Apr 21st, '09, 07:49
Posts: 727
Joined: Dec 22nd, '07, 21:02
Location: the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy
by Sydney » Apr 21st, '09, 07:49
ABx wrote:el padre wrote:Do NOT, I repeat "Do NOT", mess with Mississippi gals.
Ah, so
that's why you're gay.. you know you could have just moved

Ohhh, but the Mississippi
boys!

Apr 21st, '09, 21:59
Posts: 1459
Joined: Dec 20th, '06, 15:10
by Mary R » Apr 21st, '09, 21:59
joelbct wrote:less/fewer, farther/further, can/may, well/good, subjunctive mood... the idiom ones are great too... different from instead of different than, etc.... not to mention pronoun agreement, parallel comparisons, the list goes on...
You definitely have me beat. I'm probably pretty shaky on all of those. In fact, I frequently get called out on grammar rules when I teach at the writing lab, so I've taken to reading grammar books. My favorite so far is
Style by Joseph Williams. He breaks it down into essential and optional grammar. Split infinitives? Optional.
I think I want to marry him.
Apr 22nd, '09, 10:11
Posts: 1598
Joined: Jan 11th, '07, 16:13
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
by scruffmcgruff » Apr 22nd, '09, 10:11
Mary R wrote:Split infinitives? Optional
"To go boldly where no one has gone before" just doesn't have the same oomph.

Apr 22nd, '09, 10:39
Posts: 397
Joined: Jul 18th, '07, 00:49
by fencerdenoctum » Apr 22nd, '09, 10:39
I am not bound by the chains of spelling and grammar.
Apr 22nd, '09, 10:44
Posts: 727
Joined: Dec 22nd, '07, 21:02
Location: the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the galaxy
by Sydney » Apr 22nd, '09, 10:44
True story:
Yesterday, the COO entered the hallway shortly after 5 p.m. & marveled at a group of programmers standing around.
I asked him, "Hey, do you know where everyone's got off to?"
He pointed at me and said in a loud voice, "How many times have I told you not to end with a split infinitive?!"
I replied, "If you're about to, I'll say 'once', provisionally."
He walked up to me and said, "No, no. You did it wrong. You were supposed to reply, 'OK, do you know where everyone's got off to, Asshole?'"
Apr 22nd, '09, 12:02
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
by chamekke » Apr 22nd, '09, 12:02
Heh, padre... brilliant story.
I am frequently guilty of using split infinitives. They're delightful.
"This is the sort of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put." (supposedly a quip of Sir Winston Churchill)
Apr 22nd, '09, 14:09
Posts: 1936
Joined: May 22nd, '06, 11:28
Location: Trapped inside a bamboo tong!
by hop_goblin » Apr 22nd, '09, 14:09
Brandon, what better way to be polite than to make the good deputy a cuppa.. Sheesh, where are your manners!
Apr 22nd, '09, 21:46
Posts: 1136
Joined: Dec 2nd, '07, 17:53
Location: New York
by joelbct » Apr 22nd, '09, 21:46
Mary R wrote:joelbct wrote:less/fewer, farther/further, can/may, well/good, subjunctive mood... the idiom ones are great too... different from instead of different than, etc.... not to mention pronoun agreement, parallel comparisons, the list goes on...
You definitely have me beat. I'm probably pretty shaky on all of those. In fact, I frequently get called out on grammar rules when I teach at the writing lab, so I've taken to reading grammar books. My favorite so far is
Style by Joseph Williams. He breaks it down into essential and optional grammar. Split infinitives? Optional.
I think I want to marry him.
To say happily that split infinitives are optional is pure madness!
I like misplaced modifiers too...
"Having been thrown in the air, Timmy caught the frisbee!"
or
"The young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt."
strunk n white and chicago manual of style are the standby's, right...