Guest Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 There is only one description of this thread. Quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Words to insert into casual conversation this week...... murcous adj. lacking a thumb decumbiture n. the act of going to bed when sick agerasia n. youthful appearance in an old person neanimorphism n. the quality of looking younger than one's age psaphonic n. planning one's rise to wealth and fame exsibilation n. the hisses of a disapproving audience Phil (Olde-fashionde insulte of the weeke: "Panty Waist" - describes most of the "Ooops, word censored!"nal squad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 and for those who like a kind-of grammatical puzzle... can you reconstruct the sense of this letter? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 And a final challenge for the weekend.... can anyone construct a paragraph with 5 'and's in a row, which is syntactically correct? Phil Hint - it is kind of similar to the famous one: John while Mary had had had had had had had had had was correct (puntuate it so that it is syntactically correct) John, while Mary had had "had had," had had "had." "Had had," was correct. Grammar can be a beautiful thing - nearly as beautiful as maths! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 Smith and Jones decided to ask a signwriter to create a sign for their business. The signwriter came and erected the sign which read "SmithandJones". Smith was not happy, and the signwriter asked "why"? Smith replied "because there is not a big enough space between "Smith" and "and" and "and" and "Jones"". Second challenge. Can anyone create a sentence which is syntactically correct, using the word "because" three times in a row? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Smith and Jones decided to ask a signwriter to create a sign for their business. The signwriter came and erected the sign which read "SmithandJones". Smith was not happy, and the signwriter asked "why"? Smith replied "because there is not a big enough space between "Smith" and "and" and "and" and "Jones"". Second challenge. Can anyone create a sentence which is syntactically correct, using the word "because" three times in a row? ahh - the power of Google... prize to Egluntine! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Second challenge. Can anyone create a sentence which is syntactically correct, using the word "because" three times in a row? In certain parts of Papua New Guinea it is inadvisable to utter the word "because", because "because" sounds like a dreadful swear word in their language. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 ahh - the power of Google... I imagine you found it useful yesterday. Here are the rules - just for clarification: 1. Verbs HAS to agree with their subjects. 2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. 3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. 4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive. 5. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat) 6. Comparisons are as bad as clichés. 7. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration. 8. Be more or less specific. 9. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary. 10. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies. 11. No sentence fragments. 12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos. 13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous. 14. One should NEVER generalize. 15. Don't use no double negatives. 16. One-word sentences? Eliminate. 17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake. 18. The passive voice is to be ignored. 19. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice. 20. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them. 21. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." 22. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I don't think anyone assumed that was my own work - apologies to anyone who did - it has floated around the web and email for a few years.. it has no attributation anywhere I have seen it, so I simply reproduced it - as we all do when something interesting catches our eye and we want to share it with others. answering puzzles by copying them off the web is a slightly different matter though, isn't it? Otherwise - there is no real point posting a puzzle... surely the joy of a puzzle is having a go at working it out yourself? or is that just me? phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 As it happens revnev, I remembered that particular riddle from my schooldays.....admittedly some time ago, and it wouldn't really have taken much working out anyway, would it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 ... surely the joy of a puzzle is having a go at working it out yourself? or is that just me? phil nope, it's not just you or was that rhetorical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 ....and it wouldn't really have taken much working out anyway, would it? I was pondering it for quite a while, or is that just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 and for those who like a kind-of grammatical puzzle... can you reconstruct the sense of this letter? Phil "Ooops, word censored!"ody got this one yet??? Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 No luck here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I'll have another look after a glass of wine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Sorry, only just catching up with this thread....it's becoming a bit of a long one to read all at one sitting Phil, I'm useless at puzzles, so am (politely) ignoring your last post...I'll let someone cleverer than me work that one out . Can I go back to the should of, could of debate? Do people actually write should of, or is it that they say it? In which case I say should've....as in "I should've cleaned the kitchen floor" to mean I should have, much as I'd say "I've a headache" instead of saying I have. Am I incorrect in my grammar there?...please be gentle with me in your replies Personally I tend to prefer correct spelling and grammar, and certainly in an important document, job application, important letter, work stuff etc, I will make every effort to get it right, but in every day writing and forum use I know that I make mistakes, the majority of my spelling mistakes are typos and I should proof read my forum submissions before I click the submit button, but I rarely do . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Can I go back to the should of, could of debate? Do people actually write should of, or is it that they say it? In which case I say should've....as in "I should've cleaned the kitchen floor" to mean I should have, much as I'd say "I've a headache" instead of saying I have. Should've and would've are fine spoken - not sure I'd write them down... but - yeah - people do write "should of" and "would of" - homophones of the contracted verbs you correctly spelled above. The grammar that irritates me is the affected football commentary tense that is now almost ubiquitous... "Rooney's went right past him" and the VERY VERY VERY irritating almost universal use of MYSELF when they mean ME. I think it is that people have an idea that the word "me" is rude from when they were told to say "I" not "me". aaaaaaarrrgghhhhhhhhh!!!! I have heard footballers say.. "Yeah, the manager's spoke to myself - and we've sorted it out." Phil (not at all anally-retentive when it comes to language... errr.... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Here is one to make everyone cringe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Only just caugt up with this thread - brilliant! I've learnt (learned?? ) so much from it! I know my grammer is not brilliant. Often I only know something is wrong because it doesn't sound or flow right, I could never grasp all the rules! And I know I use too many cliches - can't think of an original word to say, so thank goodness for them I say! I do double check professional letters and reports though - I would be mortified if I thought I'd sent out a letter with mistakes in. A lady I worked with many years ago always used to get 'as' and 'has' mixed up, and even sent out letters with that mistake in. Made me cringe at the 1 pence!!! That is one I do know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Just whizzed through this very entertaining thread . I'm very anal about punctuation and grammar (although often have to think twice if I've got something right or not ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedusA Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 How about "could of", "would of", "should of" etc. DD used to say and write those all the time when she was younger. To say it annoyed me immensely would be an understatement! The inserted "h" annoys me too. As in "ashume" "conshumer" etc. are you not a fan of Sean Connery then?? "The naymsh Bond, Jaymsh Bond." “God shave the Queen!” (Sean Connery on the monarchy) Phil I'll definitely make an exception for Sean, Phil. The best JB ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Staying out of this before I get on my soap box & have posts removed! I seem to remember a similar post a while back. I'll just say that we have to accept people from all walks of life & as long as we can communicate with each other, I don't see a problem. Good grammar, bad grammar, clever people & not so clever people. As long as you get on with them & they are nice people then so what. There I feel better now! Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paola Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Well said Emma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 well said Emma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted October 26, 2008 Share Posted October 26, 2008 Communication is certainly the main aim and I think that we have to accept that language is continually evolving. I am afraid that this knowledge will not stop me going into Grumpy Old Woman mode sometimes though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
