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

naughtysmurf

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

This particular mix-up is very common in Ireland.

It only became common after corporal punishment was banned;)

The King of Moo

Most of these grammar and spelling mistakes are found throughout the English-speaking world and can be attributed to the fact that English speakers don't tend to have great grammar and spelling for the following main reasons:

1. we learn English more from hearing than reading, and tend to write some words and phrases more phonetically, or in the same way as other words which sound the same.

2. we don't have a great grasp of our own grammar because it's not generally taught well, if at all, in schools, and...

3. we don't generally have the awareness of grammar that many non-English speakers have due to our lack of experience of properly learning a second language.

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.....

namloc1980 wrote: »

You left out the comma before which.

namloc1980 wrote: »

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.

You've got it the wrong way wrong. Corvus is right not to include a comma because "which for most people is really not that important" is a defining relative clause, i.e. it's necessary information.
Another example from me in this post is "or in the same way as other words which sound the same."

In both of these cases, the information in the relative clause (after "which") is necessary to the meaning of our sentences: if we took the information away, the meaning of the sentences would be changed.
We therefore use a defining relative clause, without a comma.

A good example of the differences between defining and non-defining relative clauses:

Non-defining: My wife, who's from Spain, is a good cook. (I only have one wife. The clause "who's from Spain" provides extra information about her, but the sentence would still make sense without it)

Defining: My wife who's from Spain is a good cook. (I have more than one wife, so I'm specifying that it's my Spanish wife who's a good cook. This information is crucial to the meaning of the sentence. Without it, the meaning changes, and I'd be saying I only have one wife, or not making it clear which wife I'm referring to)

figs

fishy fishy wrote: »

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

bugs the hell out of me too... I usually walk away after the FORT.

Buck Fizz

All the above mistakes that have been mentioned really bug me a lot, and I see it all the time. Another that really annoys me is when people confuse then with than. For example; I'm a better football player then you!!

This is in an article on independent.ie today and the author wrote this;

Former Taoiseach Charles J Haughey has left less then €1m in his will, according to documents lodged in the Probate Office in Dublin last week.

Doesn't say much when a journalist can't even get it right!!

ICANN

I live in England and believe me, it's a massive problem here too.

kraggy

"I seen" gives me an irrational rage.

Almost exclusively a Dublin thing I must add.

Scanlas The 2nd

Using done and did incorrectly annoys me.

Should of is just retarded.

Iwannahurl

irish-stew wrote: »

<queue posters checking OP for grammar and spelling mistakes>

Cue?

Or do you mean there's a queue of them?

krudler wrote: »

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

It's a break with tradition not to write "grammer" on these occasions.

figs wrote: »

bugs the hell out of me too... I usually walk away after the FORT.

I'm amazed you got past de fursht.

anncoates

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Not a big deal,

If f*cling only.

Cee-Jay-Cee

The King of Moo wrote: »

Defining: My wife who's from Spain is a good cook. (I have more than one wife, so I'm specifying that it's my Spanish wife who's a good cook. This information is crucial to the meaning of the sentence. Without it, the meaning changes, and I'd be saying I only have one wife, or not making it clear which wife I'm referring to)

Weres you're other wife from?

up for anything

People who talk about colly-ums.

People who mix up to and too. Or even worse, those that mix those up with two.

opinion guy

starts @ 7.25

oh ye did do dat dou did ye do:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qamVB4ixxGs

rubadubduba

Its not an irish thing or grammar mistakes, and for the inner grammar nazi thing its not. It is inner dyslexia, there is a little bit of dyslexia in us all.