Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

[Scottdau]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

In any case, I'm pretty sure it's "jackoff."


lol


The only reason you think there should be a pause is because of the connotation of "jack off."

Try saying "Uncle Tim" in stead of "Uncle Jack." No pause needed.

Yeah I agree, but we say it with a pause to really make it come alive! Just forget it, this is funny.

[Scottdau]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

Actually you could use semicolon. That might be a better thing to use.

I helped my Uncle Jack; off the horse

[Blzer]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

Actually you could use semicolon. That might be a better thing to use.

I helped my Uncle Jack; off the horse

I don't think you can use a semicolon. Those are used to conjunct two sentences for the most part (or to break a list that uses a comma for a single label... for instance: 'I traveled to San Francisco, California; Salem, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington.') when the sentences are in more relation than normally, I suppose.

Funny how much commas stirred up in my example about capitalization, especially given the sentence we're referring to haha.

[bgeno]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

No. A semicolon doesn't work there either. A semicolon needs complete sentences on either side of it (or it's used in a series, like Blzer said).

It's simply "I helped my Uncle Jack off the horse." No commas, no semicolons. The fact that "Jack" and "off" are two seperate words and that "Jack" is capitalized is enough to tell you that the uncle is not touching the horse's penis.

... that's assuming that it is now acceptable in the English language to help someone to a position (or a prepositions... below, beneat, around, through, above, etc.), not to help someone do something. It might be... I'm not sure.

Saying "I helped my Uncle Jack off the horse" is the same as saying "I helped my Uncle above the rim."

It sounds like something is missing, right?

It should be "I helped my Uncle Jack get above the rim."

Still, it's certainly not "I helped my Uncle Jack, above the rim."

[Scottdau]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

I don't think you can use a semicolon. Those are used to conjunct two sentences for the most part (or to break a list that uses a comma for a single label... for instance: 'I traveled to San Francisco, California; Salem, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington.') when the sentences are in more relation than normally, I suppose.

Funny how much commas stirred up in my example about capitalization, especially given the sentence we're referring to haha.

I don't know about that one. I think it can be both. Semicolons are used wrong a lot of times and aren't used as much as they should be. But I could be wrong.

[Scottdau]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

Sounds good. I still think it is just a modifier problem, but mostly because of how we think of that word "jack off" In way the sentence is correct the way it was, so that is just one of those times a sentence might make you do a double take.

[Blzer]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

Still, it's certainly not "I helped my Uncle Jack, above the rim."

I suppose the only time you would ever consider using a comma here, assuming it's a proper rule, is if you are above the rim while helping your uncle Jack.

By the way, why are people saying that "uncle" is capitalized? That would be true if you are including that in his name, but then if that's the case, you wouldn't include "my" in the sentence. It would just be, "I helped Uncle Jack off a horse." If you're thinking of it as a name and just had "Jack", you wouldn't say, "I helped my Jack off a horse." Likewise, let's use a different title like brother. Do you type, "I helped my Brother Jack off a horse."? That doesn't look correct at all; the letter "b" should be lowercased.

The only proper alteration to my original sentence, assuming we're talking about an uncle named Jack and that we're helping him get off the horse, would be, "I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse." Even then, I think dashes would be most appropriate of pauses. I believe that dashes are the proper way of not using parentheses, and the only reason I don't use them myself is because there's not a key on my computer for dashes.

This is a good thread, by the way.

[bgeno]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

Sounds good. I still think it is just a modifier problem, but mostly because of how we think of that word "jack off" In way the sentence is correct the way it was, so that is just one of those times a sentence might make you do a double take.

That's definitely all the problem is.

It has nothing to do with grammar or puncuation. It's just that the word "Jack" preceding the word "off" causes for a funny combination of words. lol

[Scottdau]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

When I was studying for the C Set. We had to fix the modifier in the sentences, so they would make more sense. They did have some funny ones too.

[bgeno]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

I suppose the only time you would ever consider using a comma here, assuming it's a proper rule, is if you are above the rim while helping your uncle Jack.

Even then, above the rim is a misplaced modifier. If you are above the rim, you would say "Above the rim, I helped my Uncle Jack."

By the way, why are people saying that "uncle" is capitalized? That would be true if you are including that in his name, but then if that's the case, you wouldn't include "my" in the sentence. It would just be, "I helped Uncle Jack off a horse." If you're thinking of it as a name and just had "Jack", you wouldn't say, "I helped my Jack of a horse." Likewise, let's use a different title like brother. Do you type, "I helped my Brother Jack off a horse."? That doesn't look correct at all; the letter "b" should be lowercased.

Excellent point. You're right.

However, I don't think saying "I helped Uncle Jack off the horse" or "I helped my uncle Jack off the horse" changes the debate at all.

The only proper alteration to my original sentence, assuming we're talking about an uncle named Jack and that we're helping him get off the horse, would be, "I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse." Even then, I think dashes would be most appropriate of pauses. I believe that dashes are the proper way of not using parentheses, and the only reason I don't use them myself is because there's not a key on my computer for dashes.

I think whether you would use commas or hyphens (not dashes) depends on the context of the sentence and your audience.

"I helped my uncle, Jack, off the horse" is certainly acceptable and may even be the best way to write the sentence.

I suppose "I helped my uncle -- Jack -- off the horse" works as well.

This is a good thread, by the way.

Agreed. I think people could learn a lot from it.

I love the English language. I always just kind of "got it" when it came to learning how to use the language. I guess it's because my mom is an English teacher and because I always enjoyed writing so much.

Math, science, and history on the other hand... lol

[Blzer]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

"I helped my uncle, Jack, off the horse" is certainly acceptable and may even be the best way to write the sentence.

I suppose "I helped my uncle -- Jack -- off the horse" works as well.

I thought "--" was a dash. When I say hyphen, I mean a single "-". I figured a dash was "—" (but again, there's no key for it).

So that would be, "I helped my uncle—Jack—off a horse." That certainly looks weird when they are right next to each other like that, but just remember that they are the proper substitute for parentheses, at least in college essay terms. So it's essentially the same as saying, "I helped my uncle (Jack) off a horse," where Jack is the identifier for uncle. It's a break in the sentence that is not necessary, but is extra information if wanted. Simply, you could put, "I helped my uncle off a horse." The dashes/parentheses are an inner space breaking apart what should be a regularly formulated sentence... almost an inner thought spoken out loud, so to speak.

As I'm aware, commas are used more for commonplace pauses and listings of whatever sort. When you say, "I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse" it almost doesn't appropriate to pause. Again, dashes aren't necessarily pauses, but more so a means to describe more than is sufficient within a sentence. Commas are actual pauses.

[bgeno]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

I thought "--" was a dash. When I say hyphen, I mean a single "-". I figured a dash was "—" (but again, there's no key for it).

Yeah, I could be wrong on the terminology there.

[PVarck31]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

I hate when people say "me either."

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

I helped my Uncle Jack get off of a horse.

I helped my Uncle Jack off of the horse.

There.

[Maxattax3]

Re: Why is proper grammar dying on the internet?

I hate when people say "me either."

or "all of the sudden"