Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/05/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ironically, most of the folks who use "it's vs. its" and "compliment vs. complement" incorrectly seem to be English as a first language folks. I suspect that the biologists are less prone to make the latter error. I blame it on the person who came up with the word "complement". He/she should have used a less confusing word. How about loath vs. loathe? By the way, when you say something like "B&W photography is his forte", it is pronounced "fort" rather than "forte'" (which is a term in music). That is misused so often, I'm loath (or is it loathe?) to even *use* the term when speaking. This is one that will probably eventually officially be changed to the *wrong* pronunciation simply so Americans don't look so dumb mispronouncing it all of the time.. Jeffery Smith (the grammar police, who knows better than to mention it out of context) New Orleans, LA -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Oliver Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 8:47 AM To: Users Group Leica Subject: [Leica] "Even us natives don't write English good" Buzz wrote: <snip> I add my applause for all the non-native speakers who join the LUG dialogue in English. I only wish a couple of us native English speakers made even the smallest effort at writing clearly. Buzz Hausner" I hope that there will be more than a couple. May I suggest "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss, subtitled "a zero tolerance approach to punctuation". The book is a most entertaining discourse on misplaced apostrophes (as in "its" vs. "it's") and other ways of mangling the English language. Oliver Bryk (English was not my first language) _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information