I stand behind no man in my enthusiasm for correct punctuation. Some may even call it pedantry. The trouble for we noisy few, in pedants' corner, is the absence of a definitive authority on English punctuation, or even grammar for that matter. If you are older than about 50, you might have had some lessons in what was alleged to be rules of grammar, syntax etc. It was all massively overstated. Little more than an excuse for bitter old bastards to bully children. The English language only has custom and common usage, it has no laws or rules. If you're not sure how the apostrophe should be used, better not use it at all. People quibbling about how a dialect should be printed are desperately missing the point. Dialect by its very definition is spoken. That sloppy northern mangling of our fine language is wholly indefensible, wherever you put t'chuffin 'postrophe.
"Well I think, like, if grammar is so important, like, my teachers, like, or my parents, like, would have spent more time, like, educating me, like, but I didnt need it, like, to get a job, like, cos I got big tits."
I stand behind no man in my enthusiasm for correct punctuation. Some may even call it pedantry. The trouble for we noisy few, in pedants' corner, is the absence of a definitive authority on English punctuation, or even grammar for that matter. If you are older than about 50, you might have had some lessons in what was alleged to be rules of grammar, syntax etc. It was all massively overstated. Little more than an excuse for bitter old bastards to bully children. The English language only has custom and common usage, it has no laws or rules. If you're not sure how the apostrophe should be used, better not use it at all. People quibbling about how a dialect should be printed are desperately missing the point. Dialect by its very definition is spoken. That sloppy northern mangling of our fine language is wholly indefensible, wherever you put t'chuffin 'postrophe.
Before the printing press was invented apostrophes didn’t exist and there was no such thing as rules of grammar.
Grammar pedants don’t realise that grammar rules and spellings exist only because a standard set of rules grew up out of necessity to print a single style and pattern of speech as opposed to printing in 50 different dialects.
So today’s grammar rules are partly the result of random choices made by the print barons of the day reflecting what would be recognised as everyday speech and sounds of medieval Londoners,
Academics and high society in later centuries decided to adopt secret rules of Latin and Greek grammar that only they understood to separate them from the peasants speaking ‘vulgar” English in their own local dialect.
I use a heading on my website titled, ArtCity, I know it infuriates a friend of mine. He says it looks like I’ve made a mistake. I might have some sympathy if I’d only used it once but I repeatedly use it and spell it that way. His frustration comes from his preprogrammed way of looking at English grammar and the so called “correct way” to do things but I think as an artist we have license and maybe a duty to challenge and break rules. In fact I quite enjoy doing things deliberately to piss off the establishment.
I don't see how the apostrophe can be trivialised. Its use is essential in the clarification of a sentence and its misuse can completely change the meaning.
I once received a 'save the date' card with 'Were getting married' written on it. A quick check revealed that they were in fact still getting married. It can make the difference between knowing your shit or knowing you're shit.
How many times can you use the word “that” sequentially so that it’s still grammatically correct…..answer, believe it or not, is five Example….a teacher asks a pupil to give a sentence with two “that’s” in sequence. The pupil answers “I think that that hat looks nice.” The teacher then says to the class…..”That that that, that that student just gave me is a good answer.” Doesn’t seem possible at first does it.
How many times can you use the word “that” sequentially so that it’s still grammatically correct…..answer, believe it or not, is five Example….a teacher asks a pupil to give a sentence with two “that’s” in sequence. The pupil answers “I think that that hat looks nice.” The teacher then says to the class…..”That that that, that that student just gave me is a good answer.” Doesn’t seem possible at first does it.
Eight “had”s are also possible.
11 “had”s actually.
Consider this scenario: James and John are students. Their teacher asks them to choose a phrase describing a person who previously suffered from the flu. John chooses “Bob had the flu”. James chooses “Bob had had the flu.” The teacher is more pleased with James’ response.
Ok? Ready? An observer could summarise this situation thus:
’James, while John had had “had”, had had “had had” - “Had had” had had a more positive effect on the teacher.’
Comments
The trouble for we noisy few, in pedants' corner, is the absence of a definitive authority on English punctuation, or even grammar for that matter.
If you are older than about 50, you might have had some lessons in what was alleged to be rules of grammar, syntax etc.
It was all massively overstated. Little more than an excuse for bitter old bastards to bully children.
The English language only has custom and common usage, it has no laws or rules.
If you're not sure how the apostrophe should be used, better not use it at all.
People quibbling about how a dialect should be printed are desperately missing the point.
Dialect by its very definition is spoken.
That sloppy northern mangling of our fine language is wholly indefensible, wherever you put t'chuffin 'postrophe.
I like her honesty.
Academics and high society in later centuries decided to adopt secret rules of Latin and Greek grammar that only they understood to separate them from the peasants speaking ‘vulgar” English in their own local dialect.
I once received a 'save the date' card with 'Were getting married' written on it. A quick check revealed that they were in fact still getting married. It can make the difference between knowing your shit or knowing you're shit.
Consider this scenario:
James and John are students. Their teacher asks them to choose a phrase describing a person who previously suffered from the flu. John chooses “Bob had the flu”. James chooses “Bob had had the flu.” The teacher is more pleased with James’ response.
Ok? Ready? An observer could summarise this situation thus:
’James, while John had had “had”, had had “had had” - “Had had” had had a more positive effect on the teacher.’
I thank you. 🤓