Author Topic: Grammar that makes you cringe (Read 856792 times)

eck · « **Reply #1300 on:** 18 January, 2011, 04:52:51 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 18 January, 2011, 04:46:38 pm

Spelling, rather than grammar but Auntie should know better.
Antartic is a lorry, surely?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12218170

In a similar vein, my winter cycling boots are Diadora Artics. They don't bend in the middle though.
And I suppose, being Italian, they have a slightly better excuse than the BBC.

clarion · « **Reply #1301 on:** 19 January, 2011, 10:24:22 am »

Quote from: eck on 18 January, 2011, 04:52:51 pm

... my winter cycling boots are Diadora Artics. They don't bend in the middle though.
And I suppose, being Italian, they have a slightly better excuse than the BBC.

Don't they carry a heavy load, though?

eck · « **Reply #1302 on:** 19 January, 2011, 10:48:56 am »

Quote from: clarion on 19 January, 2011, 10:24:22 am

Quote from: eck on 18 January, 2011, 04:52:51 pm
... my winter cycling boots are Diadora Artics. They don't bend in the middle though.
And I suppose, being Italian, they have a slightly better excuse than the BBC.

Don't they carry a heavy load, though?

Aye, in my case, you're not wrong.

hellymedic · « **Reply #1303 on:** 20 January, 2011, 10:12:20 pm »

Ooops!
Wrong word from Ham & High...
A RESPECTED Hampstead businessman today admitted to turning a blind eye to criminals using his Safety Depository company to store millions of pounds of ill-gotten games.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #1304 on:** 21 January, 2011, 01:33:24 pm »

Stolen copies of "Metal Gear Solid"?

Bledlow · « **Reply #1305 on:** 21 January, 2011, 03:04:06 pm »

A USian micro-brewery website (link expunged) in which their brewster (so described) is named & pictured.

Wrong gender.

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #1306 on:** 21 January, 2011, 09:54:48 pm »

A press release from America I read today enthused about the singing duo's "intrepidness"...

citoyen · « **Reply #1307 on:** 22 January, 2011, 02:33:55 am »

The instructions with my new headphones advised against using them in "trafficated" areas.

d.

greenmeansgo · « **Reply #1308 on:** 22 January, 2011, 09:12:21 pm »

An historic event

A historic event

An 'istoric event (when spoken)

Tourist Tony · « **Reply #1309 on:** 23 January, 2011, 02:10:45 pm »

Dog training book, from Usania. It's apparently wrong to let your dog flaunt the rules.

mattc · « **Reply #1310 on:** 23 January, 2011, 02:44:17 pm »

Quote from: Tourist Tony on 23 January, 2011, 02:10:45 pm

Dog training book, from Usania. It's apparently wrong to let your dog flaunt the rules.

Flaunting the rules? It's OK if you are Moses.

citoyen · « **Reply #1311 on:** 03 February, 2011, 06:25:50 pm »

Can't quite believe that m'colleague, supposedly a highly experienced sub editor, actually just put through a page with the phrase "rocket scientry" on it.

d.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #1312 on:** 07 February, 2011, 03:22:16 pm »

Quote from: Tourist Tony on 23 January, 2011, 02:10:45 pm

Dog training book, from Usania. It's apparently wrong to let your dog flaunt the rules.

Similar thing in a subtitled section of "Mr Nice". A Spanish policeman says that Howard Marks cannot be allowed to flaunt the law.

Grrr.

Ian H · « **Reply #1313 on:** 07 February, 2011, 05:18:07 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 22 January, 2011, 02:33:55 am

The instructions with my new headphones advised against using them in "trafficated" areas.

d.

That's a bit flash.

citoyen · « **Reply #1314 on:** 14 February, 2011, 04:13:20 pm »

"I look better with fewer clothes on!"

Hmmm, slightly troubled by this one. Should it be "fewer clothes" or "less clothes"?

