How Many People Here Use "Loose" When They Mean "Lose"?

[Dak]

Aide memouirs from someone who can't spell:

 

I must admit that I find that people use these words interchangeably and I am not trying to be pedantic but I just wondered when people get confused about the words: "loose" and "lose"?

 

If an 'o' comes loose, it might fall off and get lost

 

Your and You're - one of my biggest peeves...

 

punctuation: the apostrophy replaces something that isn't there. hence, you're == you are.

 

your is the other one (i.e., possessive).

 

there, their and they're - my second biggest peeve...

 

they're == they are. their and there I just remember i suppose.

 

One that most people get wrong is when to use "that" vs. "which."

 

'which' allways follows a comma (?)

 

The 'wether' homonyms bug me. are we talking wether tis nobler, or wether tis sunny?

[1nc4rnation]

lol im prety shure most of you no I have promblems with all of the grammer in my post

I think I'm going to be sick..

[bascule]

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs.

 

Remember to never split an infinitive. The passive voice should never be used. Do not put statements in the negative form. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. Proofread carefully to see if you words out. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing. A writer must not shift your point of view. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with. Don't overuse exclamation marks!! Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. Always pick on the correct idiom. The adverb always follows the verb. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

[D H]

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's. It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs.

In short, it's a contraction.

 

A writer must not shift your point of view.

Note to self: Always make intentional mistakes when posting in a thread on grammar. That way the inadvertent mistakes come off as intentional.

 

There's nothing wrong with "A writer must not shift their point of view." If using they in the singular was good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for me. If that rubs against you too much, "Writers must not shift their point of view." I like either a lot better than "A writer must not shift his/her point of view" (or whatever is correct now).

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

There's nothing wrong with "A writer must not shift their point of view." If using they in the singular was good enough for Shakespeare, it's good enough for me. If that rubs against you too much, "Writers must not shift their point of view." I like either a lot better than "A writer must not shift his/her point of view" (or whatever is correct now).

My edition of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style says that "A writer must not shift his point of view" is the preferred method, because "his/her" and all the other gender-neutral methods either mix plural and singular or sound dumb. I think they may have changed that in later editions though.

[Severian]

Considering "loose" and "lose" are pronounced and spelled differently, I would imagine they are fairly hard to get mixed up. Just as "their" and "there" are pronounced and spelled differently, so hard to get mixed up.