Grammar Nazi: I can't take this one anymore!!!!

[hyphenate]

Rein and reign. They sound the same, they look the same (except for that all important "g") and in many ways, they can often have similar ideas behind them. But beyond that, they DON'T MEAN THE SAME DAMNED THING!

Rein: constrain, pull something back. You think of horses with this rein. Holding the horses, preventing them from getting away from you. Rein=restrain. If you were to let loose with your emotions, for example, you might need to "rein them in" and keep them from escaping. You might use rein in any sentence which limits your 1st person singular from getting in over their heads.

And in politics, it simply means to have power as control, not as a full blown authority. "holding the reins of government" means to be in control of the "government" but not in such a position of absolute power.

The dictionary definition reads:

Noun 1. rein - one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
bearing rein, checkrein - a rein designed to keep the horse's head in the desired position
bridle - headgear for a horse; includes a headstall and bit and reins to give the rider or driver control
leading rein - rein to direct the horse's head left or right
strap - an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
2. rein - any means of control; "he took up the reins of government"
control - power to direct or determine; "under control"
Verb 1. rein - control and direct with or as if by reins; "rein a horse"
draw rein, rein in, harness
control, command - exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces"
2. rein - stop or slow up one's horse or oneself by or as if by pulling the reins; "They reined in in front of the post office"
rein in
driving - the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal
stop, halt - come to a halt, stop moving; "the car stopped"; "She stopped in front of a store window"
3. rein - stop or check by or as if by a pull at the reins; "He reined in his horses in front of the post office"
rein in
pull - rein in to keep from winning a race; "pull a horse"
stop - cause to stop; "stop a car"; "stop the thief"
4. rein - keep in check; "rule one's temper"
harness, rule
confine, limit, throttle, trammel, restrain, restrict, bound - place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends"


Now "reign" on the other hand simple means to hold and exercise power over a group of people, as a monarchy is a perfect example of its meaning. Usually used in positive terms, with less negativity. The queen has reigned over England for 50 years. Oftentimes a reign is titular in nature only: Great Britain has a prime minister and Parliament, and the queen/monarchy is mostly symbolic.

The dictionary gives this definition:

reign (rn)
n.
1. Exercise of sovereign power, as by a monarch.
2. The period during which a monarch rules.
3. Dominance or widespread influence: the reign of reason.
intr.v. reigned, reign·ing, reigns
1. To exercise sovereign power.
2. To hold the title of monarch, but with limited authority.
3. To be predominant or prevalent: Panic reigned as the fire spread.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words AntonymsNoun 1. reign - a period during which something or somebody is dominant or powerful; "he was helpless under the reign of his egotism"
period, period of time, time period - an amount of time; "a time period of 30 years"; "hastened the period of time of his recovery"; "Picasso's blue period"
reign of terror - any period of brutal suppression thought to resemble the Reign of Terror in France
2. reign - the period during which a monarch is sovereign; "during the reign of Henry VIII"
historic period, age - an era of history having some distinctive feature; "we live in a litigious age"
3. reign - royal authority; the dominion of a monarch
sovereignty
dominion, rule - dominance or power through legal authority; "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of Caesar"
scepter, sceptre - the imperial authority symbolized by a scepter
Verb 1. reign - have sovereign power; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time"
rule, govern - exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?"
2. reign - be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood"
dominate, predominate, prevail, rule
override - prevail over; "health considerations override financial concerns"
overarch - be central or dominant; "This scene overarches the entire first act"
outbalance, overbalance, preponderate, outweigh - weigh more heavily; "these considerations outweigh our wishes"


So unless you are talking about a monarchy or royalty, please spell the word without the "g" in it!!!

[DarkTirade]

1. You really shouldn't be casting asparagus on other posters y'know.

:P

[hyphenate]

3. I'm just striking out in frustration,

I think. I've been reading a novel that has my jaw dropped because the proofreader was a loser. Throughout the book, they use the word for a platform as "dias." Over and over and over and over again. At one time, the main character uses the term, "hell bounds" when on the same page, he says "hell hounds" which more aptly fits the context of the situation.

