Learn how to fight.
Submitted by McClarinJ on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 05:13
One of the most important weapons is language but many on DP are unskilled in its use. They often use the wrong words and thereby blunt their message.
What set me off was the umpteenth mistaken use of then for than. If you post on blogs it would be good to learn and observe the distinct meanings and uses of these two words.
Than is used when comparing: McCain is older *than* Obama.
Then refers to a time other than now: If McCain drops out, *then* Paul may be nominated.
When we misuse words it is all too easy for others to dismiss us as dullards. If you have a valid point, make it stick with careful, precise, and correct language.
»
Unfortunately
Spell check doesn't fix grammar... Nor does it catch omitted words.
Dd yu knw tht f y mt vwls y cn stll rd whts wrttn wth 98% ccrcy?
Or at least you should be able to.
The question is are you willing to let you mind work that way or are you just going to let your mind split hairs?
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson
"But, indeed, no private person has a right to complain, by suit in court, on the ground of a breach of the Constitution. The Constitution it is true, is a compact, but he is not a party to it."
Another common mistake is
Another common mistake is apostrophe+s. It is almost always possessive:
The exception is when the possessor is "it":
Also:
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Liberty for Dummies
Please back off; the OP has a very valid point.
The English language, when used properly, is a very powerful tool. This tool can be used for good and bad. Some bad lawyers have manipulated the language to change the laws around to suit the situation numerous times. Without good understanding of the English language these manipulations could not have been done. Therefore, we should at least consider attempting to fix these wrongs by the same means. Ron Paul is trying and has been for some time. Representation is a large part of society whether we like it or not. If Obama didn't sound good, people/sheeple wouldn't give him nearly as much thought. He wouldn't have a "cult" or "fan" like following. Had Ron Paul's message not been so clear and concise, I and many others probably would not be supporting him, his message and the constitution as strongly as we have. If grammar is not your strong suit or you're not the best at spelling, don't worry. Reading and writing is practice and following context for words you don't know before consulting the dictionary is a great way for them to stick in your memory, regardless of whether or not you end up having to look up the word(s). Firefox 3.0 has a built-in spellcheck so most of the work is done, though grammar is not considered (their, there, and they're- are all valid spellings but need to be used in proper context). It is true, the schools are generally to blame but nobody is stopping anybody from picking up a book or going online to further their education. At the local library books are generally free for two weeks and can be renewed if you've not had enough time to finish.
Regards
I was just being goofy...
No disrespect intended, McClarinJ makes a very good point. I just couldn't help myself.
I know; I wasn't addressing
I know; I wasn't addressing you. I was addressing the other people such as chonk123.
So, chonk123, today's lesson goes out to you:
Using a contraction allows you to combine certain pairs of words. When using a contraction you will merge the two words and you will generally want to place the contraction where the omitted letters would be.
Example:
also: I am thirsty but I could not find a drinking fountain.
You can use your favorite search engine to find a list of compatible word pairs for contractions.
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Lesson 2: The further farther paradigm.
Too often I see many people incorrectly using these two words.
In all cases where you are representing a physical (tangible) distance, you want to use farther. For example:
In cases where you are representing an intangible amount or time, referring to the progress of something, you would use further. For example:
Add some more lessons if you can people, don't be afraid to share knowledge!
Obama
is not impressive to intellectuall people. He makes ignorance "sound " intellagable. Ron Paul put things very simply. Even a mediocre litterate like me can read and understand him. Obama simply speaks with a tone that sounds as if he is all knowing when in reality he is talking over and around the peoples heads and they really have no clue what he is saying. Ask an Obama supporter. All they can tell you is Change ,he's gonna give us this, he's gonna give us that. Then ask him where he's gonna get the money.. DUHHHHHHHHH What sounds good and is well spoken or written is not always correct, truthful, or even makes real sense. Just because you can sound smart does'nt mean you are. Sometimes its the message not the presentation that you will find the truth.
I agree; although
being able to represent yourself (in Obama's case falsely) to the best of your potential will do nothing but good for you. If you walk into a law firm with a 3-month-old beard that you haven't trimmed once and smell like an ash tray or garbage can, it doesn't matter if you have ten master's degrees as your representation says more about you than paper can. I agree that Obama talks the talk; in my post that's exactly what I said. He sounds good. Sounding good and being good are two completely different things. Being able to understand someone's motive is imperative to being an informed voter. Most people hear a few things Obama says that they understand and clutch them because of how well he speaks. Ron Paul is by far the most straight forward speaking presidential candidate I've ever had the privilege of listening to in my years.
Ron Paul is an awful
Ron Paul is an awful speaker.
So was Thomas Jefferson. Your point?
___________
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www.dvds4delegates.com=Ron Paul, the 44th U.S. President
“Elections are short term efforts; revolutions are long term projects.”
--Ron Paul
Join the rEVOLution here: www.campaignforliberty.com
Ron Paul "Sign Wave Across the USA" -- November 5th!
DeFart is correct
He is correct about everything. He is a god among men. A saint among sinners. A clean piece of toilet paper in a sea of poop.
I wouldn't say Ron Paul is
I wouldn't say Ron Paul is the greatest speaker, but he is thoughtful and researched in what he talks about and is honest- and that is what makes his message so attractive
Obama lost without a
Obama lost without a teleprompter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHUsRTYFAU
Ron Paul is an awesome speaker....
No matter what anybody asks him, he instantly responds with a withering barage of Truth. It truly is amazing. He doesn't even have to think about it. Truth is part of who he is.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khDgz0rODZU&feature=g-upl
No, Ron Paul is a great speaker.
