You have just mentioned it.Neil Graham wrote: ↑Mon Dec 20, 2021 9:31 amWe haven't had the "What cheese is made backwards?" question yet - fortunately.
Pedants United
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Re: Pedants United
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Re: Pedants United
I hardly ever need to visit a bank nowadays but today I saw several large notices in my local NatWest branch:
'Please practice social distancing'
Correct in America, I believe, but I hope not yet accepted here. I like the 'noun with a c / verb with an s' distinction.
I expect the Americans have advice/advise, prophecy/prophesy, device/devise, so it seems inconsistent for them to use licence/licence, practice/practice etc.
'Please practice social distancing'
Correct in America, I believe, but I hope not yet accepted here. I like the 'noun with a c / verb with an s' distinction.
I expect the Americans have advice/advise, prophecy/prophesy, device/devise, so it seems inconsistent for them to use licence/licence, practice/practice etc.
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Re: Pedants United
So do I.Paul Habershon wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pmCorrect in America, I believe, but I hope not yet accepted here. I like the 'noun with a c / verb with an s' distinction.
However, when I draft Grand Chess Tour documents, I have to use American spellings.
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Re: Pedants United
"it seems inconsistent for them to use licence/licence"
I think they use "license/license"?
I think they use "license/license"?
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Re: Pedants United
Correct.
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Re: Pedants United
Why should it not be "please practise social distansing"? Just asking.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.
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Re: Pedants United
Nice try, Nick, but the etymology doesn't allow you to stray from di- (= apart, away) and stance (standing). I don't think it's in the same family as practice/practise etc.NickFaulks wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:53 amWhy should it not be "please practise social distansing"? Just asking.
I enjoyed rising to the bait.
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Re: Pedants United
What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?
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Re: Pedants United
My take us that the pizza company needs to raise its standards. But I was never an English teacher. But I do know that a sentence should not begin with ‘but’.MJMcCready wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 amWhat's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?
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Re: Pedants United
I think that you mean "I might start disabling accounts the email addresses of which bounce ..."Carl Hibbard (in another thread) wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:52 amI might start disabling accounts whose email address bounce ...
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Re: Pedants United
David Sedgwick wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:42 pmI think that you mean "I might start disabling accounts the email addresses of which bounce ..."Carl Hibbard (in another thread) wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:52 amI might start disabling accounts whose email address bounce ...
Cheers
Carl Hibbard
Carl Hibbard
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Re: Pedants United
But it can. And the same goes for “and”.Graham Borrowdale wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:01 pmMy take us that the pizza company needs to raise its standards. But I was never an English teacher. But I do know that a sentence should not begin with ‘but’.MJMcCready wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 amWhat's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?
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Re: Pedants United
In general, I think we're moving away from prescriptive 'rules' about certain words at the start of sentences.
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Re: Pedants United
Leon Watson created the following web headline:
"Blair marshalls his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"
I felt that this should be
"Blair martials his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"
Hopefully I have brought this to the attention of those who enjoy this type of debate.
Please inform me of your decision.
"Blair marshalls his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"
I felt that this should be
"Blair martials his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"
Hopefully I have brought this to the attention of those who enjoy this type of debate.
Please inform me of your decision.
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Re: Pedants United
"martial" isn't a verb therefore Leon was correct.John Upham wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:19 pmI felt that this should be
"Blair martials his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"
per google
Unless it's a misspelling, martial is not used as a verb.