Cato's Grammar Grumble

Started by Cato, February 08, 2009, 05:00:18 PM

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Lethevich

Yip, no other human thinks like that (although I suppose corporate staff are similar). Sadly he wasn't frontbench so I can't remember a name ;_;
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

knight66

You remember the names of our frontbench! My hat off to you....especially as we will shortly experience the Labour version night of the long knives. Then you will have to start to remember all the new ones. The average minister lasts 10 months in the job.

Mike
DavidW: Yeah Mike doesn't get angry, he gets even.
I wasted time: and time wasted me.

greg

I like you signature, Cato!  :D
(although i don't watch that show anymore)

Cato

Quote from: Bahamut on May 24, 2009, 05:11:30 AM
I like your signature, Cato!  :D
(although i don't watch that show anymore)

This is the last year for King of the Hill despite good ratings.  Its subtle satire is often very poignant.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

greg

Do you mean last year of reruns? (because i thought they stopped making new episodes a long time ago)

Cato

Quote from: Bahamut on May 24, 2009, 05:48:38 AM
Do you mean last year of reruns? (because i thought they stopped making new episodes a long time ago)

Well, not a long time ago, just last year!

The team behind the series has a new show coming out called "The Goode Family" which will apparently satirize politically correct radical enviro/vegan types.   8)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Quote from: Cato on May 22, 2009, 04:19:14 AM
Not a grammar grumble at all, but linguistic ingenuity: I have a 7th-Grade boy, barely cracking 4' 10'', with a piercing soprano voice, both contrary to a last name indicating the toughest Viking heritage, who is running for Student Council President 2009-2010.

His slogan: "Think BIG, Vote small!"   8)

And he thinks he is indeed the biggest rooster around!  Napoleon complex extraordinaire!   0:)

Results of the election show that The Little Rooster is now BMOC!   8)

And one of the tiniest, squeakiest hens in the roost, will be his Secretary!   :o

Both candidates defying the usual expectation that tall candidates have an edge!
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Quote from: Cato on May 26, 2009, 08:41:07 AM
Results of the election show that The Little Rooster is now BMOC!   8)

And one of the tiniest, squeakiest hens in the roost, will be his Secretary!   :o

Both candidates defying the usual expectation that tall candidates have an edge!

I used BMOC yesterday to one of my 20-something colleagues while we were talking about the new Student Council regime, and he had no idea what it meant!   :o

Too bad!  One of the funniest skits on Saturday Night Live without Steve Martin had John Belushi as Samurai BMOC!

And just to be sure: BMOC = Big Man On Campus.   0:)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Cato

Today's grumble comes from a TV ad for a car dealership (Hyundai).

The words "WHO'S DEAL IS THE BEST?" come roaring out at you!   :o

Yes, the ad agency is illiterate!  But apparently the dealer didn't notice either!   ???
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

karlhenning

That's one I've noticed quite often of late.

Jay F

I hear the annoying "sooner than later" on TV a lot (which reminds me that I had a nun in 7th grade who insisted that we say "television," not "TV," and
"telephone" rather than "phone," even if we were using it as a verb [which led me to choose the verb "call" instead]). I suppose it's the way to say "sooner rather than later" ASAP, though I've never liked "sooner rather than later" much, either. Oh, and I always pronounce "ASAP" as a two-syllable word, never pronouncing it as the four letters.

karlhenning

Quote from: nicht schleppend on May 28, 2009, 04:50:27 AM
. . . a nun in 7th grade who insisted that we say "television," not "TV," and "telephone" rather than "phone" . . . .

I hope she insisted on the unabbreviated violoncello, too!  8)

Quote from: n. schl.. . . Oh, and I always pronounce "ASAP" as a two-syllable word, never pronouncing it as the four letters.

I always tell out the four letters, but, live and let live, says I.

Opus106

Quote from: Cato on May 28, 2009, 04:32:30 AM
The words "WHO'S DEAL IS THE BEST?" come roaring out at you!   :o

Reminds of the days when I was in school (class 3 or something), when the class monitor used to pick up a pencil or some other piece of stationery found lying on the floor, hold it high above his or her head so that everyone could have a clear view of the object and ask, "Who is this pencil?" :D
Regards,
Navneeth

karlhenning

#633
Quote from: opus67 on May 28, 2009, 06:02:35 AM
Reminds of the days when I was in school (class 3 or something), when the class monitor used to pick up a pencil or some other piece of stationery found lying on the floor, hold it high above his or her head so that everyone could have a clear view of the object and ask, "Who is this pencil?" :D

Delightfully tangential . . . one of the composers I worked with in Charlottesville was Walter Ross, and one of his amusing pastimes was, he wanted to be able to speak at least one phrase in as many languages as possible.  For simplicity, might as well be the same phrase.  And since communication is not the goal of this project, it needn't be a particularly useful phrase.

So one day, Walter comes up to me and say, "I hear you're studying Japanese?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Boku wa empitsu desu."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Did you understand what I said?"

"Well, if I did, then you just told me that you are a pencil."

"Yes, that's right!" . . .

Edit :: typo

DavidRoss

I was always fond of learning at least two phrases, both quite useful in different ways:

"The little dog listens to the fish,"

and, "Two cold beers, please."

A common error that aggravates me somewhat is the insertion of apostrophes in plurals, as seen on this site quite often in the plural of "CD," which appears more frequently as "CD's" than not.
"Maybe the problem most of you have ... is that you're not listening to Barbirolli." ~Sarge

"The problem with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money." ~Margaret Thatcher

Jay F

Quote from: DavidRoss on May 28, 2009, 06:31:49 AMA common error that aggravates me somewhat is the insertion of apostrophes in plurals, as seen on this site quite often in the plural of "CD," which appears more frequently as "CD's" than not.

Same here. I don't even get the logic behind that.

karlhenning

Quote from: DavidRoss on May 28, 2009, 06:31:49 AM
I was always fond of learning at least two phrases, both quite useful in different ways:

"The little dog listens to the fish,"

and, "Two cold beers, please."

As an English-speaker who has tried . . . I should be most interested in hearing your gamest efforts in Tallinn to order a beer in Estonian  :)

Cato

Quote from: opus67 on May 28, 2009, 06:02:35 AM
Reminds of the days when I was in school (class 3 or something), when the class monitor used to pick up a pencil or some other piece of stationery found lying on the floor, hold it high above his or her head so that everyone could have a clear view of the object and ask, "Who is this pencil?" :D

As a teacher with some iron in his irony, I have been known to ask in a similar fashion with an unsigned quiz or test in my hand:

"Who belongs to this?"   0:)
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Dr. Dread


karlhenning