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Quote:
...the ASp will be back to tell you that orientated is correct as well, as badly as it sounds....
Get with the program, Herr Shrdlu! I already done did.
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nah, you only mentioned "orientate".
formerly known as etaoin...
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Say what you will, but orientate is nothing but pure verb. Orient is a verbed noun.
That said, the definition of orient, "to place or arrange so as to face the east" dates to the early 18th century, orientate comes in the mid 19th. Plenty of time to have gotten used to it, IMNSHO.
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Welcome, ParkinT! Back to your original post: I've never seen "supposively" but my late mother-in-law frequently said, "supposingly..."
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Quote:
Say what you will, but orientate is nothing but pure verb. Orient is a verbed noun.
That said, the definition of orient, "to place or arrange so as to face the east" dates to the early 18th century, orientate comes in the mid 19th. Plenty of time to have gotten used to it, IMNSHO.
I don't doubt its validity, I just don't like the sound of it. it sounds un-necessary.
formerly known as etaoin...
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Even though Jackie hates it (  ), "orientate" -- as far as I know -- is the preferred form in the UK. Anyway, PT, since you asked: one of my pet peeves is "phenomena" used as a singular.
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Quote:
Even though Jackie hates it ( ), "orientate" -- as far as I know -- is the preferred form in the UK.
Anyway, PT, since you asked: one of my pet peeves is "phenomena" used as a singular.
YES.
That is a big one. As a matter of fact, there are many of those Latin singular/plural terms in our language that cause difficulty.
---
That reminds me of a story.
A film director needed to have a pair of mongoose(s) for a scene. He wrote to a local zoo asking for two of these animals, but was not certain of the correct plural for mongoose.
Is it "mongooses" or is it "mongeese"?
In order to avoid embarrassment, he phrased his request thusly:
Dear sir,
Please send me a mongoose. And, while you are at it, send me another one!
--------
Did you ever wonder...?
"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world" -Michael Crichton
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If you're going to complain about mongeese being used as the plural of mongoose you should probably complain about titmice being used as the plural of titmouse.
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So, what is the plural of mongoose? There are definitely more than one running around the island here (and ending up roadkill) and I have no idea how to talk about them other than one at a time. 
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Although the plural of mouse is mice. That refers to the small rodent.
In the computer industry, a pointing device (referred to by the name "mouse") is pluralized as mouses.
It may sound a bit strange but is quite sensible.
I have had this discussion with many, many people.
What are your opinions/ideas?
"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world" -Michael Crichton
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