OT - sp. - was Cat Protector at it again

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 17:35:55 GMT, Laura R.
wrote:

circa Sat, 21 Feb 2004 11:19:40 -0500, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Cathy Friedmann ) said,
I used to be guilty of this last one: alot Vs. a lot. Was embarrassed when
I finally discovered the correct form! And I bet I still occasionally slip
up on it.


Even people with a strong grasp of language occasionally drop
blunders. To me, somebody who demonstrates facility with his or her
primary language is permitted a lapse now and then, and allowed
intentional colloquialism or even fabrication of words. I am of the
opinion that once one has demonstrated facility, "playing" with
language is not only acceptable, but further evidence of true
comprehension. OTOH, somebody who can't construct a proper sentence
hasn't "earned" the privilege of abusing the language, because s/he
doesn't even realize that s/he is abusing it.

Laura

Since we are soooooo off topic here, I'll put in my fifty cents. I
understand that used to be two cents, but has suffered because of
inflation. Should have said "to sense" to see what you would have
said.

There is no z in grease, no r in wash, no x in ask, no ch in the
phrase "what are you doing?", there is no o in bird, and the first r
in library is also pronounced. The word America does not end in an r,
but the word car does. The e in tea is pronounced and the a is silent.
Then again, I would be an even bigger mess without a spelling checker.

In some parts of the US, the carbonated beverages that come in a can
or plastic bottle, such as Coca Cola, Sprite and Orange Crush are
called pop. In other areas they are called soda. Still others call it
soda pop and finally some call it Coke, no matter what brand or flavor
it is.

Americans use an elevator and British use a lift. Same for apartment
vs flat and truck vs lory. New Yorkers stand "on" line and most of the
rest of the country stands "in" line. Interesting how we do things
differently in different countries, even regions.

Then you have the French. They speak an entirely different language.
How can they possibly understand each other when they do that? LOL

What is the plural of a single letter?

I'm still contemplating the sheet of plastic and sprinkling dilithium
crystals on it. Sparkle sparkle. It has made me (more) nuts.


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--
Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon
"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "Cathy Friedmann"

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "Cathy Friedmann"

Hint for spelling "their": it starts w/ "the", just as "there" does.
(I
have to have little tricks like this, since I teach gr. 3; but they
work
for
adults, too. g)

Good hint, Cathy. I'll have to remember this one

Want another one? ;-)

"Does" & "doesn't" - kids typically write "dose" & "dosen't".

So... start with "doe, a deer, a female deer." (Okay, one *really* is
starting with the root word "do", but it doesn't fit the trick!) So you
have one doe; now make it plural: imagine seeing some does in a meadow.
Then deal w/ the "n't" bit if you need the contraction "doesn't".

Cathy

Thanks, Cathy. I think these will be great with my young niece. She's 7.
I bet you're a very good teacher

Mais, merci. ;-)

When she hits the mult. tables (& therefore attendant div. facts, as in fact
families), there are a bunch of mnemonic devices for the various
multiplication facts. [Ex: 4X4=16. You have to be at least 16 years old
(in NYS) to have a license to drive a 4x4 vehicle.] Plus ways to look at
the products - when written in order, as in writing out the tables - lots of
patterns, that are really interesting, & help, too, w/ the memorization.

You may already realize this sort of thing, but anyway... For ex: writing
out the table for the 3s: you get 0, 3, 6, 9,12,15,18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, &
36 as the products. If you add the digits of the 2-digit products, you then
get a pattern (ignoring the initial "0") that goes: 3-6-9, 3-6-9, 3-6-9,
3-6-9. (Which goes along w/ the fact that you're multiplying/repeatedly
adding 3.)

When I was little, we were given the facts, told to memorize them, & that
was that. This sort of thing makes math a while lot more fun, IMO. ;-)
And your niece's teacher will most likely incorporate it into her lessons.

Cathy

--
Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon
"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "Cathy Friedmann"

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: "Cathy Friedmann"

Hint for spelling "their": it starts w/ "the", just as "there" does.
(I
have to have little tricks like this, since I teach gr. 3; but they
work
for
adults, too. g)

Good hint, Cathy. I'll have to remember this one

Want another one? ;-)

"Does" & "doesn't" - kids typically write "dose" & "dosen't".

So... start with "doe, a deer, a female deer." (Okay, one *really* is
starting with the root word "do", but it doesn't fit the trick!) So you
have one doe; now make it plural: imagine seeing some does in a meadow.
Then deal w/ the "n't" bit if you need the contraction "doesn't".

Cathy

Thanks, Cathy. I think these will be great with my young niece. She's 7.
I bet you're a very good teacher

Mais, merci. ;-)

When she hits the mult. tables (& therefore attendant div. facts, as in fact
families), there are a bunch of mnemonic devices for the various
multiplication facts. [Ex: 4X4=16. You have to be at least 16 years old
(in NYS) to have a license to drive a 4x4 vehicle.] Plus ways to look at
the products - when written in order, as in writing out the tables - lots of
patterns, that are really interesting, & help, too, w/ the memorization.

