English Chess Forum

Neil Graham wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 9:31 am

We haven't had the "What cheese is made backwards?" question yet - fortunately.

You have just mentioned it.

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.

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm

Correct in America, I believe, but I hope not yet accepted here. I like the 'noun with a c / verb with an s' distinction.

So do I.

However, when I draft Grand Chess Tour documents, I have to use American spellings.

"it seems inconsistent for them to use licence/licence"

I think they use "license/license"?

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:05 pm

I think they use "license/license"?

Correct.

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm

'Please practice social distancing'

Why should it not be "please practise social distansing"? Just asking.

NickFaulks wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:53 am

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm

'Please practice social distancing'

Why should it not be "please practise social distansing"? Just asking.

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.

I enjoyed rising to the bait.

What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?

MJMcCready wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 am

What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?

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’.

Carl Hibbard (in another thread) wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:52 am

I might start disabling accounts whose email address bounce ...

I think that you mean "I might start disabling accounts the email addresses of which bounce ..."

David Sedgwick wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:42 pm

Carl Hibbard (in another thread) wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:52 am

I might start disabling accounts whose email address bounce ...

I think that you mean "I might start disabling accounts the email addresses of which bounce ..."

Graham Borrowdale wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:01 pm

MJMcCready wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 am

What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?

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’.

But it can. And the same goes for “and”.

In general, I think we're moving away from prescriptive 'rules' about certain words at the start of sentences.

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.

John Upham wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:19 pm

I felt that this should be

"Blair martials his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"

"martial" isn't a verb therefore Leon was correct.

per google

Unless it's a misspelling, martial is not used as a verb.