Language & Grammar discussion

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Grammar Central > Ask Our Grammar "Experts"

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message 401: by Carol (last edited Sep 12, 2009 03:28AM) (new)

Carol | 10410 comments Oh so make hay while the sun shines and feck the money eh David. It's late here or early however you percieve the cup gotta go to bed . nighty night.


message 402: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
Hahahahaha!!! You are gonna fit right in!


message 403: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments I behave, albeit badly.


message 404: by Ruth (new)

Ruth | 16546 comments Mod
David wrote: "Lifelong quandary: INnovative or inNOVative? I use no. 1, but I hear no. 2. It seems arbitrary; IMmolation, inVENtion, INsulate, inSPECtion, but there may be a rule or rules in there somewhere. Wha..."

And when did FORmidable become forMIDable? Or kiLOMeter become KILometer? What's next, THERMometer?




message 405: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments There's a river in Oregon that the locals call the WilLAMmette.

DeNIAL, they say, is not a river in Egypt. The Egyptians call it "Al bahr an-Nil," "the Nile Sea."


message 406: by Carol (new)

Carol | 10410 comments Ruth wrote: "David wrote: "Lifelong quandary: INnovative or inNOVative? I use no. 1, but I hear no. 2. It seems arbitrary; IMmolation, inVENtion, INsulate, inSPECtion, but there may be a rule or rules in there ..."

When the therm killed the meter


message 407: by Ken, Moderator (new)

Ken | 18714 comments Mod
I'm amazed. I have never heard ANYone say "inNOVative." Is this a way of sounding intelligent? French? Cutting edge?




message 408: by Savvy (new)

Savvy  (savvysuzdolcefarniente) | 1458 comments Newengland wrote: "I'm amazed. I have never heard ANYone say "inNOVative." Is this a way of sounding intelligent? French? Cutting edge?

"


Yep, I've heard it...mostly from the NOVices!




message 409: by Carol (last edited Sep 12, 2009 11:23AM) (new)

Carol | 10410 comments Susanne wrote: "Newengland wrote: "I'm amazed. I have never heard ANYone say "inNOVative." Is this a way of sounding intelligent? French? Cutting edge?

"

Were the NOVices the ones that had the NOVelty of No Voices. I cheated a little with the last one

"





message 410: by [deleted user] (new)

NOVitiates actually...on NOVocaine from NOVosibirsk which is close to NOVgorod...phew...


message 411: by Savvy (new)

Savvy  (savvysuzdolcefarniente) | 1458 comments whew is right...and NOVember isn't even here yet!


message 412: by [deleted user] (new)

Should I NOVelize my NOVella for NOVelty in NOVember? or..say a NOVena for a NOVation to feckin NOVa Scotia..
taa daaa!!!!


message 413: by Carol (new)

Carol | 10410 comments Joanie wrote: "Should I NOVelize my NOVella for NOVelty in NOVember? or..say a NOVena for a NOVation to feckin NOVa Scotia..
taa daaa!!!!"


okay you win.


message 414: by [deleted user] (new)

OOH!!..When is prize-giving Carol???


message 415: by Carol (new)

Carol | 10410 comments tried to get you a blue ribbon for first place. couldn't find one.


message 416: by [deleted user] (new)

Yeah?? so what do I get??
oh..check out my very own thread Carol!!
C'mon in and do your 'party piece' will ya?


message 417: by Sarah (new)

Sarah (sarahj) | 162 comments Hi -
An obit for Patrick Swayze called him a "balletically athletic dancer." I had to wonder if "balletically" was really a word, and the dictionaries I looked at differed (both pretty up-to-date, too, although ballet is nothing new). Anyway, someone argued with me that any adjective that ends in -ic automatically becomes an adverb by adding -ally. I disagree. I think it COULD become an adverb if people want to use it (and they're lining up for "balletically," let me tell you) but that no -ic adjective is automatically an adverb. For example, I've never written heard/seen the adverbs iambically, alcoholically, or islamically. Of course they may exist someday, somewhere. Could anyone chime in on this?


message 418: by David (last edited Sep 16, 2009 05:53AM) (new)

David | 4568 comments My heart stlll belongs to Dada but Der Stil belongs to
MoMA.


message 419: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
Ahem.....balletomane here.......
Balletically is a word. I, for instance, am balletically challenged. There!!


message 420: by David (last edited Sep 16, 2009 12:51PM) (new)

David | 4568 comments I've always been more of a pétomane than a balletomane, but that's embarrassing, actually.


message 421: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
That's ok....there is room for all types of (f)artistes!!


message 422: by Savvy (new)

Savvy  (savvysuzdolcefarniente) | 1458 comments Debbie wrote: "That's ok....there is room for all types of (f)artistes!!"

too funny Debbie.... :-)




message 423: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments Hail, (me)Thane of Cawdor!


message 424: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
Hahahahaha!!!


message 425: by Carol (new)

Carol | 10410 comments Better than Thane of Glamis



message 426: by [deleted user] (new)

Am I missing the 'grammatical asks'???


message 427: by Carol (new)

Carol | 10410 comments No just posted in wrong place. Can't think straight.


message 428: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments Tourjours gai, toujours gai.



