Cato's Grammar Grumble

[The Six]

Here's the latest trend that's sure to make English language purists' heads explode, because grammar.

http://mashable.com/2013/11/19/because-internet-preposition/

[North Star]

Englisc ágenspræc purism, cool! 

[Ten thumbs]

Here's the latest trend that's sure to make English language purists' heads explode, because grammar.

http://mashable.com/2013/11/19/because-internet-preposition/

I think these are examples of truncation rathe than usage as preposition. Truncation is quite common in informal language.

[Florestan]

He cannot buy drinks, because not of legal age.

What;s wrong with the above?

[Karl Henning]

It does not directly answer your question; but to be correct, we should say:

He cannot buy drinks, because he is not of legal age.

[Karl Henning]

The conjunction because needs to be followed by a complete sentence or clause, I suppose.

[Florestan]

It does not directly answer your question; but to be correct, we should say:

He cannot buy drinks, because he is not of legal age.

The conjunction because needs to be followed by a complete sentence or clause, I suppose.

You are of course right. But there is more: he can buy drinks all right, even if he's not of legal age; that he may not is a different matter altogether... 

[Karl Henning]

Ah, there is that.  A combination of not being all that awake, and focused on one bit . . . .

[Karl Henning]

And anyway, if the barkeep abides by the law, the young man cannot buy a drink 

[Florestan]

And anyway, if the barkeep abides by the law, the young man cannot buy a drink 

I'd go further and say that he even must not... 

[The Six]

He cannot buy drinks, because not of legal age.

What;s wrong with the above?

It's not quite the correct way of using the New Because....

[Cato]

It does not directly answer your question; but to be correct, we should say:

He cannot buy drinks, because he is not of legal age.

Right!  The only other way is to write: "...because of his age."

Not a grammar point, but a matter of reading things carefully: on Sunday one of the readers at the Mass announced the Bible passage which he would be reading.

"A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Theologians." 

Well, to be charitable, I thought that, in one sense, all of Saint Paul's letters are for the theologians! 

The passage was of course to the "Thessalonians."   0:)

[Florestan]

Right!  The only other way is to write: "...because of his age."

Not a grammar point, but a matter of reading things carefully: on Sunday one of the readers at the Mass announced the Bible passage which he would be reading.

"A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Theologians." 

Well, to be charitable, I thought that, in one sense, all of Saint Paul's letters are for the theologians! 

The passage was of course to the "Thessalonians."   0:)

I assume it was a Concilar Mass; in the Tridentine I presume it is the priest only who announces the readings, just as in the Greek Orthodox Mass. Or am I wrong?

[Cato]

I assume it was a Concilar Mass; in the Tridentine I presume it is the priest only who announces the readings, just as in the Greek Orthodox Mass. Or am I wrong?

Lay people read the first two passages (usually one from the Old Testament and one from the New), but only the priest (or a deacon) reads the Gospel itself.

In the old days, yes, only the priest read things.

[Karl Henning]

"I apologize about that." Guy on the phone said this, in just this way, more than once yesterday.

[aquablob]

"I apologize about that." Guy on the phone said this, in just this way, more than once yesterday.

I wonder if he did it on accident.

[Kontrapunctus]

It does not directly answer your question; but to be correct, we should say:

He cannot buy drinks, because he is not of legal age.

I believe the rule is if the subordinate clause is the second part of a sentence, then do not use a comma.

He cannot buy drinks because he is not of legal age.

Conversely, if the subordinate clause is first, then use a comma.

Because he is not of legal age, he cannot buy drinks.

[The Six]

What do you do when the learned are the ones who need the teaching?

[North Star]

It's funny how they won't know anything about the subject they have studied. would perhaps be better

[Karl Henning]

Does spelling really matter?

Sure it does.  Not absolutely every word, not in absolutely every context.  But of course it really matters.

It matters now, in ways which it did not in Shakespeare's day.  Probably, that is one of the changes we should consider accepting