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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Live Reveal - Thursday 12th of June at 1700BST

    Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language

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    • MattM
      Matt
      見習いボス
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      If punctuation isn’t necessary then it’s clutter.

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • MattM
        Matt
        見習いボス
        @mclaincausey
        Joined:

        @mclaincausey said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

        A global standard puts an end to the problem.

        Fascist

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • mclaincauseyM
          mclaincausey
          見習いボス
          Joined:

          The point is that the punctuation is necessary. It’s a single character. The counter arguments are nonsense like “restructure your sentence “ instead of just documenting language as it is spoken in text.

          Anyway, I win 🤣

          Think it, be it.

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • Tago MagoT
            Tago Mago
            Mod Squad
            Joined:

            I'm waiting for @Matt to say that you don't

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • endoE
              endo
              見習いボス
              @pechelman
              Joined:

              @pechelman said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

              a colon would clear up confusion about pegging

              and pegging your colon could possibly clear up all confusions here

              si tacuisses

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
              • pechelmanP
                pechelman
                啓蒙家
                @mclaincausey
                Joined:

                @mclaincausey said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

                Assuming you mean the punctuation

                I didnt mean punctuation in this case. endo got the double entendre it seems 😃

                last edited by endoE 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • DeeDee85D
                  DeeDee85
                  啓蒙家
                  @Eza
                  Joined:

                  @Eza I have heard my friends mum say this a few times 😂 although I think “doofer” could be any kind of object you are trying to think of the name of and have momentarily forgot.. if that makes sense 🤔

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • endoE
                    endo
                    見習いボス
                    @pechelman
                    Joined:

                    @pechelman said in Nuances and Idiosyncrasies of the English Language:

                    endo got the double entendre

                    and not even native speaker, such a badass 😎

                    si tacuisses

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                    • MattM
                      Matt
                      見習いボス
                      Joined:

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • EzaE
                        Eza
                        Joined:

                        @DeeDee85 oh ok like thingamajig LOL great thanks!

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • mclaincauseyM
                          mclaincausey
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                          I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we find it very hard not to include the serial comma in corresponding speech: try saying “lock, stock, and two smoking barrels” (which, btw, is not how the fools wrote the title) without corresponding pauses for the commas. You’ll find it difficult and it will sound odd.

                          That proves my point beyond the unassailable logic offered already—not only does the Oxford comma remove ambiguity, it reflects how the sentence is spoken, which is the ultimate aim of grammatical syntax.

                          Similarly, “my parents, Alice, and Bob” is spoken differently than “my parents: Alice and Bob” (no pause at the semicolon here) and the syntax should reflect that difference. “My parents, Alice and Bob” doesn’t reflect it and I think that’s why it just looks off to me.

                          Think it, be it.

                          last edited by mclaincausey 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                          • GilesG
                            Giles
                            IHUK Crew
                            Joined:

                            I have no idea what an Oxford Comma is, Paule will know, but if I ask her I will get a long-winded answer, my eyes will glaze over and I won't remember a thing she said.

                            I write like I speak. If I would do a short pause when speaking, I will put a comma there. A long pause gets a full stop. Those are my personal rules, and I am happy with them...(3 or more full stops equals even longer pause of total pause)

                            Sorry if it makes reading my shite even more shite.

                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                            last edited by Tago MagoT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                            • mclaincauseyM
                              mclaincausey
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                              Joined:

                              Yep agreed and that’s the random thought I just added above that sprung uninvited in my insomniac head.

                              Think it, be it.

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Tago MagoT
                                Tago Mago
                                Mod Squad
                                @Giles
                                Joined:

                                @Giles i can feel my mother aggressively rolling her eyes at the use of „would“ in a conditional clause

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • mclaincauseyM
                                  mclaincausey
                                  見習いボス
                                  Joined:

                                  How about “would of” where “would’ve” is the intent? Fingernails on a chalkboard

                                  Think it, be it.

                                  last edited by todyT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                  • MattM
                                    Matt
                                    見習いボス
                                    Joined:

                                    I’m not even sure they teach English in schools anymore. I’m sure they don’t where I live.

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • GilesG
                                      Giles
                                      IHUK Crew
                                      Joined:

                                      Lived

                                      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • MattM
                                        Matt
                                        見習いボス
                                        Joined:

                                        My favorite teacher will always be my 12 grade AP English teacher. He was one of those teachers that stays with you.

                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                        • Danimal506D
                                          Danimal506
                                          Haraki san Expert
                                          Joined:

                                          I live in Texas and we have the city of Houston, pronounced “Hews-ton”
                                          In New York City they have a “Houston Street”, pronounced “House-ton”.

                                          I don’t know why

                                          New England’s also tend to say “standing on line” vs “standing in line”.

                                          WTB:
                                          IHC-06
                                          IHSW-70 L or XL
                                          UHF Pillow Cover

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • todyT
                                            tody
                                            啓蒙家
                                            @mclaincausey
                                            Joined:

                                            @mclaincausey one of the things i, as a non native speaker, don‘t get. how can you get this wrong?

                                            last edited by Tago MagoT mclaincauseyM 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
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