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grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:03 pm
by deadly_habit
haven't been able to find a clear cut answer on this one
also http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/on ... ident.aspx

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:18 pm
by Pedro Sánchez
I'd say 'by' meaning: by the way of an accident, 'on' may suggest a pre-meditated action to me which conflicts with the notion of an accident

by accident, on purpose

and accidentally is contextual to the sentence.

But some English graduate is probably going to come along and prove me wrong.

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:18 pm
by wub
Can you give the context in which you wish to use it?

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:25 pm
by deadly_habit
he crashed the car ____________
and then the needle on the record skipped _____________

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:31 pm
by Pedro Sánchez
deadly habit wrote:he crashed the car ____________
and then the needle on the record skipped _____________
could be both, by accident or accidentally.
but accidentally would be more grammatically correct to me when used with 'he __________crashed the car' or 'the needle on the record________skipped.

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 4:06 pm
by the acid never lies
he crashed the car by accident
and then the needle on the record skipped accidentally

seems the least weird to me

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:05 pm
by laurent__duval
i get really fucked off with people spelling definitely wrong. :q:

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:37 pm
by RandomEyez
Never heard anyone say "on accident" before.

The other two are both acceptable i'd say

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 7:41 pm
by deadly_habit
Random Eyez wrote:Never heard anyone say "on accident" before.

The other two are both acceptable i'd say
it's probably a US thing, but heard someone saying it repeatedly on the news this morning in the context of "i did it on accident" and had me go wtf time to look this up

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 8:08 pm
by RandomEyez
According to urban dictionary :

The improper usage of the phrase "by accident". Started in the United States, but it has started to spread to other countries like a plague. A terrible, terrible, grammar plague.

Cleetus: "Hey Maude, this 'ere critter dang near made me spill mah beer on accident."

Does sound kind of retarded

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 8:51 pm
by fractal
by or on? u start with by and end on on -q-

i say "on the oops tip"

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 8:56 pm
by dj wayne 94
people who mix up Their, They're and There should be shot imo.

it's so fucking easy to learn and sort it out. Just fucking concentrate yeah? although I love correcting people. Makes me feel big.

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 9:05 pm
by fractal
in the future, all three will be replaced by "thr" to save time and argument. people who stare at inconsequential details so much that they miss the message should be shot imo :mrgreen:

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 9:39 pm
by knell
i accidentally a coke bottle

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:13 pm
by fractal
knell wrote:i accidentally a coke bottle
pics or it didn't happen

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:42 pm
by deadly_habit
i accidentally the whole fleshlight

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:44 am
by nicenice
by accident if its human

accidentally for non human and human

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 6:23 am
by wormcode
fractal wrote:in the future, all three will be replaced by "thr" to save time and argument. people who stare at inconsequential details so much that they miss the message should be shot imo :mrgreen:
Haha would not surprise me if this happened. Like the people trying to get SMS shorthand words into dictionaries as official English.

I picked "accidentally", but "by accident" works in certain cases.

How about "try and ____" versus "try to ____"?

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2010 1:36 pm
by kay
fractal wrote:in the future, all three will be replaced by "thr" to save time and argument. people who stare at inconsequential details so much that they miss the message should be shot imo :mrgreen:
In some contexts small things like that can change the whole point of the message.

Re: grammar poll

Posted: Tue Dec 21, 2010 1:04 am
by snypadub
dj wayne 94 wrote:people who mix up Their, They're and There should be shot imo.

it's so fucking easy to learn and sort it out. Just fucking concentrate yeah? [Capital A]although[possible comma] I love correcting people. Makes me feel big[this is an exclamation!].
Fixed.