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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
I was gathering information on a patient today and someone had charted
"Communication: English, litrate."
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,713 Likes: 2
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,713 Likes: 2 |
My son's Junior High English teacher once returned a hand-written paper to him
with the comment "not to neat!" [shudder]
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
Theo's third grade yteacher sent home a note on a late assignment: "I'm sorry, I cannot except this for full credit." But it's OK, she's off to pursue a masters degree this year.
TEd
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Joined: Aug 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,713 Likes: 2 |
...and why do we title the thread "giggles"?
It's things like these that make me proud to be a prescriptivist.
(And I don't mean "glow" as in "radiate" up there in the restated title, either...make that "-ow- as in "scowl." )
[/grump]
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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 |
And I'm proud to be a prescriptivist,
Where at least I know I'm clean
And I won't forget the rules laid down,
'Cause I know what they mean.
And I gladly stand against
All those who'd take away their light
Cause there ain't no doubt I love these rules...
God bless Messrs. Strunk and White.
(With apologies to Lee Greenwood)
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Joined: Jul 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
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TEd
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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OK, what's the prescription that allows one to put some phrasal verb particles at the end of the sentence (e.g., Jack and Jill ran a big bill up) but not others (e.g., *I ran an old friend into)?
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
For starters, the former, about running a big bill up, is, at best, subpar. I cannot imagine either writing or saying it that way.
And perhaps you didn't complete the latter:
I ran an old friend through the sausage grinder. Or some such.
I'll admit to not having gone back up this thread, but I certainly don't remember anything that would generate your question. Whence came it? Actually, I just went back and looked and I still don't see anything like what you've asked your question about. Was it something we said? Or just something that came to mind?
TEd
Edit:
Of course if I were a basketball coach I could run a Chauncey Billup.
TEd
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
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I'll admit to not having gone back up this thread, but I certainly don't remember anything that would generate your question. Whence came it? Actually, I just went back and looked and I still don't see anything like what you've asked your question about. Was it something we said? Or just something that came to mind?It was sparked simply by the comments that some of y'all were proud of being prescriptivists. I picked a couple of common English expressions that would seem, on the face of them, to be the same sort of construction, but of which, only one could exist in either of two possible forms: Subj PVerb Obj PVParticle Subj PVerb PVParticle Obj In case you're not familiar with them the phrasal verbs in question are: To run into (someone) - to meet (someone) unexpectedly To run up (e.g., a bill) - to create, amass (a bill) One can say: Subj PVerb PVParticle Obj
Jack and Jill ran up a big bill or
Subj PVerb Obj PVParticle
Jack and Jill ran a big bill up
and
Subj PVerb PVParticle Obj
I ran into an old friend. but not
Subj PVerb Obj PVParticle
I ran an old friend into. I just thought that, since y'all were so proud of being prescriptivists, y'all could state the rule that governs this usage pattern. That's all.
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Joined: Jul 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
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Please note previous use of the word subpar.
It's not good English, but is understandable.
And one begins to wonder why you keep beating on prescriptivists up? There are those of us who believe that linguistic and grammatical rules are good and then there are all the others. The others are those who believe that rules are not good or are for someone else. We prescriptivists tend to think of them as either Libertarians or Ted Bundy wannabes.
Them be would and one without would rules no a sentences could would jumble understand,.
TEd
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