I'm inclined to go with "less" - "fewer" sounds prissy and pedantic. But neither option sounds "right".

Of course, the truth is that I look better with more clothes on, but that isn't really the issue.

d.

Wowbagger · « **Reply #1315 on:** 14 February, 2011, 05:11:53 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 14 February, 2011, 04:13:20 pm

"I look better with fewer clothes on!"

Hmmm, slightly troubled by this one. Should it be "fewer clothes" or "less clothes"?

I'm inclined to go with "less" - "fewer" sounds prissy and pedantic. But neither option sounds "right".

Of course, the truth is that I look better with more clothes on, but that isn't really the issue.

d.

If you regard clothes as a collective noun, then I think less is OK. If you choose garments then fewer it is. Given that I don't think we ever use clothes as a singular (article of clothing) then less is acceptable. I agree that it sounds a bit awkward.

mattc · « **Reply #1316 on:** 14 February, 2011, 05:24:37 pm »

This isn't a grammatical error, but it's a nice example of how a single space can change the meaning of a sentence:

Quote from: Wothill on 14 February, 2011, 03:51:49 pm

Quote
Recumbents are different - most people who ride a recumbent genuinely believe they are gaining an advantage (incredible but true),
<SNIP>
I doubt if many of us see it as gaining an advantage over all (up hill harder, downhill faster)

I don't think Wothill meant to put a space there (but I could be wrong)!

citoyen · « **Reply #1317 on:** 14 February, 2011, 05:54:10 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 14 February, 2011, 05:11:53 pm

If you regard clothes as a collective noun, then I think less is OK.

That's the root of the problem. My dictionary defines clothes as "articles of dress". Looked at that way, it's a straightforward plural noun, hence "fewer" is strictly correct. But we tend to use the word in a "non-countable" sense...

So, do we go with strict grammar or everyday usage? To be honest, I think I prefer the latter, especially in this context.

d.

Biggsy · « **Reply #1318 on:** 14 February, 2011, 06:06:52 pm »

Less clothes sounds wrong to me, while fewer clothes, or less clothing, sounds right to me.

(Not that I'm much offended by "bad" grammar. I'm probably posting some right now).

mattc · « **Reply #1319 on:** 14 February, 2011, 06:11:17 pm »

I would say that the intended meaning of "less/fewer clothes", in this context, is the same as saying "less clothing".

For example, a shorter skirt, or a thinner jumper, is technically the same number of garments - but would fit the "everyday usage" meaning of "less clothes".

Hence "less" is more correct in a practical sense! (if that concept actually exists ...)

ravenbait · « **Reply #1320 on:** 14 February, 2011, 06:24:31 pm »

I would suggest that less clothes (although I dislike that construction and would prefer "less clothing", as it is not mismatched) could be taken as the equivalent of a mini skirt as opposed to trousers, while fewer clothes means removing layers or articles. My grammar-pedant brain automatically parses these relative descriptors in that way.

Sam

hellymedic · « **Reply #1321 on:** 14 February, 2011, 06:30:47 pm »

I might use 'less clothing.

I might not end a sentence with a preposition...

I look best stark nekkid!

May contain traces of hyperbole...

Wowbagger · « **Reply #1322 on:** 14 February, 2011, 06:42:10 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 14 February, 2011, 06:30:47 pm

I might use 'less clothing.

I might not end a sentence with a preposition...

I look best stark nekkid!

May contain traces of hyperbole...

Are you all hyperbolic curves?

Bledlow · « **Reply #1323 on:** 14 February, 2011, 06:54:25 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 14 February, 2011, 06:30:47 pm

I look best stark nekkid!

I believe there is an obligatory response in these cases, including the word 'pictures'.

hellymedic · « **Reply #1324 on:** 14 February, 2011, 11:38:04 pm »

Auntie's slipping again.

What does the 'Big Society' looks like?

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12459828

Author Topic: Grammar that makes you cringe (Read 856792 times)

ravenbait