You may already realize this sort of thing, but anyway... For ex: writing
out the table for the 3s: you get 0, 3, 6, 9,12,15,18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, &
36 as the products. If you add the digits of the 2-digit products, you then
get a pattern (ignoring the initial "0") that goes: 3-6-9, 3-6-9, 3-6-9,
3-6-9. (Which goes along w/ the fact that you're multiplying/repeatedly
adding 3.)

When I was little, we were given the facts, told to memorize them, & that
was that. This sort of thing makes math a while lot more fun, IMO. ;-)
And your niece's teacher will most likely incorporate it into her lessons.

Cathy

"Laura R." wrote in message
.. .

Don't forget "your" to indicate "you are". That one sets my teeth on
edge. Actually, so do all the ones you listed, plus a dozen or two
others, but that's beside the point. ;-)


I must admit, I did not include that one because I've noticed that I have a
tendency to use one for the other when I type quickly =:-o!. I don't do it
when writing long-hand, though, so the confusion must have something to do
with speed and time for reflection.

Does 'loan' as a verb annoy you? I know it has pretty much become an
accepted form (I've seen it in more than one dictionary as a verb), but I
still hate it. Most people in my age group use it frequently, though, and I
suspect within the next one or two generations it will become the norm over
'lend'. Eek!

rona (just about 5 hours left before I have to stop myself from all these OT
posts! But they're so much fun!)

rona

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"Laura R." wrote in message
.. .

Don't forget "your" to indicate "you are". That one sets my teeth on
edge. Actually, so do all the ones you listed, plus a dozen or two
others, but that's beside the point. ;-)


I must admit, I did not include that one because I've noticed that I have a
tendency to use one for the other when I type quickly =:-o!. I don't do it
when writing long-hand, though, so the confusion must have something to do
with speed and time for reflection.

Does 'loan' as a verb annoy you? I know it has pretty much become an
accepted form (I've seen it in more than one dictionary as a verb), but I
still hate it. Most people in my age group use it frequently, though, and I
suspect within the next one or two generations it will become the norm over
'lend'. Eek!

rona (just about 5 hours left before I have to stop myself from all these OT
posts! But they're so much fun!)

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

Since you and Rona are "at it", may I ask two questions? I always have
these doubts.

First, the use of "for" and "to".

"I did this to you."
"I did this for you."

Is there a difference in meaning between them or is any of them wrong?

Second, the use of "in" and "at".

I am at school (or any other place).
I am in school.

Are both correct? Do they mean the same thing? I know there are some
differences between British and American English and since I see both
all the time, I end up getting confused.

Rona, this one´s for you since (I believe) you are an ESL teacher. Do
you teach your students long and short vowel sounds? I remember I
learned this in school but the ESL teachers I´ve met don´t usually
teach this to their students.

Thanks.

Since you and Rona are "at it", may I ask two questions? I always have
these doubts.

First, the use of "for" and "to".

"I did this to you."
"I did this for you."

Is there a difference in meaning between them or is any of them wrong?

Second, the use of "in" and "at".

I am at school (or any other place).
I am in school.

Are both correct? Do they mean the same thing? I know there are some
differences between British and American English and since I see both
all the time, I end up getting confused.

Rona, this one´s for you since (I believe) you are an ESL teacher. Do
you teach your students long and short vowel sounds? I remember I
learned this in school but the ESL teachers I´ve met don´t usually
teach this to their students.

Thanks.

"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message
When I was little, we were given the facts, told to memorize them, & that
was that. This sort of thing makes math a while lot more fun, IMO. ;-)
And your niece's teacher will most likely incorporate it into her lessons.

Cathy

Do you also use the one for 9? The first digits goes from zero onward,
and the last digit from 9 to zero repeatedly. And when you add the
digits individually, the answer is always 9. That way you know if a
number is divisible by nine and three, and if the number is even, by 6
also.

09 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 99 108 117 126 etc.

1287 (9x143) = 1+2+8+7 = 18 = 1+8 = 9

"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message
When I was little, we were given the facts, told to memorize them, & that
was that. This sort of thing makes math a while lot more fun, IMO. ;-)
And your niece's teacher will most likely incorporate it into her lessons.

Cathy

Do you also use the one for 9? The first digits goes from zero onward,
and the last digit from 9 to zero repeatedly. And when you add the
digits individually, the answer is always 9. That way you know if a
number is divisible by nine and three, and if the number is even, by 6
also.

09 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 99 108 117 126 etc.

1287 (9x143) = 1+2+8+7 = 18 = 1+8 = 9

I used to assume that good readers were automatically good spellers - and
the other way around. But after about the first 10 years of working w/ kids
who were great readers but poor spellers, or great spellers but poor
readers, I changed my mind. Plus 2 people in my own family are voracious (&
good) readers, but their spelling leaves something to be desired. ;-)

So... I've decided that spelling is often simply a talent, & that it may -
or may not - be linked w/ reading skills. The detail-oriented thing may be
a part of the package, too, though...

Cathy

Cathy, I've often wondered if the *way* we were taught to read, whether we were
taught to read phonetically, contributes to the ability to spell well. One
thing I *have* learned over the years is that the ability to spell has no
bearing whatsoever on education or intelligence. Some of the smartest people I
know are lousy spellers.

Sherry