Words

I am still camera-less, so this post will be all words.

I have always noticed the strange things people do with words and spelling. Saying "are" when they really mean "our," for example.  The time I found this the most  . . . stupid—stupid is the best word—was on a  sign in a store window. I thought, "You are a business; you are supposed to be professional. Check your spelling!"

I can't help noticing the misuse of "your" and "you're" all over the place. "I'm so glad your coming to visit!"
Huh?  No, no, no. But this sentence works: "I'm so glad you're going to visit your mother."  

And "there," "they're," and "their." "Their walking there dog."   What?! (I mean, maybe you could say, "They're walking that there dog!" —But only if you say it in your best hillbilly accent.) However you can say, "They're going to walk over there with their dog." That's OK.

Well, the "there's" and  "yours" are common, age-old spelling errors. I don't like them, but I'm used to them (sort of) because they've been around forever. Here are some new ones I've noticed lately:

"I told my child, 'know.'"  Hm. You told your child to know what? Or did you really mean, "No?"  (I also see "knew" when they mean "new" —and vice-versa. Weird.)

I have a friend who, when she really wants to do something fun or exciting, says, "I am defiantly going to do that!" It's not just a typo—she does it a lot. Does she mean that she is going to boldly challenge going to do that? No, I'm pretty sure she means "definitely."  :-)

Well, that's OK. I see friends writing these silly things, and since I like my friends I can think to myself (with an indulgent smile), "That's not quite right," and understand their real message, and move on.

But here's one I keep seeing in blogs and in formal papers: "in tact" instead of "intact." (Did you catch that?)

If "tact" means a good sense of what to do or say to avoid offending (and it does mean that), then does "in tact" meant to be in the act of not offending?
And if "intact" means whole, unchanged, or unbroken (and it does), then if something is intact it is . . . not broken!

So if I say, "The dog escaped the house fire in tact," what, exactly, am I saying?

I could say, "Your use of the words 'in tact' is dead wrong." But if I do I am probably not "in tact" myself, and your finer feelings may not be left "intact."

I guess I should not be such a word snob, and just keep this all to myself. Because I no I defiantly want to leave you're finer feelings in tact. ;-)