my youth i shall never forget
but there s nothing i really regret
wotthehell wotthehell
there s a dance in the old dame yet
toujours gai toujours gai

Read the whole thing.


message 429: by [deleted user] (new)

Ah...David! you are priceless! and..capricious and corybantic and wouldn't change a metaphoric hair on your head.



message 430: by Carol (new)

Carol | 10410 comments Lady and the Tramp.
transmigrafied into a dog.


message 431: by [deleted user] (new)

HAHAHAHAHA.. you're on fire tonight Carol!!! Bravo!


message 432: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments Joanie, I consider the scattered remnants of my crowning glory virtually tousled, which no doubt would render me your helpless slave.



message 433: by [deleted user] (new)

I'm cool with that assessment of the situation.. virtually tosled slave boy. More poetry NOW!


message 434: by Robyn (last edited Sep 18, 2009 12:04AM) (new)

Robyn | 387 comments S. wrote: "Hi -
An obit for Patrick Swayze called him a "balletically athletic dancer." I had to wonder if "balletically" was really a word, and the dictionaries I looked at differed (both pretty up-to-date,..."


Well not to be too cute I have definitely walked and danced alcoholically. Some people are clinically dead.

scientific
magic
comic
tragic
sarcastic
problematic
heroic
magic
sarcastic
emphatic
mathematic
emphatic
economical
etc all do fit the 'rule' but you know what rules are like in English

I have never heard of Arctically or Antarctically but I am sure that some of our tragically grammatically challenged wits can emphatically make some effort to build those into a sentence sarcastically...

*and the name of this forum is...*

and more ...ically words for those who'd really like to know (and the rule) see: http://webtech.fdresa.org/tbphillips/...


periodically and optimistically yours


message 435: by Ken, Moderator (last edited Sep 19, 2009 04:21AM) (new)

Ken | 18714 comments Mod
So, are you an "each other's" person or an "each others' " person. Feelings run strong. My spellcheck seems to like the apostrophe AFTER the final s, as if that's the only way to go.

Then, my spellcheck's been wrong before (it doesn't like the word "spellcheck" for instance. Spell check it likes, but the compound version, it says, does not exist.


message 436: by Robyn (last edited Sep 19, 2009 05:55AM) (new)

Robyn | 387 comments It's an interesting question - I have always used "each other's" - to rationalise why I need a noun after it.

Would you say "each other's faces" or "each other's face".

I think the key word is "each" - so I would say "We looked at each other's face" - each one has a face and each one of us looked at one face. Each being a determiner and used with a singular noun.

If I change it to "one another" then would you use "We looked at one another's dog." or "We looked at one another's dogs."

Assuming that one another is being used for more than two, then maybe one could argue that each of us looked at two dogs at least. Does that then make it more correct, to write "We looked at one anothers' dogs."

I don't know. I know that that is what I would say (e.g. common usage) but what would I write?

Hmmm, *goes off muttering to self*

Don't know but think I would still put one another's dogs just because I always have, ok!


message 437: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
I thought we looked at each other's faces, there being two faces to be looked at!


message 438: by Ken, Moderator (new)

Ken | 18714 comments Mod
What if it's a threesome? Does the moving apostrophe indicate degree of plurality?

-- Rhymin' Simon


message 439: by Robyn (new)

Robyn | 387 comments Yes, that's the question I posed above, except (I am of the opinion) that "each other" is x 2 and "one another" is for more than two...so is it "We looked at one anothers' dogs." ?

I know what I say, but I don't know if it's just common usage or correct (for more than two).

I am happy to use the 'each = singular' rule for "each other." "We looked at each other's cars." just doesn't sound right to me.


message 440: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
On reflection, shouldn't it be "we looked at one anothers' faces"?


message 441: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments On reflection, she looked in the mirror.


message 442: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
Aaaarggghhh!!!


message 443: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments The way things came up that day nauseated her.


message 444: by Robyn (new)

Robyn | 387 comments As I pondered above:

If I change it to "one another" then would you use "We looked at one another's dog." or "We looked at one another's dogs."

Assuming that one another is being used for more than two, then maybe one could argue that each of us looked at two dogs at least. Does that then make it more correct, to write "We looked at one anothers' dogs."


message 445: by Ken, Moderator (new)

Ken | 18714 comments Mod
Can't find a rule in my handbook. I'm buying Garner's soon. Maybe there?


message 446: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments The "'s" after "one another" is possessive. Hence "one another's."

The other dog won't hunt.


message 447: by Ken, Moderator (new)

Ken | 18714 comments Mod
But there's a dog in the pack with apostrophe after his s, too -- the plural possessive. What you're saying is, that dog's a canard (quack) because there IS no plural form to "another."

But there is to "other." Namely, others. Woof.


message 448: by David (new)

David | 4568 comments Well, to riff on an old joke, I did NOT expect feathers.


message 449: by Debbie, sardonic princess of cheerfulness (new)

Debbie (sardonicprincessofcheerfulness) | 6389 comments Mod
....or should that be feather's?!


message 450: by Robyn (new)

Robyn | 387 comments Well I asked the Secondary Head of English today, and she must be right because she agrees with me :)

each other's; one another's - the 'each' and the 'one' are singular - it doesn't matter if the noun that follows is plural...IMHO


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