Author Topic: Grammar that makes you cringe  (Read 835038 times)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1050 on: 15 September, 2010, 11:28:50 am »
Absolutely right! They are nothing whatever to do with me.

You don't pay tax? ;)

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1051 on: 15 September, 2010, 11:32:40 am »
Absolutely right! They are nothing whatever to do with me.

You don't pay tax? ;)

d.


I suppose I don't in the sense that by far the greatest part of my income is paid by the taxpayer, to whom I'm eternally grateful.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1052 on: 15 September, 2010, 11:33:57 am »
Gold-plated, remember? ;)
Getting there...

Manotea

  • Where there is doubt...
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1053 on: 15 September, 2010, 11:46:08 am »
When did it become compulsory to refer to our soldiers...

Our soldiers - I hate the phrase. They're British soldiers. You may think of them as your soldiers, but please don't involve me.

British soldier is fine by me.

Absolutely right! They are nothing whatever to do with me.

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in english, thank a soldier.

I get the feeling that suggesting teachers who can read english and have gold plated pensions ought to be thanking soldiers too might be a rather hopeless cause...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1054 on: 15 September, 2010, 10:51:35 pm »
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in english, thank a soldier.
Should tell that to Mugabe!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1055 on: 20 September, 2010, 03:29:52 pm »
What happens when you arrive after the cut-off time in the canteen.




eck

  • Gonna ride my bike until I get home...
    • Angus Bike Chain CC
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1056 on: 20 September, 2010, 03:43:28 pm »
Can I "loan" you a bike?  :-\

I know I can lend you one.  :)
I know I can give you the loan of one.  :)
I know you can borrow one.  :)

But I don't think I can loan you one.  :(
And you can't loan one from me either.  :hand:

Is that right?  ???
It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.

iakobski

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1057 on: 20 September, 2010, 03:53:01 pm »
Can I "loan" you a bike?  :-\

I know I can lend you one.  :)
I know I can give you the loan of one.  :)
I know you can borrow one.  :)

But I don't think I can loan you one.  :(
And you can't loan one from me either.  :hand:

Is that right?  ???


You can.

Loan is a noun and a verb.

eck

  • Gonna ride my bike until I get home...
    • Angus Bike Chain CC
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1058 on: 20 September, 2010, 04:10:47 pm »
Aye, I didn't know loan was acceptable as a verb, I though it had to be lend. Thanks for that.
Quote
And you can't loan one from me either.  :hand:
But can it ever be used to mean "borrow"?
eg, " You can loan a bike for a month for free"?
It's a bit weird, but actually quite wonderful.

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1059 on: 20 September, 2010, 04:12:30 pm »
No, Radio 2 newsreader, Lauren Laverne has not become a mother for the second time. She became a mother when she had her first child and was still a mother when her second child was born.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Gandalf

  • Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1060 on: 20 September, 2010, 04:57:56 pm »
Had a corker on the conference call today, we were reminded to 'dialogue' with the End User  :hand:

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1061 on: 20 September, 2010, 07:14:34 pm »
Aye, I didn't know loan was acceptable as a verb, I though it had to be lend. Thanks for that.
Quote
And you can't loan one from me either.  :hand:
But can it ever be used to mean "borrow"?
eg, " You can loan a bike for a month for free"?
I'm not aware of it being correct to use it to mean "borrow".
[Nevertheless, your example above is probably grammatically correct, if rather odd!]

& you can't
Quote
borrow him your own bike



Slightly narking Quick Crossword clue yesterday:
See sense (6,2,6)
A: Listen to reason

 :facepalm:
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1062 on: 20 September, 2010, 10:24:05 pm »
Aye, I didn't know loan was acceptable as a verb, I though it had to be lend. Thanks for that.
Quote
And you can't loan one from me either.  :hand:
But can it ever be used to mean "borrow"?
eg, " You can loan a bike for a month for free"?
I'm not aware of it being correct to use it to mean "borrow".
See Danish. One word for both lend & borrow, cognate with & pronounced much like loan: låne til (lend to) & låne fra (borrow from).
"A woman on a bicycle has all the world before her where to choose; she can go where she will, no man hindering." The Type-Writer Girl, 1897

HTFB

  • The Monkey and the Plywood Violin
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1063 on: 21 September, 2010, 07:45:44 am »
See Danish. One word for both lend & borrow,
which means that when Polonius told Laertes "neither a borrower nor a lender be", it didn't really sound nearly as good as in Shakespeare's translation.
Not especially helpful or mature

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1064 on: 21 September, 2010, 12:13:04 pm »
Nor.  Please.

HTFB

  • The Monkey and the Plywood Violin
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1065 on: 21 September, 2010, 12:14:24 pm »
Oops. Finger slip rather than illiteracy, I'll claim.
Not especially helpful or mature

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1066 on: 22 September, 2010, 08:36:38 pm »
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1067 on: 22 September, 2010, 08:45:34 pm »
Slightly narking Quick Crossword clue yesterday:
See sense (6,2,6)
A: Listen to reason

 :facepalm:

Was today's clue with an answer of 'XMAS' any better?

*ugh*
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Gandalf

  • Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1068 on: 01 October, 2010, 06:21:50 am »
I have just been having a flick through the Evans Cycles catalogue and found this gem "Garmin have recently announced the launch of the Edge 800 GPS, the predecessor to the popular Edge 705"  ::-)

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1069 on: 01 October, 2010, 11:09:31 am »
Grammar. That makes me cringe.
Move Faster and Bake Things

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1070 on: 02 October, 2010, 06:28:05 pm »
I have just been having a flick through the Evans Cycles catalogue and found this gem "Garmin have recently announced the launch of the Edge 800 GPS, the predecessor to the popular Edge 705"  ::-)

Back To The Future!

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1071 on: 02 October, 2010, 06:33:35 pm »
I heard a teacher say having dogs in the classroom made the children 'more calmer'.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11458464

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1072 on: 04 October, 2010, 12:32:17 pm »
On the official Ryder Cup website:



Now, I really don't care whether you choose to treat teams as singular or plural, but please just choose one or the other and stick to it.

At least for the duration of the sentence.

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

red marley

Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1073 on: 04 October, 2010, 01:27:45 pm »
Unless the 'they' is the gender-neutral singular form.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Grammar that makes you cringe
« Reply #1074 on: 04 October, 2010, 01:31:02 pm »
If you treat USA as singular, what pronoun would you use for the second half of the sentence?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.