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Thread: Linguistic corner

  1. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte View Post
    We can add here two of my pet dislikes chaps.

    Beneath when the meaning is below, or the converse.
    The other being, almost unique. Oh! and then there is 110 percent effort.

    To, too and two.

    Of and off.

    Nothink.

    All now heard from time to time, even on the BBC.
    Rob.
    All of those!

    Another of my pet hates is misuse/misunderstanding of good/better/best.

    In order to be "best", there must be at least 3 choices.

    If there are two boxers facing off, we cannot find out who is the "best" man (that would require 3 contenders), only which of the two is the "better" man.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  2. #52

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    So, "may the best man win" is rubbish?

    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Helmut View Post
    All of those!

    Another of my pet hates is misuse/misunderstanding of good/better/best.

    In order to be "best", there must be at least 3 choices.

    If there are two boxers facing off, we cannot find out who is the "best" man (that would require 3 contenders), only which of the two is the "better" man.

  3. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by Killer Moth View Post
    So, "may the best man win" is rubbish?
    No, it's correct provided there are 3 or more contestants.

    If there are only two, then it SHOULD be "may the better man win", and, in this case "may the best man win" IS rubbish
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  4. #54

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    Right; I was referring to that phrase in a 1v1 context. I have heard it often! What you're saying makes a lot of sense, though. I must make it a habit!

    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Helmut View Post
    No, it's correct provided there are 3 or more contestants.

    If there are only two, then it SHOULD be "may the better man win", and, in this case "may the best man win" IS rubbish

  5. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by Killer Moth View Post
    I must make it a habit!
    #metwo

  6. #56

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte View Post
    We can add here two of my pet dislikes chaps...
    You'll not be a fan of the use of less instead of fewer then, Rob. Hear that a lot now.

    "He is wise who watches"

  7. #57

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    I see your "nothink" and raise you "NUFINK" depending on your place of birth and linguistic capabilities (sniff)

  8. #58

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    This is foreign to me. Could you explain?

    Quote Originally Posted by flash View Post
    You'll not be a fan of the use of less instead of fewer then, Rob. Hear that a lot now.

  9. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by flash View Post
    You'll not be a fan of the use of less instead of fewer then, Rob. Hear that a lot now.
    Indeed I am not Dave. The fewer instances we have of that the better.

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  10. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by Killer Moth View Post
    This is foreign to me. Could you explain?
    Rather like trying to explain the game of Cricket Luke.
    Here you go anyway.

    “Less” vs. “fewer”: When to use each

    The difficulty comes from the fact that, in essence, they mean the same thing; they refer to a smaller quantity and are opposites of “more.” But despite that, they’re not interchangeable. Here’s the difference between “less” and “fewer.” “Fewer” describes items that are countable, while “less” describes something that is not. For instance, you would correctly say, “He drank less water than I did on the hike,” because “water” isn’t something that you can count. However, you would correctly use “fewer” in the sentence “He brought fewer water bottles than I did,” because water bottles are something you can count. Similarly, you would say “She has less money than I do” but also “She has fewer dollar bills in her purse than I do.” “I ate less pizza”; “I ate fewer slices of pizza.” “She saw less wildlife on her vacation”; “She saw fewer animals.”
    The exceptions

    But, because English likes to make things difficult, there are exceptions. Consider if you’re following the word with “than,” as in “less than” or “fewer than,” so you’re likely discussing a specific quantity. Ordinarily, you’d use “fewer” here, since specific quantities are, by nature, countable. “I saw fewer than 50 people at the park.” “There were fewer than ten Doritos in the bag when she gave it back to me.”

    The exception comes into play when the countable noun refers to an amount of time, distance, or money. Then, you’ll want to use “less than,” not “fewer than.” For instance, you would say, “The concert lasted less than two hours,” not “…fewer than two hours,” even though “hours” is technically a countable noun. This is because this sentence refers to “two hours” as a lump sum of time, not as individual hours. For other similar examples, “The concert tickets cost less than 50 dollars” and “The venue was less than 20 miles away” are correct as well. For clarification of another pair of similar, but not interchangeable, words, find out the difference between “due to” and “because of.”
    A trick to help

    It can be tricky to keep these two straight, especially since it’s pretty common to see “less” used when it should technically be “fewer.” If you’re having a tough time figuring out which to use, Spellzone offers a helpful tip. Barring the above exception, use “fewer” when you mean “not as many,” and “less” when you mean “not as much.”

    A common example of misuse is at the Supermarket checkout, on the lane which says "Customers with less than ten items only."

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  11. #61

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    I had no idea that I was butchering English, so thoroughly, for years.

    I thought that “was”/“were” was my only habitual offense.

  12. #62

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    Just remembered another one.

    "Centred around."

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  13. #63

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    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte View Post
    Just remembered another one.

    "Centred around."

    Rob.
    At about ... there's another

    "He is wise who watches"

  14. #64

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    The old table that evaluates agility uses 'Lumbering' for the least agile aircraft. I need something shorter. Would 'stiff' be ok?

  15. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by Honza View Post
    The old table that evaluates agility uses 'Lumbering' for the least agile aircraft. I need something shorter. Would 'stiff' be ok?
    Crawl might be better.

  16. #66

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    "Centered upon."

    Is that the correct form?

    Quote Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte View Post
    Just remembered another one.

    "Centred around."

    Rob.

  17. #67

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    Quite right Luke, although common usage would simplify that to "centred on." For example, The interest of the spectators was centred on the incoming aircraft.

    I, however, like your way of putting it.

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  18. #68

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stumptonian View Post
    Crawl might be better.
    How about just good old "Slow" as sluggish is still quite long.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  19. #69

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    Rob i need a word for the worst agility, not speed. But thanks
    "Bad" is all i can think of.

  20. #70

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    Lumbering is the right word but Clumsy perhaps, as in difficult to handle or use; unwieldy, might do ?

    "He is wise who watches"

  21. #71

  22. #72

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    Inside or inside of?

    I think that the former is correct; change my mind.

  23. #73

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    Not really incorrect, but often a redundancy Luke.

    The difference is that "outside of" is mainly used in American English. British speakers are more likely to omit the 'of', although we do use both. Besides meaning 'outside', in colloquial English 'outside of' can mean 'except for'. For instance you could say that: The inside of his office is painted green. This differentiates the inside of his office from the outside which is red brickwork.
    Inside is a preposition and thus does not need 'of' in addition: His office is inside the building. We are now standing inside the building. Inside can also be used as an adjective: The inside walls are stronger than they look. The inside walls have portraits of many dignitaries on them.
    Hope this helps.
    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  24. #74

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    Ok, Rob (or anyone else), what is the best way of wording this?:

    Neither Custer’s words nor deeds reflect scorn for Native American life or lust for Native American suffering.

  25. #75

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    My take would be.

    Neither Custer’s words nor his deeds reflected indifference toward Native American life, nor a lust to inflict unnecessary suffering upon them.

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  26. #76

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    Thanks, Rob.

    My thesis is refuting an individual's claim that Custer was the "Adolf Eichmann of the Plains."

  27. #77

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    Quote Originally Posted by Killer Moth View Post
    Neither Custer’s words nor deeds reflect scorn for Native American life or lust for Native American suffering.
    I don't think you can justify a mirror opposite of your statement...

    Custer may not have displayed antipathy for Native Americans, but that doesn't mean he approved of them in any way either.

    eg - Just failing to support one Political Party does NOT mean that you actively support the Opposition - it only displays a non-effect on the named faction.
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

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