PGC Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 One often hears "they say..........." Who are "they"? If it's not possible to say who "they" are, what should one say instead? Phil PS - How's my grammar? :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Williams Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 One often hears it said. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waverley West Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Or alternatively... "It is often said that..." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhBBob Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Is there more than 'one', we ask ? Sadly my Grammar died many years ago, and I never knew Grandad....... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 "They" are people. Nothing wrong with saying "They say..." to mean "People say". By the way, the correct spelling is "pendants" as in things that should be hung up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 Or alternatively... "It is often said that..." However, in the same vein as the OP, who is it that says it often? S'not me..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 'I have been lead to believe.....' was a formula I was taught to use. Our House Master was a Mr Booys, from Tristan Da Cuna, a Linguist and Classicist who would give points for variety in vocabulary, but it was no good just using a a high-flutin' word without knowing the etymology, he was sure to ask. He would give lines in class for phrases such as 'jermember' [do you remember] and mispronounciations such as 'guvverment' [government] an 'temmachure' [temperature]. He'd also throw a blackboard rubber with unerring accuracy and as our blazers were black with white and gold piping the trouble really started when, if you were a home boy, you got home. No hide-bound didact, he introduced us to Steinbeck and Hemmingway. He would disapprove of 'They say...', I'm sure! Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Would he have given you lines for misspelling Tristan da Cunha? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 Or alternatively... "It is often said that..." However, in the same vein as the OP, who is it that says it often? It. It. It. It. It. It. It. It. Seriously though, is it said by one person often, or do many people say it just once each. Well that's about as serious as I get. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Would he have given you lines for misspelling Tristan da Cunha? Absolutely....His 'Ghast' would have been flabbered! Peccavi.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Would he have given you lines for misspelling Tristan da Cunha? And "Hemingway"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 PS - How's my grammar? :-) Don't know, how's your grandad? Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brossard Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Not grammar but more along the lines of fractured phrases and definitely on topic for linguistic pedantry. My blood boils (and I really should get a life I suppose) when otherwise educated and erudite people say "the proof is in the pudding". Aaaaaargh! John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 Talking of pedantry, if your blood actually boiled......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Radford Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 "It's the right thing to do" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PhilH Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 Not grammar but more along the lines of fractured phrases and definitely on topic for linguistic pedantry. My blood boils (and I really should get a life I suppose) when otherwise educated and erudite people say "the proof is in the pudding". Aaaaaargh! John Ah ha....but that isn't the proper saying, which is 'the proof of the pudding is in the eating'.... Which makes sense.... To someone, somewhere, I suppose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2014 If it's Christmas Pudding, then there's almost always proof in it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 "They" are people. Nothing wrong with saying "They say..." to mean "People say". By the way, the correct spelling is "pendants" as in things that should be hung up. Oh no. Not someone else havig trouble with the letter 'n'.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 surely you mean pedantic linguists ????????? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2014 PGC, on 03 Dec 2014 - 13:25, said: One often hears "they say..........." Who are "they"? If it's not possible to say who "they" are, what should one say instead? Phil PS - How's my grammar? :-) I do believe the colon , minus sign and half bracket are incorrect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium The White Rabbit Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2014 No, he just forgot to add a toll free phone number in case of comments. The following list of phrases and their definitions might help readers understand the sometimes fuzzy language of academia (including that from English Departments...):"IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN"...I didn't look up the original reference."A DEFINITE TREND IS EVIDENT"...This data is practically meaningless."WHILE IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE DEFINITE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS"...An unsuccessful experiment but I still hope to get it published."THREE OF THE SAMPLES WERE CHOSEN FOR DETAILED STUDY"...The other results didn't make any sense."TYPICAL RESULTS ARE SHOWN"...This is the prettiest graph."THESE RESULTS WILL BE IN A SUBSEQUENT REPORT"...I might get around to this sometime, if pushed/funded."IN MY EXPERIENCE"...Once."IN CASE AFTER CASE"...Twice."IN A SERIES OF CASES"...Thrice."IT IS BELIEVED THAT"...I think."IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT"...A couple of others think so, too."CORRECT WITHIN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE" ...Wrong. Wrong. Wrong."ACCORDING TO STATISTICAL ANALYSIS"...Rumour has it."A STATISTICALLY-ORIENTED PROJECTION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE FINDINGS"...A really wild guess."A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF OBTAINABLE DATA"...Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a beer glass."IT IS CLEAR THAT MUCH ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PHENOMENON OCCURS"...I don't understand it....and I never will."AFTER ADDITIONAL STUDY BY MY COLLEAGUES"...They don't understand it either."A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR EXPLORATORY STUDY"...A totally useless topic selected by my committee."IT IS HOPED THAT THIS STUDY WILL STIMULATE FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN THIS FIELD"...I am pleased to feed you bull****. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Or alternatively... "It is often said that..." That's passive voice. It is not grammatically wrong, but active voice is preferred in most contemporary writing - literary works excepted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted December 3, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2014 I do believe the colon , minus sign and half bracket are incorrect. Ah, but that's not grammar, that's punctuation. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 "They" do exist......... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted December 3, 2014 Share Posted December 3, 2014 Not grammar but more along the lines of fractured phrases and definitely on topic for linguistic pedantry. My blood boils (and I really should get a life I suppose) when otherwise educated and erudite people say "the proof is in the pudding". But does the pudding contain yeast? Then it certainly requires proofing or proving. "The proof is in the pudding" is an Americanism that due to being 'snappier' if inaccurate has been embraced in British English. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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