He speaks truth, which is a very rare thing. Is he polished? No, but that is what makes him great. Have you ever heard the term "All show and no go"? That is Obama. Cameron, most people see the style, the glitter, and think that is substance. "All that glitters is not gold". When you start to appreciate what Dr. Paul has been doing, which is simply speaking truth, you will understand how seldom you hear that in your life.
So then than is being used improperly?
Or is it then that is used incorrectly more than than? You might be better at English than me, but then again who isn't. If you know when to use then instead of than, then you might be smarter than a box of rocks. If this is true, then it must mean that than is used properly more than then. If it is then than would be better understood than then, but if you look at both sides of the argument then you might find that then is used properly more than than. Nahwuttahmsain?
Ha, ha!
Very wry :-)
New Hampshire and Ecuador
LOL
Good one then.
--
"Aggressive wars, income taxes, national IDs, domestic spying, torture regimes, secret prisons, Federal Reserve manipulation -- we don't have to take it any more." -- Ron Paul
language is very important
Spelling and grammar errors take the wind out of the sails of the points being made. We get an impression of the writer through the words they choose to use. If a relevant point is being made, but it is full of errors, few will listen or respect the writer. (I hope I didn't make any mistakes...).
If you want to be taken seriously, sharpen up!
Thanks, for the
reminder. Since, I joined a year ago I've written more than I had the previous
20 years. Rusty would be an understatement in describing my writing ability.
Peace and Goodwill
Prepare & Share the Message of Freedom through Positive-Peaceful-Activism.
I consider myself
To be quite a expert in grammar. I had always exceled in it.
Excelled.
See now do'nt I seem rude? Sorry I wo'nt say anymore. I just get upset when people critisize others for thier shortcommings when they have thier own. Sorry to drag you into it PresidentRich. An old cowboy once said to me. "Ya wanna be friends? I'll forgive you for your shortcommings if you forgive me for mine" So I ask you. Do you forgive me for mine? I forgive you for yours and I'll try not to mention it again.
don't and won't
while we're at it, ha,ha!
New Hampshire and Ecuador
AND-------it is 'shortcomings' with one M! : )
(but I forgive you!)
An old cowboy once told me "If someone wants a fight, then give it to 'em!"
No relevance to that quote--just another old cowboy saying that has some truth in it.
Oops
Darn! I started a posts and misspelled a word. Please forgive me. That darn i before e except after c. Anceint. Ancient. Just does'nt look right to me. Hmmm Dislexia strikes again. I have to add to my earlier comment. Some people do deal with disorders such as dislexia. I personally have mild epilepsy and it or my medication affect my concentration at times. Should I not "fight"? You should really think before you judge. I have contributed alot to Ron Paul campaign in my area and made many aware of him. Many in this area voted only because they learned of him through my door to door visits, working local store parking lots,and working at the polls in the freezing rain. (precinct leader) With noone but my husband to help when he could. Joined my county republican committee and educated them on real ID and the NAU. Still do what I can for the rEVOLution. 2 marches in DC been to the general assembly about real id and will be in Minnessota. Maybe you think I should drop out because I might not be as well spoken/written as you? This is a good time to tell you to think before you speak or write (however wellspelled) ;)
I actually agree with you , if you are communicating
clearly, there will be no misintrepretation. OTOH, there is a majority of people in this country who have not been taught what they need to know in the public schools, and they need to be reached ,too. So maybe we can just communicate with everyone on their level.
Libera me, let the truth break, what my fears make--Leslie Phillips
But that man should play the tyrant over God, and find Him a better man than himself, is astonishing drama indeed!~~D. Sayers
There is no difference between an authoritarian government from the right or the left...F. A.Schaeffer
No offense,
but you also have to remember who you are speaking/writing to. They elected George Bush for president in this country.For the most part you are not trying to communicate with what might have been at one time considered a scholar in most cases. I laugh at the thought of a Mccain supporter dismissing the misuse of a few words. Some here on DP are very impressive writers and that is great. When dealing with some plain folk though, you might well do better speaking/ writing in simple language so as to not come off as a smooth talking political type. Being too critical can come off as snobbish and belittling to some. This is more of a chat room setting anyway is'nt it? Obama is well spoken but from what I have seen his suppoters are not. When you speak/write to some you do'nt want to talk over their heads (or is it thier) i before e except after c. Does that apply here? I forget. I am so rusty and have never been a typist. Has'nt been very long since I even started using a computer. I do'nt know how to use the curser thingy to make paragraphs. It always jumps back where I do'nt want it to be. Be patient. Many are new to politics and writing novels is not thier forte. Feel free to edit this if you are totally disgusted. Peace to you . Please do'nt take offense. I understand and respect your point. Just want you to look at it from another angle also. :)
The European Commission have
The European Commission have just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5 year phase-in plan that would be known as "EuroEnglish":
In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favor of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with the "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"'s in the language is disgracful, and they should go away. By the 4th yar, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".
During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaiining "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters. After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer. ZE DREM VIL FINALI KUM TRU!
/Mike
Front Fell Off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcU4t6zRAKg
LOL
I suppose I am allowed to read the last paragraph with a German accent.
I can well imagine they will work on something like this soon.
Dr. Paul cured my apathy
Ron Paul was right
DAMN!?!?!
Now what the HELL am I gonna use all this AMMO FOR??? Why didn't someone mention this earlier? Than I could have save alot of money, and bought grammar classes rather then ammo...DAMMIT!!!
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"Ehhh, What's ups Doc?" B.Bunny "Scwewy Wabbit!"E. Fudd
People's Awareness Coalition: Deprogramming Sequence
wht do u thnk bout talkn lk
wht do u thnk bout talkn lk ths...ne1 thnk itz kewl?
Rn Paw 4 Prez!
lmao