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Thanks Zed.
A part of the conversation:
Person 1: The students are on strike! Why?
Person 2: About ten days ago, our principal died, and someone else was appointed in her place. The students want the principal’s daughter to become the principal.
Person 1: Your principal’s daughter? How is she qualified? She’s still in school, isn’t she?
Person 2: Hey, when a politician dies, they see to it that his son, daughter or wife takes his place. Nobody talks about qualifications, then.
Person 1: Listen, I’m in no mood to argue. I need my shut-eye. Now, please leave.
Person 2: Do you have anything to eat?
Person 1: LEAVE!
Last edited by Ilango; 10/15/09 09:21 AM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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It is not generally accepted as good English, however. [EA]
Do I look like someone who generally accepts? And remember, this is from a dictionary that condones the use of an objective case plural pronoun in the subjective singular.
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Checking out the Bible reference, the context there is that Jesus has just appeared to the disciples and they expressed some doubt, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. Jesus asks them if they have something to eat and, when they produce a piece of broiled fish, eats it, proving he is corporeal.
There was a play on this in the old comic strip Pogo when they think Howland Owl was a ghost. Someone suggests running a red hot poker through him. Owl notes that a ghost might scream as if in pain, just to fool them. He goes on to say that the only sure test is to feed him. If he holds the food he's not a ghost.
This, however, doesn't seem to match the context given by Ilango.
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It is not generally accepted as good English, however."Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die." [Deut. 17:5] ( link) There are many examples of they used with singular antecedents. Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Austen used it; even the King James translation of the Bible used it.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Thanks Zed.
A part of the conversation:
Person 1: The students are on strike! Why?
Person 2: About ten days ago, our principal died, and someone else was appointed in her place. The students want the principal’s daughter to become the principal.
Person 1: Your principal’s daughter? How is she qualified? She’s still in school, isn’t she?
Person 2: Hey, when a politician dies, they see to it that his son, daughter or wife takes his place. Nobody talks about qualifications, then.
Person 1: Listen, I’m in no mood to argue. I need my shut-eye. Now, please leave.
Person 2: Do you have anything to eat?
Person 1: LEAVE!
sounds like a normal teenager to me. I don't think it means anything beyond, "ok, I'm done with this conversation now. do you have anything to eat?"
formerly known as etaoin...
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Person 1: Listen, I’m in no mood to argue. I need my shut-eye. Now, please leave.
Person 2: Do you have anything to eat?
Person 1: LEAVE! It could also be a phrase that should function as a distraction, so as to temper Person 1.'s mood. If so, it did not work since Person 2. is forced to leave. ( I would be pleased to know what "I need my shut-eye" means.)
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I would be pleased to know what "I need my shut-eye"
I need my sleep.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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Ah, of course. I read it like I need my closed eye and heck what for? Ah, it's a active verb.
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It is not generally accepted as good English, however."Then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman, which have committed that wicked thing, unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones, till they die." [Deut. 17:5] ( link) There are many examples of they used with singular antecedents. Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Austen used it; even the King James translation of the Bible used it. I didn't read that *particular COED extract as having anything to say against the singular they -- only regarding theyself.
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