Quote from manhunter098

Im not sure how much of or how important the etymology of the basic pronouns and simple verbs that we turn into contractions actually are though. Knowing the roots of words definitely makes for a much easier understanding of the language when faced with words you dont know, but there is very little practical value in knowing the etymology of the simple words that are formed into contractions.

Have you never considered that phrases like, "Slippery slope," and, "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile," passed into English because they apply readily to many situations?

Etymology is our heritage: We can have no pride in a single ancient source or since-dead people; our language is not rare, nor are we the last surviving branch on a once expansive tree; there is no proud culture ingrained in our dear English nor a culture speaking it can claim; we have only the unique history of every word we speak--and I'd like to keep the lot of that, thanks.

Quote from Alannaeowyn

Contractions, right? Like "we'll" and "can't"? Oops, I mean "well" and "cant". A couple of days ago one of my English exercises was adding missing punctuation, and a sentence made absolutely no sense to me because the punctuation mark I was supposed to add was an apostrophe in "we'll". And it looked to me like "well". No thanks, dude. I'm keepin' it.

Somebody, quick, design a sentence that is grammatically correct even if "cant" is exchanged for "can't" or "well" for "we'll"--even if they are not both switched around at the same time. The more correct answers available, the better.

Then take the punctuation out, and Alannaeowyn can give it to his (her?) teacher saying that there's only one correct answer, and see if the teacher falls for it. Move, move move!

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I am also in favor of the apostrophe. I think it's significantly easier to tell how something is pronounced with its presence, and without it many words become confusing. There's no reason to change something that has been proven to be effective for hundreds of years, regardless of how much effort it might force a lazy person to exert.

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I say yes, since it's already crammed into my head and if I don't use it, i might get used to not putting apostrophe then make a mistake by not putting apostrophe in English essays which would be a BIG problem...

I voted yes because I believe it will be hard for the foreigners who hardly knows english to understand the contractions if they were to be without appostrophes. Words such as "dont" and "havnt" would seem like new words to the forreigners.

Grammar Nazi mode ON (warning:flaming ahead)

...so you want to get rid of the apostrophe. Why? English isn't even my first language and I didn't go at my English teacher while taking English for the first time in kindergarten crying and whining that I don't want to use the apostrophe.
So why don't you want to use it? Because either people point out you're too stupid to use the apostrophe correctly and so you get laughed at or that you're too lazy to actually reach 5 cm to press ONE key. Well think of all the foreigners who actually had to LEARN English only to end up themselves being the grammar nazis compared to some 11-year-olds that want to screw up the English language because they're too lazy to write intelligibly (l337 I'm looking at you)or try to hide their inability to use both HAND AND BRAIN while writing/typing.
Or because they think it's KEEWL.
Well it's not.
Now re-read the last sentece. If poor little unloved apostrophe would go home to mommy Correct English you'll have the time of you life deciding what the heck whether it's "We'll it's not" or "Well it's not"

And another thing related to the screwing up of English:
You're and your....is it REALLY that hard? English is your goddamn first language and even THAT you can't spell? What about so many people that only speak English on the internet or two hours at school or at random when foreigners call them at work?
Go ahead, abolish the apostrophe. And then abolish all spelling rules, make your and you're interchangeable and then wonder where the hell is America going with all the dumb kids that should be grateful for not having another language shoved down their throats, but even that they can't stomach.

And where I am all classess get English and French shoved down their throats whether they like it or not, along with optional German in some schools and mandatory Hungarian for hungarian minorities. And of course Romanian for everyone. Where spelling could cost you the failing or passing of an exam. And if you fail that respective exam you'll get into a shitty highschool and everyone will point and laugh at you as how you weren't smart enough to pass ONE exam.

And how would it be a "waste"? Moving your little hands 5 cm across the keyboard?

Grammar Nazi mode off </end flaming>

That's just my honest opinion relating to English. And it's only directed to those that are too lazy to write correctly the language they speak for 16 hours a day.

looks at the poll
Who are the idiots that voted to get rid of the apostrophe? With one exception ofcourse.

Sarcasm just doesn't work over the internet.

Absolutely.

Quote from HeavennevaeH

Grammar Nazi mode ON (warning:flaming ahead)

...so you want to get rid of the apostrophe. Why? English isn't even my first language and I didn't go at my English teacher while taking English for the first time in kindergarten crying and whining that I don't want to use the apostrophe.
So why don't you want to use it? Because either people point out you're too stupid to use the apostrophe correctly and so you get laughed at or that you're too lazy to actually reach 5 cm to press ONE key. Well think of all the foreigners who actually had to LEARN English only to end up themselves being the grammar nazis compared to some 11-year-olds that want to screw up the English language because they're too lazy to write intelligibly (l337 I'm looking at you)or try to hide their inability to use both HAND AND BRAIN while writing/typing.
Or because they think it's KEEWL.
Well it's not.
Now re-read the last sentece. If poor little unloved apostrophe would go home to mommy Correct English you'll have the time of you life deciding what the heck whether it's "We'll it's not" or "Well it's not"

And another thing related to the screwing up of English:
You're and your....is it REALLY that hard? English is your goddamn first language and even THAT you can't spell? What about so many people that only speak English on the internet or two hours at school or at random when foreigners call them at work?
Go ahead, abolish the apostrophe. And then abolish all spelling rules, make your and you're interchangeable and then wonder where the hell is America going with all the dumb kids that should be grateful for not having another language shoved down their throats, but even that they can't stomach.

And where I am all classess get English and French shoved down their throats whether they like it or not, along with optional German in some schools and mandatory Hungarian for hungarian minorities. And of course Romanian for everyone. Where spelling could cost you the failing or passing of an exam. And if you fail that respective exam you'll get into a shitty highschool and everyone will point and laugh at you as how you weren't smart enough to pass ONE exam.

