more huked on fonnix

i received some good comments about my post on the atrocious spelling and grammar being used around the internet (forums, blogs, emails, etc.). so, here are a few more examples that i've noticed, and some more tips that might help you out if you happen to be one of the offenders.

justin.barrett's simple rules of English, part 2

affect and effect are often used incorrectly, but the difference is important. affect is a verb and means to "have an influence on," as in "the blogger's use of your when he means you're does not affect my grammar." effect is a noun and means "a cause or result brought about by change." when you affect something, you cause an effect. to makes matters even more confusing, there is a noun version of affect (which means "emotion") and a verb version of effect (which means "to create"), but both are very rare and typically used only by those who know the difference. so, when in doubt, figure out the part of speech and use affect if you mean to use it as a verb and effect if you mean to use it as a noun.

to has two homonyms. one of them is too and the other is two. most of the mistakes are between too and to, though occasionally (and oddly) two is used in place of both. first, two is a number. it stands for one plus one, or three minus one. if you mean something is "one more than one," then you need to use the word two (i.e. "i have two eyes, but only one nose."). the simple difference between the other two is that too also means "as well" or "in excess" (i.e. "i like that, too." or "you're playing it too loudly."). all other uses should use the word to.

a lot is two words. alot is NOT a word. you don't use alittle, and you don't use alot.

lite is not a word. the correct spelling is light. too, nite is not a word. the correct spelling is night. in that vein, thru is not right. use through. this phonetic use of English is annoying and, quite frankly, makes you look lazy and moronic.

of coarse is not the correct spelling. the phrase uses course, not coarse. coarse means "rough or crude." do yourself a favor and use of course. of course, you can ignore me and continue your subhuman ways.

hole means something is missing, dug out or removed. whole means the opposite: "entire, complete". someone can be an asshole, or a whole ass. or, in the case of some people i know, both. but, i've never heard of an asswhole or a hole ass.

and, lastly, college. i've seen way too many people using an "a" and spelling it collage. i guess the difference is, if you are smart enough to go to one, you know how to spell it. in case you're still wondering what the difference is, a collage is an artform where you paste together bits of paper. a college, though, is an instution of higher learning (where, one assumes, you learn how to spell and use proper grammar).

end of diatribe. carry on.