Grammar that makes you cringe

[citoyen]

T42, you clearly have a real problem with the Guardian. Maybe it would be better for your blood pressure if you stopped buying it.

[T42]

I have a problem with language-mangling and they're all tarred with the same brush. My blood pressure is fine.

[Jaded]

From a Scottish Fight report on The BBC:

"Ms Sturgeon is facing calls to quit from Scottish Conservatives after new documents released on Tuesday evening raised further questions about her involvement in the saga."

I thought she was leader of the SNP?

[Davef]

Normally “cold-blooded” is hyphenated but not “in cold blood” which is odd. French hyphenate “sang-froid”.

“He was drowned in cold blood” could be ambiguous.

[Davef]

I thought she was leader of the SNP?

is......

[citoyen]

Normally “cold-blooded” is hyphenated but not “in cold blood” which is odd.

Fwiw, the first is an adjective, the second an adverb. I think a hyphen would look odd in the latter.

“He was drowned in cold blood” could be ambiguous.

True.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Some people habitually hyphenate phrases like "day to day" regardless of whether it's an adjective or adverb. "A day-to-day increase in Covid cases" and "Covid cases are increasing day-to-day". I'll accept the first though I'd prefer it without, but the second is just wrong.

Today I'm wondering whether to hyphenate "time stamping". It looks wrong as one word: "timestamp" is okay but "timestamping" looks a bit clumsy. I could leave as separate words but I don't think I've used it as a noun yet, it's all "time-stamping technology" and "time-stamping service".

[hatler]

Normally “cold-blooded” is hyphenated but not “in cold blood” which is odd.

Fwiw, the first is an adjective, the second an adverb. I think a hyphen would look odd in the latter.

“He was drowned in cold blood” could be ambiguous.

True.

He was drowned cold bloodedly ?

[citoyen]

He was drowned cold bloodedly ?

Not exactly idiomatic, is it? Also v.clunky.

Cold-blooded tends to be used literally*, eg when talking about reptiles, whereas "in cold blood" is figurative and a set phrase.


*ETA: except in "cold-blooded murder", of course, which I think also counts as a set phrase

[hatler]

I should have stuck a smiley in there perhaps to indicate its clunkworthinessability. 

[drossall]

The point is to make it easier to read, and to show how the words relate to each other in a string of words. Even where the same words are used in different contexts, it's that aim that determines what should happen. Therefore, the same words may or may not be hyphenated according to context.

So, roughly (like many rules of grammar, these are somewhat more like guidelines, so there will be exceptions):

• Are there at least three words in the string/concept? If not, no comma.
• Does one adjective modify another word? If so, hyphenate them.

Thus "in cold blood" has no hyphen (rule 1, only two words in the actual concept), but "cold-blooded murder" (three words, cold-blooded describes the murder but cold modifies blooded, rather than murder).

And "high-power networks" means networks carrying high power (high modifies power), whereas "high power networks" means power networks located at altitude (both high and power modify networks). Which ambiguity is the point of the rule, and the reason why it's important to get it right. Again though, there will be borderline cases where you could make a case for doing it either way. Language is like that.

[citoyen]

Language is like that.

Just as well or I would be out of a job.

[hatler]

All hail lexical and grammatical ambiguity !!   Anything that keeps a yacfer in a job has to be welcome. 

[Cudzoziemiec]

And "high-power networks" means networks carrying high power (high modifies power),

Or networks of high power (as in corridors – a word whose spelling always looks curious to me*) not that it makes much difference.

*Because I feel it should have something to do with doors, though of course that's only a later application.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Today's example of hyphenophilia: "Did you talk to her over the phone or in-person?"

[hubner]

OK, I know, you can verb any noun. Here's two I read/heard recently: provision, maintainence.

[Cudzoziemiec]

"To provision" has been around for ages, meaning "to supply with provisions". You provision a ship before it sets sail, for example.

[graculus]

You provision a ship before it sets sail, for example.

And add a bit extra for just in case it gets stuck en-route.

[De Sisti]

Not so much grammar, but radio interviewees; when introduced, they say; "Thanks for having me".
FFS, the interviewer should be thanking the interviewees for making themselves available.

[T42]

Be nice if the interviewer then replied "yes, you've been had all right".

Interviewers here used to have the annoying habit of saying something like "and I remind you that you are the managing director of Peugeot" when getting rid of their victim, as if they might have forgotten in the interim.

[drossall]

The verb "must" seems to be changing its meaning. When I were young, it meant something that you didn't really have any option over doing. Now, it seems to mean something that I'd really like you to do, but know perfectly well you won't, as in every second news report lately of impassioned pleas from campaigners earnestly saying things such as:

The government must double the pensions of everyone with a Q in their surname.

[eckagain]

OK, I know, you can verb any noun. Here's two I read/heard recently: provision, maintainence.

Podium. 

[Mr Larrington]

OK, I know, you can verb any noun. Here's two I read/heard recently: provision, maintainence.

Podium. 

That, along with “medal”, has been around at least since the Beijing Olympics.  This is not an excuse, BTW.  Nor is the fact that Victoria Pendleton once said it.

[Kim]

"To provision" has been around for ages, meaning "to supply with provisions". You provision a ship before it sets sail, for example.

And by direct analogy, 'provisioning' is standard computing jargon for setting up a network client with the relevant configuration and authentication credentials.  (Eg. activating a SIM so you can use a cellular network, or an embedded device automagically obtaining its configuration from some server.)

I'm generally in favour of this sort of metaphorical jargon, because the alternative is acronym soup.

[Nuncio]

That, along with “medal”, has been around at least since the Beijing Olympics.  This is not an excuse, BTW.  Nor is the fact that Victoria Pendleton once said it.

It serves a purpose:

I came 4th in the egg and spoon race but would have won if it hadn't been for those medalling kids.