Pedants United

[NickFaulks]

'A lot of people purposefully broke lockdown rules'.

I think he meant 'purposely'.

I certainly broke them purposefully.

[John Clarke]

The vicar is quite right of course, but I am fairly sure that the majority would take Easter Saturday as the day after Good Friday. As 'correct' language is often determined by general usage, I wonder how long it may take for Easter Saturday to be deemed the day before Easter Sunday.

The good vicar's title is itself another example. Just about everyone these days writes or talks about "The Reverend Smith" (or whoever), not realising that it's just as incorrect as referring to the Leader of the Opposition as "Sir Starmer". You're meant to use either the forename as well (The Reverend John Smith), or say "The Reverend Mr Smith" or even just "Mr Smith". Never "The Reverend Smith"! (When I was at school our Chairman of Governors happened to be a clergyman, and was too often thus misaddressed.)

Similarly 'the body was laying on the ground' is now such a common usage that it may eventually be accepted as the norm.

Never by me!

To celebrate the reawakening of pedants here, I give you Brendan O'Neill in a recent BBC Radio 5 Live interview about 'Partygate'.

'A lot of people purposefully broke lockdown rules'.

I think he meant 'purposely'.

Better altogether to have said "on purpose". Fewer syllables for one thing, and not meaning "with determination" as purposefully actually does.

[NickFaulks]

Better altogether to have said "on purpose". Fewer syllables for one thing, and not meaning "with determination" as purposefully actually does.

No, the journalist was right first time. Those of us who cut the sticky tapes on park benches so that elderly walkers could briefly rest on them did do so "with determination".

[David Sedgwick]

No, the journalist was right first time. Those of us who cut the sticky tapes on park benches so that elderly walkers could briefly rest on them did do so "with determination".

Perhaps we can just say that you broke lockdown rules deliberately and with determination.

Further comment would be beyond the scope of this thread. In contrast to my usual approach, this is one thread which I do not wish to see go off topic.

[MJMcCready]

You can find the discussion on this in the publication 'The Stories of English' by David Crystal, pg. 468:

The word 'drawing' why do some people say the spelling of this word is incorrect? What's the issue in play here?

[Paul Habershon]

I love the last word in a letter published in today's Times:

Sir, The overriding criterion for deciding whether to offer a candidate a place at university should be "will this candidate be able to cope with the courses this university provides?" The candidate's background is irreverent.
Emeritus Professor Christopher Rose-Innes
Wilmslow, Cheshire

I can imagine smoke issuing from the professor's ears when he sees what I assume is a subediting blunder. At last you have a letter published in The Times and it gets mangled.

[David Sedgwick]

I can imagine smoke issuing from the professor's ears when he sees what I assume is a subediting blunder. At last you have a letter published in The Times and it gets mangled.

I have only once had a letter published in The Times. The published version referred to the "British Chess Foundation".

[John Upham]

See

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-61394607

[Kevin Thurlow]

"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-61394607"

I'm surprised that the BBC uses the sexist term, "schoolboy error".

[John Upham]

"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-l ... e-61394607"

I'm surprised that the BBC uses the sexist term, "schoolboy error".

They seem to have replaced "manhole cover" with personhole cover to their credit.

and they have retitled Bronowski's series to be The Ascent of Ladies and Gentlemen"

[Paul Habershon]

More evidence of the losing battle against misuse of the verbs 'lie' and 'lay'. From a report in today's Times, no less, (my italics):

'Protesters...got on to The Mall despite a large security operation. Some laid down in the path of a military band...'

The pedant has to ask, 'What did they lay down?' Flowers?

The sub-editor should have changed it to 'Some lay down in the path of...'

The protesters were then lying (not laying) in the path of a military band.

[John Upham]

The protesters were then lying (not laying) in the path of a military bd.

Perhaps they were not telling the truth whilst the military had been banned?

[John Clarke]

They seem to have replaced "manhole cover" with personhole cover to their credit.

Hmmm ... some might say that doesn't go quite far enough - "perchildholecover" (or even "peroffspringholecover") would achieve true gender neutrality.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"The Sun" reports,

"...he spent two nights in a Menorca prison cell before being hauled into court by armed police in handcuffs."

I ask myself why the armed police were wearing handcuffs.

[John Upham]

"The Sun" reports,

"...he spent two nights in a Menorca prison cell before being hauled into court by armed police in handcuffs."

I ask myself why the armed police were wearing handcuffs.

And what would happen if they did not have any arms or alms?