Moot vs Mute

[Ron Wood]

I see folks referring to something that is inconsequential as being a "mute point". The proper label would be "moot point", as moot indicates "having little or no practical relevance..." (Wikipedia).
Ron

[Heinz]

Precision is always good :-)

[Doubs]

Ron, I see a lot of misused words and I've learned to ignore them if the intent is clear. If you correct someone, they accuse you of being a "grammar Nazi" and it's simply not worth it. Besides, I was not a good student of English grammar or spelling.

[Bill_in_VA]

A true grammar nazi here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4vf8N6GpdM
(And yes, it is Luger-related. ;-) )

[Greg G]

Like when someone writes, "pre-band". Or gun band.

[Edward Tinker]

Greg, you really mean, rights, or its red by a person, who was wandering what ewe where righting

[Ron Wood]

Wow, Ide shore hate to be a grammar Nazi...ain't nothing worser than somebody that thinks they knows good English.
Ron

[Greg G]

Write on, Ed.

[spangy]

In a book of wordplay called Wordbirds: An Irreverent Lexicon for the 21 st Century, Liesl Schillinger humorously defines a mute point as follows:
“When somebody in a group makes a good suggestion, but somehow nobody hears it.”

In a similar vein, Urban Dictionary defines it as “addressing the participants of a conference call while your phone is on mute.”

Fans of the TV show Friends may have heard a third variation: moo point (because, according to Joey, a cow’s opinion doesn’t matter).

[Heinz]

The only people who really knows good English was teached it in some foreign country.

I live in the South now and just say "Bless your heart"

When someone corrects a mistake I made I consider that a kindness.

[hayhugh]

Lefties have rights too....

[Dubar]

Originally Posted by Heinz

The only people who really knows good English was teached it in some foreign country.

I live in the South now and just say "Bless your heart"

When someone corrects a mistake I made I consider that a kindness.

My wife used to say "The poor thing" when speaking of someone who didn't have a clue about what they were talking. She was from Vicksburg.

[Neil Young]

I always thought my grammar was more gooder than most, but now, I ain't so sure. That busts my bubble and I don't have enough wind to blow a new one S**t!

[Norme]

Originally Posted by Heinz

The only people who really knows good English was teached it in some foreign country.

I live in the South now and just say "Bless your heart"

When someone corrects a mistake I made I consider that a kindness.

My Mother spoke flawless, un-accented English, learned ih a Berlin high school (gymnasium) before the war. The only clue to her foreign birth was her refusal to use contractions, like isn't for is not and aren't for are not (the use of ain't was unthinkable). I was a product of the British educational system, from nursery school through university and when, at age 22, I emigrated to the US back in 1960 my mother made me promise to write weekly (transatlantic phone calls were shockingly expensive back then). Every once in a while she would return my letter with errors in grammar and spelling circled in red.
Norm

[Heinz]

Norme, Bless her heart. She raised you well.

[rhuff]

Originally Posted by Norme

Every once in a while she would return my letter with errors in grammar and spelling circled in red.
Norm

I know of what you speak. My mother had been a teacher before she married my dad and started a family. I got corrected at school, and at home!!

[Doubs]

For anyone interested, the book "The Mother Tongue, English and How It Got That Way" by Bill Bryson is an amazing read. It's not, as you might expect, dry but interesting. Bryson is considered to be one of the better authorities on the English language.

For instance, he discusses common American words that the British have newly adopted but complain are crude and yet were, in fact, commonly used in Britain until they were dropped long ago. He claims that the "F" word is the most useful in the English language and explains why. Over 10,000 English words are of French derivation while words from the German are far fewer.

You can find it on Abebooks.com for less than $5 with free shipping.

[G.T.]

The one that tortured me way back when, was, the difference between "taut & taunt" turns out I was just ridiculing large amounts of rope?... learned eventually... I got better?.... best, til...lat'r...GT

[tomaustin]

Grammaticist.........

[Heinz]

tomaustin, We have been doing vocabulary, we have not begun to get into grammar :-)