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Post by Verbivore on May 2, 2022 9:49:43 GMT
For this merry, merry* month of May, how about this:
A YouTube 'lawyer' (BlackBeltBarrister?) was posing and answering traffic-rules/violations questions, and asked this:
Can you cross an unbroken centre line?
Regardless of the answer and accompanying comments, I couldn't help myself from posting my pedantic response:
Of course you can! It's only a stripe of paint. But that doesn't mean that you MAY – the road rules say you may not.
I thought legal eagles were supposed to be very particular and pedantic about language, but BlackBeltBarrister struck me as lexically sloppy.
* Not so merry DownUnder – it's late autumn, and moving day approaches (10 to go).
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Post by Little Jack Horner on May 3, 2022 16:31:31 GMT
You are obviously correct, Vv. It is a distinction which I learnt at school perhaps 70 years ago but I’m afraid that it is one which I seldom remember to apply. I am very likely to say “can” in casual conversation, even in less casual conversation. It is a pity that lawyers do not follow the proper usage but I think it is one of those things where the error has become so entrenched as to be acceptable, even, dare I say it, correct.
I have written before on this forum about how long it takes for an error to become a solecism and the solecism to become acceptable and the acceptable to become correct. We may deplore it but I think all of us on this forum accept that language changes over time. The subjunctive is becoming rare in English and, I think, one only regularly encounters it in the phrase “if I were you”. Even then, I think that “if I was you” is more usual usually heard. I strongly dislike the singular pronoun “they” but I’m afraid we have to live with it. Having said that, I think I am one of the few people left who refuses to end sentences with prepositions and who objects to the split infinitive. But I am happy to begin a sentence with a conjunction.
No one has to agree with me but, of course, there is no law about these things and my opinion is, also of course, correct!
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Post by Verbivore on May 4, 2022 13:36:17 GMT
The planet Uranus – and its pronunciation – has been in the news of late. This evening I stumbled across a topical short from QI that from @ 2:47 to @ 4:25 had a wee run on Uranus jokes, feeble though some might be. One phrase that caught my cruder giggle-nerve was “a fudge factory called Uranus”. Oh well, there's not much else happening this evening as I'm sitting here avoiding packing house.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on May 4, 2022 23:33:02 GMT
I won’t embarrass the perpetrator of this unfortunate construction but you, Vv, will probably appreciate this headline from a few years ago: NASA wants to probe deeper into Uranus than ever before.
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Post by Verbivore on May 5, 2022 1:46:37 GMT
I won’t embarrass the perpetrator of this unfortunate construction but you, Vv, will probably appreciate this headline from a few years ago: NASA wants to probe deeper into Uranus than ever before.
Yep, that one's long resided in my Uranus collection. The 'modern' alternative pronunciation YOU'rӘnӘs assembles itself in my head as urinous, i.e. smelling of babies' nappies.
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Post by Twoddle on May 5, 2022 9:23:26 GMT
How far are you having to move house, Verbivore, and is the accommodation OK?
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Post by Verbivore on May 5, 2022 10:18:10 GMT
How far are you having to move house, Verbivore, and is the accommodation OK? Just a city block or three, Twod; approx. 900 km, depending on route taken. A rural grazing property between Manildra and Molong NSW, in part of the state known as Big Sky Country (high, rolling plains with low, flat horizons). Some folk make a tree change (especially those moving to the region I'm leaving). In the Northern Rivers we have lots of subtropical 'jungle'; in the Central West there are relatively few trees (though many more rocks: Molong means place of many rocks), so perhaps I'm making a no-tree change. At least I'll not have to pick up any more palm fronds: the place I'm leaving has more than 30 palms, many varieties, and they are messy things: if I never have to pick up another palm frond it will be too soon. I've been invited as a long-term guest of my best friends, on their lamb and beef farm, for as long as it takes me to find my own digs. (I've seen many online, but until I can kick the skirting boards … .) My friends' house – prehistoric by Aussie standards at 160 years old – has original walls 18" thick. The entire rear annexe, which was a 1970s architectural abortion, has been recently rebuilt to luxo standards, in a modern yet harmonious design. As part of the renovations, my friends installed underfloor heating throughout (even raising the original 10" wide floor boards to do so). One of the partners, an ex-pat Brit, is a keen gardener: He attended an Oxbridge college before moving to AU, and has done little since other than develop gardens and grow roses (800+ at last count in their 5-acre house garden). I'd guess that the accommodation will be okay, Twod. ;-) Here's the Sunday drive I'll need to take in about 10 days' time. (The removalist pantech comes this Wednesday.) Attachments:
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Post by Verbivore on May 5, 2022 12:19:23 GMT
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Post by Little Jack Horner on May 9, 2022 10:47:23 GMT
I don’t think that the phenomenon of the New York Times daily Wordle challenge has been mentioned on this forum. I have found it surprisingly addictive. The challenge involves identifying a “secret“ word of five letters. Players have six attempts. One chooses one’s own word and the website indicates which of the letters in one’s chosen words are in the target word but in the wrong place, which are in the target word and in the right place, or not in the target word at all. Depending on that feedback, one chooses another word which takes account of that feedback. There are two levels of difficulty: one which allows you to use any word you like at each attempt; and one which requires one to take full account of the feedback. The latter is said to be more difficult.
I cannot provide a link because, when I try, I go straight to my own results. I’m afraid people will have to search New York Times and Wordle.
One soon learns to identify which letters may go with other letters and which do not. For example, where H is the second letter in the word it is almost always preceded by a vowel or by C, S, or T. It is trivial that a Q is almost invariably followed by the letter U. A final letter D is frequently preceded by E. Forum members will quickly find other such rules. That is part of the fun.
It is also interesting to think about which are the most common letters in the English language and to consider whether this is the same for five letter words and which letters come first most frequently. In the whole lexicon, the letter S comes first most frequently but is this true for five letter words?
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Post by Dave Miller on May 9, 2022 21:39:44 GMT
I, too, am a regular Wordler, LJH. I think it was Twod who mentioned it on here so I gave it a go. It's certainly addictive, so much so that I tend now to wait up to midnight, specially to get the next day's edition. I'm glad that there is only one edition a day, though, as it might otherwise begin to occupy too much of my life!
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Post by Verbivore on May 9, 2022 22:23:38 GMT
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Post by Verbivore on May 10, 2022 4:10:33 GMT
I wonder if this fellow might exchange me a Rolfing session for some proofreading?
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Post by Dave Miller on May 10, 2022 9:16:47 GMT
‘Integrator’ and ‘Integration’ seem correct to me, Vv - or am I missing something?
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Post by Verbivore on May 10, 2022 12:00:22 GMT
‘Integrator’ and ‘Integration’ seem correct to me, Vv - or am I missing something? Not at all, Dave. I was highlighting the inconsistency with the title spelling. As it is an Australian publication, I prefer that it use arse rather than the American ass. Point in time: one of my pet hates. What's wrong with at present?
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Post by Little Jack Horner on May 10, 2022 22:19:42 GMT
One of the consequences of spending half my time trying to solve Wordle challenges and the similar challenges of Word Master is that I become so accustomed trying to solve anagrams that I forget how to spell anything. Integrate or intergrate — I have no idea!
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