Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Facebook. Show all posts

Friday, November 28, 2008

Evidently, basic grammar know-how is not necessary in order to develop applications for Facebook. Maybe my students are correct when they say they don't "need this stuff." **sigh** The word "your" shows, or is supposed to show, possession or ownership. The word "you're" means "you are." If a writer can substitute "you are" whenever there arises a your/you're question, then "you're" is correct. In this case, the writer should have chosen "you're."
I took the Real Age Quiz, and supposedly my real age is 23. Does that mean that I am immature? Don't answer that.

Facebook World Vision

This is a portion of a recent Facebook screen I encountered. The picture is adorable. The spacing if off a bit, but the error regarding the pronoun agreement is the one with which I take issue. "A child," which is the antecedent, is singular. "They" is plural. It is incorrect to use a singular antecedent and plural pronoun together. One should be changed. If the writer wanted to keep "a child," then he should use he/she, he, or she. As I have written in previous posts, I understand why writers use they, their, or them in place of singular pronouns such as she, he , her , or him. The plural pronouns are not gender-specific, are less offensive, and are not as cumbersome as writing the his/her or him/her combinations.