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John W
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« Reply #600 on: 20:17:01, 13-06-2008 » |
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I remember when we lived in USA (Cleveland, Ohio) we were visiting the junior school my daughter was attending, and it was there that I first set eyes on a Curious George book, in fact several of them. In the books George is clearly a chimpanzee ape, yet in the text he was always referred to as a monkey. I pointed this out to a teacher who thought for a moment and then said 'Oh, well they were written many years ago'. 'Yeah', I said, 'but this edition was printed (turning it over) in 1986!' We laughed. watch Curious George - Roller Monkey |
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Turfan Fragment
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« Reply #601 on: 22:10:42, 13-06-2008 » |
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"If you can't trust a monkey, who can you trust?"  |
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oliver sudden
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« Reply #602 on: 08:33:59, 14-06-2008 » |
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Thousands swell ranks of marchers to demand that Musharraf goes Goes? I would have thought that sort of thing to be one of the few places the subjunctive might have had a chance of hanging on but it seems not... |
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Andy D
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« Reply #603 on: 21:10:43, 21-06-2008 » |
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Advert today on TV:
"One bacteria could become millions overnight."
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #604 on: 21:26:02, 21-06-2008 » |
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Neither Don nor I is a closet person, Turfo.  Oo pedantry point. Don nor I are... Don nor I am... or does the verb agree with person? Any thoughts? |
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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richard barrett
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« Reply #605 on: 21:35:20, 21-06-2008 » |
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Neither Don nor I is a closet person, Turfo. Oo pedantry point. Don nor I are... Don nor I am... or does the verb agree with person? Any thoughts? My inclination would be to sidestep the problem by saying something like "neither Don nor I could be said to be..." However I believe that the rule is that the verb should agree with the nearer of the two subjects, viz. "neither Don nor I am..." |
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thompson1780
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« Reply #606 on: 21:50:06, 21-06-2008 » |
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How about "Don and I are not closet people" as a get-out?
Neither Don nor I am a closet person sounds odd.
Would "Neither Don nor I are closet people" be horribly incorrect?
Tommo
(A cupboard person)
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Made by Thompson & son, at the Violin & c. the West end of St. Paul's Churchyard, LONDON
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Turfan Fragment
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« Reply #607 on: 22:04:56, 21-06-2008 » |
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All of the above are wrong, as I was not accusing anyone of being a closet person.  |
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thompson1780
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« Reply #608 on: 00:06:50, 22-06-2008 » |
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And I hope I haven't offended anyone. I am not a closet person in the sense that I have never (knowingly) been in a closet. Others may not be closet people because they are now no longer in a closet. How cupboards come into this is just my weird mind, playing on Turfer's closet / cupboard distinction.
Tommo
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Made by Thompson & son, at the Violin & c. the West end of St. Paul's Churchyard, LONDON
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thompson1780
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« Reply #609 on: 00:23:28, 22-06-2008 » |
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I'll lead with Rite of Spring and the Bartók Concerto for Orchestra...
Blimey - now Ollie has got me thinking - I'm beginning to wonder whether or not I like music! When should one use the word 'got'? Honest question. In the sense of 'became' (as in "I got maudlin")? In the sense of 'made me become' (as in Baz's words above)? Or in the sense of 'aquiring' (as in 'I got a new banana')? I try to avoid it as much as possible. Tommo |
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Made by Thompson & son, at the Violin & c. the West end of St. Paul's Churchyard, LONDON
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John W
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« Reply #610 on: 01:18:27, 22-06-2008 » |
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I'll lead with Rite of Spring and the Bartók Concerto for Orchestra...
Blimey - now Ollie has got me thinking - I'm beginning to wonder whether or not I like music! When should one use the word 'got'? Honest question. In the sense of 'became' (as in "I got maudlin")? In the sense of 'made me become' (as in Baz's words above)? Or in the sense of 'aquiring' (as in 'I got a new banana')? I try to avoid it as much as possible. Tommo Indeed. I made a pledge to myself when I came to England, to never use the word 'g . . ' whoops, nearly. Up there all you had to say was 'Blimey, Ollie has me thinking....' see you even save a breath! You know you've conquered that word when, instead of 'Have you g-- a .....', you say 'Do you have a .....?Mastery of the Queen's English!  even when I'm (hiccup) pi....... (hic) Why am I he..... yeah, wife's snoring again ....  John W  P.S. I will look into 'me thinking' later |
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« Last Edit: 01:20:17, 22-06-2008 by John W »
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Don Basilio
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« Reply #611 on: 08:52:50, 22-06-2008 » |
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All of the above are wrong, as I was not accusing anyone of being a closet person. Never thought anyone was. I was only interested in the grammatical point when the verb to be joins plural and singular. Come to think of it, using pronouns it would be: "We are not..." So "Neither Don nor I are..." might be acceptable. |
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To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh: a time to mourn, and a time to dance
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thompson1780
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« Reply #612 on: 09:26:23, 22-06-2008 » |
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The negative makes a difference though.
Don and I are...
Don and I are not...
Neither Don nor I are...
Either Don is or I am...
The third could in one sense be viewed as the negative of the first, in which case 'are' may be OK.
I'm confused.
Tommo
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Made by Thompson & son, at the Violin & c. the West end of St. Paul's Churchyard, LONDON
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Baz
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« Reply #613 on: 10:19:41, 22-06-2008 » |
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I'll lead with Rite of Spring and the Bartók Concerto for Orchestra...
Blimey - now Ollie has got me thinking - I'm beginning to wonder whether or not I like music! When should one use the word 'got'? Honest question. In the sense of 'became' (as in "I got maudlin")? In the sense of 'made me become' (as in Baz's words above)? Or in the sense of 'aquiring' (as in 'I got a new banana')? I try to avoid it as much as possible. Tommo From the 63 different meanings of the word "get" noted at http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/got the sense in which I (being at the time deliberately colloquial in style) used the word was that identified in meaning no. 10: 10. to prevail on; influence or persuade: We'll get him to go with us.So Ollie's previous posting in that sense "persuaded" (= got) me to rethink my position (although in reality it did not, because I was in any case being entirely rhetorical). Baz |
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Sydney Grew
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« Reply #614 on: 11:11:17, 22-06-2008 » |
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Contrary to what ignorant Americans think, there is nothing wrong with the word "got."
It grates so dreadfully to hear as we do so often nowadays an exchange such as this:
"Have you got sixpence?'
"No I don't"
The reply should of course be "No I haven't" - meaning "I haven't got sixpence." The response "No I don't" assumes that the question was "Do you have sixpence?", which is incorrect in the English of England.
It is almost as bad as those maidens in shops who ask us "How are you to-day?" and, upon our replying as we always do "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" as the case may be, respond "That's good."
These are persons who will "relax" to the music of Beethoven!
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