I was an English major in college (I couldn't major in Education, so it was like a double major...only it wasn't....too hard to explain). My mom is also an English major. She is a real Grammar Queen. So I get annoyed when I see grammatical errors, and they are everywhere. You will note that every once in a while I have these little grammar rants.
The last one was about improper use of apostrophes. This one is about the word "loose" as opposed to "lose".
I see "loose" used where "lose" should be. "Loose" is an adjective, it means "not tight". "Lose" is the verb most people mean to use, for which "lost" is the past tense. "Loose" has a soft "s" sound at the end, like a snake going "sssssssssssssssss". "Lose" has a hard "z" sound at the end, like when you're sleeping, "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz". So, please don't lose patience with me, heh heh, because I am compelled to write about this stuff.
5 comments:
I see that all the time!!!!!
my 12th grade english teacher YELLed at our class for this mix up. which i didnt mix up UNTIL he yelled at us. now every time i use lose/loose i second-guess my first choice which is usually correct. his unkind words to our class made lose/loose a stumbling block for me. thanks alot mr.fanny.
Wow, Christina, I'm sorry your teacher yelled at you. I was often emphatic, but I don't think I ever yelled at a class for making a grammatical mistake. Of course, they were third graders... A trick to remember this is that the word lost has one "o" and lose has one "o" and they go together.
teaching was not his gift, nor was patience. he yelled at the whole class so many times that HE got in trouble with the school.
that is a helpful tip, thank you kathy. now why didnt he tell us that? the way i remember it is loose sounds like noose, and you loose a noose, you generally dont lose a noose. although that is kind of dark way to remember it, i mean who wants to think about a noose.
I am still laughing, Christina! I will always think of a noose when I see the word loose! It's like a sick Dr. Seuss-type rhyme!!!! Still laughing!!!!!
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