Grammar Gremlins: Confusing 'your' for 'you're'

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 11/6/5 | DON K. FERGUSON

[Zaxis]

The one that really irks me, and I see it on the WWW nightly is loser and looser.

It drives me crazy!

[cynicom]

You have a lack of social friends also?

[Noachian]

"If they're there their work has been done there, but not here I hear."

[TBP]

No, I have plenty of friends. Why?

[SoothingDave]

Which usage is (more) proper: "The sales team IS working for better numbers" or "The sales team ARE working for better numbers"? I heard the latter usage this week. Might be an American vs. UK English thing.

Yep. Brits consider collective nouns (Parliament, committee, team, etc.) as a plural. Americans regard such nouns as singular.

What is the proper spelling of the color "grey"? "Gray"?

This is another "divided by a common language" thing. Americans prefer "gray."

SD

[SoothingDave]

Quite often, I write "The data is," and the editor will correct it to "The data are."

That's because "data" is a plural word. The singular is "datum." Widespread usage since the computer age is morphing the term into a singular, but this is not accepted by all parties.

SD

[martin_fierro]

Thenkyew. You have soothed my burning curiosity.

< |:)~

[scrabblehack]

Yes, I know -- I thought my post made it clear that I was aware of the rule. Usually, I choose to ignore the rule, because the word has the force of a singular.

Now if you want a real curve ball (ellipsoid?), look up "datum" as it is defined by geographers. Its plural is "datums."

[dixiechick2000]

"disinterested" VS "uninterested"

Very good point!
I hadn't thought of that.


"I'm beginning to think Henry Higgins was right!"


Oh, I absolutely adore that movie.
And, I'll give you a big Henry Higgins bump!

[nutmeg]

The misuse of "your" is like nails on a blackboard to me.

I agree. Also I've noticed an odd new trend... misuse of the words woman/women. Can't be typos, I've seen it too often. i.e., "I know a women..."

"woman" is singular... "women" is the plural of woman. (geesh!)

Makes me wonder what they're teaching in publik skools these days...

[TBP]

I'm beginning to think Henry Higgins was right about a numerb of things:

"There are some places where English completely disappears. In America, they haven't spoken it for years."

Another Higgins line I've quoted for years and it has never been more relevant or truer than right now:

"The French don't care what they do, actually, as long as they pronounce it properly." (Savage last night called them "the nation of little girls.")

[Publius6961]

The misuse of "your" is like nails on a blackboard to me.

I have run out of patience; it's not rocket science.

If the writer doesn't care enough to deal with fourth grade grammar, I don't need to read the remainder of what he has to say.

Life is too short.