# People, goddamnit, the things on your car are BRAKES **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 17, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437 "2009-04-17T16:42:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/21 "2009-04-18T00:46:47Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > While we’re at it, “BEAR” either shits in the woods or is something you carry. Who carries bears? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/22 "2009-04-18T00:54:36Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Who carries bears? Alanis Morissette. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/23 "2009-04-18T00:58:31Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Alanis Morissette. Cross-eyed ones! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/24 "2009-04-18T01:59:48Z")
> [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](#): > > “Alot” makes me want to kick puppies, and I see it on here all the time. People, it is “a lot.” So you see it alot, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/25 "2009-04-18T13:28:46Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > You’re all correct about standard orthography, but, eh, why get so worked up over it? It doesn’t particularly bother me if someone happens to employ a variant spelling; it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg, as they say. It’s hard to explain exactly why it’s so frustrating. Something like “you know, I learned this distinction when I was eight and have applied it consistently ever since. Is it really that hard?” and “This is my native language, and I love it. Please show it some respect.” I’m not a prescriptivist except when we’re talking about the formal written standard language. Go ahead and use dialect when you speak, txt 2 ur peepz, whatever. But show us you care when writing to strangers. Also “Why aren’t you trying to be as clear as possible? Why should I bother to read what you write if you can’t be bothered to spell the one-syllable words correctly?” Wow, thanks, **Anaamika**. That was cathartic. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/26 "2009-04-18T14:36:15Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > See, this is witty. I can deal with this. > > The rest of you Punners - Punsters go to a Very Bad Place. I fill your pane. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/27 "2009-04-18T14:40:10Z")
We still have a lot of fairly prominent and frequent posters on this board who can’t tell the difference between “its” and “it’s.” I find this inexplicable, even more so than any of the other errors mentioned so far. The apostrophe in “it’s” tells you what it means, for Christ’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/28 "2009-04-18T14:48:09Z")
> [@5-4-Fighting](#): > > I fill your pane. Are you a mother caulker? ---
**Author:** ![Mann\_Slaughter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Mann\_Slaughter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mann_Slaughter)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/29 "2009-04-18T15:05:05Z")
**"Irregardless"** of how you feel, you must admit the OP has a valid point. I had an ex-girlfriend who used that word at least once a day(!), and it made my skin crawl each and every time! And please, don’t tell me that “irregardless” is in the dictionary. So is “ain’t”, and no one is suggesting we use it formally. At my workplace there’s a huge metal sign that hangs near the etch tanks which reads: “Do not add water without **supervisors** permission” Surely, you’d think that a company which has made billions in the years I’ve been there could have spent the extra 5-10 cents for the sign company to add an APOSTROPHE! ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/30 "2009-04-18T15:25:12Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > So you see it alot, eh? O ya, eye dew. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/31 "2009-04-18T16:19:54Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Them’s the breaks. Them **are** the breaks. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/32 "2009-04-18T16:26:49Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Them **are** the breaks. Sheesh. Ya rolls ya wheels, ya takes ya chances, right? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/33 "2009-04-18T16:58:49Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > it’s terrible, but most of my japanese kids who can barely string together more than two or three sentences still know the difference between > (there, their, they’re) > (its, it’s) > (then, than) > (your, you’re) > the only one they still struggle with is which and witch, and of course 'wich (as in damnit woman, go make me a san’wich 😃 ) Don’t forget your plural’s. For some reason, over the past few year’s they’ve spread all over the tube’s. No, I don’t have a clue _how_ you can make that mistake either. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/34 "2009-04-18T17:31:22Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Alanis Morissette. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/35 "2009-04-18T17:48:19Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > 😕 From her song “You Oughta Know” _And I’m here to remind you Of the mess you left when you went away It’s not fair to deny me Of the cross I bear that you gave to me You, you, you oughta know_ That fourth line is often heard as “of the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me.” I’m ashamed to say that I was one of those folks. I thought it was an incredibly stupid lyric, throwing in a reference to some sappy romantic gift. Remember? Remember how you _gave me that bear_, the one we laughed about when we saw it at Walgreens because its eyes were sewn on wrong and it was cross-eyed? REMEMBER? And you told me you loved me? Well, now that bear is sitting on the bed, and one eye is looking at me (one’s looking at the dresser), reminding me that _YOU LIED!_ ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/36 "2009-04-18T18:06:21Z")
Oh, thank god it made sense to other people too. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/37 "2009-04-18T18:12:16Z")
Could somebody recommend me a book where I can learn to write good? ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/38 "2009-04-18T18:24:09Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > Could somebody recommend me a book where I can learn to write good? Are you inferring you is dum? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/39 "2009-04-18T18:24:26Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > Could somebody recommend me a book where I can learn to write good? I can barrow you one. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/40 "2009-04-18T18:33:49Z")
> [@Mann\_Slaughter](#): > > At my workplace there’s a huge metal sign that hangs near the etch tanks which reads: > > “Do not add water without **supervisors** permission” > > Surely, you’d think that a company which has made billions in the years I’ve been there could have spent the extra 5-10 cents for the sign company to add an APOSTROPHE! Signs rarely have punctuation, since it’s a lot harder to see a comma than a T. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437.md?page=3)