All-Star Grammar Thread - Have At It

[Twinklestars]

can someone teach me the difference between centre and center.. i would used centre for a place (like the bell centre) but would use center for saying "she's in the center", but my phone (and fierce board) corrects center to centre every time!!!

One is the BritishEuropean/Canadian spelling (centre). The other is the American spelling.

 

[rrhhiannon]

Effect and affect!
These EFFECTS will AFFECT me.

Principal and principle
The PRINCIPAL of the school will set the PRINCIPLES that need to be followed.
I had a HS teacher deduct points on a paper for using the wrong word when i used it correct. My mom who is also a teacher was sooo mad, she flipped out and requested a private meeting with the principal and that teacher.. It never happened and my mark wasn't corrected.

 

[gofriars610]

Apart and a part are not the same!

we need a praise hands emoji.

 

[SparkleSpankies]

Through vs threw

My favorite.. We've been THREW it all.

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

[piglet]

Are you in Canada? Is your phone in Canada? :D

Here's a succinct explanation between center vs. centre:

Center vs. centre
There is no difference in meaning between center and centre. Center is the preferred spelling in American English, and centre is preferred in varieties of English from outside the U.S.

Some people do make distinctions between the words. For instance, some prefer to treat center as the word for a place or institution and centre as the word for the middle point of something. But while these preferences may be taught in some schools and are perhaps common among careful English speakers in Canada, the U.K., and elsewhere, they are not broadly borne out in 21st-century usage.

 

[CrossoverMom]

Lose and loose are not interchangeable.

 

[Twinklestars]

You sell an item when you place it "for sale". You cannot sale an item nor may it be "for sell".

 

[rrhhiannon]

Are you in Canada? Is your phone in Canada? :D

Here's a succinct explanation between center vs. centre:

Canada and US spelling is different for a lot of words.
Centre/center
Colour/color
Favour/favor
Cheque/check

ETA: college and university also have two completely different meanings in Canada.
University: where you get a bachelors/masters/phd etc degree.
College: mostly trades, mechanic/carpentry/plumbing and things like aesthetics and cosmetology. Colleges also have a lot of high school classes for getting upgrades.

 

[Twinklestars]

Canada and US spelling is different for a lot of words.
Centre/center
Colour/color
Favour/favor
Cheque/check

Queue/line. Lol

 

[omgitssydthekid]

Alright isn't a word. It's two words. Not one. All right.

 

[MissCongeniality]

It's "voila" not "walla"

 

[DaniV]

I don't think I've seen this one on here but definitely see it in text messages and on facebook all the time.

Our is not spelled "are". I don't understand how people get this one wrong...

 

[quitthedrama]

I guess some people missed the point that highlighting grammar mistakes often isn't really about the grammar at all.

 

[HeyMom]

then/than - two completely different concepts

We went shopping then we went to eat.

I would rather eat than shop.

 

[JMW]

Don't quote me on this, but one of my English teachers told me once that "center" was US English, and "centre" non-US English.

That's my understanding too. I think either one is correct for either usage. I think that we see 'Centre' more often for places because the people who are naming the places are trying to be 'fancy'.