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Post by Verbivore on Dec 9, 2019 19:39:26 GMT
Loved the Apostrophe Man cartoon, Dave. :-)
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Post by Dave on Dec 10, 2019 3:19:06 GMT
Dave, is Apostrophe Man supposed to be JR?
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Post by Dave Miller on Dec 10, 2019 9:08:31 GMT
Dave, is Apostrophe Man supposed to be JR? I’ve no idea, Dave - I just like the cartoon. I remember an occurrence at work, when a colleague got quite a deep paper cut at the end of his finger: blood everywhere. The guy at the next desk shouted “Oh, hang on!” and ran across to the store cupboard. What he came dashing back with was an Injury at Work form. |
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 10, 2019 11:09:27 GMT
Hee hee! I hope the injured party completed the form in blood.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Dec 10, 2019 21:49:10 GMT
According to this www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50692797, Roslyn Petelin, a writing professor at the University of Queensland says the “correct use [of apostrophes] avoids bewilderment, confusion, consternation, and irritation to readers who know and love the apostrophe, as I do,". This from an article “she wrote for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation last year”. So, perhaps, all is not lost at the ABC. |
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 11, 2019 1:14:26 GMT
LJH: I have recently established an e-quaintance with Ms Petelin and we are enjoying sharing items orthographic. The pieces RP writes for Aunty are good, but unfortunately her style doesn't osmotically spread to other contributors. She was much amused by the Apostrophe Man cartoon (posted here by Dave M) when I emailed it to her yesterday.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 12, 2019 20:48:05 GMT
Who among us is "woke"?
Until Barack Obama said it recently, referring to people who are aware of issues but not necessarily doing anything about them (e.g. people who "like" something on the antisocial media and think that by "liking" they have done something meaningful), I had never heard the expression "I'm so woke …". Since then I see/hear it with increasing frequency, particularly from youngish American folk.
Is this just a short-lived trend, or are we now stuck with it? (I'll not be joining the "woke" club!)
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Post by Dave Miller on Dec 13, 2019 0:21:49 GMT
I’ve only recently become aware of the (slang) expression, but I thought it meant “alert”, in particular to social injustice and racism.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 13, 2019 3:47:55 GMT
I’ve only recently become aware of the (slang) expression, but I thought it meant “alert”, in particular to social injustice and racism. Yes, Dave, that's perhaps a better explanation than mine. However, I'll still not be signing up for woke. |
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 13, 2019 4:27:44 GMT
Dear oh dear oh dear!
Should I even give a damn?
I've just spent two hours reading the paper that I used to work for until recent retirement – and the infelicities (grammar, spelling, punctuation, typography …) appalled me.
I marked up the paper as I would have when working there, and plan to present it (privately) to my replacement proofreader to see if she was having an off day or just a day off!
There were 479 infelicities over 25 pages, and I didn't even get into the entertainment section, which is usually the worst written; I couldn't bring myself to face further horrors.
Yes, I know I retired in September, but it galls me that the publication has apparently given up on quality of presentation.
Although I'm enjoying retirement (unlimited time to work on long-overdue projects) the consequences for the once high-quality paper sadden me.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 13, 2019 7:06:06 GMT
Back to woke:
Apparently the term has been in use since the Trayvon Martin shooting and became associated with Black Lives Matter. Urban Dictionary defines it as: "The act of being very pretentious about how much you care about a social issue".
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Post by Twoddle on Dec 13, 2019 13:16:29 GMT
That's it, then. The UK turkeys have voted for Christmas. I'm off to Narnia.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 15, 2019 21:15:57 GMT
Perhaps I've bitched about it before; if so, please indulge me.
Over the past couple of years I've observed the rise of the tautological "two-year anniversary" (or "[any]-year anniversary").
This is a complete nonsense!
The word anniversary harks from the Latin anniversarius 'returning yearly', from annus 'year' + versus 'turning'; it means a turning of the year.
To say/write "two-year anniversary" is the same as "two-year turning of the year". What utter rot! The correct term is simply second anniversary.
Whatever illiterate idiot coined the "x-year anniversary" tautology ought to be hanged, drawn, and quartered – slowly (shooting would be too humane).
That's my breakfast grump for the day.
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Post by Dave Miller on Dec 15, 2019 23:43:00 GMT
We have talked about it before, Vv - but I still agree with you.
Even worse than the tautology is the availability, within the structure, to produce such horrors as “six month anniversary” and (yes, I’ve really heard it) “three week anniversary”.
To distract (but not calm) you, how about “most number of”? As in “the team with the most number of points will go through to the final”.
Is, say, 27 “more number” than 25?
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 16, 2019 8:48:00 GMT
Oh, Dave – groan!
Most number of bulldust! It did indeed distract but not calm me (though, having just returned from a 12-hour day under the car – a restoration / rebuild project* – I've little energy for editorial excitement).
* I have about 700 parts / pieces left to refit out of the vehicle's 7,000+. It is an exercise of great intimacy with an '84 M-B 500 SEC. Intimacy? Yes, when one cleans and degreases every fastener thread with a toothbrush, it's intimate. A fellow needs something to do in retirement.
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