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Old 14th August 2015, 16:04   #2266
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
reverse_gear is correct, the usage is common in Indian English, but not actually correct.

Like many other native speakers of a language (and despite being old enough to have gone to school when it was still taught) I am not very good at technical aspects of English, but it is a matter of tenses. Indian English is fond of this form: I am having instead of I have, etc. It is probably the first stereotypical aspect that foreigners pick up on.

Another Lost Cause...

But hey, I'll rant anyway

Gift is a noun, not a verb. The verb is give. The past tense is gave, not gifted.

I am having, as in
"What phone do you use?"
" I am having a sony phone?". Indian English, and yes, I do hear people speak like this,and its now become acceptable(or rather,"I know what you mean now.).
But, I am having a dosha .

Same for is not sounding right, I suppose.
An engine, running in front of you, may not be sounding right, but a phrase, already considered in the head for correctness, would always not sound right, yeah?

I lost m'self!
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Old 14th August 2015, 16:18   #2267
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

You are on the right track!
Quote:
Originally Posted by driverace View Post
Wow, that 'makes' it crystal clear.
Again, "That is making it clear to me now" may be better usage? Especially since it wasn't known/clear to me earlier?



I just read about this.

Turns out, there is a defined verb form of 'gift'.
So, I can gift this link to you
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de...n/english/gift
You could use Is making it clear during the conversation, but not once it is clear!

Gift as a verb... actually, the definition is there in my old 60s Oxford English Dictionary, but it was never common current usage until recent years.

Last edited by Thad E Ginathom : 14th August 2015 at 16:21.
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Old 14th August 2015, 16:20   #2268
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by mayankk View Post
....
" I am having a sony phone?". Indian English, and yes, I do hear people speak like this,and its now become acceptable(or rather,"I know what you mean now.).
....
I can accept the "I know what you mean now..." but to say this has become acceptable (even as Indian English) is not correct. This will always remain incorrect usage.
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Old 14th August 2015, 18:32   #2269
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

I used to be a language fanatic (Grammar Nazi is a very misrepresentative (yes, this is probably a word I have coined, but let us go with it for now) word). Then I came across the genius of Stephen Fry:



I am quite zen-like now .
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Old 14th August 2015, 18:56   #2270
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by driverace View Post
I am determined on picking up proper English & dropping the "odd sounding constructions" from my language usage.
Try preparing for GMAT's English exam. In the process, you will learn to spot and eliminate redundancies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mayankk View Post

Indian English, and yes, I do hear people speak like this,and its now become acceptable(or rather,"I know what you mean now.).
But, I am having a dosha .
Nitpick Alert! Shouldn't it be "it has become" ?
You "have" guests over for dinner. You can't have your dinner over for dinner (unless you are Hannibal Lecter)
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Old 15th August 2015, 06:50   #2271
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"I am having..." is only correct in the sense of something you are currently experiencing. "I am having the time of my life", "I am having a hallucination" etc. Even the second one sounds wrong!
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Old 15th August 2015, 08:10   #2272
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My ears bleed when i hear senior directors, VPs saying things like "They does", "He use"...
When you are at the top of the corporate ladder, you should know that people listen very carefully to each and every word you speak.

7 out of 10 members in my previous team could not speak one statement fluently. And when these members communicate with our counterparts in western countries, the situation used to get even worse.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to teach grammar to people at 25 and higher age. They themselves have to take efforts to improve. But like most Indians, "chalta hey" (it's ok) is the mantra for success. Grrrrrr...
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Old 15th August 2015, 13:47   #2273
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by driverace View Post
Don't be sorry, that helps!

Thad_Sir, comfortablynumb

Could you please explain if "is not sounding right" is wrong usage?
I clearly see, "does not sound right" is more elegant.
Ace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by reverse_gear View Post
In this context, the usage is incorrect. "Is sounding" (and its negative form) is a present continuous tense, which indicates an action that is currently taking place. This leaves open the possibility that "it is not sounding right" today, but may sound (or may have sounded) right at some other time in the future (or in the past). In a way, it changes the meaning.

