Grammar on the webz

Mostly, I'm fine with letting it slide, but the mixing up of their and there, and the swapping of your and you're get under my skin. Anyway, saw this Mac Lethal rap about your and you're and thought is worth sharing.
[video]http://youtu.be/32p8d6OudgU[/video]

 

I almost always let it slide, as I know I am horrible with grammar. However, then and than getting mixed up is infuriating to me.

 

one that used to bother me, but not so much anymore is effect and affect.

 

That was pretty good.

 

Ya, fun and funny, while being skilled, good mix.

 

I still don't have a clue how to use either in many circumstances

 

that's why it stopped bothering me, I realized that most people, even intelligent people get it wrong often. (EDIT: my bad grammar, I should have said "often get it wrong")

The other one that used to get to me, but I have let go is less versus fewer. There are a bunch that make me feel like a grammar Nazi, but the their vs there and your vs you're are the super basic ones everyone should know.

 

Every time I see one of Mac's newer videos (this, Pale kid raps even faster, the pancake song), I can't believe the guy in the battle below now has multiple youtube videos with millions of views.

[video=youtube;bsmtcNH7Wsk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsmtcNH7Wsk[/video]

 

I still don't know which effect or affect to use.

 

Apostrophe plurals make me grind my teeth...

 

One is a verb, another is a noun, and the third is a preposition.

 

^see this actually doesn't help me at all.

 

one that bugs me is when people spell out something they've likely heard many times, but have never seen in print. Leading to.....So and so is a pre-madonna.

 

Well, what if it's Dennis Rodman, and he's referring to ladies he was with before the Material Girl?

 

It's more complex than this, but here is a quick version.

For a more in depth explanation http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/affect-versus-effect?page=all

 

If Dennis Rodman knows how to work a computer well enough to go into forums and discuss his conquests pre-Madonna, then I'll let it slide.

 

Also:

Affect as a noun can refer to emotion.
Effect as a verb can mean "to bring about," as in, "to effect changes."

 

Having studied linguistics, I have many boring things to say about grammar. However, the one thing I always tell my students is:

There is no such thing as grammar. If you say it, it's correct. Grammar is simply a way that humans document the rules of language, and the rules are always changing. Learning when to use who and when to use whom is much less important than learning how to say what you want to say clearly, effectively and persuasively.

 

If someone uses the wrong your or you're it doesn't bother me nearly as much as when someone uses "ur."

 

My father told me to work and study hard and you will be able to hire someone who knows all that crap.

I miss my father