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Whatever happened to grammar and spelling?

(231 Posts)
CariGransnet (GNHQ) Thu 27-Sept-12 08:42:20

This week's guest blog post is one to appeal to the pedants amongst us <raises hand enthusiastically>

Do add your comments here.

The authors of the post - Katherine Fry and Rowena Kirton - have two signed copies of their book to give away and will be picking their favourite comments left between now and midday on Thurs 4 October to win them. It goes without saying that comments are welcome at any time - not just up to the closing date.

Ana Mon 01-Oct-12 21:39:21

I hope they aren't! I haven't seen any evidence of it - but perhaps I'm not looking in the right places...hmm

NfkDumpling Mon 01-Oct-12 21:16:50

Ok, I know that cant and wont are words in their own right (although my iPad doesn't). I meant that can't and won't are evolving into cant and wont. Especially wont. Perhaps we have too many apostrophes?!

Ana Mon 01-Oct-12 18:06:00

Interesting comments below the video!

nanaej Mon 01-Oct-12 17:58:46

Hi just catching up...been busy working in a school and doing some inspecting of nurseries so not logged on for ages. All I will say is that the 'person in the street' has been fed the line that standards are declining but actually no evidence out there to prove it! It is a case of drip drip drip with auto-suggestion and people think it is true!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPJ_ZEBh1Bk&list=UU4NkS_w8o50U6jw2oksEMxQ&index=2&feature=plcp

Suggest anyone who thinks kids have an easy time watch this horrific DVD. These children are 5/6 yrs old.

gramps Mon 01-Oct-12 17:20:12

Me and my big nose!!

Ana Mon 01-Oct-12 12:34:13

The flowers are lovely, thank you gramps! smile
(I didn't know you subscribed to the Architectural Digest - did you have a nose-related accident with it?)

gramps Mon 01-Oct-12 12:21:03

I'm always getting myself into trouble, saying things or misunderstanding summat!

I hope you liked the flowers Ana. They looked ok but my sense of smell is not too good these days!

Probably due to "AD"!

Ana Mon 01-Oct-12 12:13:41

I don't see how, gramps, as I had already pointed out in my post that 'cant' and 'wont' are words in their own right and obviously I knew what they meant....confused

gramps Mon 01-Oct-12 12:12:02

Hope I didn't embarras you Ana. Not intentional! flowers

soop Mon 01-Oct-12 11:36:32

Nellie...go for it, you are a natural people person...huge grin and warm (hug)

Ana Mon 01-Oct-12 10:59:59

gramps - thanks, but I did know that! wink

Grossi Mon 01-Oct-12 10:56:08

I can't help thinking that none of the discussion on this thread so far is likely to encourage Katherine Fry and Rowena Kirton to give away one of their books!

JO4 Mon 01-Oct-12 10:26:54

Yes! *You're right Gramps.

And - "Constance, as was her wont, left early".

gramps Sun 30-Sept-12 23:01:00

Hi Ana,
Can't is an abreviation of "can not". cant is to do with a form of speech!

I'm sure one of our Teachers will correct me if I'm wrong. I may have misread the post of course!!

Ana Sun 30-Sept-12 22:51:52

g

Ana Sun 30-Sept-12 22:51:31

Cant and wont are words in their own right, NfkDumplint!

NfkDumpling Sun 30-Sept-12 22:45:12

That must have been a dialect 'cant'! I think 't is slowly vanishing as the words cant and wont are becoming words in their own right. Like 'til is now mostly til.

Personally I find the inability to distinguish there, their and they're most annoying.

And Good Luck for tomorrow Nellie!

gracesmum Sun 30-Sept-12 22:37:39

Nor sure why this is on this thread, but GOOD LUCK in your new job from me too!

gramps Sun 30-Sept-12 22:21:21

Netty, should "cant" be "can't". (just testing!) smile

hilary1 Sun 30-Sept-12 22:03:21

should add, the spelling error was not the reason for the change!

hilary1 Sun 30-Sept-12 22:01:31

think I may suffer from OCD relating to spelling - the gym I used had a notice saying, "please leave the cubical as you would wish to find it" - had to amend it to cubicle, the cleaner then erased my amendment and, guess what, I felt compelled to amend it again - changed my gym to one without 'cubicles' - felt so much happier!

whenim64 Sun 30-Sept-12 20:42:20

Good luck nellie you're going into a grand job. Hope your first day goes well flowers

Marelli Sun 30-Sept-12 20:33:14

Oh Nellie - it's tomorrow you start! I was thinking it was last Monday (I've been away all week)! Like nightowl, I loved my job in social care - though my job was 'health and social care', like yours will be. I'd found my niche - and so will you! You'll be perfect for the job! Good luck - we'll all be thinking about you! flowers

Littlenellie Sun 30-Sept-12 20:27:05

Oh wow thank you all,am nervous but excited,hope I come up to scratch,better get an early night xxxxxlove nellie

Bags Sun 30-Sept-12 20:08:58

Good luck in your new job, nellie. Be thinking of you flowers