tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post2415873051137499114..comments2023-07-20T00:54:13.638-07:00Comments on Anne Osterlund: The Idiotic English LanguageAnne Osterlundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702393942969672132noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post-46608654004189494242010-12-20T02:33:07.681-08:002010-12-20T02:33:07.681-08:00i am Spanish, and every quote in Spanish starts wi...i am Spanish, and every quote in Spanish starts with a dash and in a new paragraph (I read Girl in the arena too, and they weren't used quite right). When I started reading in English too, it felt weird to read with quote marks. Actually, if you compare English and Spanish books, the English text feels a lot more compact. Actually, it's really curious!<br /><br />(And then, there are the French... I have read some books in french, and quoting there seemed a little random, not always using the same method...)barnsdale11https://www.blogger.com/profile/13411243030270620420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post-90420166305644117982010-11-09T20:41:54.275-08:002010-11-09T20:41:54.275-08:00I personally, have an unending vendetta against th...I personally, have an unending vendetta against the whole "affect/effect," "though/through" thing. I mean, really. What is up with that? And words that aren't pronounced the way you think they are and when you say them wrong, everyone looks at you like you're an idiot. Or the rule that says you can't end a sentence with a preposition and the stupid spell-check has to go and make note of it, like Bill Gates knows more than Shakespeare (never happening).The Seventh-Born Chronicleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08166684246270825454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post-21900525309397194002010-11-08T09:41:00.440-08:002010-11-08T09:41:00.440-08:00You forgot "Your/You're!" BTW, I wou...You forgot "Your/You're!" BTW, I would LOVE to put that last quotation mark BEFORE the exclamation point. It seems to make so much more sense there. :) Anyway, I agree it gets confusing and frustrating - especially for children and ESL students, but it would drive me crazy to see all the variations of these words spelled the same. I AM driven a bit crazy by all the exceptions in our language; mostly by words that SHOULD sound one way, but don't. I don't know how kindergarteners, first and second graders don't go crazy.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15390269408648386607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post-76496592849004296522010-11-07T21:59:49.862-08:002010-11-07T21:59:49.862-08:00Sorry Sarah, but I must say I love a good semicolo...Sorry Sarah, but I must say I love a good semicolon! Wierd, I know. What I do not like is spelling in general. Why must there be an "i" in the word friend, or a "b" in debt? Really, English would have been a whole lot easier if the Latin loving Renaissance humanists would have left well-enough alone. If only phonetic spelling was possible for English. Sigh.Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14001978744559272198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post-49959692451644212372010-11-07T20:25:41.974-08:002010-11-07T20:25:41.974-08:00Semicolons. I hate them.
And, the rule that says...Semicolons. I hate them. <br /><br />And, the rule that says you shouldn't start a sentence with "And".Sarah S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00424019044383698420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4328853808369243473.post-6802493819569806512010-11-07T17:31:57.434-08:002010-11-07T17:31:57.434-08:00Don't forget the wily, not only/but also combi...Don't forget the wily, not only/but also combination! In each sentence, there must not only be the words "not only," but they must also be followed by some combination of "but also." :)Jessicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06493359469313592497noreply@blogger.com