Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> In fairness, it wasn't until recently that I discovered that these are 
> actually different words with subtly different meanings.

There's also "which" and "that", which mean two different things and 
need (at least in american) different punctuation nearby.

And "farther" vs "further".

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)

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Mike Raiford wrote:
>
>> - People who write "i.e." when they actually mean "e.g."
> 
> Oh, now it's personal! I used to have a problem with i.e. and e.g.
> 
> I know now to use i.e. when I mean "In other words ..." and e.g. when I
> mean "for example"
> 
> of course, I still get them screwed up.
> 

It's really easy to mix "i.e." as "in example". I think I've done that
pretty much.

-Aero

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Invisible wrote:
> - Sentences that begin and end with "please". (Surely once is enough?)

<sings> Please please me, oh yeah, like I please you.

John

-- 
"Eppur si muove" - Galileo Galilei

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Doctor John wrote:

> <sings> Please please me, oh yeah, like I please you.

Please stop singing. :-S

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> > - People who constantly confuse the words "than" and "then".

> In fairness, it wasn't until recently that I discovered that these are 
> actually different words with subtly different meanings.

  Subtly different meanings? They have *completely* different meanings.

  "Than" is used when comparing things. "My house is bigger than yours."

  "Then" is used when some event succeeds another, or to describe a moment
in time. "He arrived and only then he noticed that something was missing."
"Back then I was so naive."

  The two words are not related in any way.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> Or commas. Or, most recently, quotation marks to "mean" emphasis.

  Using quotation marks to express irony is perfectly valid in most languages,
including English.

  For example: My brother claimed he was "too busy" to help me.

  Other usages, as listed by wikipedia:

* indicate descriptive but unusual, colloquial, folksy words or phrases
* indicate descriptive but startling, humorous, or metaphoric words or phrases
* distance the writer from the terminology in question so as not to be
  associated with it. For example, to indicate that a quoted word is not
  official terminology, or that a quoted phrase pre-supposes things that
  the author does not necessarily agree with.
* indicate special terminology that should be identified for accuracy's sake
  as someone else's terminology, for example if a term (particularly a
  controversial term) pre-dates the writer or represents the views of
  someone else, perhaps without judgement

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> Doctor John wrote:
> 
>> <sings> Please please me, oh yeah, like I please you.
> 
> Please stop singing. :-S
> 
Please stop your pleas!!!!!! Please?
:-D

John

-- 
"Eppur si muove" - Galileo Galilei

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Warp wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>> Or commas. Or, most recently, quotation marks to "mean" emphasis.
> 
>   Using quotation marks to express irony is perfectly valid in most languages,
> including English.

Yes, exactly. They're quotation marks. They are quoting what you 
surround them with, which is to say, they're marking what's inside as to 
be interpreted as the words themselves rather than as the meaning of the 
words.

>   For example: My brother claimed he was "too busy" to help me.

Well, I'd call that more "skepticism" than "irony."  But that's just my 
point. By putting it in quotes, you're saying this is what your brother 
said, and explicitly implying that his words didn't match the reality.

But if you write
    I really "did" want him to win the election.
rather than
    I really *did* want him to win the election.
then it comes out looking exactly opposite of what was intended.

> * indicate descriptive but unusual, colloquial, folksy words or phrases
> * indicate descriptive but startling, humorous, or metaphoric words or phrases

Yep and yep. In both cases, you're pointing out that the reader should 
pay attention to the words itself and not just their meaning.

> * distance the writer from the terminology in question so as not to be
>   associated with it. For example, to indicate that a quoted word is not
>   official terminology, or that a quoted phrase pre-supposes things that
>   the author does not necessarily agree with.

Right. And when you use quote marks for *emphasis*, this is exactly what 
happens. By using quote marks to mean you extra-agree, and you trigger 
most peoples' "I'm distancing myself from this statement" understanding, 
you're defeating the purpose.

> * indicate special terminology that should be identified for accuracy's sake
>   as someone else's terminology, for example if a term (particularly a
>   controversial term) pre-dates the writer or represents the views of
>   someone else, perhaps without judgement

Yes. These are all valid forms of quotes.

For example,
   By the way, Sally said hello.
is different from
   By the way, Sally said "Hello."

In the latter, that's the exact words she used. In the former, she might 
have said "Give Joe my regards when you see him."


I have nothing against quote marks used properly. It's when someone says 
  he "really" means it, it's just completely confusing. :-)

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)

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Darren New wrote:
> But if you write
>    I really "did" want him to win the election.
> rather than
>    I really *did* want him to win the election.
> then it comes out looking exactly opposite of what was intended.

Or maybe a better example, if you write
    I really did want him to *win* the election.
it means he lost, but came close or otherwise did a good job, and you 
wanted success.

If you write
    I really did want him to "win" the election.
it means you'd rather he stuffed the ballot boxes and cheated in order 
to be elected in spite of the fact he didn't actually get enough votes.

Completely different meanings.

-- 
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)

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Invisible wrote:
> - Misuse of the apostrophe. (There's, like, 4 rules or something. Even a
> retard like me can understand it!)

I recall someone on IRC who thought "meant" was written "mean't", and when I
told him it didn't have an apostrophe he was seriously surprised (he had
always written it that way).

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