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Pedants' corner

“ Lose” and “loose”

(35 Posts)
MawBroon Mon 10-Sep-18 09:31:31

Is the inability to spell the former really so widespread?
Or are spellcheckers incapable of picking it up?
They don’t even sound the same - “loose” pronounced looss means not tight fitting
“Lose” pronounced looz (or even “loos”) means to shed or possibly be unable to find.

Charleygirl Mon 10-Sep-18 09:34:25

I agree Maw it drives me crazy.

Also the number of dinning tables for sale in my area is unbelievable!

Daddima Mon 10-Sep-18 09:52:01

Yes, ‘ loosing’ weight is a popular topic for discussion.

The unnecessary apostrophe in plurals is my own irritant, and it seems it is being regarded by many as acceptable if the word ends in a vowel, like ‘ sofa’s’ and’ pizza’s’.

And as for ‘ would of’ and ‘ had of’............

Anniebach Mon 10-Sep-18 09:53:30

I must annoy a lot of posters ?

PamelaJ1 Mon 10-Sep-18 09:54:02

I just thought that the poster had just held her finger down tooo long.?

CassieJ Mon 10-Sep-18 10:03:36

Drives me mad too!! Problem with spell checkers is that both lose and loose are spelt correctly, so it won't pick this up. You need to do grammar checks smile

silverlining48 Mon 10-Sep-18 10:17:04

There and their also very common.

Scribbles Mon 10-Sep-18 10:23:47

Daddima, I wish my excess weight was loose - that might make it easier to lose!

One of my current bugbears is the confusion of affect with effect. (I say "one of..." because, now I come to think of it, I do have quite a few. smile )

Charleygirl Mon 10-Sep-18 10:24:45

I have to thank my Scottish education- I did not appreciate all the grammar lessons at the time but something has penetrated.

J52 Mon 10-Sep-18 10:30:00

This annoys me as well. I always taught student this:

Loose, two Os makes my waist band loose.
Lose, one O, it’s lost one.

Not perfect, but it did help.

MawBroon Mon 10-Sep-18 10:31:34

Likewise Charleygirl ?????????????????????grin

Elegran Mon 10-Sep-18 10:47:11

Yes, "Cry havoc, and let loose the dogs of war" doesn't mean that the dogs of war will get lost and vanish. If only!

Cherrytree59 Mon 10-Sep-18 12:10:58

Is this not a thread about a thread?
The thread 'Can you loose weight at 65?' is still on the active threads
and this thread may unfortunately cause the gransnetter embarrassment or upset.

Jalima1108 Mon 10-Sep-18 12:13:48

If you lose weight your clothes become looser

(that's the theory, anyway)

MawBroon Mon 10-Sep-18 12:22:30

No it is not a thread about a thread.
This is Pedants’ Corner where such things are a legitimate topic.

Scribbles Mon 10-Sep-18 12:23:09

I, for one, hadn't seen the thread about weight loss over 65 until after I'd responded to this one.

sodapop Mon 10-Sep-18 12:25:05

It's Pedants Corner Cherrytree so not a thread about a thread. I have seen 'lose' and 'loose' used wrongly on many occasions, in books, in newspapers etc. And the ubiquitous
'I was sat '.

Cherrytree59 Mon 10-Sep-18 12:25:46

I would not like another gnetter to be embarrassed or upset.
As I said the other thread is still on active.

jenpax Mon 10-Sep-18 12:25:55

I love pedants corner ?

MawBroon Mon 10-Sep-18 12:57:36

TBH cherrytree I could probably pick out half a dozen instances of “lose/loose”, “you’re/your” and “they’re/ their/there” on assorted threads if I could be bothered.
But I can’t.
Other people have their rants, why should ‘t I?

petunia Mon 10-Sep-18 13:28:40

Haha. It was my post about weight loss. In my defence it was the spell checker and me being in a hurry. Im not hurt or upset. In the scheme of things it is nothing.

Charleygirl Mon 10-Sep-18 14:08:14

Maw part of the problem is that many did not have the Scottish education that you and I had so will not know or notice the error of their ways.

NanaMacGeek Mon 10-Sep-18 15:43:00

I always think about a goose loose in the rain (Mr Forgetful)! But have to consider the spelling of choose by thinking of the past tense, chose. (Also, pronouncing noose and nose, is it that 'lose' is an exception to the rules of pronunciation in this case? Are there actually any rules?)

Then there are the following:- cough, tough, trough, chough, rough, bough, bought and taught! The only way to pronounce these properly must be to learn them. Oh isn't our language interesting (to a pedant)?

Jalima1108 Mon 10-Sep-18 15:51:01

petunia as long as you lose that's all that matters!
and your clothes become looser grin

Doodle Mon 10-Sep-18 19:33:57

I didn't mean to do it maw
Coz I like you a lot
I know you are a pedant
But somehow I forgot

I manage their and they're with ease
My there is always right
I'm good with you and your and you're
Effect, affect and write

I use my spell check often
As my spelling is not good
A dictionary won't work for me
Though I suppose it should

Dyslexic is the word they use
For those who cannot spell.
They could have found a shorter word,
As I get that wrong as well.

At school they taught us spelling rhymes
To help us remember how
To understand the differences
Between no and know and now

But lose and loose are my downfall
It makes me want to cry
I just don't know which is which
No matter how I try.

Now maw you are a kindly soul
And I wouldn't want you to fret
So to save us both embarrassment
I'll call it the Toi-let