# A lot---alot------allot



## Harold_V (Nov 6, 2014)

We strive for accuracy on this board. 

No, I do not consider myself an English professor, and I realize I make my share of mistakes--but the subject line is one of concern, as the words a lot are being bastardized excessively, not only here on this board, but in general. 

Lets take a look at things. 

A lot (two words, not one) is an indication of quantity---many---more than one. It is NOT spelled alot. That isn't a word. 

Allot. Some folks hope to use that as an indication of quantity (they mean a lot), but that's not what the word means. Allot is a word designating allowances, perhaps proportions. Example-----that man is allotted a full section of land. An allotment. How things are to be divided (allotted). 

Harold


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## jason_recliner (Nov 6, 2014)

Harold_V said:


> Example-----that man is allotted a full section of land.


His allocation is all of a location.


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## TomVader (Nov 7, 2014)

I've also heard people use "idea" and "ideal" interchangeably ! The first is a thought or belief. The second is a perfect example or a standard to strive for.


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## MarcoP (Nov 7, 2014)

I think the most common mistakes found almost everywhere is using "of" instead of "off" and "were" instead of "where", or the way around in both cases. Luckily none of those mistakes are hard to understand, I really don't want to count mines, specially my "those" and "these" :roll:


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## g_axelsson (Nov 7, 2014)

On this board I often see "brake the cpu" instead of "break the cpu", is that considered correct English? Tell me, I truly don't know.
Another one that makes me irk is "going threw" instead of "going through".

... and I'm speaking Swedish as my first language.

I hope people tell me when I do stupid mistakes so I can improve my English. 8) 

Göran


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## FrugalRefiner (Nov 7, 2014)

g_axelsson said:


> On this board I often see "brake the cpu" instead of "break the cpu", is that considered correct English? Tell me, I truly don't know.


You are correct. We have brakes on our cars. We break a ceramic CPU.

I'll add:
PRECIPITATE, not percipitate, participate, etc.
scrap vs. scrape, scrapped vs. scraped, and scrapping vs. scraping
solder vs soldier
stripping vs. striping

Dave


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## justinhcase (Nov 7, 2014)

It is not surprising that we have so meany problems on an international board.
I spell most thing phonetically for my own convenience and mental process which annoys some people.
But the differences between the U.S and U.K are huge.
http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/BritishCanadianAmerican.htm
http://www.tysto.com/uk-us-spelling-list.html


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## Lou (Nov 7, 2014)

I do it too! Sometimes you're typing really fast and doing more than one thing and boom! Typo, spelling mistake, etc. Sometimes I re-read my old posts and find them all over.


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## Geo (Nov 7, 2014)

I have tried to do better with my typing. I have looked through my older post and I'm sure many wanted to scream about certain things I do wrong when typing. Actually, a couple has. :lol:


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## goldsilverpro (Nov 7, 2014)

The 2 that drive me nuts are "seperate" instead of the correct "separate" and "nickle" instead of the correct "nickel."


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## justme2 (Nov 7, 2014)

I have a father in law that scans the newspapers for grammatical or miss used words, it drives me nuts although some are very obvious by people who should know better.

That said, some if us are ignorant when it comes to correct spelling or gramor, for instance the word I just used I can not locate in spell check.

Some of us are ignorant (uneducated) but that does not make us stupid. " Some are intelligent beyond their education while others are educated beyond there intelligence". My father in law for example is very educated but has not one iota of common seance. I for one would let him combine cool-aid and water.

Some of us went to work at 14 to support our families and had no choice when it comes to education.

I do realize and condone the routine of this forum and how important semantics and clear communication are here. It's just some times it seems a little harsh.


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## jason_recliner (Nov 7, 2014)

g_axelsson said:


> On this board I often see "brake the cpu" instead of "break the cpu", is that considered correct English? Tell me, I truly don't know.
> Another one that makes me irk is "going threw" instead of "going through".
> 
> ... and I'm speaking Swedish as my first language.
> ...


