after reading all these comments, that I’m going to do what Janelle does.
Who knows how many people I’ve infuriated with my grammar mistakes? Possibly hundreds!
Lose = LOSE an “O”
I gave up….and just write……. “sad but true”
It makes me a little crazy when on blogs I see “Viola” instead of “Voila”. It’s usually used this way — “Complete this final step and — viola — you are done”. I get a bit cranky.
Okay…so I’m hopping that I wasnt the won that maid that mistake that you mentioned, because I wood feel sew sew sew bad!!!
their and there, your and you’re, who and whom bug me all the time!
loving you!
Colleen
Ha! That bothers me, too! Lose vs. Loose. I’m afraid of how much I will correct my children someday. Lord, give me wisdom…
HA! Love that I misspelled, or at least mis-typed, “spelling” above. Hehehehe! And for “dessert” vs “desert” I learned it as “sand or sugar and spice?” Love these little tips!
Oh girl, we are cut from the same cloth! I wasn’t a pelling bee queen for nothin’!
deanna made me laugh!! My boss and I spent 20 minutes yesterday parsing the difference between “affect” and “effect”. I love my job for so many reasons!
But here’s my big bugaboo! The apostrophe “s” when pluralizing things!! AACCCKK!! Makes me nuts! And by people who should know better!! There’s a cereal at Trader Joe’s with the offending apostrophe right on the front of the box! The way I learned it as a kid was pretty clever, I think. Say I can’t decide whether or not to put the apostrophe in this sentence “So many book’s/books, so little time!” My teacher taught us to ask ourselves two questions…does the book own an apostrophe? How many? Meaning, are you trying to convey possession? Or are you trying to convey multiples of something? The question is a little goofy, but at least it made 3rd graders think about why the apostrophe was there. And then she made the point that you also use it anytime you combine words…just like with “didn’t” or “isn’t”, when you make “where is” “where’s”, use the apostrophe! And for heaven’s sake, just memorize the difference between it’s and its!
Off to pour a bowl of Joe’s O’s and contemplate writing a letter!
Oooh, the “further” and “farther” thing gets me too…I never know which is correct!