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great northern
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2 minutes ago, great northern said:

The K1 got its portrait took. I'd have got a clip round the ear if I'd said that at home when I was a kid. 

And a good thing too. Your use of English is often better than mine, and I appreciate that. 

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30 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

And a good thing too. Your use of English is often better than mine, and I appreciate that. 

Well, having a mother and a favourite aunt who were both teachers, I suppose you could say that I had the advantage of being brung up proper like.

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4 minutes ago, great northern said:

Well, having a mother and a favourite aunt who were both teachers, I suppose you could say that I had the advantage of being brung up proper like.

A legal career no doubt re-emphasised the need for good unambiguous English, albeit with Random capital Letters thrown in for Good measure just like my iPad insists on doing!

Edited by thegreenhowards
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12 minutes ago, thegreenhowards said:

A legal career no doubt re-emphasised the need for good unambiguous English, albeit with Random capital Letters thrown in for Good measure just like my iPad insists on doing!

I know it is very old fashioned, but I happen to think that the English language is a glorious thing when properly used. I despair when I use a descriptive word and a young person asks "what does that mean?"  Even more so, when I try to think of a simpler synonym, and get asked "why didn't you say that in the first place"?  "Cool" cannot describe every positive emotion known to humanity, whatever most younger people seem to think. And am I one of the last alive who cringes at the notice that tells me that something is closed " Due to.......whatever it is?

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1 hour ago, great northern said:

The K1 got its portrait took. I'd have got a clip round the ear if I'd said that at home when I was a kid.

And in certain parts of RMweb too.

 

Oops, I know that one should never start a sentence with "and".

 

Or "but".

 

But not always.

 

And I know that those are not proper sentences coz they ain't got no verbs...

Edited by St Enodoc
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2 hours ago, great northern said:

I know it is very old fashioned, but I happen to think that the English language is a glorious thing when properly used. I despair when I use a descriptive word and a young person asks "what does that mean?"  Even more so, when I try to think of a simpler synonym, and get asked "why didn't you say that in the first place"?  "Cool" cannot describe every positive emotion known to humanity, whatever most younger people seem to think. And am I one of the last alive who cringes at the notice that tells me that something is closed " Due to.......whatever it is?

I agree wholeheartedly. I have spent a lifetime as a lawyer writing and negotiating contracts in the oil industry and recall arguing with a very nice gentlemen from a big oil company over the effect of the placement of one comma. There was a mere $87million at stake. The use of precise language is not always just of academic interest. There is something rather elegant in something well written.

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1 minute ago, David Bell said:

I agree wholeheartedly. I have spent a lifetime as a lawyer writing and negotiating contracts in the oil industry and recall arguing with a very nice gentlemen from a big oil company over the effect of the placement of one comma. There was a mere $87million at stake. The use of precise language is not always just of academic interest. There is something rather elegant in something well written.

It was my cynical belief that legals were distinctly parsimonious with commas, precisely so that differences in interpretation could prolong dialogue and keep everyone in fees!

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2 hours ago, great northern said:

I can see an argument for the placement of one comma, but other than that I'm happy with it as one continuous statement.

Just to play devil's advocate, I might use the enigmatic semi-colon as an alternative, thus:

 

'I can see an argument for the placement of one comma; but other than that I'm happy with it as one continuous statement.'

 

The deeds to our 1870's former methodist chapel are a glorious example of the solicitor's art - one huge long sentence, littered with 'and's and not a single piece of punctuation in sight.

 

As you say - back to the trains ...

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1 minute ago, LNER4479 said:

Just to play devil's advocate, I might use the enigmatic semi-colon as an alternative, thus:

 

'I can see an argument for the placement of one comma; but other than that I'm happy with it as one continuous statement.'

 

The deeds to our 1870's former methodist chapel are a glorious example of the solicitor's art - one huge long sentence, littered with 'and's and not a single piece of punctuation in sight.

 

As you say - back to the trains ...

I might have known you would try to introduce a semi into the discussion.:mosking:

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9 hours ago, great northern said:

"Cool" cannot describe every positive emotion known to humanity, whatever most younger people seem to think.

 

Many years ago, I had a fresh faced graduate inflicted upon me at work.  He would regularly respond to an idea as "cool".  I never succeeded in stopping him from doing so, but asking him to describe how the idea had a temperature did reduce the frequency.

 

Adrian

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