Grammar that makes you cringe

[hellymedic]

Pneumonic is one variety of plague, bubonic being the more well-known sort. (Pneumonic plague affects the lungs, bubonic gives the victim groin swellings, buboes, innit.)
A mnemonic helps (allegedly) those hard of memory.
HTH

[Simonb]

As does asterix instead of asterisk.

We once received a software specification which required 'asterixes' next to certain display values. Naturally, as pedantic developers, our first iteration featured teensy PNGs of The Gaul precisely where required. Sadly, these were removed before user acceptance testing.

As for annoying usage, 'sea-change' really gets my goat. What's wrong with 'change'?

[nicknack]

As for annoying usage, 'sea-change' really gets my goat. What's wrong with 'change'?

I think you can blame Mr. Shakespeare for that.

[citoyen]

"Sea change" gives the sense of a significant transformation drawn out over a long period. It's pure poetry.

I don't think I've ever seen or heard it used properly though.

d.

[tonyh]

As for annoying usage, 'sea-change' really gets my goat. What's wrong with 'change'?

'Sea-change' just sounds as if it might be giving a quantum leap in impressiveness?

[Mr Larrington]

"Quantum leap" has always puzzled me.  When I was learning physics as a young Mr Larrington we were taught that things at the sub-atomic level were very very small.

[pcolbeck]

And presumably being a quantum leap it may or may not happen according to some statistical level of probability.

[Mrs Pingu]

And another:
the pacific is an ocean, the word you want to use when talking about a certain thing is specific.

[Nuncio]

Using pacific for specific is bigger than a sea change, isn't it?

[Ian H]

And another:
the pacific is an ocean, the word you want to use when talking about a certain thing is specific.

I defiantly agree with that.

[rower40]

"Quantum leap" has always puzzled me.  When I was learning physics as a young Mr Larrington we were taught that things at the sub-atomic level were very very small.

I understood "Quantum Leap" to mean a step-change rather than a gradual transition - in that (in Physics) there isn't a stable energy level between the start and end states.

I.e.
     __
__|

rather than

 /
/

(Oh I <3 ASCII Art!!)

[drossall]

"Quantum leap" has always puzzled me.

+1. A quantum leap would appear to be the smallest change possible, which is not entirely what people generally mean rower40 has a point about the step change, but the step is almost immeasurably small

[HTFB]

Have I objected to "A number of cyclists is expected..." yet? That number is plural. You'd say "a hundred of them are...", wouldn't you?

[red marley]

Have I objected to "A number of cyclists is expected..." yet? That number is plural. You'd say "a hundred of them are...", wouldn't you?

Think of a number.

Any number.

Are that number 6?

Thought not.

[mattc]

"Quantum leap" has always puzzled me.

+1. A quantum leap would appear to be the smallest change possible, which is not entirely what people generally mean rower40 has a point about the step change, but the step is almost immeasurably small

The point is that it is a big change within the system concerned (e.g. an atom). Hence a "big deal" - so often it is used correctly. But of course people often use it to simply mean a really big change, and are usually wrong.

( What about "quantum shift"? does that mean the same thing? )

[HTFB]

Have I objected to "A number of cyclists is expected..." yet? That number is plural. You'd say "a hundred of them are...", wouldn't you?

Think of a number. Any number.

Are that number 6?

Thought not.

The difference is that it's not the number a hundred, or the number six, or whatever, that the sentence is about; it's about the cyclists. Think of a peloton. Is the cyclists six in number?

[mattc]

A peleton of cyclists is expected.



Actually, I think I would say:
A number of cyclists are expected later.
But possibly

A number of cyclists has been predicted to arrive later.

[Ian H]

Have I objected to "A number of cyclists is expected..." yet? That number is plural. You'd say "a hundred of them are...", wouldn't you?

Think of a number.

Any number.

Are that number 6?

Thought not.

Collective nouns cause endless arguments: "The government are..." (seems to be preferred by the BBC), vs " The government is". HTFB refers to number used as a collective noun, so let the fight commence.

[Mrs Pingu]

A peleton of cyclists is expected.

Surely that should be a plague of cyclists, given our propensity for turning up en masse and devouring all the available food?

[Nuncio]

And it should also be 'Peloton', please.
I'm with HTFB with on 'a number of'. It's the equivalent of 'some', 'many' or 'numerous' etc.  And if you replace 'a number of' with one of those then the plural becomes the obvious choice.

[border-rider]

The point is that it is a big change within the system concerned (e.g. an atom).

"Quantum" just means it's a sudden jump between two discontinuous fixed states, but that could be a fairly low-level energetic transition associated with an outer electron.  You could imagine indexed gearing as having quantised behaviour (hopefully)...

[red marley]

My 'think of a number' example was a poor choice as it was using the word in a different context.

I accept the legitimacy of using number as plural in the 'number of cyclists'. But it would be nice to be able to choose between singular and plural in that context depending on whether you wished to emphasise the cylcists plural or the group singular.

[geoff]

The point is that it is a big change within the system concerned (e.g. an atom).

"Quantum" just means it's a sudden jump between two discontinuous fixed states, but that could be a fairly low-level energetic transition associated with an outer electron.  You could imagine indexed gearing as having quantised behaviour (hopefully)...

Absolutely! including a perfect description of my random shifting!

[mattc]

And it should also be 'Peloton', please.

Ah, I see. A bit like the rules for:

LE^OPARD-TREK

[mattc]

Should I be reassured by this text:

We use the latest 'encryption' technologies to 'scramble' your details during transfer to us