Author Topic: Grammar that makes you cringe (Read 856695 times)

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3525 on:** 01 May, 2015, 10:04:17 am »

Quote

Beware sentences – such as this one – that dash about all over the place – it makes them look like a poem by Emily Dickinson.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/sep/30/10-grammar-rules-you-can-forget

If dashes - like this - are all it takes - or the only thing required - to make my posts - and other writing - look like - perhaps that should be read like? - a poem by Emily Dickinson - or any other poet - then I'm going to use more of them. Here's one to start with -

Ian H · « **Reply #3526 on:** 01 May, 2015, 10:48:35 am »

I think you hyper-hyphenated there. Here's a hyphen: - , and here's a dash: — .

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3527 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:00:52 am »

True - but I only have a dash - on my keyboard - at least as far as I'm aware - it's an n-dash, to be precise - and I can't be bothered to cut and paste from Word.

(Does that look like poetry?

)

Ian H · « **Reply #3528 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:08:53 am »

A keyboard generally only has a hyphen doubling as a minus sign. I use alt 0150 and 0151 for – and — , which are noticeably different from a hyphen - .

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3529 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:15:56 am »

Can't get those alt combos to work for me.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3530 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:26:37 am »

certainly don't have the option on a fondleslab and I suspect most mobile devices' keyboards are similarly afflicted.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #3531 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:33:25 am »

The conjugation of "fit" as in can go in a particular space. These days it seems "fit" is all there is. What happened to "fits", "fitting" and "fitted" ?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3532 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:43:25 am »

"It fits" is supposed to have been Carey Grant's answer as to why he had married his wife.

(It wasn't Carey Grant but some other movie star of that era - his name will do!)

pcolbeck · « **Reply #3533 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:51:47 am »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 May, 2015, 11:43:25 am

"It fits" is supposed to have been Carey Grant's answer as to why he had married his wife.

(It wasn't Carey Grant but some other movie star of that era - his name will do!)

Well given his reputation if it was Errol Flynn that might have been a good enough reason.

ian · « **Reply #3534 on:** 01 May, 2015, 12:05:24 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 01 May, 2015, 11:26:37 am

certainly don't have the option on a fondleslab and I suspect most mobile devices' keyboards are similarly afflicted.

Hold down the hyphen - – — to get en and em dashery.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3535 on:** 01 May, 2015, 02:34:47 pm »

Doesn't it work on my laptop. Dash it!

Ian H · « **Reply #3536 on:** 01 May, 2015, 05:14:11 pm »

Quote from: ian on 01 May, 2015, 12:05:24 pm

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 01 May, 2015, 11:26:37 am
certainly don't have the option on a fondleslab and I suspect most mobile devices' keyboards are similarly afflicted.

Hold down the hyphen - – — to get en and em dashery.

- ----------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

citoyen · « **Reply #3537 on:** 01 May, 2015, 05:33:39 pm »

On a fruit-based fondleslab, you can hold down the hyphen to bring up the following alt characters:
- hyphen
– en dash
— em dash
• bullet point

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3538 on:** 01 May, 2015, 10:37:10 pm »

• They keep quiet – about that, I mean — don't they?

citoyen · « **Reply #3539 on:** 02 May, 2015, 11:30:09 am »

Just realised I repeated Ian H's post. For some reason I didn't notice it before writing mine.

Anyway, yes, discovering the alt keys on the iPhone was a revelation for me. It's worth experimenting to discover what else they've hidden away…

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3540 on:** 02 May, 2015, 11:49:26 am »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 01 May, 2015, 10:37:10 pm

• They keep quiet – about that, I mean — don't they?

Pickled Onion · « **Reply #3541 on:** 03 May, 2015, 09:46:12 am »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 01 May, 2015, 02:34:47 pm

Doesn't it work on my laptop. Dash it!

- hyphen
– ALT+hyphen
— ALT+SHIFT+hyphen

( only)

Ian H · « **Reply #3542 on:** 03 May, 2015, 05:30:30 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 02 May, 2015, 11:30:09 am

Just realised I repeated Ian H's post. For some reason I didn't notice it before writing mine.

Mine was just quoting

Quote from: citoyen on 02 May, 2015, 11:30:09 am

Anyway, yes, discovering the alt keys on the iPhone was a revelation for me. It's worth experimenting to discover what else they've hidden away…

I do think direct keyboard access as with Apple is more civilised than Windows unintuitive system.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3543 on:** 03 May, 2015, 10:14:22 pm »

–
—
˜

Ah, it works with those numbers in the square on the right like a calculator. I never use those.

orienteer · « **Reply #3544 on:** 04 May, 2015, 03:47:22 pm »

Crossword clue: factotum. Answer: Person Friday

Maybe it should be Person Weekday to avoid offending the other working days.

Steph · « **Reply #3545 on:** 09 May, 2015, 04:08:32 pm »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-32672094

105mm 'canons'.

FFS.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3546 on:** 09 May, 2015, 04:38:34 pm »

The 105 mm calibre is canonical?

hellymedic · « **Reply #3547 on:** 09 May, 2015, 04:42:26 pm »

Not far from here is Cannons Park, or is it Canons Park?

Cannons: causing confusion since Händel.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #3548 on:** 09 May, 2015, 05:11:19 pm »

And that's before you start to consider the apostrophe's.

Earls Court, Shepherds Bush, Shatner's Bassoon etc. etc.

Steph · « **Reply #3549 on:** 09 May, 2015, 05:25:00 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 09 May, 2015, 04:38:34 pm

The 105 mm calibre is canonical?

No, but it IS a round...

also