# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gommsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@gommsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gommsn)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/41 "2009-04-18T19:16:42Z")
I support everyone here. I have seen breaks/brakes, lose/loose not only here but everywhere on the venerable net. What seems sad to me is that I don’t see it as a typo. That I can understand. Everyone does it. I like to have fun with english, it’s a fun language and I do in my daily comings and goings. But in the written form, please show some respect to the person reading it. Also, and this may be open to criticism but when I see the same mistake made by the same person over and over again, I tend to make assumptions about that person. Not right, I know, but… ---
**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, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/42 "2009-04-18T19:38:35Z")
I was on craigslist a couple weeks ago looking at singles ads for grins and giggles. I read one posted in Men seeking Women. He did not have one capital letter, not one comma, and not one period, and tons of misspellings. I was NOT impressed. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/43 "2009-04-18T20:03:08Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > This one really bothers me. > > You BREAK your arm, or I may BREAK your head if you keep using this stupid construction. > > You put the BRAKES on your car, or on a relationship. > > While we’re at it, “BEAR” either shits in the woods or is something you carry. > > “BARE” is naked or to make naked. > > Now cut it out! Sorry, you loose. The break / brake idiocy is not as bad as the loose / lose idiocy. Besides, someone will come by soon to tell us that you can spell or pronounce things any way you want because– _“English is a living language! It is natural that word usage, spelling, etc. changes over time. For example, it is not incorrect to spell “idiotic” using any random consonants (for example, “hdvxzzzt”) because language changes, you see!”_ So it’s KO that were loosing them battle to the hdvxzzzts. Tri putting the breaks on pore usage and yer only gettin in teh way of progress! ---
**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, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/44 "2009-04-18T20:24:34Z")
Now you’re just flouting your knowledge of the English language and flaunting the rules therefor. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/45 "2009-04-18T20:30:43Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > 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. Well, not really; a lot of people probably confuse the apostrophe in “it’s” with the similar use of the apostrophe to denote possession. It’s a case of over-generalization: they think: _If I would write “I stepped on the dog’s tail,” then why not “I stepped on it’s tail?”_ ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f08c70/32.png) [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Brother_Walker)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/46 "2009-04-18T22:14:36Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > I can barrow you one. It’s \*I can **borrow** you one. - Morons. Go ahead… Axe me another one. ---
**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, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/47 "2009-04-18T22:21:24Z")
English is NOT my native language. It’s not my first language, it’s my second. And yet I make the effort every day and every minute, to write it correctly and speak it correctly. I love the English language, with all of its idiosyncrasies and oddities and everything weird about it. So why can’t native speakers do the same? This is not a “variant” spelling - _those are the wrong words_. Those two words mean something completely different. You may utilize whatever spelling/grammar/words you like, I suppose, but don’t expect me to read it and respect you. It’s one thing to claim ignorance. It’s another to claim “I just don’t care”. GRR! The lose/loose battle is almost lost, I fear. But I and others will still fight the good fight! Besides, break/brake look totally different, in my eyes much more different than lose/loose. It’s/its I am way more forgiving of. That is a tough one. ---
**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, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/48 "2009-04-18T22:41:08Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > From her song “You Oughta Know” Thanks. I should probably have known that, but i sense that song came out in the 90s and I spent most of that decade at right angles to reality. ---
**Author:** ![Carnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carnick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnick)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/49 "2009-04-18T23:22:41Z")
Your an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Varrius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e9a140/32.png) [@Varrius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varrius)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/50 "2009-04-19T00:01:54Z")
The other skin-crawling one to me is the use of **then** when the user means **than**. Sally is not smarter _ **then** _ you, she is smarter _ **than** _ you, and she probably uses then and than correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/51 "2009-04-20T13:17:34Z")
> [@Uncle\_Brother\_Walker](#): > > It’s \*I can **borrow** you one. > > - > > Morons. Go ahead… Axe me another one. It’s spelled “morans”, moran. GET A BRANE. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/52 "2009-04-20T14:03:25Z")
> [@gommsn](#): > > Also, and this may be open to criticism but when I see the same mistake made by the same person over and over again, I tend to make assumptions about that person. Not right, I know, but… While I’m a card-carrying member of the Grammar Nazi Party, my take on this (after much sad exposure to it on the Web) is that I’m not _quite_ as bothered by people who constantly make the same spelling errors as I am by people who spell a given word several different ways, sometimes in the same sentence. At least the former are consistent, whereas the latter aren’t even making a minimal effort. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/53 "2009-04-20T14:34:22Z")
Give me a brake. I acknowlidge that people like good spelling but it is not a good arguement that they should acomodate your short temper. They should make a comitment not to embaress themselves any more. The exitance of spelling errors is not a lisense to chastize them. But if you persavere, the less ocurance of bad spelling will make you feel better… You should withold judgement and procede to a nonjudgemental stance. I thank you for your indespensible assistence. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/54 "2009-04-20T14:52:04Z")
A problem with many message boards is that there isn’t a lot of interaction between members/commentators. They submit their inane post in all its ungrammatical glory, then just silently sit back and say nothing regarding whatever comes after them. Correcting them, therefore, is a mute point. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/55 "2009-04-20T15:21:21Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Give me a brake. I acknowlidge that people like good spelling but it is not a good arguement that they should acomodate your short temper. They should make a comitment not to embaress themselves any more. The exitance of spelling errors is not a lisense to chastize them. But if you persavere, the less ocurance of bad spelling will make you feel better.. You should withold judgement and procede to a nonjudgemental stance. I thank you for your indespensible assistence. This post includes the top 20 misspellings on the net. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/56 "2009-04-20T15:44:13Z")
I will defend to the death, my right to [Bear Arms](http://www.x-tremegeek.com/templates/TshirtStoreDetail.asp?storeId=1&styleID=192&styleindexID=514). ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/57 "2009-04-20T15:50:29Z")
Don’t forget those who happily interchange _quiet_/_quite_/_quit_, sometimes within the same sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/58 "2009-04-20T16:31:47Z")
I see ‘were’ used for ‘where’ frequently, too, and not just as a typo. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437/59 "2009-04-20T17:14:51Z")
At least they don’t loose there breaks like they’re car keys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-goddamnit-the-things-on-your-car-are-brakes/493437.md?page=2)