Chingford Posted April 12, 2020 Posted April 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Sword said: The King holding scissors instead of sword variety. LOTR King of the dead, dead spit 1 Quote
BritishHammeredCoins Posted April 12, 2020 Posted April 12, 2020 4 hours ago, Sword said: The King holding scissors instead of sword variety. Shame it’s not Edward 😅 1 3 Quote
blakeyboy Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 Taking into account what's happening at the moment, I've started a new Association - 'Alcoholics Unanimous'. If you don't fancy a drink, you ring us up and we talk you into having one..... 1 Quote
Paddy Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 This one arrived in an email today - first belly laugh I've had in ages! 2 3 Quote
bagerap Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 Specsavers down under have a good range of ads. Look for Specsavers banned ad on Youtube. Certainly wouldn't be shown in the UK But these might well be: 4 Quote
Peckris 2 Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 10 hours ago, blakeyboy said: Taking into account what's happening at the moment, I've started a new Association - 'Alcoholics Unanimous'. If you don't fancy a drink, you ring us up and we talk you into having one..... Is there a 12 step programme, or is the pub further away than that? 1 Quote
Paddy Posted April 14, 2020 Posted April 14, 2020 I'm not half as drinkled as some thinkle peep I are! 1 1 Quote
copper123 Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) Edited April 16, 2020 by copper123 "we have had a complaint that your not self isolateing tom" 1 3 Quote
Sword Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 (edited) Are we supposed to laugh at the cartoon or the linguistic mistakes in the sentence or both? 😀 Truly amazing achievement Captain Moore! 12.3 million raised already. It's the best news story for such a long time. Edited April 16, 2020 by Sword 4 Quote
blakeyboy Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 47 minutes ago, Sword said: Are we supposed to laugh at the cartoon or the linguistic mistakes in the sentence or both? 😀 You left out two commas....:) Quote
Sword Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 We have discussed the Oxford comma already. I believe it is optional. Quote
bagerap Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 We all seem to like our music so, how about a festival? 3 Quote
Peckris 2 Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 11 hours ago, Sword said: We have discussed the Oxford comma already. I believe it is optional. It's not optional in the case of something like: my favourite foods are fish, chips and blancmange where it should be... my favourite foods are fish, chips, and blancmange which avoids the inference that I enjoy chips with blancmange, which is how it reads without the comma. 1 Quote
blakeyboy Posted April 16, 2020 Posted April 16, 2020 12 hours ago, Sword said: We have discussed the Oxford comma already. I believe it is optional. The first of the two commas missed out is a correct comma. The second one missed out is the 'serial comma', ( sometimes called the 'Oxford' comma ) used particularly before 'and' as in Peckris' clear example. It avoids confusion. It isn't like a slow change of usage, like Americans saying 'March 6th' instead of 'March the 6th' However, when an American says 'write me' instead of 'write to me' you could, correctly but _pedantically_ take out paper and pencil and write the word 'me'.....but they still say it like that because if they wanted you to think that you should write down the word 'me' then they would instruct you to do just that..... things shift. We shift and the Americans don't sometimes- the commonly used and very old 'gotten' with its German past tense ending only really exists here in words and phrases like 'ill-gotten gains' and 'forgotten'. We changed, they didn't. However, leaving things out to make things genuinely unclear ( as in Peckris' clear example ) is the reverse (converse? inverse? ) of what language is for. There is a reverse snobbery running in this country regarding English usage, that is often wrong, and the _reasons_ for it should be addressed. Mind you, in a country with such a wide disparate class based structure, it's hardly surprising. The amusing opposite of this is when politicians attempt to look educated by using words such as 'referenda' when of course it never existed in Latin in the first place...gerunds remain singular. Quote
Sword Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 I guess we have a different tolerance towards English usage. To be honest, I am not particularly convinced that commas must be used in the sentence I wrote. The original sentence is somehow different in my view as it contains errors ("your" instead of "you're", "isolateing" instead of "isolating" and the absence of capital letters for "we" and "tom") that are not socially acceptable. I believe that the usage of the Oxford comma is stylistic in nature. It is not technically wrong to omit it even if the sentence is clearer by using it. If a sentence is unclear, then rephrasing it might be a better option than inserting an Oxford comma. Quote
Sword Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 23 hours ago, Sword said: Truly amazing achievement Captain Moore! 12.3 million raised already. It's the best news story for such a long time. Now in excess of £18 million raised! Quote
Paddy Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 ... and so they are stopping his pension... 1 3 Quote
blakeyboy Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 44 minutes ago, Sword said: I guess we have a different tolerance towards English usage. To be honest, I am not particularly convinced that commas must be used in the sentence I wrote. I believe that the usage of the Oxford comma is stylistic in nature. It is not technically wrong to omit it even if the sentence is clearer by using it. If a sentence is unclear, then rephrasing it might be a better option than inserting an Oxford comma. "The original sentence is somehow different in my view as it contains errors / that are not socially acceptable. " SO DOES YOURS!!!!!!!!!! SO WHAT???? I don't care that you are 'not particularly convinced'. Tolerance has nothing to do with it. Your sentence is clearer with commas. Calling it 'the Oxford comma' as if it's some weird stylistic notation IS weird and stylistic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why do people have this odd phobia about it? Is it a class thing? Anti-elitist claptrap? It's just a bloody comma, like the other one you left out. Subordinate clauses are not a crime, you know. Or do you not understand them? I don't care - it doesn't matter to me at all. If you want your use of language to be difficult to understand, go right ahead....... Be my guest. I will just ignore the mistakes. Many people on here don't spell very well. No-one has a pop at them. Who cares? BUT when YOU start pointing out 'linguistic mistakes', as if you are somehow the Grammar Police, get ready for YOUR mistakes to be held up to the light. (Now try that last sentence again WITHOUT the two commas. It's not as clear, IS IT????? There you go.) 1 Quote
bagerap Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 And at this moment, I think a little light entertainment is called for. Gilbert & Sullivan anyone? 5 Quote
Sword Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 Might be there is just some misunderstanding. I assumed that the original sentence wasn't written by anyone on the forum. It is a caption to a cartoon pasted in from somewhere. This is an informal forum and people don't always have the time to proof-read their posts. I don't go round pointing out typos / spellings mistakes made by others on the forum and I am certain I have made many over the years. Quote
bagerap Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 A music based question. What's the difference between the Rolling Stones and a Scotsman? . . . . . One says, "Hey, you. Get off of my cloud." And the other says "Hey, Mccloud. Get off of my ewe." 1 4 Quote
Diaconis Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 9 hours ago, blakeyboy said: Is it a class thing? Reminds me of Nancy Mitford, of Mitford sister's fame, with her U and non-U speech and the reasoning behind it. I found this link. https://uncommon-courtesy.com/2014/04/18/nancy-mitford-and-u-vs-non-u-speech/ Blakey, wireless or radio? 😂 Quote
Danelaw Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 My lockdown keep fit tips. Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room on each side. With a 5kg potato bag in each hand, extend your arm straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute and relax. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of days, move up to 10kg potato bags. Then try 50kg potato bags and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100kg potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more then a full minute. (I'm now at this level). After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each bag. 8 Quote
blakeyboy Posted April 17, 2020 Posted April 17, 2020 2 hours ago, Diaconis said: Blakey, wireless or radio? 😂 What a good question- normally 'radio', rarely 'wireless'- mainly if a good Radio 4 play is on... Pardon? or What? Quote
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