The "dias" one is making me angry enough to write to the publisher and tell them off on how little it was proofread before publication.

Yikes, I've gotten to the point where I'm appalled at how much illiteracy is out there. And when it's permeating our reading materials, it's certainly not acceptable.

[MilesColtrane]

59. I think you mean, "the proofreader was a looser".

:D

[hyphenate]

64. They certainly made me

want to loosen up--on them!

[kath]

11. Shouldn't that be "casting asparagus on other poster's"?

It's just SOOOOOOOOO hard to learn how to use the apostrophe (even though they teach it in third grade).
:P

[hyphenate]

23. Aaaaargh!

Apostrophe used only for possession. If you smoke it before they find it, it isn't possession any longer.

[DarkTirade]

30. Your getting to upset about these thing's.

:P

[hyphenate]

31. Damned strait! eom

[meow2u3]

53. Not always

Apostrophes can be used for plurals, but only if the singular is a number or an abbreviation: for instance, the 1970's, ABC's.

:sarcasm: Apostrophe's are not used for plural's of other word's. :sarcasm:

[hyphenate]

65. That is true

That is one of the uses for an apostrophe. It's becoming less used though for that usage--most stylebooks now prefer the terms without the apostrophe, i.e., 60s, 123s, etc.

Yes, freepers seem to think that every word that has to have an "s" appended needs the apostrophe as well. Poor bastard's. :rofl:

[elleng]

75. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

THANK YOU!

[femmocrat]

2. Naxi?

Not a spelling Nazi, I assume?

;)

[leeroysphitz]

5. Sweet. n/t

[hyphenate]

6. No--good catch!

It was my eyesight on that one. I'm at a point where I really, really need new glasses, and I can't afford to get them.

I mainly use my memory in posting, familiarity with the keyboard, and good vocabulary skills. In my case, sight is largely overrated. ;)

[femmocrat]

20. Sorry.... didn't mean to sound snarky.

The one that bothers me the most is "that" vs. "who" when referring to people. (e.g., The students that were absent...)

I hear it all the time, even at school!

I also grit my teeth when I hear "less" and "fewer" used incorrectly.

[hyphenate]

22. When I was in school

we used to make fun of all the people who still talked as though it were Victorian England. Now people are laughing at those of us who actually learned how to speak English relatively well.

My grandmother used "ye" instead of "you" to her dying day. True Scottish-Canadian Gaelic woman to the very end. Many of the words I use are spelled the British way because of my roots. I keep hoping Mums the Queen will take us back into the fold. ;)

[DS1]

4. That's not grammar, it's just using the wrong damn word

[hyphenate]

8. Yes, that's technically true

But it's all English now. ;)

One of those many words we think we know, but in actuality, we don't. People just need to check a dictionary more often, not just spell check. It's been said that the best spellers in the world use the dictionary quite often. But it's not just checking for spelling, but to recall and learn a word's actual definition. We've seen arrogance on the other side, where spelling doesn't count for shit, and ignorance and illiteracy increase through this willful display of refusing to learn something about proper grammatical etiquette. Because it's a sign of "elitism" to be educated in this area, it's ignored by idiots and those posing as idiots.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. The reign in Speign stays meignly in the pleign.

Yes, it's irritating, but not as irritating as the misuse of there-they're-their. That one bugs the hell out of mne.

[hyphenate]

9. Me too

When I am writing something down, I am appalled sometimes to see me actually doing it. I notice it more when I'm not concentrating on what I'm writing--it's simply another way my brain is getting old.

[Xipe Totec]

58. Meanly in the phlegm n/t

[hyphenate]

66. God bless you!

(thought you were sneezing!) :)

[madinmaryland]

10. Stop reining on my parade, Natsi!1!

There's just been weigh too much reign this month!!11!!

