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MrHodja
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 8:10:59 PM
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Is anyone else bothered by the common use these days of the term "busted" when the proper term is "burst"?
I just read - for the second time in two days - a national news on-line piece that referred to the "busted" pipe under the Gulf that is releasing oil. My 10th grade English teacher would roll over in her grave (or nursing home bed should she still be alive) if she heard or read such a term in that context.
Am I the only one with my panty hose in a wad about this? (yes, I know what that question just invited...:>)...and I can handle it)
And please don't confuse being progressive or "modern" with being plain ole ignorant of proper use of the English language.....
Nasreddin Hodja
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 8:20:10 PM
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Yes, it is amazing that even the news has fallen into casual language. I doubt many people notice. I often wonder if teachers even bother to teach proper English in schools.
Of course, I am still appalled at the constant use of the "f" word that so many people drop into every sentence.
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| Name: |
wix
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 8:59:11 PM
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Kinda goes along with friggin' and freakin' as ways to introduce ghetto language to otherwise intelligent conversations. I happened to meet my 11th and 12th grade English teacher this past week--after 47 years--I think she could still kick my butt.
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| Name: |
lakngulf
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 9:21:47 PM
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Hodja, now some words just don't sound right, even though they are correct. A person has a "burst" of energy, but a pipe is "busted".
The misuse of English that gets me is the "I" and "me". Our teachers spent so many hours teaching us "No, you don't day 'me and Sally" you should say 'Sally and I'" Now people in all walks of life, trying to avoid that "me and Sally" thing use "Sally and I" when "me" is the correct word to use.
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 9:49:38 PM
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Easy...if you don't include Sally, what would be right. e.g.,
Give me (and Sally) a break.
(Sally and) I will go fishing this afternoon.
And I danmed near flunked 10th grade English. Must have been on he!!uva teacher...:>)
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| Name: |
alahusker
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 9:52:09 PM
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When I drove thru a construction zone on Hwy 78 in Mississippi doing 75 in a 55 mph zone, the Trooper made it clear that I was "busted." "Burst" did not fit into the conversation... But I was a math major and just put up english courses..
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 9:56:03 PM
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If the "f" word were to be removed from their vocabulary, sailors and marines might not be able to communicate.
Strange as it may seem, the "f" word only is considered extremely vulgar only in the US. In England, for instance, the word "bloody" caries the same level of vulgarity as the "f" word in the US, but "f" word is commonly accepted with no big whup.
But still, tell me how you can breast a pipe......
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/11/2010 9:58:38 PM
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True in that case "burst" didn't apply. And indeed you had been "busted" - even tho that term is still improper use of the King's English!!
Hey, at least he didn't tell you in Spanish!!
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| Name: |
rude evin
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| Subject: |
Hey MrHodja..........
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Date:
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7/11/2010 10:58:30 PM
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Go easy on us old Navy guys................it was a utility word that fit many ocassions!
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/12/2010 9:33:56 AM
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That's certainly true.
Funny story -- I was sitting in a Drs. waiting room with a bunch of other women one day. They were renovating the suite next door, and every word that was being said could be heard. The guys doing the work were dropping the f-bomb every other word, as part of their conversation. At first, the women all just looked at each other and rolled their eyes. But, as it continued, pretty soon we all just started laughing. I doubt those guys even realized that their every word could be heard, or even that they were using the word.
When I was growing up, that word was verboten. Even the ever popular "suck" was considered obscene. I still wouldn't use those words when I talk to my father.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/12/2010 9:41:31 AM
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That one bugs me too. Also "affects" and "effects".
The one that used to drive me crazy was when people say "axed" instead of "asked". Even educated people would say it. I wanted to shake them.
I had a Hispanic guy that worked for me one time. He used to write just like he talked. And then get upset when I used to correct his papers before they went anywhere. Tried to accuse me of being against him because of his race...
This was also a guy that directed our contractor to put sand color paint over olive green carc paint and turned the Jordanian radars pink, just in time for their visit. Needless to say, they were not amused.
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| Name: |
Old Diver
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/12/2010 10:26:22 AM
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Though I have spent my time in the barracks, I quit watching new Hollywood movies years ago. I just won't have that language in my home. Movies seem to be nothing nowdays but foul mouth, drug glorification, left wing propaganda.
Hollywood is one of the most disfunctional societies on earth and they seem to be doing their best to propagate that hedonistic culture on the rest of America. A pox on them!
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/12/2010 11:49:20 AM
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How about use of the term "irregardless", of which there is technically such a word but it is redundant and probably a mixture of regardless and irrespective. Another one that gets me going is to turn nouns into verbs. Terms like dialouging or wordsmithing, etc.
My first mentor in the environmental business was a stickler for the King's english because his mom was a college English professor. I learned more about writing precisely from him than any teacher I ever had because after he edited a document with red pen (always!) he would sit down and go through every single sentence he changed and explain why in gory detail. My goal in life was to get a document approved by him with no changes just to avoid the pain of those sessions........never fulfilled......but I got close a few times.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
For You Fans of the King's English
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Date:
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7/12/2010 12:35:41 PM
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Very early in my career, I had one of those too. My proudest moment was when he said he couldn't have written it better himself. Now that was an accomplishment.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Lucky you.....or good maybe
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Date:
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7/12/2010 12:41:26 PM
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I just never got there with this guy and even when I thought he was being overly picky I could not argue with his rationale for the suggested changes. A number of people that also worked with him termed that period of their career as Environmental Boot Camp. So true......
One time we were under tremendous pressure from our client to get a report done and he bled all over it. I was so angry I went into his office and threw the report against the wall right over his head. He gave me a puzzled look and acted like I had lost my mind. At that point I was close to it but we ground through and got the project done. And he got all his changes made.........
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
And Another
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Date:
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7/12/2010 2:46:27 PM
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The "/" (slash) is very commonly used in military writing. The guy I work with despises it because it is misused so often and introduces imprecision.
If I were to write "Sally/Jane" you wouldn't know for sure if I meant Sally AND Jane, or if I meant Sally OR Jane.
The only proper use of the slash in writing that I know of is "and/or".
Nuff for now. Gotta pack up and go to Charleston for the rest of the week. Leaking pipe under the slab at our house was isolated and disconnected....still have hot and cold water everywhere it is supposed to be but without that leak. Someone, when they built the house, decided to connect the hot water side of both water heaters and (fortunately) that was the section that sprung a leak. It is no longer a part of the water supply system in our house.
The plumbers bill was an eye opener for only about 2 1/2 hours on the job - but I am told that egregious amount is actually reasonable compared to other plumbers.
Maybe instead of striving to be number one at my present job I need to get into the number two business....
Nasreddin Hodja
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
And Another
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Date:
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7/12/2010 5:15:16 PM
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I find myself still using the slash technique. I guess old habits die hard. I also still want to 'bulletize' (sorry MM) everything with incomplete sentences.
When I worked on the Army Staff, and was writing for something that would be signed out by the CSA or higher to sign, it was not unusal for it to come back for changes by everyone that touched the paper -- both for arcane formats and for writing. It would be so frustrating, because we often were working on a very tight suspense. I've wanted to throw papers before. I've also wanted to choke a dwarf (what they call the staff that works for the CSA). Several times, we got so frustrated that we would write it, stamp it draft and deliver it to the intended recipient (who really only cared about the info, not the format)while writing and rewriting the original.
We also had this wonderful little creation called a DISUM, that was limited to only 15 lines, and the acronyms had to be spelled out. We got very creative with the English language in trying to make it fit and also be understood. I still get a knot in my stomach just thinking about it.
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