There, Their and They're - why does this seem to be more an Irish thing?

hatrickpatrick

I was just reading an article on entertainment.ie in which they mixed up "there" and "their". Not a big deal, I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but it got me thinking: This particular mix-up is very common in Ireland. I don't tend to see it on other forums for example, but you get it a lot around here. Which got me thinking: Why is this such an Irish thing? Does it have its roots in the Irish language perhaps?

homemadecider

People are stupid.

Where To

Theirs no way there going to like that they're.

snubbleste

I avoid it by using der
Der sitting der on der wholes

devotional1993

Quite and quiet is another mistake I notice quiet a bit

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

This is very common and annoying but no way is it an Irish thing.

summerskin

been and being is the one that seems most prevalent in ireland to me, rarely seen it anywhere else.

Elvis_Presley

should have and should of - another example

Thrill

It's common on every English language forum.

Also common are those who moan about it.

krudler

Your always going to find people that have spelling that annoys you're inner grammar Nazi.

nbar12

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I was just reading an article on entertainment.ie in which they mixed up "there" and "their". Not a big deal, I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but it got me thinking: This particular mix-up is very common in Ireland. I don't tend to see it on other forums for example, but you get it a lot around here. Which got me thinking: Why is this such an Irish thing? Does it have its roots in the Irish language perhaps?

It is also very common in Britain, especially on http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html These so called "journalists" even manage to get "lose" and "loose" mixed up which reallllly bugs me!

Rothko

It's not an Irish thing.

Mint Sauce

<queue posters checking OP for grammar and spelling mistakes>

davet82

irish-stew wrote: »

<queue posters checking OP for grammar and spelling mistakes>

fcuk it, he's clean

fishy fishy

could be reading the most intelligent posts ever, but once I see the their/there mistake, all the credibility of the post goes out the window.

Same goes for I would OF/ I would HAVE

and in conversation anyone who calls the word SIXTH, as SICTH - I walk away.

Any key?

As an Irish living abroad gotta say DEFO not just an Irish thing..oh my days the things I've seen and heard over here.

davet82

your and you're are also common...

anytime i see it i have to bite my tongue fingers

holystungun9

Any key? wrote: »

As an Irish living abroad gotta say DEFO not just an Irish thing..oh my days the things I've seen and heard over here.

As an Irish what?

davet82

holystungun9 wrote: »

As an Irish what?

grammar nazi

ejmaztec

Are and our seem to be quite popular these days.

It doesn't matter to me when people confuse the two, but when a professional firm does it, it doesn't make them sound too professional. There's one in the Prison Forum trying to wriggle out of a ban.

Are aim with Boards.ie is to share our knowledge and experience.

Sleepy

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I was just reading an article on entertainment.ie in which they mixed up "there" and "their". Not a big deal, I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but it got me thinking: This particular mix-up is very common in Ireland. I don't tend to see it on other forums for example, but you get it a lot around here. Which got me thinking: Why is this such an Irish thing? Does it have its roots in the Irish language perhaps?

Maybe in does. Or rather, maybe the amount of time wasted in our schools flogging that dead horse means there's not enough time to teach children the grammar of their native tongue...

Funglegunk

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I was just reading an article on entertainment.ie in which they mixed up "there" and "their". Not a big deal, I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but it got me thinking: This particular mix-up is very common in Ireland. I don't tend to see it on other forums for example, but you get it a lot around here. Which got me thinking: Why is this such an Irish thing? Does it have its roots in the Irish language perhaps?

Possibly because you interact more with Irish media, Irish people?

Tzetze

Well seen as were been Nazical on grammar, it has to be said that are grasp of english as a hole is a loosing battle. Their maybe some hope in the future do.

The first time I saw 'do' at the end of a sentence like that it took me a long time to realise that it was the phonetical spelling of 'though'. -.^

hatrickpatrick

Elvis_Presley wrote: »

should have and should of - another example

That's an American one, and one of the very few grammar mess ups that actually p*sses me off, simply because reading it should make it extremely obvious that it makes no sense.

Very much like "I could care less", I mean it doesn't make sense on any level at all. Some Americans say "Like I could care less" or "As if I could care less" which is probably where that comes from

shopaholic01

'I seen' and 'I done' are what really annoy me.

hatrickpatrick

Funglegunk wrote: »

Possibly because you interact more with Irish media, Irish people?

Thing is I don't, I spend a huge amount of time reading international news websites, blogs etc and I genuinely do notice this far more in Irish ones.

wendell borton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AQSLozK7aA

smash

shopaholic01 wrote: »

'I seen' and 'I done' are what really annoy me.

I want to slap people when they talk like that. Or "I do be doing"...

J. Marston

I wouldn't loose sleep over it, OP.

smash

smash wrote: »

I want to slap people when they talk like that. Or "I do be doing"...

I does be hard.