[hyphenate]

12. Funny enough

Most people don't make that mistake. If they're real idiots they might, but the one I see is the rein/reign one. Even in some of the books I read, which is a stunner as well.

[hedgehog]

13. How about "tow "the line vs. toe the line! nt

[hyphenate]

19. If people only looked at the derivation

of words, they would have a clue. But we know it will never happen--educated means we're l33t!

[Aristus]

14. I could care less, do to being a grammar apparatchik.

B-)

"Do to", rather than "due to" irritates me, as well.

[hyphenate]

25. If they keep it up

there WILL be a lot of doo-doo!

[ProfessorGAC]

15. You're Imposing A REIN Of Terror

Just kiddin'! You knew i had to do this.
The Professor

[hyphenate]

27. Actually I wish it were a reign of terror

At the very least, I'd be ruling over something instead of holding my horses. :)

[UrbScotty]

16. If I wanna complain about the rein of Queen Hillary I, then complain I will!

So there!

[hyphenate]

28. Who is she holding down?

Bill, or herself?

[Jamastiene]

17. Could you possibly be any more anal retentive?

:sarcasm:

That's a great grammar rant, btw. Shit like that annoys me greatly too. :)

[hyphenate]

29. Ever notice how it's the little

things which finally get to us? It's like pelt me with massacres, perjury, torture and all that other stuff as much as you want to, but don't ever misspell dandylion again!!

[triguy46]

18. I'm sorry, but this does not really rise to the need for a Grammar Nazi...its too simple.

Bring us something with the ablative case of the subjunctive clause in third person, pluperfect.

[hyphenate]

33. ....

:P

[Lionel Mandrake]

61. I prefer the future perfect passive progressive subjunctive, myself.

[pokerfan]

21. As the NCAA basketball tournament looms...

my pet peeve is birth vs. berth.

[hyphenate]

40. Even a non-sports fan like myself

would believe the word was berth, not birth. Unless some 7' guy out there is having a baby right on the foul line or something. ;)

[Bennyboy]

24. Hey! What's another name for Thesaurus?

[hyphenate]

41. Reverse dictionary, perhaps?

[Oeditpus Rex]

56. 'Synonym lexicon'

Ha! Take that, Stephen Wright!

[Iggo]

26. I agree hole-heartedly...(wink)

Now, just between you and I, if we could get folks to stop using the subjective form of a personal pronoun as the object of a preposition, I wouldn't have to cringe every time I watch sports on television.

[hyphenate]

42. Speech is treated differently than writing prose

You can get away with something in speech that you can't in writing--a more familiar tone, vulgarity, colloquialisms, common word shortcuts--I try not to correct speakers because with them right in front of me, it's far more difficult to tell them they're stupid and illiterate.

If you KWIM. ;)

[sueragingroz]

32. one that drives me bananas: past and passed.

seriously... that one drives me around the bend!

[hyphenate]

43. They need to know the difference

between a noun or adverb (past) and a verb. Of course that goes back to elementary grammar and English courses, which means they have never learned even the basics of the subject, and that's pretty sad and foreboding to me.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

34. Horde and hoard.

There are many others, as well as the general shortage of adverbs, and the apostrophe abuse running around.


"Hoover" to mean "hover" really gets me.

Total lack of subject-verb agreement.

People who say "a orange" and don't know when to use "a" or "an". Corrent: "An honor".

[Twillig]

37. I've never seen 'hoover' for hover. This rouge usage peaks my interest.

There's always lose and looser.



'Whose' the master?

[hyphenate]

44. Oh, indeed--for some people, an adverb

and an adjective are essentially the same thing.

I always picture Attila the Hun when I think of the word, horde. I think visualization helps when you use words, because the visual cue you connect to a word helps you pick out that word from synonyms more easily. Horde is, to me, an unpleasant "crowd" of people instead of being pleasant like a "gathering."

