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Poor English

colmena

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I just realised how cutting 'irrational man' could be to an NTP. Even when said in jest and towards a quote.

My friend's boyfriend told him that he had no sense of rhythm. And my friend is a bassist. That evening was unpleasant, a shoe was fervently launched into a shed. Olive oil went everywhere.

I'm only upset because I think my dog is going to die soon.

I'm sincerely sorry.
 
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I just realised how cutting 'irrational man' could be to an NTP. Even when said in jest and towards a quote.

My friend's boyfriend told him that he had no sense of rhythm. And my friend is a bassist. That evening was unpleasant, a shoe was fervently launched into a shed. Olive oil went everywhere.

I'm only upset because I think my dog is going to die soon.

I'm sincerely sorry.

Don't worry 'bout it. Your smiley face nullified the potential attack.

You PMS'ing or what? ;)
 

CzeCze

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You know if you guys keep talking like this, your grammar will become permanently ungooded.

It's like making a funny face and then having it freeze.

Honestly though, most people, even in white collar job environments requiring a lot of writing and reading have a very poor grasp of grammar and writing. They write the way people talk. Netspeak.
 
O

Oberon

Guest
Netspeak.

Lately at home, when something goes mildly wrong, I am prone to say "Oh noes!"

It makes my children look at me funny. When they do that, I say "Lols!"

And they shake their heads and go do something useful.
 

ygolo

My termites win
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
5,986
I need tuition

Help, please!

I make up my grammar and spelling, have repetitive diction, lack brevity, use ad-hoc paragraph structure, ramble, and miss many mistakes during proof-reads.

How do I improve my writing quickly?
 

Mole

Permabanned
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Mar 20, 2008
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Badger on Good English

It seems learnt is OK. :rolleyes:

In matters of good English I always defer to Badger -

"The Toad, having finished his breakfast, picked up a stout stick and swung it vigorously, belabouring imaginary animals. `I'll learn 'em to steal my house!' he cried. `I'll learn 'em, I'll learn 'em!'

`Don't say "learn 'em," Toad,' said the Rat, greatly shocked. `It's not good English.'

`What are you always nagging at Toad for?' inquired the Badger, rather peevishly. `What's the matter with his English? It's the same what I use myself, and if it's good enough for me, it ought to be good enough for you!'

`I'm very sorry,' said the Rat humbly. `Only I THINK it ought to be "teach 'em," not "learn 'em."'

`But we don't WANT to teach 'em,' replied the Badger. `We want to LEARN 'em--learn 'em, learn 'em! And what's more, we're going to DO it, too!'

`Oh, very well, have it your own way,' said the Rat. He was getting rather muddled about it himself, and presently he retired into a corner, where he could be heard muttering, `Learn 'em, teach 'em, teach 'em, learn 'em!' till the Badger told him rather sharply to leave off."

- "Wind in the Willows", by Kenneth Grahame.
 
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Help, please!

I make up my grammar and spelling, have repetitive diction, lack brevity, use ad-hoc paragraph structure, ramble, and miss many mistakes during proof-reads.

How do I improve my writing quickly?

Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style"... that's a classic and a must-have for anyone who cares about the English language.

I'd also recommend "Rhyme's Reason" by John Hollander... it's a very small and beautifully written book on English verse, but it teaches you a lot about how the language can be used to create different effects. Even a rank amateur's grasp of the mechanics and aesthetics of verse can have, when used wisely and sparingly, a very excellent influence on one's prose.
 

colmena

señor member
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- "Wind in the Willows", by Kenneth Grahame.

I don't disagree with the post's sentiment.

As people in RL and on here have noticed, I regularly make up my own words (often passing them off as existing dialect).

I thought I was picking up on mistakes on a finicky thread. I see I was wrong.

I should have more faith in you, Ted.
(no misnomers there)
 

Mort Belfry

Rats off to ya!
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Jan 12, 2008
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Also, since when do we start novels with words like "Renowned"?

What, an adjective?

But one thing I did notice the other day on my old crappy laptop, is that when it dials up the internet it says, "Dialing," when it should say, "Dialling."
 
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Those who break the rules of the game ought to understand and have played by the rules of the game first. Otherwise, their deviations might merely be seen as deviant as opposed to innovative.
 
O

Oberon

Guest
Help, please!

I make up my grammar and spelling, have repetitive diction, lack brevity, use ad-hoc paragraph structure, ramble, and miss many mistakes during proof-reads.

How do I improve my writing quickly?

Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style"... that's a classic and a must-have for anyone who cares about the English language.

And if you're looking for a rationale from Strunk and White that will solve a multitude of writing ills in one fell swoop, I give you this simple dictum from Will Strunk: Omit needless words.

Let that be your guiding principle for all serious writing, and you will rarely go astray.
 

spirilis

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Half the crap I write is bad in one way or another. It seems the longer it's been since I've had an english class, the worse my english gets.
 
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And if you're looking for a rationale from Strunk and White that will solve a multitude of writing ills in one fell swoop, I give you this simple dictum from Will Strunk: Omit needless words.

Let that be your guiding principle for all serious writing, and you will rarely go astray.

Excellent point, Oberon! One that I would do well to be conscious of at all times...

It's funny... a lot of people find Joyce, particularly in certain spots of Ulysses and, of course, the infamous Finnegan's Wake, to be quite prolix and highfalutin. But he always maintained that he was very exact in his choice of words and strove to never use more words than necessary for what he was describing. That he was describing complex emotions and situations ended up requiring more verbiage than some felt comfortable with.

__________

There's a great story, possibly apocryphal, about Joyce's writing process.

He'd often write for six, eight, ten hours in the day, fixed immovably in front of his typewriter or notebook. One day, he met a friend in the evening and was relaxing after a particularly grueling workday.

The friend asked, "So, how'd the writing go?"

"Oh, excellently! Excellently! I really got a lot done today. I'm very pleased."

"Ah, really? That's wonderful. How much did you get written?"

"A sentence. Seven words," came the matter-of-fact reply.

The friend was a bit flabbergasted and, with a moment to adjust, he queried, "I see! That... uhm... was it so very difficult for you to find the right words?"

Joyce replied simply, "Not at all. I had them from the very beginning. It was determining the right order that was so tough."

___________________________
 
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