# Those things that stop your car are not BREAKS, you moron! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719 "2009-06-23T14:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/121 "2009-06-25T20:04:18Z")
So, here’s my dilemna… Husband’s family is having a family reunion. In emails that are circulating for the reunion they keep referring to it as a gathering of the Smith’s (not his real last name). I’ve only been married to him for 4 years. Will I be immediately ostracized if I point out there should be no apostrophe if the word is just plural? Or will they forgive me? I have to know because they’re all doing it and with each email it’s bugging me more and more. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/122 "2009-06-25T20:21:16Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > … What are your feelings on the Oxford comma? 😃 :: spits on the ground :: Clear? 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/123 "2009-06-25T20:22:25Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > So, here’s my dilemna… > > Husband’s family is having a family reunion. In emails that are circulating for the reunion they keep referring to it as a gathering of the Smith’s (not his real last name). > > I’ve only been married to him for 4 years. Will I be immediately ostracized if I point out there should be no apostrophe if the word is just plural? Or will they forgive me? > > I have to know because they’re all doing it and with each email it’s bugging me more and more. If it were my family, you’d be immediately ostracized. Which is exactly why I point out such minor infractions. Then I won’t have to speak to any of 'em for at least three or four years. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/124 "2009-06-25T23:26:23Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > A few years ago I became so frustrated with the lose/loose, chose/choose, “rediculous” stuff I cpmplained about it in the CoX forums. I was instantly attacked by several other posters for being a spelling nazi. Several people claimed that the people making these mistakes may have dyslexia or that english wasn’t their first language. Maybe one or 2 of them had legit reasons, but theres no way that all of them did. > > So I was labelled a jerk because I pretty much said what you have here…if you’re not going to bother to spell a common word correctly I’m going to assume you’re a moron or just plain lazy. > > Everyone makes typos. I understand that. I’ve made a lot of my own mistakes in grammar. I’ve probably made some here, now. But people spelling “ridiculous” with an “e” get under my skin for some reason. > > Maybe I _ **am** _ a jerk. If you are, you’re in good company. 🙂 Seriously though, I’m glad I’m not the only one who has noticed this mysterious condition I call Internet Dyslexia, where it seems every single person on messageboards with atrocious spelling will claim to have Dyslexia, some unspecified Learning Disorder, or claim that actually English isn’t their first language. Especially when it clearly isn’t true. Yes, there are people out there with Dyslexia and Learning Disorders. But not _that_ many when compared to the grand sum of Internet Users. And in my experience, people who have “formally” learnt English as a second language are usually _better_ at picking up on things like your/you’re and not using “rediculous” than English speakers. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/125 "2009-06-26T00:52:07Z")
It is quite common for people to pronounce ridiculous, rediculous. That is why they spell it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/126 "2009-06-26T01:19:30Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > It is quite common for people to pronounce ridiculous, rediculous. That is why they spell it that way. Pronounce, maybe. I guess if _they’ve never read a friggin’ book_ that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/127 "2009-06-26T01:48:08Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > It is quite common for people to pronounce ridiculous, rediculous. That is why they spell it that way. And your point is? People pronounce laugh “laff”. That doesn’t mean it’s the standard spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Shai\_tan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Shai\_tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shai_tan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/128 "2009-06-26T03:18:10Z")
I’m wondering if I was the inspiration for this pitting this time. I posted a question in GQ on the same day. I spelled “brakes” correctly each time in the first half of the post, then pooched it in the second half. I don’t know why. And I can recall correcting the misspellings as I made them in my follow-up post. I don’t generally make that kind of mistake. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/129 "2009-06-26T03:28:25Z")
My daughter-in-law just posted on Facebook that she likes Burbon… Surely that’s justifiable homocide? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/130 "2009-06-26T04:07:35Z")
Haven’t you heard of carriage breaks? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/131 "2009-06-26T06:50:54Z")
> [@ashman165](#): > > One thing I grow tired of seeing is when people say it’s misspelled. Please explain to what about “breaks” or “break” is misspelled? According to my dictionary, it’s spelled correctly and is a word. > > The word which eludes so many people’s vocabulary is malapropism, a specific form of solecism. Ehm… you know, explaining to most people that “‘brake’ is what you use to stop your car, ‘break’ is when your car needs to go to the mechanic” would be a lot faster than trying to get them to read a sentence including the word “malapropism.” Specially given that over 90% of the people I see making that kind of mistakes are foreigners, often under 25 (mind you, 99% of the ones who answer with “who the fuck cares?” appear to be English-as-single-language). ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/132 "2009-06-26T07:31:54Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Totally fucken rediculous. It’s crimsoniculous. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/133 "2009-06-26T11:49:25Z")
> [@Jolly\_Roger](#): > > Pronounce, maybe. I guess if _they’ve never read a friggin’ book_ that makes sense. Again, reading != spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/134 "2009-06-26T14:57:55Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > :: spits on the ground :: But I’m sure you admit that there are circumstances where the comma after the penultimate item in the list is necessary to avoid confusion (e.g., with particularly complex list items), yes? So if there are some circumstances where you would use the comma, why not use it all the time? Also, how do you deal with something like this: > [@](#): > > I dedicate this book to my children, Mary and God. Does the person have two children, Mary and God, or is the book dedicated to the children \*\*and \*\*Mary \*\*and \*\*God? By your standard, there’s no way of knowing for sure. I think you are one of those journalistic heathens clinging to outdated standards set when an extra .0000000001 of an inch of space was a rare and precious thing. ETA: > [@Ruken](#): > > Again, reading != spelling. Reading != spelling, but the more you read, especially at an early age, the better your spelling will be. Same with mainstream grammar–I knew that constructions “looked wrong” or “looked right” way before I learned them in school. > [@Ruby](#): > > My daughter-in-law just posted on Facebook that she likes Burbon… Surely that’s justifiable homocide? Maybe she was just really drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/135 "2009-06-26T15:07:39Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > “High rate of speed” sounds to me like cop-talk. Often, police types use too many words and string too many prepositional phrases together. I think they think they sound more intelligent or formal or something. For me, that verbal habit tends to set off my Bullshit Detector. Exactly my point. Not only do I believe with you, but I believe you are correct with a high rate of accuracy! -Joe ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/136 "2009-06-26T15:54:39Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > My daughter-in-law just posted on Facebook that she likes Burbon… Surely that’s justifiable homocide? Maybe it’s a new flavor from Cinnabon? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/137 "2009-06-26T15:55:47Z")
> [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](#): > > watt? > > Anyway - **for all intensive purposes** and without further adieu, it’s not a misspelling, but “in and of itself” can dig a big hole and bury itself. Heh, heh. I think this is a meta-joke. At least I hope so! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/138 "2009-06-26T16:47:44Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Heh, heh. I think this is a meta-joke. At least I hope so! It is. Read the four words right after the bit you bolded. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/139 "2009-06-26T16:47:44Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > Heh, heh. I think this is a meta-joke. At least I hope so! It is. I notice you didn’t catch “without further adieu” (it’s supposed to be “ado”). Shame, shame. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719/140 "2009-06-26T16:50:35Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > It is. I notice you didn’t catch “without further adieu” (it’s supposed to be “ado”). Shame, shame. Does this mean I got half-whooshed, or whoo-ed? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-things-that-stop-your-car-are-not-breaks-you-moron/500719.md?page=8)