There, Their, They're

[Mum2SweetCs]

Drop the other name and see if it sounds right ie "James and me went to the footy". Would "Me went to the footy" be ok?

That is a good tip!! thanks!!!!!!!!

[maz]

Something else to ponder as Raupe got my mind ticking...

Australia is so multicultural....many of us having parents where (now is that correct??) English is their second language (if at all) which makes it quiet hard as a child growing up and not having their parents help them with the 'little things' like correct grammar, spelling ect.

I miss spell stuff all the time, quiet obviously dont use the correct format for some (as I feel this was started after something I posted on facebook ) but hey, im not perfect nor do I pretend to be.

I am finding this thread hard to read, confussing for my little pea brain to process but I suppose thats what its ment to do now

[Fleur]

I thought there was a difference. Tennis Practise or a Doctors Practice? Feel me?

I thought they were different too...

Onyx, are you talking about the red line as in Word, spell check? I change my dictionary language to Australian, gets rid of a lot of wrong 'corrections'

[Bathsheba]

Maz: No! This thread was mainly started because of a discussion with my 16yo DD! She STILL can't wrap her head around the different uses of "their, they're, there". Up until recently she said that she didn't care. We used to lock horns about it. But the other day (when I corrected her on FB) she actually said "thanks" in a non-annoyed way. Then she added that she's decided that she now cares about her spelling because she now cares if people think she is literate or not. This change has come about from her changing schools... previously she failed everything and was totally disengaged from learning... but at her new school she has surprised herself by doing really well. She is now gaining confidence and is wanting to build on it. Hence her "fine tuning". So I was just wondering whether other people wanted to do some fine tuning too

I'm learning a fair bit in this thread! Thanks everyone

Lulu: Practise and practice: I'm fairly certain that one relates to a doctor's surgery and one relates to doing something over and over... but like you i sometimes get them mixed up. The same thing applies to principal and principle... but I can remember that the "pal" version is for the headmaster.

[Phteven]

Easiest way not to get the practice/ise thing mixed up (if you don't want to do as the Americans and spell them both the same) is to remember that ice is a noun.
Fleur, I have my computer set to British spelling but for some reason it randomly goes back to American every now and then.

[Bathsheba]

So "practice" is the surgery?

[Phteven]

^yep.

[~Trish~]

The same thing applies to principal and principle... but I can remember that the "pal" version is for the headmaster.

I only remember the difference thanks to an episode of The Simpsons LOL! I remember someone (maybe Ned Flanders?) saying "I'll put the 'Pal' back into 'Principal'!" (or something like that ).

I love this thread, I am learning great ways to remember things!

Maz - Eek, I hope you don't think the thread is directed at you . I can't imagine Bath would have started a thread aimed at someone in particular, she's a pretty sensitive soul . Of course there will be those that don't always spell things the "correct" way, etc. We all come from completely different backgrounds and good on everyone for communicating in any way shape or form! I think this thread has just attracted nerds like me who enjoy discussing how the English language works. I have to admit that English was one of my favourite subjects in Highschool (should that be two words? ) and I'm a big bookworm (insert "nerd" again here if you like ).

Onyx, I am in awe of your knowledge!

[Jellyfish]

A pretty easy mistake to make is between LESS and FEWER. I'm not great at explaining but basically, less is used for mass nouns and fewer for count nouns; less sand, fewer people. An example of a sign that gets it wrong and therefore continually fuels the flame inside me; '10 items or less' should be '10 items or fewer'. Just to be fun the distinction between mass nouns and count nouns can be confusing! Oh and in regards to time, distance or money less is the correct term.

[Phteven]

lol, I just faffed practice. Clearly the American spelling is practice because my computer refuses to acknowledge that is practise is a word regardless of which dictionary I use lol.

[Bathsheba]

You're only human Onyx... LOL so "practiSe" is the surgery?

Jellyfish: Well there you go! I didn't know any of that! Thanks

[Phteven]

No Bath, pratiCe is the surgery.

I always thought that American spelling was with the S so just so long as I used the S I could use the same word for both and justify by saying I used American spelling. Turns out that the American spelling is practiCe for both the verb and the noun- those tricky yanks.

Are you really confuded now? Lol.

Lots of linguists argue that we no longer have English we have Englishes that are going to become increasingly fractured just as Latin did. I'm feeling it right now.

[Bathsheba]

ok good... I'm going to remember that for Coughs and Colds and other Complaints go to see the doctor at his practiCe!

[Jellyfish]

The way I remember practiCe and practiSe is;
PractiSe: Striving for excellence
PractiCe: Coughs and Colds (as you mentioned Bath)

[ladybird11]

What about 'to' and 'too'.

Are my examples right:

"I love you too"

"I am going to the shops"

[LimeSlice]

Am I the only person in the world that still puts the 'n' on the end of albumn? The 'mme' on programme?
I feel silly it bugs me!