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[Tripe]

Actually it's either/or depending upon how much of the sentence the period ends is contained within the parenthesis.

It goes outside unless the entire sentence is, I think.

Yes.

[RVR II]

'80s (please everybody look where the apostrophe goes).

So?
I Like putting the apostrophe in the wrong place..

Actually, for the most part, you don't put it in the wrong place.

Some, however, are intended to make sure the correct sense is conveyed, like the one about apostrophe placement.  

So, is that good er bad??

[Sharktopus]

I'm about to piss off some uptight English teachers, but here's the bottom line: Whatever gets your idea across to the reader clearly is the best way to go, and damn the rules. Trying to apply rules to the English language is a fool's errand.

To a point this is correct; many of the grammatical rules are artificial shibboleths.

Some, however, are intended to make sure the correct sense is conveyed, like the one about apostrophe placement.  

Sure, since a punctuation mark is basically a rule in and of itself, in this case "I stand for something that has been omitted." Other gramatical rules, on the other hand, are utterly pointless. Yes, I know "to boldy go" is a split infinitive. No, I don't give a crap.    Does "to go, boldly, where no man has gone before" really sound any better?

[Tripe]

Correct and that's actually a prime example of one of the artificial ones. English has many Latin derived words in it (as well as those from many other languages) but it isn't a romance language so to apply a rule from Latin is completely intentional.

Like I said, many many of the rules are just there as shibboleths.

'80s (please everybody look where the apostrophe goes).

So?
I Like putting the apostrophe in the wrong place..

Actually, for the most part, you don't put it in the wrong place.

Some, however, are intended to make sure the correct sense is conveyed, like the one about apostrophe placement.  

So, is that good er bad??

Well, since you generally don't place them incorrectly, I'd have to say good.

[MontyServo]

Like I said many many of the rules are just there as shibboleths.

Main Entry: shib·bo·leth
Pronunciation: \?shi-b?-l?th also -?leth\
Function: noun
Etymology: Hebrew shibb?leth stream; from the use of this word in Judg 12:6 as a test to distinguish Gileadites from Ephraimites
Date: 1638

1 a : a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning <the old shibboleths come rolling off their lips — Joseph Epstein> b : a widely held belief <today this book publishing shibboleth is a myth — L. A. Wood> c : truism, platitude <some truth in the shibboleth that crime does not pay — Lee Rogow>
2 a : a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group <accent was...a shibboleth of social class — Vivian Ducat> b : a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others <for most of the well-to-do in the town, dinner was a shibboleth, its hour dividing mankind — Osbert Sitwell>

Well, that doesn't help me at all. 

Not all of us went to word college!     You guys with all your $10 words!

[Sharktopus]

But how do we all feel about dangling participles? Personally, I cringe every time I hear someone ask "Where you at?"

[RVR II]

Maybe we should talk like we're livin in the 80s

[Sharktopus]

Do you remember the 50s?
When Emperor Claudius died?

[RVR II]

Do you remember the 50s?
When Emperor Claudius died?

...no ...

[MontyServo]

So then - '80's list.  (Damn, I still think I did that wrong.)  Should be fun.

And if it is the celebrity crush list, I just want to say that I am only going to include childhood celebrity crushes.  From when I was in high school or younger.  So expect a lot of singers and actresses from the 70's and 80's on my list.

[Tripe]

Like I said many many of the rules are just there as shibboleths.

Main Entry: shib·bo·leth
Pronunciation: \?shi-b?-l?th also -?leth\
Function: noun
Etymology: Hebrew shibb?leth stream; from the use of this word in Judg 12:6 as a test to distinguish Gileadites from Ephraimites
Date: 1638

1 a : a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning <the old shibboleths come rolling off their lips — Joseph Epstein> b : a widely held belief <today this book publishing shibboleth is a myth — L. A. Wood> c : truism, platitude <some truth in the shibboleth that crime does not pay — Lee Rogow>
2 a : a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group <accent was...a shibboleth of social class — Vivian Ducat> b : a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others <for most of the well-to-do in the town, dinner was a shibboleth, its hour dividing mankind — Osbert Sitwell>

Well, that doesn't help me at all. 

Ok, so if you know the correct application of the grammatical rules it showed that you were "educated" and therefore of  a specific social class (the middle one since they tend to care about these sorts of things)

Shibboleths can be natural; the original use was a good example (the other tribes of Israel pronounced the SH, the Ephraimites pronounced it with just a S) or artificial; how one pronounces the word "waistcoat" for example.

Shibboleths can be non-verbal as well, such as whether your cutlery includes fish-knives or not.

Maybe we should talk like we're livin in the 80s

You know when they passed the Keene act I thought everything would get better, but it's just got worse and worse....

Oh the actual '80s

And if it is the celebrity crush list, I just want to say that I am only going to include childhood celebrity crushes.  From when I was in high school or younger.  So expect a lot of singers and actresses from the 70's and 80's on my list.

Some of mine would be time specific, as in "when they had not been subject to the ravages of time".

[RVR II]

Maybe we should talk like we're livin in the 80s

You know when they passed the Keene act I thought everything would get better, but it's just got worse and worse....

Oh you..

Oh the actual '80s

Yes!

[MontyServo]

And if it is the celebrity crush list, I just want to say that I am only going to include childhood celebrity crushes.  From when I was in high school or younger.  So expect a lot of singers and actresses from the 70's and 80's on my list.

Some of mine would be time specific, as in "when they had not been subject to the ravages of time".

I just want everybody to be aware that if I have any underage girls on my list (circa '70s/early '80s), that these are all women who were still born years before me and my "crush" is from a time when I was underage as well.  If that makes any sense.

[RVR II]

So Who do we PM our 80s lists to anyway

[Sharktopus]

I think we need official rules first. For those of us who don't really remember the '80s, we don't want to see a bunch of obscure deep cuts that you old foagies remember that happen to have charted for week. For example, I know there's a bunch of Devo fans here, but just put "Whip It" and leave it at that. I know it's not their best song, or indicative of their work as a whole, but this should be a list of songs that the rest of us recognize. Let's settle that decades-old dispute of "Is Hungry Like The Wolf better than Take On Me?"