[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Many BHPians use the word "wifey" in their posts. Got curious to know how and where did the word "wifey" originate from.

Slang. And would be viewed as very sexist by much of the world.

By the way: Originates from is tautological!

Originally Posted by autospeaker

I pity my colleagues in office who keep telling that their computers got hanged, when in reality, it just hung.

Not only the word hanged, but the ubiquitous misused got!

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by autospeaker

I pity my colleagues in office who keep telling that their computers got hanged, when in reality, it just hung.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Not only the word hanged, but the ubiquitous misused got!

How about "...keep telling that..."?
Is this right?

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by samaspire

How about "...keep telling that..."?
Is this right?

"keep saying that" is correct. However, if you want to use "keep telling" then you should follow "telling" with words like "me" or "them", etc.

Long story short, words like "telling" or "told" should also be followed with the person/ persons who were the recipients of this speech.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Good reasoning! I suspect that there are exceptions, but i can't think of them just now!

[hothatchaway]

Another common error is to use 'anyways' which is a corrupted form of 'anyway'. Anyway is anyway an adverb and cannot be plural!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Another common error is to use 'anyways' which is a corrupted form of 'anyway'. Anyway is anyway an adverb and cannot be plural!

'Anyways' is an Americanism; it is not English!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

'Anyways' is an Americanism; it is not English!

Anyways is a Midlands/Northern Englishism. Those Americans are so good at taking our stuff and selling it back to us!

Anyway, whatever ism it is, whilst it is fine to use in dialect, it is indeed not correct English.

I would propose an easy-to-remember rule of thumb for this kind of thing: do not add to that which is already complete. Anyway needs no s, and update needs no ation!

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Anyways is a Midlands/Northern Englishism. Those Americans are so good at taking our stuff and selling it back to us!

Hmm, didn't know this. Interesting...

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

.... and update needs no ation!

I think you mean upgrade needs no ation?

[Thad E Ginathom]

... upgrade needs no ation?

That too

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Good reasoning! I suspect that there are exceptions, but i can't think of them just now!

"I can't tell the difference between..."
"Tell the truth"

The above two might be ungrammatic, but the usage is so ubiquitous that these are no longer considered incorrect.

Cheers

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by tilt

The above two might be ungrammatic

I couldn't tell!

I'm not sure of the technicality behind this: is it transitive/intransitive verbs?* I guess there are verbs that can be either.






*Nothing to do with the transitive nightfall of diamonds, as sung about by the Grateful Dead

[dailydriver]

An interesting take on the repercussions of slack proofreading, published in today's TOI.

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/G...8005&eid=31806

[samaspire]

I've had so many arguments regarding this comma before or issue. Looks like the judge agrees with me.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/G...8005&eid=31806

Originally Posted by samaspire

I've had so many arguments regarding this comma before or issue. Looks like the judge agrees with me.

Ah, the Oxford comma strikes again.

Although linguists differ on whether it is required or not, in US English it is often used and preferred.

The reason the judge would have passed his judgement is backed up by the following excerpt from Wikipedia: "In American English, a majority of style guides mandate use of the serial comma, including ... the U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual". Given that it was a judgement on overtime law, the phrasing of the law would have been influenced by (if not bound by) the government's manual of style.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't know about America. In UK, judges who have to rule on what something in an act of parliament really means do not do so on niceties of grammar: they rule on what they consider to have been the intention of parliament. It's not a grammar game.

Fair point, regarding the interpretation of the law.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by samaspire

Attachment 1620269

I've had so many arguments regarding this comma before or issue. Looks like the judge agrees with me.

Good example! Thanks for bringing it up.

A new adage can be coined on this: a missing comma can put you in a coma.