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#146419 - 08/17/05 02:48 PM Giggles at work
Zed Pooh-Bah Registered: 08/27/02 Posts: 2154 Loc: British Columbia, Canada	I was gathering information on a patient today and someone had charted "Communication: English, litrate."
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#146420 - 08/17/05 04:21 PM Re: Giggles at work
wofahulicodoc Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/06/01 Posts: 3783 Loc: Worcester, MA	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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#146421 - 08/17/05 06:10 PM Re: Giggles at work
TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Registered: 07/17/00 Posts: 3467 Loc: Marion NC	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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#146422 - 08/17/05 08:47 PM Glowers at work
wofahulicodoc Carpal Tunnel Registered: 08/06/01 Posts: 3783 Loc: Worcester, MA	...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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#146423 - 08/18/05 03:31 PM Re: Glowers at work
Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11578 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky	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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#146424 - 08/18/05 03:50 PM God bless Messrs. Strunk and White
TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Registered: 07/17/00 Posts: 3467 Loc: Marion NC	Amen! _________________________ TEd
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#146425 - 08/18/05 05:31 PM Re: God bless Messrs. Strunk and White
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13653	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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#146426 - 08/18/05 07:49 PM Re: God bless Messrs. Strunk and White
TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Registered: 07/17/00 Posts: 3467 Loc: Marion NC	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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#146427 - 08/19/05 06:12 AM Re: God bless Messrs. Strunk and White
Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13653	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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#146428 - 08/19/05 06:53 AM Re: God bless Messrs. Strunk and White
TEd Remington Carpal Tunnel Registered: 07/17/00 Posts: 3467 Loc: Marion NC	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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