Chuck Stone

Them their people should of learned better in school. Maybe they should go back they're to learn more better english.

Their a pack of eejits and could of learned more better if they'd payed attenshun in school.

OldNotWIse

Drives me speir when people make this mistake

davet82

davet82 wrote: »

fcuk it, he's clean

Eh, no he wasn't.
I'm just hoping it was deliberate.

gustavo

smash wrote: »

I want to slap people when they talk like that. Or "I do be doing"...

It comes from the Irish language tbf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiberno-English#Reduplication

PizzamanIRL

Not being smart but how do you know it's more of an Irish thing, because you spend most of your time in Ireland and notice it. It could be worse in other countries that you're not aware of.

hatrickpatrick

PizzamanIRL wrote: »

Not being smart but how do you know it's more of an Irish thing, because you spend most of your time in Ireland and notice it. It could be worse in other countries that you're not aware of.

I'm talking about the internet. It seems much more prevalent on Irish forums and blogs.

fishy fishy

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I'm talking about the internet. It seems much more prevalent on Irish forums and blogs.

eh? sure the people on Irish forums could be from anywhere in the world :rolleyes:

gustavo

Rte are at it too , see the final paragraph

http://www.rte.ie/ten/2012/0914/robbiewilliams.html

Toby Take a Bow

fishy fishy wrote: »

could be reading the most intelligent posts ever, but once I see the their/there mistake, all the credibility of the post goes out the window.

Same goes for I would OF/ I would HAVE

and in conversation anyone who calls the word SIXTH, as SICTH - I walk away.

How do you feel about people that don't capitalise sentences properly? Or use full-stops?

Pottler

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

How do you feel about people that don't capitalise sentences properly? Or use full-stops?

i dont reely mind too much. Sure anywon can maek a misteak.

Chuck Stone

Pottler wrote: »

i dont reely mind too two much. Sure anywon can maek a misteak.

.

Son Of A Vidic

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I'm not a grammar nazi or anything

Of course you're not and how could you even suggest that? It's not as if you started a grammar related thread, obsessing over an issue which for most people is really not that important. Oh wait.....

namloc1980

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Of course you're not and how could you even suggest that? It's not as if you started a grammar related thread, obsessing over an issue, which for most people is really not that important. Oh wait.....

You left out the comma before which.

a5y

I find people's punctuation and grammar just deteriorate with fatigue and distraction. If I post online when I'm exhausted it goes to hell, regardless of caffeine and careful re-reading.

In this way an erratic sleeping pattern has actually made me more sympathetic to poor spelling and less of a prick about writing responses to bemoan poor spelling. Every cloud has a silver lining and all that, right?

Pottler

Posting on Boards is one thing, I don't hugely read anything into spelling or punctuation(ok, I do, wrong = a bit thick really) beyond a small mental tut, but it's in work situations I somtimes wonder. I do a lot of sign writing and proofing signs etc. Some of the crap that gets committed to Vinyl for the world to see is just laughable. And these folk are getting paid to spell stuff correctly. I also wonder when I get an email from some high up manager and the spelling is like a kid wrote it. I begin to wonder what else they're crap at.

itac

thread title instantly reminded me of this....thanks op!

There their...

Son Of A Vidic

namloc1980 wrote: »

You left out the comma before which.

Wrong I'm afraid, a coma had already provided an appropriate earlier pause to the sentence in question. Adding another would have further broken up the flow of my sentence unnecessarily and thus I decided against using it. My choice and certainly not mandatory. Btw, I could have also included another coma in this post, but decided against it. Damn Nazi's.

namloc1980

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

Wrong I'm afraid, a coma had already provided an appropriate earlier pause to the sentence in question. Adding another would have further broken up the flow of my sentence unnecessarily and thus I decided against using it. My choice and certainly not mandatory. Btw, I could have also included another coma in this post, but decided against it. Damn Nazi's.

A comma is not used to demonstrate pause in a sentence, in this case it is used to define what was in the previous part of the sentence:

"It's not as if you started a grammar related thread, obsessing over an issue, which for most people is really not that important."

i.e. you need a comma here because:
"which for most people is really not that important",
is defined by what came immediately beforehand:
"obsessing over an issue"

Otherwise the sentence doesn't make sense. It's perfectly acceptable to have multiple commas in a sentence if it's the correct thing to do grammatically.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Your wrong their. There not thinks that only the Irish mix up, the english do it to. Their nearly as bad if not worse then us, there four ever mixing the too up. Those tree words will always bee mixed up but so long as people no what the other person wants too say, who cares witch won off them they use.

CoachTO

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Why is this such an Irish thing? Does it have its roots in the Irish language perhaps?

I know plenty of Americans and Brits and Aussies who get it wrong all the time also. Not just an Irish thing.

Dark Artist

The irony of all these intentionally misspelled posts is starting to get a bit old.

Yes, I hate everyone.