And how would it be a "waste"? Moving your little hands 5 cm across the keyboard?

Grammar Nazi mode off </end flaming>

That's just my honest opinion relating to English. And it's only directed to those that are too lazy to write correctly the language they speak for 16 hours a day.

Please be a girl, because reading that makes me think that I'm in love--and I am a dude; if you too are a guy, things could get difficult.

I am the God of Freedom. I am not revered, I have no shrines; and you have never before heard of me nor will you ever hear of me again.

sigh Only lazy and simple minded people don't want to use an apostrophe. I have one thing t say, GET USED TO IT. The apostrophe has been around for a long time and is very well established in the English language. If you get rid of it things like they're, you're, and all possessive forms would get completely screwed up. Example:
"It's Jones." vs "It's Jones'." Two sentences the only difference is an apostrophe, yet their meaning is completely different. Stop being lazy and learn to use the correct punctuation already.

Proud member of the Grammar Gestapo

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I believe the option "huh?" is missing ^_^

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Quote from Pseudopadoz

Quote from HeavennevaeH

Grammar Nazi mode ON (warning:flaming ahead)

...so you want to get rid of the apostrophe. Why? English isn't even my first language and I didn't go at my English teacher while taking English for the first time in kindergarten crying and whining that I don't want to use the apostrophe.
So why don't you want to use it? Because either people point out you're too stupid to use the apostrophe correctly and so you get laughed at or that you're too lazy to actually reach 5 cm to press ONE key. Well think of all the foreigners who actually had to LEARN English only to end up themselves being the grammar nazis compared to some 11-year-olds that want to screw up the English language because they're too lazy to write intelligibly (l337 I'm looking at you)or try to hide their inability to use both HAND AND BRAIN while writing/typing.
Or because they think it's KEEWL.
Well it's not.
Now re-read the last sentece. If poor little unloved apostrophe would go home to mommy Correct English you'll have the time of you life deciding what the heck whether it's "We'll it's not" or "Well it's not"

And another thing related to the screwing up of English:
You're and your....is it REALLY that hard? English is your goddamn first language and even THAT you can't spell? What about so many people that only speak English on the internet or two hours at school or at random when foreigners call them at work?
Go ahead, abolish the apostrophe. And then abolish all spelling rules, make your and you're interchangeable and then wonder where the hell is America going with all the dumb kids that should be grateful for not having another language shoved down their throats, but even that they can't stomach.

And where I am all classess get English and French shoved down their throats whether they like it or not, along with optional German in some schools and mandatory Hungarian for hungarian minorities. And of course Romanian for everyone. Where spelling could cost you the failing or passing of an exam. And if you fail that respective exam you'll get into a shitty highschool and everyone will point and laugh at you as how you weren't smart enough to pass ONE exam.

And how would it be a "waste"? Moving your little hands 5 cm across the keyboard?

Grammar Nazi mode off </end flaming>

That's just my honest opinion relating to English. And it's only directed to those that are too lazy to write correctly the language they speak for 16 hours a day.

Please be a girl, because reading that makes me think that I'm in love--and I am a dude; if you too are a guy, things could get difficult.

You're lucky this time, but I'm considering a sex change. Boobs are too uncomfortable...

Soo....you like grammar classes? 😉

Okay okay back ontopic: see? You're and Youre!...your pick. Or should I say youre pick? 🤣

apostrophes or not dont really matter to me , semi colons on the other hand are a completely different matter .

I've never found out where to put the damn semi-colons ,i only know where to use them in c programming

Okay, I don't think the OP was really serious about this. He probably noticed it in the chat community, where people don't use apostrophes alot, and wondered if this was the direction English Grammar was headed into. o.O

There's no point in flaming. And especially towards him, since he seems to have a decent amount of grammar knowledge, based on his posts.

@HeavennevaeH: I feel your pain. T.T English isn't my first language either, but we have to take that class too. ... With French, ... and German. >_> You can take Spanish classes too, but there's not a chance in hell, that I'll add another language to my repertoire, no matter how impressive it may look like in my resumé. >.<

... What's really irritating though, is English speaking people who can't properly write English. Works on my nerves.

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Errr...I was flaming only towards those that should "feel" targeted by the post 😃 and chatspeak and shit english (from natives nonetheless) is the main reason that makes me wonder if I'm the insane and close-minded one.

And yes, natives speaking worse than the kids failing english at my school is very...how should I put it...makes me...really sad. and I'm perfectly aware my english sucks sometimes too but...atleast I can write Romanian perfectly.

Quote from Dr. Love

... What's really irritating though, is English speaking people who can't properly write English. Works on my nerves.

Indeed. Not to sound like an old fogey (well, maybe a little), but kids these days are beginning to worry me with what they pass as writing and grammar. And I honestly blame the internet for enabling it (that and wireless communication). Informal e-mails and text messages are plagued with mistakes that go unchecked/uncorrected. The sheer abundance of such messages lead many to believe that such mistakes are acceptable or, worse yet, are in fact correct. What's really frightening is that oftentimes the mistakes are perpetuated on purpose. Then people who don't know better (small children, people learning English, etc) are picking this up as the proper way to communicate.

I can imagine that any efforts to correct this will be squelched under "freedom of speech", but to let the mistakes run rampant isn't good either.

Now, that's not to knock you folks who can distinguish the internet and real life. If you only "speak" incorrectly online (because of habit/it's what you prefer), but can transition into correct grammar and spelling in real life, then good for you. I have no problems.

If you can't, well... I wish you the best of luck for the real world, because you're going to leave a crappy first impression with people whom you wish to establish a professional relationship.