Some stuff drives me nuts.
People can't spell anymore, and don't have one iota of grammatical knowledge in them, which makes them write paragraphs full of mistakes. Nowadays, there are mistakes in every newspapers, magazines, websites and shops. I think I am going to start advertising my services as English proofreader for businesses, I'm sure I'd make loads of money...
People should really try and make an effort, though:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14130854
The reason it drives me crazy is that I am actually what you'd call a foreigner, one of those creatures reviled in some quarters. I'll always remember when I was a teacher in East Ham, and I was asked to teach a weekly class in English language in addition to my normal French lessons. The kids kept saying that I couldn't teach them English because they were English (well, barely 20% of the class, actually) and I was only a foreigner (ha!). Imagine their faces when they realised they didn't know anything about their own language and I did.
It didn't make them study any harder, though.
So:
It's a beautiful day. It is a beautiful day = IT = subject, IS = verb
The bird is beautiful. Its feathers are blue. ITS = possessive = the bird's feathers.
There's a house at the bottom of the road = There is a house at the bottom of the road.
The dogs are brown. Their fur is brown = possessive, the dogs' fur or the fur of the dogs.
and finally: PLURAL is not "apostrophe s". The possessive is "apostrophe s". You say "I love books" and NOT "I love book's".
FF's S.
There.
People can't spell anymore, and don't have one iota of grammatical knowledge in them, which makes them write paragraphs full of mistakes. Nowadays, there are mistakes in every newspapers, magazines, websites and shops. I think I am going to start advertising my services as English proofreader for businesses, I'm sure I'd make loads of money...
People should really try and make an effort, though:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-14130854
The reason it drives me crazy is that I am actually what you'd call a foreigner, one of those creatures reviled in some quarters. I'll always remember when I was a teacher in East Ham, and I was asked to teach a weekly class in English language in addition to my normal French lessons. The kids kept saying that I couldn't teach them English because they were English (well, barely 20% of the class, actually) and I was only a foreigner (ha!). Imagine their faces when they realised they didn't know anything about their own language and I did.
It didn't make them study any harder, though.
So:
It's a beautiful day. It is a beautiful day = IT = subject, IS = verb
The bird is beautiful. Its feathers are blue. ITS = possessive = the bird's feathers.
There's a house at the bottom of the road = There is a house at the bottom of the road.
The dogs are brown. Their fur is brown = possessive, the dogs' fur or the fur of the dogs.
and finally: PLURAL is not "apostrophe s". The possessive is "apostrophe s". You say "I love books" and NOT "I love book's".
FF's S.
There.
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