Using "Then" and "Than" correctly

[cyberham]

...my daughter says in math class as long as the answer is close the teacher will accept it!!!

What's funny about this rant-fest is that the original comment reported coming from the teacher may have been misinterpreted. In school history past, back in the dark ages, we too may have received at least a significant amount of a total mark for a complicated test question involving math if we showed the full concept and calculation method for arriving at the answer. The specific arithmetic involved, in those cases, was not the point of the test question. I always thought this made sense.

But, I wonder if classes still do verbal "stress" quizzes like Mr. Robertson used to give: "2*9...+23...-16...+41...*3 = ?"....about a 5-second pause for students to write down answer...then next verbal question. All rapid-fire one after another. You had to use mental imagery of the numbers to keep up. Nobody was text messaging to their buddy during these fun quizzes.

 

[rogerduncan100]

That's because you and your classmates actually cared about your success. I wouldn't try doing that with the grade 9 class I have right now. They would look at me like I was from Mars!

 

[Strino]

I do believe that most instructors will give partial credit for a math/science question if your solving work was correct even if you arrived at the wrong answer, but your solving had to demonstrate a solid understanding of the subject. I recall this vividly from even my university days. We were always allowed to submit our exams with answers only with the caveat that if the answer was incorrect no points for the question would be awarded. If we showed our solving technique and it had some merrit to it, then we _might_ receive partial credit for the question.

I'm not sure what can be done to improve the english language... other than to force a child to pick up a book sometime... lol

 

[Babadem]

I do believe that most instructors will give partial credit for a math/science question if your solving work was correct even if you arrived at the wrong answer, but your solving had to demonstrate a solid understanding of the subject. I recall this vividly from even my university days. We were always allowed to submit our exams with answers only with the caveat that if the answer was incorrect no points for the question would be awarded. If we showed our solving technique and it had some merrit to it, then we _might_ receive partial credit for the question.

I'm not sure what can be done to improve the english language... other than to force a child to pick up a book sometime... lol

...instead of playing video games and listening to Electronic Audio books.

 

[rogerduncan100]

I could care less that nobody has picked up on my comment about using the phrase "I could care less" when they really mean they couldn't care less. It's the one I love to hate the most!

 

[TNGTony]

I stopped myself from commenting about "could care less". Just a few short days before your original post there was this little exchange in the USA series "Fairly Legal"
"What? I could care less if she's sleeping with him." — Ben
"Couldn't care less. Could care less indicates you care enough to care less. Of course, how much less you could care depends on how much you do care, which is …" — Leo
"Zero! And you can't care less than zero [Ben exists quickly]." — Ben
"True that … if that were true." — Leo

 

[rogerduncan100]

Right, so if someone "could care less" it means they care at least a bit. In the above exchange Ben isn't making sense.

 

[Stargazer]

Alrighty then. I use then when it comes to a "time" something is take place. Than is a word I use to describing something being better than something else. That is how I see those two words.

 

[TNGTony]

Gee, I wish some one else would have posted this before.

 

[rogerduncan100]

Look at the link in the original post.

 

[Pepper]

al·right
? ?[awl-rahyt]
adverb
all right.

"Alright," I guess your dictionary is newer than mine. That was not considered correct usage or spelling back in the dark ages when I was in school.

 

[cyberham]

Before anybody complains further about language usage, check dictionary.com. Most languages are living, and they change a lot, particular since last century when most on this forum including me went to school.

 

[rogerduncan100]

Language changes, it's true, but there must be agreement about the meanings of words. The faster language changes the more difficult it becomes to establish agreement about meaning.

In today's world we hear many languages are dying. That would seem to indicate there are fewer languages now and I think most of us will agree that electronic communication has been a significant factor in causing this trend.

The part that interests me is what Marshall McCluen said about electronic media; that they lead to increased tribalism. When I look around me it seems to be true. We have the whole "language" of texting and other forms of electronic communication that seem to pride themselves on promoting spelling and grammatical errors. Worldwide it seems that culture is fragmenting and each fragment creates its own language. Sadly, the reason for this seems to be to make communication with outsiders impossible.

I want to be part of the larger group worldwide that tries to standardize world language to make communication clearer. I think these tribal subgroups are pretty much mindless.

 

[Bobby]

roger, I couldn't agree more. These days I have been watching Euro 2012, the European soccer championship series. I have noted that the stadium advertisements have been in English. Uniforms have English words on them. And, most of all, the stadium announcers in both the Ukraine and Poland are speaking in English. Considering the only countries participating in this tournament that speak English out of sixteen, natively, are England and Ireland. There seems to be a consensus that a single, universal language makes it simpler for all concerned to communicate with each other.

Maybe the overall ending will be, in fact, an international language. That would help to bring tribalism to a different level. Things to think about.....