And one that irks me is "thru", which should never be used unless it involves a hamburger and your car.

To brake is to apply a mechanical speed reducing device, while break can be used to separate parts, or for a short rest, e.g., "I'm on a 10 minute break" - which also separates two time segments.

Being an international forum, we have to be a little tolerant of those who try [stt]they're[/stt] [stt]there[/stt] their best but don't get it right. Your English is honestly better than many for whom it's a first language. We have an English Cockney guy at work. He writes as he talks. It's awful.

And let's face it; being a United States based forum, there's a pile of words they don't know how to spell anyway which we just have to allow for. E.g. Aluminium, Sulphur and colour.  Incidentally, this forum editor's "Font colour" button is the only control that doesn't work for me and I wonder if it's because of my language settings. Does anyone else's? It works if I type out the markup code.

I found this in an old email about spelling checkers. I don't know who the original author is. To anyone reading via translation software: My apologies; you don't have much chance.


> Eye halve a spelling chequer
> It came with my pea sea
> It plainly marques four my revue
> Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
> ...


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## g_axelsson (Nov 7, 2014)

That's good Jason... but it's actually a Canadian forum! :mrgreen: 

Justme2, if you let your father in law drink the kool-aid then you might need


justme2 said:


> common seance


to talk to him! :shock: 

Göran


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## FrugalRefiner (Nov 7, 2014)

jason_recliner said:


> And let's face it; being a United States based forum, there's a pile of words they don't know how to spell anyway which we just have to allow for. E.g. Aluminium, Sulphur and colour.  Incidentally, this forum editor's "Font colour" button is the only control that doesn't work for me and I wonder if it's because of my language settings. Does anyone else's? It works if I type out the markup code.


Actually, the forum owner is Canadian, so it's really a Canada based forum.

I find the colour control to be very touchy. I just thought it was me and I wasn't being careful enough when I clicked. I usually tap the touchpad and sometimes I move the cursor. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has problems.

I loved the poem!

Dave

Looks like Göran beat me.


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## jason_recliner (Nov 7, 2014)

> Actually, the forum owner is Canadian, so it's really a Canada based forum.


Oh dear. My most humble apologies! :lol:


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## Palladium (Nov 7, 2014)

The owner of the forum is Canadian and the forum server resides in Chicago Illinois.


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## Shark (Nov 7, 2014)

I have a war letter, to a Civil War soldier (American) from his wife dated December 1863. It is amazing how many of the grammatical errors in that poem resemble the errors in that letter. I had forgotten about that letter until I read the entire poem. Thing is I had no problem understanding the letter or the poem. 

In refining, a single letter can be the difference in failure and success, not to mention the risk to life and/or limb.


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## TomVader (Nov 8, 2014)

I think there are three kinds of spelling or grammatical errors. One is a simple mistake, you hit the wrong key and don't notice. Two, you spell or use a word wrongly because you don't know any better. Three is you just don't give a crap, are lazy and spell words the easy way or make a mistake and just don't bother to correct yourself. The first two are forgivable, everyone makes mistakes. Everyone is in a different stage in their development. There is no excuse for the third kind.


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## Harold_V (Nov 8, 2014)

g_axelsson said:


> I hope people tell me when I do stupid mistakes so I can improve my English. 8)
> 
> Göran


That's my attitude as well. I hope to be better than I am, and, lacking formal education (high school graduate only) I can use the help that is so kindly provided by others. 

I've probably mentioned that I also moderate the Chaski Home Machinist site. There I have been fortunate to have a well educated gentleman offer guidance, which has helped me tremendously. I don't take offense to being corrected, as I realize that it is for my own betterment. The subtle guidance he has offered has spelled a big difference in my writing skills, such as they are. 

