[engideNedmupe]

Ok I'm from Sweden.
I'm quite sure that a correct sentence would be:
"There is a car on the street."
"They feed Their dog."

Now, I see people every day using the word "there" when it in my mind clearly should say "their". Why?
Then I see, that most of the people that do this are native english speaking. UK/US..
Please explain this to me as i know you guys are not stupid or uneducated. Maybe it is not important at all?
No offence, i just have to know!
Thanks

[ftpsoft]

Now, I see people every day using the word "there" when it in my mind clearly should say "their". Why?
Then I see, that most of the people that do this are native english speaking. UK/US..
Please explain this to me as i know you guys are not stupid or uneducated. Maybe it is not important at all?
No offence, i just have to know!
Thanks

No, it's important. It's just that the English language has confusing rules that result in such mistakes. It's easy to make these kinds of mistakes, though those that care about their use of proper English don't make 'em.

I, myself, love to write according to the proper rules of grammar. I'm proud to speak English. So, there!

[engideNedmupe]

Haha OK, great reply!
Thank you

[Uzezqelj]

i know you guys are not stupid or uneducated.

wrong, the people who make these mistakes and are from the uk etc are.

[Liskaspexia]

wrong, the people who make these mistakes and are from the uk etc are.

Absolutely agreed, either that, or they are plain simply lazy.

[brilkyPlayday]

Id say education has role to play as well. I've read some horrendous posts from native English speakers on the forums, but am not surprised given that when i've done some work for schools, the level of written English has been equally as appalling.

[standaman]

No, it's important. It's just that the English language has confusing rules that result in such mistakes. It's easy to make these kinds of mistakes, though those that care about their use of proper English don't make 'em.

I, myself, love to write according to the proper rules of grammar. I'm proud to speak English. So, there!

It is usually a case of carelessness, my failing, or a poor standard of education in English.
You may have noticed that the abbreviation for "they are" is frequently written as "there" or "their" instead or the correct "they're".
I'm somewhat embarassed by just how well many people write who have English as a second, or third, or even fourth language, compared to those of us for whom it is a first (and often only) language.

[VrQsgM7c]

There are a lot of people that are just "under" educated in the US and it really shows in their grammar, most of them don't even know they're making a mistake.

Our educated system is slowly becoming really a two tiered system, a "they'll live, pass them to the next grade" and "this kid really wants to learn everything he can". The first is more of the "norm" now, teachers try to do more but when it comes down to test scores or limited amount of time to teach a lesson and then move to the next level they'll fall back and just move on. (Since there is often pressure by administration to cover a set amount of material in the year even if students are not really learning all of it)

The second requires the student to do the work and ask the teacher to teach them that information. Only the students that really care about their education and see that it's there FOR them rather then just something forced upon them tend to do this. In my high school years a great deal of the stuff I found really interesting or valuable was taught to me by my teachers either before class, after class, or during lunch. I would have questions which I knew would take extra time to explain or would be "above" most the class so I would hang around after class time to get them answered and that was really the time when I was able to get deep into a subject and actually learn stuff. My last two years of high school I often spent an extra hour after school talking to my teachers while they would clean up the room or prepare for the next school day, hell, my first two years in college I spent a great deal of time after class pushing for more information on a subject.

I remember more then once being really glad when a college class would get out like two hours early because the teacher gave us a lab that could be completed at home or just wanted us to review for a test or something and I would just have one or two questions to ask the instructor right after class and by the time I left the building it was either right at or past the normal time the class let out!

Edit: Also, I really wasn't a "loser" or "geek" in high school at all, I still had a pretty large group of friends that I hung out with at school and while people would come up to me and say "I know you're smart, can you help me with this..." no one ever targeted me for being a teachers pet or part of the un-cool "nerd group". I was normal, I just knew that I had a really great resource in front of me and how to exploit it, not much can get done in the class room compared to one on one or a small group that really CARES about what's being taught.

[incizarry]

Don't forget about "they're", as in:

They're really bad at grammar.

[tipokotap]

Now, I see people every day using the word "there" when it in my mind clearly should say "their". Why? because some people ARE that stupid, or, simply type it by mistake and can't be arsed to check THEIR grammar.

[OpVJokl8]

I guess sometimes the people who have english as a 2nd language probably have better grammar than the people who learn it as their first language because when you are in a language class you are taught the rules of grammar and tested on them. When you naturally learn a language however, you just pick up the grammar and do not learn all the subtleties of it sometimes that other people are learning in the classroom.

Not that I would consider there, they're, and their to be a subtle. Some people on this forum really need to step up the grammar. I think it is mainly due to laziness.

[Annewsded]

[offtopic]
Not exactly gramma, but my pet hate is people who use the phrase "I could care less" when they actually mean "I couldn't care less".

Just look at what you're writing (or saying); do you even bother to think about what the words mean?!

[qzgCVHex]

I'm usually pretty careful with my grammar and spelling, but every once in a while I'll thow in the wrong "their" or "there", and a couple times I've even said "to" instead of "too"! Since I barely ever make these mistakes I don't go back and check my spelling and grammar. I just assume I got it right the first time. If I do find that I made a mistake, I will usually edit my post and fix it, as I don't like leaving mistakes in my posts!

[Liskaspexia]

Id say education has role to play as well. I've read some horrendous posts from native English speakers on the forums, but am not surprised given that when i've don't some work for schools, the level of written English has been equally as appalling.

You've don't some work?

[sueplydup]

Id say education has role to play as well. I've read some horrendous posts from native English speakers on the forums, but am not surprised given that when i've don't some work for schools, the level of written English has been equally as appalling.

Soooo,
"Education has role to play" and "i've don't some work for schools" eh ?

Very interesting,...

[brilkyPlayday]

Soooo,
"Education has role to play" and "i've don't some work for schools" eh ?

Very interesting,...

No idea what youre talking about [rofl]

I should add most are lazy like myself and I often just let the auto correct hash away at my posts...

[oops]

[Liskaspexia]

Soooo,
"Education has role to play" and "i've don't some work for schools" eh ?

Very interesting,...

Heh missed the first one hawk-eye!

[Liskaspexia]

No idea what youre talking about [rofl]

HACKA, without even leaving a trace, eh? [rofl]

[Snitiendumurn]

HACKA, without even leaving a trace, eh? [rofl]

Not all

Id say education has role to play as well.

Not that I should be picky, my grammer is appalling

[brilkyPlayday]

Ahh, well pick away at my post, I didnt claim to be perfect and im happy to admit I do get lazy with posts on here, after all, its not like I make these errors in written discourse where spelling and grammar do count.