Pedants' Paradise

[eighthobstruction]

Apostrophe now: Bad grammar and the people who hate ithttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22403731

....as a dyslexic with 'word finding'/choosing difficulties....tough....

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That's extremely interesting.
Shops that drop apostrophes tend to be the ones with annoying piped music: Currys, Morrisons and even Waterstones.

[jean]

Apostrophe now: Bad grammar and the people who hate ithttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22403731

Oh no...not that idiot Gwynne again!

See Gove thread:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?7078-Teachers-Are-Gove-and-Cameron-listening&p=294648#post294648

[eighthobstruction]

Is it the same article Jean?....sorry if so....

....there are certain words/spellings and grammatical rules that my dyslexia just will not allow me to retain....eg the difference between affect/effect....use of , ; - ' ", ....no good telling me , as i will have forgotten by the time I next use them (personally I think I am a wonder to be able to communicate as well as I do ....a B' wonder)

[jean]

No, it's a different article - but the same ubiquitous Mr Gwynne!

[Sydney Grew]

As a youth I learned that "seeded grapes" were grapes from which the seeds had been removed.

Now my local "shop" applies the label "seeded" to grapes from which the seeds have not been removed.

Is it my duty to go around crossing out all the labels?

[Bryn]

As a youth I learned that "seeded grapes" were grapes from which the seeds had been removed.

Now my local "shop" applies the label "seeded" to grapes from which the seeds have not been removed.

Is it my duty to go around crossing out all the labels?

No. It is your duty to keep up with the evolution of usage of the English language.

"How are you?" "I'm good." "Oh, but are you also well?"

[Keraulophone]

Tesco sign, before good grammar campaign: '10 items or less'
Tesco sign, after good grammar campaign: 'up to 10 items'
Waitrose sign, unchanged: 'Ten items or fewer'

[french frank]

As a youth I learned that "seeded grapes" were grapes from which the seeds had been removed.

On the model of 'pitted olives', which is still found over here, presumably. The normal term for grapes now appears to be 'seedless'.

Is it my duty to go around crossing out all the labels?

Yes, of course. As Lady Bracknell remarked: 'A man should always have an occupation of some kind.'

[amateur51]

Yes, of course. As Lady Bracknell remarked: 'A man should always have an occupation of some kind.'

[mercia]

so people actually went to the trouble of physically removing seeds from grapes ? - how laborious

[Bryn]

so people actually went to the trouble of physically removing seeds from grapes ? - how laborious

Even Mae West merely had them peeled.

[vinteuil]

...o ambiguities!

So "flammable" means the same as "inflammable".

But my favourite :

"It is necessary for technical reasons that these warheads be stored upside down, that is, with the top at the bottom and the bottom at the top. In order that there be no doubt as to which is the bottom and which is the top, for storage purposes, it will be seen that the bottom of each warhead has been labelled 'TOP'."

[Instructions accompanying a shipment of ballistic missiles from the Admiralty]

[amateur51]

...o ambiguities!

So "flammable" means the same as "inflammable".

But my favourite :

"It is necessary for technical reasons that these warheads be stored upside down, that is, with the top at the bottom and the bottom at the top. In order that there be no doubt as to which is the bottom and which is the top, for storage purposes, it will be seen that the bottom of each warhead has been labelled 'TOP'."

[Instructions accompanying a shipment of ballistic missiles from the Admiralty]

Imagine the look on Mme Vinteuil's face when this parcel arrived,

"Another of your bright ideas from the pages of Exchange & Mart, beloved?"

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/33100000/Morticia-Garage-Art-the-addams-family-1964-33100993-766-1190.jpg

[vinteuil]

Imagine the look on Mme Vinteuil's face when this parcel arrived,

"Another of your bright ideas from the pages of Exchange & Mart, beloved?"

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/phot...3-766-1190.jpg

... I don't know how you knew - a remarkable resemblance to Mme V (tho' she wears her hair shorter now-a-days... )