"Does not sound right" is an assertion of fact, without temporal limitations.

At another pedantic level, I am unable to make up my mind whether the original question ("Why is Mr. X asking Mr. Y that?") can be ended with "that" or a noun (such as question, riddle or query) has to be added at the end. Not sure.
The noun after 'that' is implied.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
reverse_gear is correct, the usage is common in Indian English, but not actually correct.

Like many other native speakers of a language (and despite being old enough to have gone to school when it was still taught) I am not very good at technical aspects of English, but it is a matter of tenses. Indian English is fond of this form: I am having instead of I have, etc. It is probably the first stereotypical aspect that foreigners pick up on.

Another Lost Cause...

But hey, I'll rant anyway

Gift is a noun, not a verb. The verb is give. The past tense is gave, not gifted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by driverace View Post
Wow, that 'makes' it crystal clear.
Again, "That is making it clear to me now" may be better usage? Especially since it wasn't known/clear to me earlier?



I just read about this.

Turns out, there is a defined verb form of 'gift'.
So, I can gift this link to you
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/de...n/english/gift


relearning the right way is so much fun, I'm addicted!

slightly amused,

Ace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by reverse_gear View Post
If it wasn't known to you earlier but is definitely known to you now (meaning the action has happened but only recently), I believe the appropriate tense to use should be present perfect. In this case, the usage would be "has made". If you are using "is making", you do not need to add "now" at the end.

Wow, this is serious grammar revision! Hope it helps in dealing with the bouncers that my daughter will soon be sending over based on her school work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mayankk View Post

I am having, as in
"What phone do you use?"
" I am having a sony phone?". Indian English, and yes, I do hear people speak like this,and its now become acceptable(or rather,"I know what you mean now.).
But, I am having a dosha .

Same for is not sounding right, I suppose.
An engine, running in front of you, may not be sounding right, but a phrase, already considered in the head for correctness, would always not sound right, yeah?

I lost m'self!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
You are on the right track!

You could use Is making it clear during the conversation, but not once it is clear!

Gift as a verb... actually, the definition is there in my old 60s Oxford English Dictionary, but it was never common current usage until recent years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by noopster View Post
"I am having..." is only correct in the sense of something you are currently experiencing. "I am having the time of my life", "I am having a hallucination" etc. Even the second one sounds wrong!
Verbs of perception, emotion, thinking, appearance, and the word 'have' are not used in continuous tense (except in the passive voice). Hence, the correct versions are:

Does not sound right
This makes it clear
I am hallucinating (hallucinating = gerund complement of verb)

Exception to the above: the above verbs can be expressed in present continous tense, with change in meaning. Examples:

I am thinking of applying (thinking = consider)
I am having dosha (having = eat)
I am having the time of my life (having = experience)

It is incorrect to say "I am having a Sony phone" (because there is no change in meaning of 'have')

The correct answer to the question:
Question: Which phone do you use?
Answer: I use a Sony
Question: Which phone do you have?
Answer: I have a Sony

The word 'gift'can also be used as a verb in the sense of a present.
Examples sentence:
'... gifted the sales advisor with a perfume' - gifted = presented with
'... gifted with superhuman memory' - gifted = endowed with it

Last edited by murillo : 15th August 2015 at 13:53.
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Old 15th August 2015, 16:59   #2274
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
The word 'gift'can also be used as a verb in the sense of a present.
I suppose it can, and has been accepted in modern usage anyway. As I said, it is a lost cause --- but, as a senior-citizen Brit, I would never gift you anything, I would give it. You would have been given, not gifted, it.
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Old 19th August 2015, 12:08   #2275
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
I suppose it can, and has been accepted in modern usage anyway. As I said, it is a lost cause --- but, as a senior-citizen Brit, I would never gift you anything, I would give it. You would have been given, not gifted, it.
Glad to get Brit help always, and I find 'gift' pretentious, too.

