Cato's Grammar Grumble

[Karl Henning]

"It's Ohio, Jake."

A year ago, I should not have twigged this.

[Ken B]

A year ago, I should not have twigged this.

Were you from Ohio a year ago?

[Karl Henning]

I don't see the phrase "in countries" as any value added to the sentence at all, at all.

[Name of company]'s products are sold in countries around the world.

[Cato]

I don't see the phrase "in countries" as any value added to the sentence at all, at all.

[Name of company]'s products are sold in countries around the world.

Not at all in any  way at all.   

I am reminded of my trip to the South Pacific: I saw the H-Bomb site Bikini Atoll, but the best atoll was no Bikini Atoll!   

Okay, so...

Our "favorite" local T.V. station has a 20-something weatherman who said yesterday:

"This unseasonable cold will continue through Tuesday."

Well, the single-digit cold some might find "unreasonable," but precisely in which other season would we find such temperatures? 

[bwv 1080]

Ran into what was is a debatable style guide presented as an iron law of grammar which is to not start a sentence with an Arabic (rather than spelled out number).  Starting a sentence with 'Three' vs '3' is good and there are very few instances where beginning a sentence with an number carried out to six significant digits is good - however I see nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with '37% of what people believe are die hard grammar rules are just style conventions that can be broken'

[Cato]

Ran into what was is a debatable style guide presented as an iron law of grammar which is to not start a sentence with an Arabic (rather than spelled out number).  Starting a sentence with 'Three' vs '3' is good and there are very few instances where beginning a sentence with an number carried out to six significant digits is good - however I see nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with '37% of what people believe are die hard grammar rules are just style conventions that can be broken'

Interesting: what say ye, Fellow Grammar Grumblers?

Which seems better?

37% say that some grammar rules are actually biases.

Thirty-seven per cent say that some grammar rules are actually biases.

And what if our number is a decimal?   

Ninety-three point five per cent voted against the introduction of Cheese on campus.  Those in favor hailed from Limburg.

93.5% voted against the introduction of Cheese on campus.

[Ken B]

100% is my preference for 37%. But for natural numbers of modest size, "Thirteen curses upon you", words not digits. I think the split is measurements vs items, but I doubt there is a hard and fast rule.

[kishnevi]

Interesting: what say ye, Fellow Grammar Grumblers?

Which seems better?

37% say that some grammar rules are actually biases.

Thirty-seven per cent say that some grammar rules are actually biases.

And what if our number is a decimal?   

Ninety-three point five per cent voted against the introduction of Cheese on campus.  Those in favor hailed from Limburg.

93.5% voted against the introduction of Cheese on campus.

Who is Cheese and why do the swains abhor him (her)?

(Since you capitalized it in midsentence, I must assume Cheese is a person and not an edible derivative of milk.)

[kishnevi]

On the actual question, what I learned was that if a written out number was  inappropriate, the sentence should be rewritten so the sentence starts with something else:

The poll revealed that 37% of those asked believed some grammar rules are merely biases.
Of those asked, 37% believed, etc.

The vote was a decisive rejection of Cheese, with 93.5 percent voting to bar him from campus.  The only dissenting votes were cast by Limburgers.

[André]

When I was in high school way back in the early seventies, we were taught not to use numerals to open a sentence.

I have forgotten most of these rules now (conventions, really) and when in doubt, go by instinct rather than check a reliable source  .

[Karl Henning]

Of course, it's only a typo, and not the writer's native language;  but I admit that my eye recoiled . . .

. . . Georges Franju's haunting French thriller Eyes Without a Face (Les yeaux sans visage) . . . .

[Ken B]

On the actual question, what I learned was that if a written out number was  inappropriate, the sentence should be rewritten so the sentence starts with something else:

The poll revealed that 37% of those asked believed some grammar rules are merely biases.
Of those asked, 37% believed, etc.

The vote was a decisive rejection of Cheese, with 93.5 percent voting to bar him from campus.  The only dissenting votes were cast by Limburgers.

Pffft. Never end a sentence with a preposition, never split an infinitive, never begin a sentence with a conjunction. Piffling rules that never applied. Brevity is a virtue.

[Karl Henning]

Snowflake.

[Ken B]

Snowflake.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/06/dont-call-us-snowflakes-damages-mental-health-say-young-people/

[kishnevi]

Of course, it's only a typo, and not the writer's native language;  but I admit that my eye recoiled . . .

. . . Georges Franju's haunting French thriller Eyes Without a Face (Les yeaux sans visage) . . . .

Shades of Billy Idol...

[Ken B]

Of course, it's only a typo, and not the writer's native language;  but I admit that my eye recoiled . . .

. . . Georges Franju's haunting French thriller Eyes Without a Face (Les yeaux sans visage) . . . .

From the French version of Rocky

Yeaux, Adrian!

[Cato]

From the website of an alleged literary agent:


"We only take on clients in which we truly believe."  

Well, I would want to deal only with an agent who knows English!  0:)

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

From the website of an alleged literary agent:


"We only take on clients in which we truly believe."  

Well, I would want to deal only with an agent who knows English!  0:)

I am sure they wouldn't like to see you write 'I would want to deal only with an agent which knows English!'

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Pffft. Never end a sentence with a preposition, never split an infinitive, never begin a sentence with a conjunction. Piffling rules that never applied. Brevity is a virtue.

Prepositions are not words to end sentences with! It is wrong to ever split an infinitive! And never begin a sentence with a conjunction!

[Ken B]

Prepositions are not words to end sentences with! It is wrong to ever split an infinitive! And never begin a sentence with a conjunction!

Never use that many exclamation marks !!!!!!!!