Fight the Grammer Nazis - Page 5

Getgo · 09-20-2010, 04:06 PM

wut r we talkin' bout.

Spexxvet · 09-21-2010, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Getgo

wut r we talkin' bout.

tawkin n ritin goodly

TheMercenary · 09-30-2011, 08:55 AM

And now for something completely different...

Lamplighter · 09-30-2011, 09:35 AM

a very effective teaching method !

BigV · 09-30-2011, 09:54 AM

Oh, I don't know... I think it depends on what kind of strippers you want.

infinite monkey · 09-30-2011, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

And now for something completely different...

I really like that one!

Sundae · 09-30-2011, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae

I don't criticise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juniper

Exactly. And at the risk of belaboring the obvious, "criticize" is the American spelling.

Or, shall I say, belabouring the obvious?

To correct a year-old misunderstanding, I put criticise in bold for emphasis in reading. It should have been in italics of course. I was saying that yes I noticed errors and yes they bugged me, but if I responded it was not my intention to be critical.

Any.
Way.
Sorry.

I didn't know it was called an Oxford comma.
I was taught to write without it though.

There are many ambiguous sentences in written English.
I once read the sentence "After finishing school, x went on to pursue a career in..." and thought "Hang on, I thought only rich girls went to finishing school? Is that a deliberate joke?"

Er, no. The sentence made perfect sense but I'd read something else into it.

TheMercenary · 09-30-2011, 08:26 PM

Sun, I have no frigging clue. I repeatedly dropped out of HS English Language classes and opted for public speaking, and competitive speech classes. Me: Not strong on gramer and spelling but I can stand in front of a crowd of 300 and tell you what I think about issues, in person. I taught graduate level adult education for 6 years as adjunct faculty with the Univ of Texas in a clinical setting. I am not very strong on paper (or XX's and 00's as most of you know).

My Nephew, who just went to Austria for Grad School, posted it on his FB page and I thought others might get a kick out of it. Funny. That is all.....

Lola Bunny · 09-30-2011, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae

I didn't know it was called an Oxford comma.
I was taught to write without it though.

The Oxford comma (I never knew it has a name!) was introduced around the early 90's. When we were learning how to write, we weren't supposed to put a comma before the word 'and.' From what I heard, we had lawyers to thank for the grammar change. They needed that extra comma to make things clearer in legal documents.

footfootfoot · 10-01-2011, 09:11 AM

Strunk and White calls for a comma before the 'and' in a list.

Sundae · 10-01-2011, 09:22 AM

Language is always in flux.
English in particular.
Split infinitives and starting a sentence with a connective are fads of fashion. In that sense I think I'd apply the rule of understanding.

Using the wrong tense or homonym I find more jarring.
Don't break down the fourth wall unintentionally.

Undertoad · 10-01-2011, 11:48 AM

I heard someone say that the comma was dropped by newspapers, to save space in their print. I don't know if this is true.

Rhianne · 10-01-2011, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I heard someone say that the comma was dropped by newspapers, to save space in their print. I don't know if this is true.

No, no, it was to save pixels on yon internet thingy, they're all being used for porn now probably, I think.

Sundae · 10-01-2011, 01:43 PM

Dwarf pron?

ZenGum · 10-02-2011, 08:00 PM

IMHO, the poster is wrong.

"... the strippers, JFK and Stalin" is a list of three items of equal grammatical importance. This describes the first picture.

"... the strippers JFK and Stalin" or "... the strippers: JFK and Stalin" would create a parallel structure where "strippers" modifies both "JFK" and "Stalin". This describes the second picture.

"... the strippers, JFK, and Stalin" has a redundant comma. The 'here comes the next item' function of a comma is served by the 'here comes the final item' function of "and".

You don't write "I invited JFK, and Stalin." do you?

And by not writing Oxford commas for ten years I saved almost enough time to write this post.

09-30-2011, 08:55 AM	#63
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	And now for something completely different... Attached Images __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

09-30-2011, 09:54 AM	#65
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Oh, I don't know... I think it depends on what kind of strippers you want. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

09-30-2011, 08:26 PM	#68
TheMercenary “Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo” Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Savannah, Georgia Posts: 21,393	Sun, I have no frigging clue. I repeatedly dropped out of HS English Language classes and opted for public speaking, and competitive speech classes. Me: Not strong on gramer and spelling but I can stand in front of a crowd of 300 and tell you what I think about issues, in person. I taught graduate level adult education for 6 years as adjunct faculty with the Univ of Texas in a clinical setting. I am not very strong on paper (or XX's and 00's as most of you know). My Nephew, who just went to Austria for Grad School, posted it on his FB page and I thought others might get a kick out of it. Funny. That is all..... __________________ Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!

10-01-2011, 09:11 AM	#70
footfootfoot To shreds, you say? Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: in the house and on the street-how many, many feet we meet! Posts: 18,449	Strunk and White calls for a comma before the 'and' in a list. __________________ The internet is a hateful stew of vomit you can never take completely seriously. - Her Fobs

10-01-2011, 09:22 AM	#71
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Language is always in flux. English in particular. Split infinitives and starting a sentence with a connective are fads of fashion. In that sense I think I'd apply the rule of understanding. Using the wrong tense or homonym I find more jarring. Don't break down the fourth wall unintentionally. __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

09-20-2010, 04:06 PM	#61
Getgo Coronation Incarnate Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 94	wut r we talkin' bout.

09-30-2011, 09:35 AM	#64
Lamplighter Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bottom lands of the Missoula floods Posts: 6,402	a very effective teaching method !

10-01-2011, 11:48 AM	#72
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I heard someone say that the comma was dropped by newspapers, to save space in their print. I don't know if this is true.

10-01-2011, 01:43 PM	#74
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	Dwarf pron? __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

10-02-2011, 08:00 PM	#75
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	IMHO, the poster is wrong. "... the strippers, JFK and Stalin" is a list of three items of equal grammatical importance. This describes the first picture. "... the strippers JFK and Stalin" or "... the strippers: JFK and Stalin" would create a parallel structure where "strippers" modifies both "JFK" and "Stalin". This describes the second picture. "... the strippers, JFK, and Stalin" has a redundant comma. The 'here comes the next item' function of a comma is served by the 'here comes the final item' function of "and". You don't write "I invited JFK, and Stalin." do you? And by not writing Oxford commas for ten years I saved almost enough time to write this post. __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

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