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Thread: For Don’s Grammatical Pleasure

  1. #14


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    I several times read "better then" instead of "better than" in some blackjack books. Also, I am a bit astonished to read "If I/he was ..." rather than "If I/he were..." in native-speaker texts so often. I learned that subjunctive goes as "If I/you/he/we/you/they were" for every grammatic person, and that "I was" is suitable for simple past tense only. Is "was" correct for subjunctive, too, or is it slang?
    Last edited by PinkChip; 07-11-2020 at 01:01 PM.

  2. #15


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    Quote Originally Posted by PinkChip View Post
    I several times read "better then" instead of "better than" in some blackjack books. Also, I am a bit astonished to read "If I/he was ..." rather than "If I/he were..." in native-speaker texts so often. I learned that subjunctive goes as "If I/you/he/we/you/they were" for every grammatic person, and that "I was" is suitable for simple past tense only. Is "was" correct for subjunctive, too, or is it slang?
    The subjunctive tense is alive and well with careful writers. Sadly, that excludes the vast majority of many blackjack forum members. I often marvel at how so many people who we know are mathematically gifted can be so lacking in the basic essentials of their native language. Must be a right-brain, left-brain thing.

    Don

  3. #16


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    Quote Originally Posted by ShipTheCookies View Post
    Anyone have a top 10 list of the most common of these screw ups?
    Would need more like 100. Where to begin? Let me count the ways! Writing "your" for "you're" leads the list by a mile. Has to be misspelled 90% of the time. "Loose" for "lose" is a distant second (may MathProf rest in peace). And yes, surely, "it's" for "its" is very high on the list.

    Don

  4. #17


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    yes, surely,
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM2K7sV-K74

    I get more of a kick out of incorrect idioms than grammatical errors. At the top of the list is, "I could care less," indicating the writer/speaker is oblivious to the meaning of the phrase.

  5. #18


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    I often marvel at how so many people who we know are mathematically gifted can be so lacking in the basic essentials of their native language. Must be a right-brain, left-brain thing.
    I frequently wonder if this is a uniquely American phenomena. I used to get into rather heated discussions with teachers who shrugged off their responsibility to know more than their respective subject areas. I certainly have thoughts on the causes, but that is a story for another day.

  6. #19


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    Quote Originally Posted by 21forme View Post
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM2K7sV-K74

    I get more of a kick out of incorrect idioms than grammatical errors. At the top of the list is, "I could care less," indicating the writer/speaker is oblivious to the meaning of the phrase.
    My favorite is chomping (instead of champing) at the bit.

    Don

  7. #20


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    Quote Originally Posted by BJPloppy View Post
    I frequently wonder if this is a uniquely American phenomena.
    No, you wonder if it is a uniquely American phenomenon.

    Don

  8. #21


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    I know a bulldog lawyer here in town whose punctuation, grammar is rather atrocious - yet he seems to get his message across and wins all of those cases.

    He has sued thousands of people (moi included). As Secretary of a fund raising organization (Which he represented gratis) I made fun of him due to his multitudes of expressions to explain pain, suffering, wrong doing etc etc with Multi wordy paragraphs spat out with simple keystrokes from his extensive archives of human wring doing. CNTRL shift F4 was a doozy.

    The point is - he just doesn’t give a shit what anyone thinks, as long as his poin5 is made - and frankly - neither do I.

    Seeest what happens Laurence
    Seeest what happens Laurence
    Seeest what happens Laurence when thou firkst a stranger twist the buttocks (with credit to Two Gentlemen of the Lebowski)

  9. #22


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    Quote Originally Posted by Freightman View Post
    I know a bulldog lawyer here in town whose punctuation, grammar is rather atrocious - yet he seems to get his message across and wins all of those cases.

    He has sued thousands of people (moi included). )
    I’m sure you’ve wondered - wish I had those old minutes.

    About 25-30 years ago, my wife had a minor fender bender in a shopping centre parking lot. Impact if the 2 vehicles was probably 2-3 mph. Hard to say who’s fault it was.

    WITHIN A WEEK, I was served with papers at the house. There were numerous paragraphs, individually outlining significant degrees of pain, suffering, Remedial physiotherapy, loss of work hours, lengthy discussion of medical reports, loss of Consortium (that wasn’t included) and numerous other subjects relating to the unconscionable alleged careless acts of my wife.

    I see this guy reasonably often at some affair or another. I brought up his suing me - Did I, he said - I’ve forgotten - I sue lots of people.

  10. #23


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    Quote Originally Posted by DSchles View Post
    No, you wonder if it is a uniquely American phenomenon.
    Argh. :-)

  11. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by BJPloppy View Post
    Argh. :-)
    Mental masturbation at its finest!

  12. #25


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    Quote Originally Posted by Jabberwocky View Post
    Mental masturbation at its finest!
    Clearly, you misspoke. You're forgiven. What you meant to write was: "For a change, the English language not butchered." Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is to write "a phenomena"? Obviously not. Your problem, not mine.

    Don

  13. #26


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    Quote Originally Posted by Jabberwocky View Post
    Mental masturbation at its finest!
    LOL. No, I was merely acknowledging an obvious error. I am only happy my parents are not around to have seen it.

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