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Grammar Police

WarhavenWarhaven Registered User new member
edited October 2007 in H.Q. Reception Desk
I've noticed a recurring typo in the comic, and I don't know if it's either ignorance or done on purpose to annoy grammar nazis like myself, but in this week's comic, 2nd cell, 2nd dialog bubble, the wrong "its" is used again.

-Rob

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Posts

  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    It's used correctly.

    It's = it is
    Its = posessive form of it

    In the comic, it's saying "It is powerful."

    I has an irony.

    Edit: and the other one which I missed is correct too.
    Edit2: typo

    MKR on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    I mean think about how "...it is anal glands..." sounds.

    "It probably just needs it is anal glands expressed."

    Look at it.

    MKR on
  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Has it been changed? because i'm sure i saw the same thing earlier, then thought someone would bother making a big thing about it. When i went back because of this thread, it all read correctly. Either way, Gabe and Tycho don't really read the forums, and it's not an issue that warrants much attention anyway.

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  • Lindsay LohanLindsay Lohan Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    It got corrected. Originally it said "needs it's anal glands". I just noticed my cache had that version - when I hit refresh it corrected itself to the proper "needs its anal glands".

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  • DarkPrimusDarkPrimus Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Wouldn't usage of the wrong "its" actually be an error in punctuation, and not grammar?

    Why yes, I believe it would be.

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  • AegisAegis Fear My Dance Overshot Toronto, Landed in OttawaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2007
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Wouldn't usage of the wrong "its" actually be an error in punctuation, and not grammar?

    Why yes, I believe it would be.

    How is it an error in punctuation? "Its" is possessive whereas "It's" means "It is". There's no punctuational component to "its" so I can't see how it's wrong.

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  • CZroeCZroe Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    I LOVE IT!

    Let me take a shot at correcting corrections:
    MKR wrote: »
    It's used correctly.

    It's = it is
    Its = [possessive form] of it

    In the comic, it's saying "It is powerful."

    I has an irony.

    Edit: and the other one which I missed is correct too.

    "IT" is singular and can be used to reference single objects or many as a whole. You'd have to say "they" to actually imply many "its" or whatever because "its" is not pural.

    CZroe on
  • InvisibleInvisible Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Aegis wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Wouldn't usage of the wrong "its" actually be an error in punctuation, and not grammar?

    Why yes, I believe it would be.

    How is it an error in punctuation? "Its" is possessive whereas "It's" means "It is". There's no punctuational component to "its" so I can't see how it's wrong.

    I believe he is referring to the apostrophe, but whatever. The whole "its"/"it's" thing doesn't bother me as much as loose/lose and too/to, which are far more common mistakes. Oh, and for extra AP Style points having to change all instances of U.S. with United States, because U.S. is the adjective while the United States is the noun.

    Invisible on
  • CZroeCZroe Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    Aegis wrote: »
    DarkPrimus wrote: »
    Wouldn't usage of the wrong "its" actually be an error in punctuation, and not grammar?

    Why yes, I believe it would be.

    How is it an error in punctuation? "Its" is possessive whereas "It's" means "It is". There's no punctuational component to "its" so I can't see how it's wrong.
    There IS a punctuational component that has been removed to avoid confusion between meaning. Adding it back is a punctuation error considering the special case lack of punctuation. The fact that it creates a different set of words with a different meaning does not negate that it is simply the improper punctuation that is otherwise proper (apostrophes go before a letter "s" to make possessivve forms) forming it.

    A contraction in place of a special-case possessive can form an invalid sentence structure for the reader. It's not the reader's error, it's the writer. From the writer's perspective, it is a punctuation error due to failure to observe a well-known "special case" rule.

    CZroe on
  • MKRMKR Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    CZroe wrote: »
    I LOVE IT!

    Let me take a shot at correcting corrections:
    MKR wrote: »
    It's used correctly.

    It's = it is
    Its = [possessive form] of it

    In the comic, it's saying "It is powerful."

    I has an irony.

    Edit: and the other one which I missed is correct too.

    "IT" is singular and can be used to reference single objects or many as a whole. You'd have to say "they" to actually imply many "its" or whatever because "its" is not pural.

    That was a typo. I meant posessive.

    MKR on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited October 2007
    I swear to god, you people make me embarrassed to be a grammar nazi.

    Thanatos on
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