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Post by Barry on May 25, 2008 9:45:40 GMT
Oh deary me.
I fear I have to own up to being mildly addicted to television police/hospital dramas, and I often watch the BBC 'Holby' suite (Casualty, Holby City and Holby Blue). The latest of these is the police drama Holby Blue (probably set up in competition to ITV's The Bill).
In this week's episode, two officers disappeared into a room at the police station for a spot of recreational sex; the sign on the door of this room read "Stationary Store".
Either the BBC props department needs to sort out its spelling, or they were making some subtle dig about low literacy levels in the police force ...
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Post by Verbivore on May 25, 2008 9:59:32 GMT
At my local stationer's shop there was a counter-top display of "Wedding Stationary" from a small independent business. I asked the shop proprietor if the product sold well (nuptial print designs comprise one of my small sidelines and I was keen to suss out the competition) and she assured me that it was on the last leg of its three-month trial as it wasn't "moving" at all. Hardly surprising given the signage. I don't imagine that police "stationary store" was terribly stationary on the reported occasion, Barry (either that or the frolicking was very reserved).
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Post by Pete on May 25, 2008 10:22:39 GMT
Oh deary me. I fear I have to own up to being mildly addicted to television police/hospital dramas, and I often watch the BBC 'Holby' suite ( Casualty, Holby City and Holby Blue). The latest of these is the police drama Holby Blue (probably set up in competition to ITV's The Bill). In this week's episode, two officers disappeared into a room at the police station for a spot of recreational sex; the sign on the door of this room read "Stationary Store". Either the BBC props department needs to sort out its spelling, or they were making some subtle dig about low literacy levels in the police force ... Or maybe they were making sure that we were aware that the cupboard would stay in situ while the frolics were happening?
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Post by Pete on May 25, 2008 10:26:09 GMT
Is there a rule about the present participle of verbs ending in 'c'? "Frolicking" looks fine to me but "tarmacking", for example, looks all wrong.
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Post by Verbivore on May 25, 2008 10:53:08 GMT
Is there a rule about the present participle of verbs ending in 'c'? "Frolicking" looks fine to me but "tarmacking", for example, looks all wrong. Without the added k, one might be inclined to soften the c and so say frolissing, tarmassing, picnissing, etc. (more likely, of course, on unfamiliar words). Don't know if there's a "rule", but I'd venture it's a convention.
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Post by Pete on May 25, 2008 11:22:15 GMT
I have also seen the final 'c' being doubled up, to give "tarmaccing", for example. But that also looks wrong. I am happy to accept the convention, which I suppose means I can ignore it when I want to, too.
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Post by Geoff on May 25, 2008 11:48:21 GMT
nuptial print designs comprise one of my small sidelines Should that be the other way around: one of my small sidelines comprises nuptial print designs? It just sounds so wrong to me the way Verbivore wrote it, and doesn't seem to agree with the definitions of 'comprise' in my Pocket Macquariie Dictionary.
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Post by Verbivore on May 25, 2008 12:01:37 GMT
Macquarie, revised 3rd edn:
... 3. to combine to make up: All of the things which comprise the mystique of racing are rather remote to these women - Anne Summers, 1975
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Post by Pete on May 25, 2008 12:06:15 GMT
Should that be the other way around: one of my small sidelines comprises nuptial print designs? It just sounds so wrong to me the way Verbivore wrote it, and doesn't seem to agree with the definitions of 'comprise' in my Pocket Macquariie Dictionary. But would that sentence need 'comprise', Barry. Wouldn't it read better as "one of my small sidelines is nuptial print designs"?
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Post by Geoff on May 25, 2008 12:42:21 GMT
But would that sentence need 'comprise', Barry. Wouldn't it read better as "one of my small sidelines is nuptial print designs"? I agree. I didn't like to complicate the issue I was primarily concerned about. Verbivore, I still don't like it.
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Post by Barry on May 25, 2008 12:51:25 GMT
Pete - er, I'm the one with the big brown eyes! Verbivore is Gordon! ;D
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Post by Pete on May 25, 2008 12:59:13 GMT
Sorry, Barry. Actually, I was replying to Geoff's post!
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Post by Barry on May 25, 2008 13:18:57 GMT
Sheesh. Looks like we're both in senior-moment mode today!
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Post by Tone on May 25, 2008 20:42:38 GMT
>Looks like we're both in senior-moment mode today!<The elsewhere aptly quoted "old timer's disease" strikes again. I didn't like that use of "comprise", either. But I accept (as I have checked on earlier occasions) that one can interpret the (various) dictionary definitions to legitimize it. (At least it's not as gross as "comprised of".) Tone
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Post by Dave M on May 27, 2008 12:18:42 GMT
The Daily Telegraph, on its website news pages, referred last week to the Reverend Mr Whatever who'd got angry and pulled a display of supposedly-offensive stationary off the shelves in a shop. Both in the headline and the text, even.
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