Fun with Grammar.

[Aperitif]

It's not just the 'less' vs 'fewer' in supermarkets. Have a look at the 'Next customer please' dividers on any Tesco checkout in the UK. My daughter was 10 when she pointed out that they were missing an apostrophe and they all say "Dont forget your Clubcard".

Is that why Next aren't doing so well? All their customers get a little divider at the checkout for their Florence and Fred purchases!

 

[goo_mason]

Good working rule of thumb, but can't anyone explain the difference in terms of nominative vs accusative?

Nope. I should, as I did English Language & Linguistics as a joint MA Honours. However, at school the only grammar I was taught was "A noun is a naming word. A verb is a doing word. An adverb 'adds' description to the verb. An adjective is a 'describing' word." Thirteen years of education and that was as far as it went, so you can imagine the shock when I had to study generative grammar and syntax at Uni. I was utterly lost.

Mind you, the lecturers did say that they could always tell those who'd been educated at Scottish state schools as 99% of us had been taught grammar to the same level as described above!

 

[swee'pea99]

I really cannot understand why some folk get so worked up about grammar; and I say that as someone with a Classics background, who had all the rules drummed into him from Homer right up to Fowler's English Usage.

Language is a medium for conveying meaning. If someone's grammar impedes that, it matters; if not, it doesn't. The way we speak and write is a product of our individual education, background, linguistic heritage, the circumstances and the intended listener or reader. It has diddly squat to do with anyone's intelligence, culture or worth as a human being. People who delight in pointing out the 'correct' usage should bog off and do something more productive with their time.

Ok, now tell me how to learn not to bristle when telesales callers use 'myself' and 'yourself' to try to impress me.

 

[User482]

I've found occasions where splitting the infinitive makes for clearer understanding. Personally, I'd prefer clarity (or common language) to strict grammatical correctness any day. Though, in truth, it's rare that the two genuinely conflict.

That's the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.

 

[Maz]

[QUOTE 1684652, member: 45"]"Who was there then?"
"Graham and I (were)"

"Who is he going with?"
"(he's going with) Graham and me"[/quote]
These both look fine to me, with or without the words in brackets.

 

[Maz]

It's not just the 'less' vs 'fewer' in supermarkets. Have a look at the 'Next customer please' dividers on any Tesco checkout in the UK. My daughter was 10 when she pointed out that they were missing an apostrophe and they all say "Dont forget your Clubcard".

Nice one. It would be a classic if they'd written "Dont forget you're Clubcard"

 

[User482]

Ok, now tell me how to learn not to bristle when telesales callers use 'myself' and 'yourself' to try to impress me.

Misuse of reflexive pronouns. I wouldn't mind, except it's done to try and sound clever. All it tells me is that I'm speaking to a buffoon.

 

[yello]

However, at school the only grammar I was taught was "A noun is a naming word. A verb is a doing word. An adverb 'adds' description to the verb. An adjective is a 'describing' word." Thirteen years of education and that was as far as it went, so you can imagine the shock when I had to study generative grammar and syntax at Uni. I was utterly lost.

You and me both! In my case, I found it embarrassing that the non-native English speakers could tell us ignorant English speakers all about various parts of speech! Want to know what a gerund is? A reflexive verb? Ask an Italian/Spaniard/Frenchman!

As an aside, generative grammar was never my thing. I much preferred semantics and pragmatics.

 

[Maz]

That's the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.

Well you speak, User482...

 

[yello]

Yoda's actually a good example of judging people by the way they speak. I mean, he sounds like an irritating little twat but actually.... nah, strike that.

 

[swee'pea99]

 

[goo_mason]

You and me both! In my case, I found it embarrassing that the non-native English speakers could tell us ignorant English speakers all about various parts of speech! Want to know what a gerund is? A reflexive verb? Ask an Italian/Spaniard/Frenchman!

As an aside, generative grammar was never my thing. I much preferred semantics and pragmatics.

Luckily by the end of 3rd year syntax became an option, so I chose something else! I was much more of a fan of phonetics, phonology, morphology and semantics. My first job after I graduated was working for the Uni's Centre for Speech Technology Research as an Expert Phonetician. How things have gone downhill since....

 

[JtB]