my inner English geek is offended...

[tinpra]

but my outer Creative Writing major is telling me that's pretty darn good.

I Scored a 93%!

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i still say i actually did better than that. :p poops

Comments

[halcyondayz.livejournal.com]

Here you go. The correct answers. Tried using an lj cut but won't work here so look away if you haven't taken the test!
your, than, weird, lose, their, it's, they're,its, a lot , Whose, definitely, Calendar, conscious, embarrassment, occurrence.

[tinpra.livejournal.com]

okay....b/c i'm not looking at the quiz...it was either "than" and "Whose" (b/c me and Whose/Who's are often not friends) but i really think it was just "than". *sniffles*

WOE IS ME! WHATEVER WILL MY ENGLISH TEACHER MOTHER THINK?! *inconsolable*

[nikita31j7.livejournal.com]

"Then" refers to time; "than" is comparative.

"Who's" is a contraction of Who is or Who was; "whose" is possessive.

All better now? ;)

[tinpra.livejournal.com]

thou mockest me.

:p i actually know all of that. it's the reason i'm so miffed at only getting 93. the test was ridiculously easy. my pride really is pricked in a sense, tho not as badly as i'm making out. it's just fun to go overboard, particularly about something i'm usually regarded as being aces in. although try and get me to remember how to actually use Whose/Who's in a pinch it's a fifty-fifty chance that i'll get it right the first time. guess i'll have to turn in my Beta card :D and apparently it's a good thing i went with Creative Writing instead of English after all.

[nikita31j7.livejournal.com]

Creative Writing is good...literary license and all that. ;)

I majored in English Lit and have *never* worked in my "field" except for a smattering of free-lance editing jobs.

[tinpra.livejournal.com]

oh! but on that note, i bet it was Whose vs. Who's. it really is my grammatical kryptonite. right up there with Affect vs. Effect. now if you can Idiot's Guide me through that sticky pair i will be a most happy word-geek

[nikita31j7.livejournal.com]

Idiot's Guide (extremely Abridged):

Barring those pesky exceptions, Affect is a verb, and Effect is a noun.

Affect: To influence or alter.

I was deeply affected by that movie. or Hepatitis affects the liver.

Effect: The result or outcome of a cause.

The effect of the hurricane was devastating. or The special effects were impressive.

Happy now? ;) LOL

[tinpra.livejournal.com]

Very! I kid you not, me and affect/effect are bitterest enemies.

[nikita31j7.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. ;)

My pet peeve is the interchangeability (NOT) of “lose” and “loose.” When I read Nikita saying, “I don’t want to loose you, Michael,” my snarky self replies, “Please--I’ve been handcuffed for hours; it’s your turn.” LOL

[halcyondayz.livejournal.com]

Since 'when' were lose and loose interchangeable? Kiddeth me not, please, nikita31j7...or is this some sort of vile usage that has recently become fashionable?
The former is a verb and the latter is an adjective.

[nikita31j7.livejournal.com]

Alas, it's true--though one more so than the other.

Hold tight to Casey's hand so you don't loose her.

He hated to loose the race.

It's even listed at Ramna's in the Writing Tips page.