Here I use Grammarist--since the paper dictionary is inconvenient at the moment--to see what the brouhaha is about. It cites the venerable OED as saying that 'gift' has been used as a verb since a couple of centuries. It is irksome for many, including yours truly--especially, in simple sentences. However, that is a matter of personal preference. Don't use 'gift' in this manner if you don't want to; 'give' is good enough.

However, you cannot outlaw it grammatically. Here is a sample sentence from the Grammarist: This year’s Monday Night Football schedule has not seen fit to gift viewers with watchable games between relevant teams. [excerpted from the Wall Street Journal]

For the Grammarist, see http://grammarist.com/usage/gift/
For more discussion on the history of 'gifting', see http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/edu...gifting-a-word

Both, especially Grammar Girl (despite the title), are good sources. But if anyone needs more sources on the usage and abusage of a language gifted to us, there are some excellent blogs and sites by linguists and copyeditors I'd love to share. Usually, though a good desk dictionary--the OED, Merriam-Webster or even the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language--can sort out most queries.
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Old 19th August 2015, 12:47   #2276
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

English has been around for a long, long time, and just because something was once used, does not justify its usage in modern English. Many people admire the language of Shakespeare, or that of the "Authorised Version" bible --- but neither would be appropriate for modern use.

I don't use American dictionaries to determine English usage, simply because I am British, and America is a different place, with different usage. Sometimes, American spellings (all those 'ize things, for example) reflect a British English of the past that UK has abandoned, but USA has maintained. Sometimes, these things pass back and forth across the ocean.

Dictionaries in general reflect usage. Their job is as much to tell us "how do people use this word" as it is to tell us "how should this word be used." Thus, all modern usage that lasts long enough will, eventually, be reflected in dictionaries.

Insofar as I use a dictionary as an authority, I use the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. "Shorter" is comparative only, compared to the full OED which takes up a whole shelf. The SOED is long enough to usually come in two large volumes. Mine was a 15th birthday present, so it is lacking in reflecting developments over the past 45 years.
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Old 19th August 2015, 13:22   #2277
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Mr. Ginathom, kindly throw some light on the following:

My selfie is much better than your selfie, even if I say so myself.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct?
Is it acceptable?
Is it elegant?
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Old 19th August 2015, 14:07   #2278
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by anupmathur View Post
Mr. Ginathom, kindly throw some light on the following:

My selfie is much better than your selfie, even if I say so myself.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct?
Is it acceptable?
Is it elegant?
Let me give it a try (before Thad sir replies).
I should however admit that my English has worsened/deteriorated over the past 10 years or so. Kindly correct me wherever I make a mistake.

I feel better is enough (and correct). 'Much better' is only colloquial.
I would rephrase the sentence as:

"I feel that my selfie (or self portrait) is better than yours!"

Or, if it were a situation where 2 friends are comparing their selfies taken recently,

"I feel that my selfie came out better than yours!"
or
"I feel that my selfie looks better than yours!"
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Old 19th August 2015, 14:44   #2279
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by anupmathur View Post
Mr. Ginathom, kindly throw some light on the following:

My selfie is much better than your selfie, even if I say so myself.

Is the above sentence grammatically correct?
Is it acceptable?
Is it elegant?
My marginal edits would be:

"My selfie is much better than yours, even if I do say so myself."
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Old 19th August 2015, 14:55   #2280
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Re: A YetiGuide® : How To Post In Proper English

Quote:
Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom View Post
I suppose it can, and has been accepted in modern usage anyway. As I said, it is a lost cause --- but, as a senior-citizen Brit, I would never gift you anything, I would give it. You would have been given, not gifted, it.
Alas, you deprived him of being a 'gifted' person!

Quote:
Originally Posted by anupmathur View Post
Mr. Ginathom, kindly throw some light on the following:

My selfie is much better than your selfie, even if I say so myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by reverse_gear View Post
My marginal edits would be:

"My selfie is much better than yours, even if I do say so myself."
I second this.
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