Monday's Question of the Day - March 13, 2017

[Mamanyt1953]

Hahahaha, especially when it doesn't fit the character! Once on a fairly recent NCIS, Ducky said something like "are you inferring that I [did a particular thing]?" Even though earlier in the series (yes, fine, I'm an NCIS nut), he once corrected someone else, saying "I imply, you infer" so the character clearly knows better, and is a bit of a pedant anyway so he would never say that. Argh! See, I can yell at the TV too

.

Fellow NCIS nut!  But they, too, fall into the "him and me/he and I" error on a fairly regular basis.  I forgive.  But I do yell at the television!

 

[foxden]

I don't really care. That used to bother me a great deal but you really do need to choose your battles and it wasn't one worth fighting. I have no use for Facebook so I don't really know what goes on there. I don't spend time picking apart posts here because it doesn't matter if the post is grammatically perfect if I understand what the person is trying to say. We have many posters here who are native English speakers. They do the best they can. I understand that. Judge not.

Many of the non-native english speakers have better grammar than those who only speak english. They work carefully so their posts can be understood.

 

[betsygee]

    Now, this guy takes grammar seriously!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...ight-commas-apostrophies-banksy-a7664286.html

 

[Willowy]

:lol3: :lol3: :lol3:     Now, this guy takes grammar seriously!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...ight-commas-apostrophies-banksy-a7664286.html

Haha, I like him! We need him around here. There's one salon sign I see frequently that says "[Name]'s Kut's & Kurl's". It makes me cringe every time. I don't mind the bad spelling because the name starts with K too, so I'll allow poetic license for alliteration. But the misplaced apostrophes make me crazy. The worst part is that it's a new sign---the old sign was correct!

 

[scraggles]

One thing that Americans do that took me eons to get used to is the use of personal pronouns when the person in question is standing close by. "Please give it to her. She will come with me. What did she say?" Ugh, still makes me cringe.

Primula, I'm guessing from your avatar that you're English. I don't know if it was the same for you but when I was growing up and used the personal pronoun as you described you'd get a "She? Who's she? The cat's mother?"

Kind of apt for this forum!

 

[Kat0121]

Primula, I'm guessing from your avatar that you're English. I don't know if it was the same for you but when I was growing up and used the personal pronoun as you described you'd get a "She? Who's she? The cat's mother?"

Kind of apt for this forum!

I used to get that too. I am not English though. The same thing. That cat had many kittens 

 

[Primula]

Primula, I'm guessing from your avatar that you're English. I don't know if it was the same for you but when I was growing up and used the personal pronoun as you described you'd get a "She? Who's she? The cat's mother?"

Kind of apt for this forum!

Yes, I'm British and, yes, my mother always said that. [emoji]128526[/emoji]

 

[Kat0121]

Yes, I'm British and, yes, my mother always said that. [emoji]128526[/emoji]

With us it was dad. 

 

[Willowy]

Primula, I'm guessing from your avatar that you're English. I don't know if it was the same for you but when I was growing up and used the personal pronoun as you described you'd get a "She? Who's she? The cat's mother?"

Kind of apt for this forum!

What else should someone say? Are they saying the person's name should be used? I'm confused!

 

[Primula]

What else should someone say? Are they saying the person's name should be used? I'm confused!

Yes, use the person's name if they're standing close by. In other words, "Mary told me to do this" not "she told me to do this".

 

[scraggles]

Are they saying the person's name should be used?

Yes, exactly. Here in Ireland anyway, "she is the cat's mother" is often said to children for what would be seen as "impolite" use of the pronoun she rather than a person's name.

It's seen as impolite not to use someone's name, mainly, I suppose, if they're within earshot/in the same room.

 

[scraggles]

Oops, didn't see your question had already been replied to.

 

[Primula]

Yes, exactly. Here in Ireland anyway, "she is the cat's mother" is often said to children for what would be seen as "impolite" use of the pronoun she rather than a person's name.

It's seen as impolite not to use someone's name, mainly, I suppose, if they're within earshot/in the same room.

straggles, my old man is European & he cringes at this too.