Harold


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## justme2 (Nov 8, 2014)

Actually my post validates yours Harold. It should have read, I would Not let my father in law mix Cool-aid and water. The misplacement or omission of one simple three letter word changed the entire post to it's opposite meaning. My sincere apologies sir.


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## Anonymous (Nov 8, 2014)

Someone who types in their second language and makes grammatical errors is a world apart from someone who is typing in their primary language and makes the occasional genuine mistake. Both of these situations are (yet again) completely different from someone who types in their primary language and simply can't be bothered.

They are three completely different scenarios. I own a commercial business forum in the UK and like many people here I do get hot under the collar with bad spelling and grammar but there's a major caveat . I tend to be able to cope with the first two. The third scenario makes me want to reach down the Internet cable, wrap it around the neck of the person and suggest that they use the spell checker. 8) 

A red line underneath the text is plainly visible and should at least give pause for thought before clicking on the "post" button. One of the biggest excuses I get for the third scenario is the old "I'm dyslexic" chestnut. Having said that most genuinely dyslexic people I know are far more likely to double check their typing than non dyslexic people so I struggle with that excuse.

Text speak rattles my cage as it does Harold's. We're on computers not phones 8) 

I've developed a live and let live attitude to it all and on my forum a quiet PM usually does the trick.


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## nickvc (Nov 8, 2014)

I think the spirit of Harold's message is that yes we all err and some have real trouble spelling and using correct grammar but if they try we tend to forgive, the only exception has to be when chemical names and processes are involved when possibly errors can lead to dangerous or even deadly mistakes.
By trying to be precise and accurate in what we write these errors happen less and leave the forum as the only place to come for honest real information on precious metal refining and recovery.
Long may it remain so!


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## AndyWilliams (Jan 3, 2015)

I have noticed, more now than before, that people confuse "would've" with "would of." True, they sound the same. But the former is a contraction of "would" and "have" and the latter is just nonsense! "I would've gone to the store," is not "I would of gone to the store." And yes, could and should fall into the same trap.


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## galenrog (Jan 3, 2015)

You are correct in your example, Andy. Situations such as this are why I attempt to avoid contractions when writing on forums such as this. By deliberate use of the written word I am usually better understood than if I would be if I wrote in the same manner in which I speak.


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## rickbb (Jan 6, 2015)

And there are people like me who thought contractions were what women have when in labor.


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## Geo (Jan 6, 2015)

When I was in school, we had English classes. I wonder if the Latin countries have Spanish classes? I hated English. I figured that as long as people understood what I was saying, why did I have to understand why they understood what I was saying. It gets a little convoluted after that. :lol: Of course I understand it's the written form I was suppose to be learning as well as the spoken but at the time, I chewed a lot of pencils up when I was in school. :shock: When did they stop putting lead paint on pencils? There was a time when pencil "lead" was actually lead. I think I'm a product of my toxic environment. :twisted:


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## jason_recliner (Jan 6, 2015)

Geo said:


> There was a time when pencil "lead" was actually lead.


I believe this was in the sixteenth century.


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## joekbit (Jan 9, 2015)

Hey, if it were not for Harold I would not have this. So dot your (I) and cross your (T)


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## necromancer (Jan 9, 2015)

joekbit said:


> Hey, if it were not for Harold I would not have this. So dot your (I) and cross your (T)



that's an awful lot of mess on that filter, by the way you forgot the " 's " in the above statement ( :roll: )


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## joekbit (Jan 9, 2015)

necromancer said:


> joekbit said:
> 
> 
> > Hey, if it were not for Harold I would not have this. So dot your (I) and cross your (T)
> ...


Actually I was going to do it like this "(I)s' and cross your (T)s' '" but I figured I was in a loosing battle. Either way looks stupid to me.


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## necromancer (Jan 9, 2015)

i was just bugging you !! 8)


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## rickbb (Jan 10, 2015)

Maybe you should have it this way, dot your eye's and cross your tee's. 

lol


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