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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I was more interested in the thoughts among my peer group, not hoi polloi.
Just kidding!
TEd
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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One might surmise that somewhere back in the Middle Ages, or earlier, some young lady named Betsy, or Murgatroyd, was acting rather naughty, and the fine puritan-thinking minds of the times were wishing her "Heavens."
Then, again, one mayn't think that, who knows?
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Joined: Mar 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Unless someone reading this knows differently?
Ted, I think we share the same curse: I read the entry and, with that adjective reverberating in my brain, found your same complaint in the very next post!
Um--isn't Quinion British? Maybe that explains it. (heh)
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,583 Likes: 1
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Unless someone reading this knows different?
Unless someone reading this knows differently?
I would use the latter both in writing and in speaking, though I think it more important to write it correctly.
Whose Rule is that? If it sounds awkward, rephrase it.
"Does anyone reading this know otherwise?"
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475
veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,475 |
Whose Rule is that?
The problem is, I believe, an old one. Adverbs, in present-day English, mostly end in -ly, but they are also sometimes adjectives (cf. alone as in "I studied Japanese alone rather than at school") and sometimes phrases. Cf. quick ~ quickly, but fast. There was a popular ad campaign recently that encourage its readers to "think different." Many were troubled by this and admonished "think differently." It's compounded by an ancient tendency in Germanic languages that allows underived (morphologically) adjectives to be used adverbially: e.g., German schlaf gut 'sleep well'.
I'm not using these as excuses. I, too, would probably write and say "If anybody else knows differently." But I can understand why folks might get confused.
Refactoring a written or spoken sentence is always a good idea. When in doubt, edit. And editing involves more than lexical choice.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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The only way I can construct a sentence in which 'to know different' is understandable to me is if there is a deep construction in which the word 'something' [something] is understood:
Example: John earnestly wished he could go to the game. If anyone knows [something] different, please tell us before we buy him a surprise ticket.
The construction above sounds casual rather than formal, but I can see how that use of 'different' with 'knows' would be understood.
I myself would write all of the above, but with 'differently' simply because the adverbial form feels more natural to my ear. In other words, I expect to hear '-ly' in that construction.
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Joined: Oct 2003
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enthusiast
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enthusiast
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Think Positive  Now--can anyone think of an example where 'ringed' is appropriate?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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can anyone think of an example where 'ringed' is appropriate?
How about describing brids [sic], for example, like a black-ringed plover (not sure if such a bird exists, but you know what I mean, a bird with a ring of contrasting color around its neck).
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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>>black-ringed plover (not sure if such a bird exists...If it doesn't, it darn well should. It sounds so real. You just know that they summer in the cliffs on the shores of Newfoundland. They migrate South starting in October and migrate back in the spring to nest. Each mating pair has only one hatchling. The parents take turns keeping the hatchling warm while the other fishes for food. The hatchlings are a dull grey colour, a good camouflage against the grey of the cliffs, and develop their unique black ringed neck only when they are old enough to mate. 
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