As far as a hoarder, I'm one, so I don't need to go far afield to figure that one out!

[Lionel Mandrake]

62. She whored with a horde to build up a hoard.

[Rabrrrrrr]

35. Wow - you're anti-bad grammar zeitgeist meme is HUGH!!

[hyphenate]

45. Why, thank you, sir!

Your compliments surely complement me! :)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

36. Don't rain on my grammar parade

or is it raining in my reign?

If I need to learn this stuff, do I start on a new "study regime"? or "study regimen"?

All this makes my brein hurt.

[hyphenate]

46. Start with the spell checker

first. It's not always going to be right, though, so read Strunk and White's Elements of Style, a small book. Then if those don't work, find some grammar lessons online. After that, you might as well choose death. ;)

[mondo joe]

38. Maybe I'm not the grammar Nazi I thought I was. That one doesn't bother me.

:shrug:

[hyphenate]

47. As my mom would say

I must be wrapped a little tighter than others. It's an insult to myself, but it has color and is apt. :rofl:

[MrsBrady]

39. thank you....

not to be confused with "rain"

lol

[hyphenate]

48. You're welcome

I try. :)

[Thirtieschild]

49. tow the line

[izzybeans]

50. Technically, your subject line only requires one "!".

;)

[hyphenate]

51. At least I didn't use

any 1s in it. ;)

[izzybeans]

52. .

:rofl:

I enjoyed the op. I'm a lazy poster and I often find myself guilty of bad grammar!!!111!

[hyphenate]

67. I'm lazy too

When I was learning to type, I couldn't stand having to go back and correct errors. So I learned to edit myself as I went along, and make less mistakes. :) Besides which, if I had let mistakes continue, my paper would have been way too thick with white-out to even read it.

[Mutley]

54. Is it going to reign or snow?

:shrug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

55. It's gonna hale

Let's give it a hail and hardy welcome.

[margotb822]

60. Are you sure it's not 'its'

Haha! My mother is an English teacher, so I've been trained to discern between homonyms...

[hyphenate]

68. All I can mentally see with that

greeting is John Hillerman holding out his hand to Cleavon Little just before he stated the obvious. :)

[Oeditpus Rex]

70. Whadya think inspired it?

:D

[hyphenate]

81. A movie that will live in infamy! :-) eom

[Xipe Totec]

57. Rein your enthusiasm,

lest cacophony reign supreme.

[hyphenate]

69. Sometimes I don't have

enough enthusiasm to raise a whisper, nevermind cacaphony!

[Lionel Mandrake]

63. affect & effect

"affect" is usually a verb but can be a noun.
"effect" is usually a noun but can be a verb.
Can y'all tell the difference?

[hyphenate]

71. People should be able to tell the difference

but let's face it--if they can't tell the difference between a loser like Bush and a good guy, mere words are not going to be taken seriously!

[Lionel Mandrake]

72. I think you're onto something.

I'll bet there's a strong negative correlation between IQ and having voted for W.

[hyphenate]

79. Most likely

I don't know if anyone has been polled on that subject. :)

[hyphenate]

80. self-delete

There was a burp in the system!

[Lionel Mandrake]

73. Principal and Principle

"principal" is an adjective unless it refers to a schoolmaster.
"principle" is always a noun.
(That is what I was taught while incarcerated in public schools.)

[hyphenate]

82. We were taught a

memory cue in this one. The principal is your "pal" and principle usually refers to law or such, and it ends in "le" like rule.

It doesn't entail all meanings, of course, but it sure does help some people.

[Lionel Mandrake]

74. The old antelope didn't know any Greek, but

the new gnu knew nu.

[WCGreen]

76. Love...

Reign on me...

[RebelOne]

77. The use of site for sight drives me up the wall. n/t

[Lady Freedom]

78. Grammar Nazi?!

Uh... I must go hide now!:yoiks: :hide: