We've launched the new forums! Read more here

The Grammar & Usage Thread

Woohoo! Funny, I worked hard to pursuade my wife to reach that conclusion in spite of this interest of mine. CfC and I must be made for each other!

Edit: Or should that be "despite"? Ha ha ha.
 
worst_shot_ever said:
Woohoo! Funny, I worked hard to pursuade my wife to reach that conclusion in spite of this interest of mine. CfC and I must be made for each other!

Edit: Or should that be "despite"? Ha ha ha.
Click to expand...

Not quite on topic, but when I type "CfC," I think of myself as a greenhouse gas. When you type it, I suddenly think, "Combined Federal Campaign." You must just ooze that inside the Beltway mystique.

We always used to say that you could tell someone who lives inside the Beltway because she not only knows who the Secretary of Commerce is, but thinks it matters. (And note I didn't use "somone" and "they" as equivalents.)
 
This is actually more of a rant, just because I was talking to Jay about it today.

Pull out your mental pencils! :comp:

1. Spell "define."
2. Now spell "definite."
3. Now spell "definitely."

That is all.
 
Minor, but...

This ski resort has signs at the top of every lift reading, "Hazards Exist That Are Not Marked." Given the limited amount of time anyone has to read this stuff, and in the name of brevity, why not just say, "Unmarked Hazards Exist"?
 
ClairefromClare said:
Minor, but...

This ski resort has signs at the top of every lift reading, "Hazards Exist That Are Not Marked." Given the limited amount of time anyone has to read this stuff, and in the name of brevity, why not just say, "Unmarked Hazards Exist"?
Click to expand...

Because some people aren't as smart as you Claire.
 
I suppose somewhere, at some point in time, Claire or some other has raised the question whether we are in "The Hacker's" personal paradise, or in a paradise belonging to many hackers and thus, "The Hackers'" paradise? It's a bit of a softball, but I've not been paying attention to poor usage lately to comment on something from the real world.

Also, what was the acronym used in DFW's Infinite Jest for the militant usage group to which the narrator's grammarian mother belonged? I think I recall that a primary target of that group was doughnut shops that used "K" instead of "C" for the first letter of their name.
 
Last edited:
WSE,
In theory there should probably be an apostrohpe. But I did not like the way it looked.
 
worst_shot_ever said:
I suppose somewhere, at some point in time, Claire or some other has raised the question whether we are in "The Hacker's" personal paradise, or in a paradise belonging to many hackers and thus, "The Hackers'" paradise? It's a bit of a softball, but I've not been paying attention to poor usage lately to comment on something from the real world.
Click to expand...

Or a paradise comprising of hackers.

(OK, I just gave myself a visual of a beautiful tropical island and a bunch of golfers whacking the ball around trying to get it out of the sand.)
 
julie_m said:
Or a paradise comprising of hackers.

(OK, I just gave myself a visual of a beautiful tropical island and a bunch of golfers whacking the ball around trying to get it out of the sand.)
Click to expand...

Sounds fun and warm. When does the flight leave??
 
With our luck, we'd all be hitting each other in the head(s).

What about the (probably apocryphal) story of the teacher whose spelling test included the word, "relief," and most of the kids spelled r-o-l-a-i-d-s?
 
Just now on the Bob Hope Tourney on Golf Channel, the screen read:

Bob Hope: Thanks for the Memorys!

Golf Channel is THE worst for editing, I'm always shocked at what gets by them.
 
julie_m said:
Just now on the Bob Hope Tourney on Golf Channel, the screen read:

Bob Hope: Thanks for the Memorys!

Golf Channel is THE worst for editing, I'm always shocked at what gets by them.
Click to expand...

If I could give you rep for that, I would!
 
julie_m said:
Nay, we were running around the car in such shock and frenzy, I forget who was driving.
Click to expand...

Well then, let's just go sing some more ABBA songs.
 
You can dance, you can jive
having the time of your life
see that girl, watch that scene
dig in the Dancing Queen

Friday night and the lights are low
looking out for the place to go
where they play the right music
getting in the swing
you come to look for a king

Anybody could be that guy
night is young and the music's high
with a bit of rock music
everything is fine
you're in the mood for a dance
and when you get the chance

You are the Dancing Queen
young and sweet only seventeen
Dancing Queen
feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
you can dance, you can jive
having the time of your life
see that girl, watch that scene
dig in the Dancing Queen

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
leave 'em burning and then you're gone
looking out for another
anyone will do
you're in the mood for a dance
and when you get the chance

You are the Dancing Queen
young and sweet only seventeen
Dancing Queen
feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
you can dance, you can jive
having the time of your life
see that girl, watch that scene
dig in the Dancing Queen
 
Oh JB...dear THPers...

If you change your mind, I'm the first in line, I'm still free, take a chance on me.

If you need me, let me know, gonna be around, if you've got no place to go, if you're feeling down.

If you're all alone when the pretty birds have flown I'm still free, take a chance on me.

Gonna do my very best and it ain't no lie, if you put me to the test, if you let me try.
 
Now I will be singing that one all night....I blame you...hehe
 
YOu are too funny.
 
Ooh--we could start a new thread on ear worms. ABBA is hardly the worst of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top