We are better than they are in every way, including grammar.

[Eliot Rosewater]

Capitalizing the first word in a sentence is the minimum we must do; it is a laziness I have submitted to from time to time myself.

Let's do better!

Anything else I missed?

[Blecht]

1. When making a post about grammar,

it is best to avoid making grammar mistakes.

On edit: All better -- that was quick!

[cwydro]

16. Lol.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. Let's

[Towlie]

3. The comma between your two independent clauses should be a semicolon.

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/commas/commas_vs_semicolons.html

Also, "lets" should be "let's."

[Laelth]

4. Two independent clauses may be joined ...

... by a semicolon or by a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction.

-Laelth

[Towlie]

5. Yes, but there was no coordinating conjunction.

[Laelth]

8. Precisely.

The OP displays abysmal grammar.

-Laelth

[Eliot Rosewater]

10. If you made a mistake about something I knew more about than you I would not

respond in such an unnecessary, derogatory way.

Even with your personal insult, I am grateful for the help.

I have never been good in this area, but am annoyed by the capitalizing issue.

As a liberal, if another liberal made a mistake about something I know about, in TEN MILLION years you wouldnt see me respond the way you did.

I would only respond helpfully, maybe make a little joke at your expense but in a lighthearted way....you see for me that is what makes a liberal a liberal, among other things.

[Laelth]

14. Don't be offended, my friend.

There are quite a few English teachers on DU, and many others who are gifted with languages. As a general rule, we DO NOT correct anyone’s grammar, but if you engage with us, we will come out to play.



-Laelth

[Eliot Rosewater]

15. You chose to correct me using a derogatory term, it does NOTHING to further the discussion.

I have lots of problem areas.

Cant think of a list now, but they will come up...

[Laelth]

25. We are better than they.

With that I agree. This thread demonstrates, to a degree, how much better we are.



-Laelth

[Laelth]

6. We are better than THEY.

A nominative case pronoun is required in this case.

-Laelth

[Aristus]

7. God, you guys make me so proud.

Keepin' it real...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. So let's be better than *they* in every way, including grammar.

The sense of the sentence is "We are better than they (are)," so you have to use the subjective they and not the objective them.

[Eliot Rosewater]

11. Thanks...fixed

I would LOVE to have someone constructively correct my grammar, it is one of my biggest problems.

I am not in love with derogatory responses like one other on here, but I will even learn from them.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

19. Get a copy of "The Elements of Style" by Strunk & White.

It's a classic, it's short, and it explains a lot of tricky grammar stuff. It's old but it's been updated, and it's still used by newspapers and writers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style

[Laelth]

12. You were looking for the word "succumbed" as opposed to "submitted."

Admittedly, this is a usage/idiom error and not strictly an error in grammar.

-Laelth

[Eliot Rosewater]

13. Yes, I was, and you were looking for

lack of expertise in grammar instead of abysmal...

[Laelth]

17. That might have been more polite, yes.

Peace. 😎

-Laelth

[cwydro]

18. You're cracking me up here.

Great thread.

[EarthFirst]

20. "Let's eat grandma..."

Or “Lets eat; grandma...”

This will make a big difference during your July 4th celebration...

[Laelth]

22. As my friend DFW has noted ...

... good grammar is the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you’re shit.

-Laelth

[Laelth]

21. Your OP headline is a complete sentence.

It should end with a period.

That’s all I have.

Sorry if I was too harsh. I have read a lot of bad college papers in my time. As a result, my tolerance for poor grammar is low. That’s why I ignore grammar on DU. I recommend that you do the same.

-Laelth

[ClearSky24]

23. Ok.

This thread is hilarious.

[Binkie The Clown]

24. This is your final warning

[DFW]

26. My votes for the worst offenders

1. The use of an apostrophe to form a plural. No school anywhere in the English-speaking world ever taught children to do this. Except for the Official Dictionary of Republicanese, no school ever taught a child to do this, so it had to come from an overdose of right-wing blog posts. California is not a state where most voters are Democrat’s. It IS a state where most voters are Democrats. An apostrophe indicates possession or a contraction, not a plural.

2. Failing to use the accusative when warranted. If you want to say a driver is coming to get you, you say, “a driver is coming to get me.” You do NOT say, “a driver is coming to get I.” Therefore, if said driver is coming for the two of us, you say, “a driver is coming to get you and me,” and never “a driver is coming to get you and I.” It is never correct to say “to you and I” or “for you and I,” even if Jim Morrison made that very mistake in “Touch Me.”