Pedants United

A section to discuss matters not related to Chess in particular.
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John Upham
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Re: Pedants United

Post by John Upham » Mon Dec 20, 2021 10:40 am

Neil Graham wrote:
Mon Dec 20, 2021 9:31 am
We haven't had the "What cheese is made backwards?" question yet - fortunately.
You have just mentioned it.
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Paul Habershon
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Paul Habershon » Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm

I hardly ever need to visit a bank nowadays but today I saw several large notices in my local NatWest branch:

'Please practice social distancing'

Correct in America, I believe, but I hope not yet accepted here. I like the 'noun with a c / verb with an s' distinction.

I expect the Americans have advice/advise, prophecy/prophesy, device/devise, so it seems inconsistent for them to use licence/licence, practice/practice etc.

David Sedgwick
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Re: Pedants United

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Jan 04, 2022 7:14 pm

Paul Habershon wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm
Correct in America, I believe, but I hope not yet accepted here. I like the 'noun with a c / verb with an s' distinction.
So do I.

However, when I draft Grand Chess Tour documents, I have to use American spellings.

Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:05 pm

"it seems inconsistent for them to use licence/licence"

I think they use "license/license"?

David Sedgwick
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Re: Pedants United

Post by David Sedgwick » Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:30 pm

Kevin Thurlow wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:05 pm
I think they use "license/license"?
Correct.

NickFaulks
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Re: Pedants United

Post by NickFaulks » Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:53 am

Paul Habershon wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm
'Please practice social distancing'
Why should it not be "please practise social distansing"? Just asking.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a QR code stamped on a human face — forever.

Paul Habershon
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Paul Habershon » Wed Jan 05, 2022 7:05 am

NickFaulks wrote:
Wed Jan 05, 2022 12:53 am
Paul Habershon wrote:
Tue Jan 04, 2022 6:26 pm
'Please practice social distancing'
Why should it not be "please practise social distansing"? Just asking.
Nice try, Nick, but the etymology doesn't allow you to stray from di- (= apart, away) and stance (standing). I don't think it's in the same family as practice/practise etc.

I enjoyed rising to the bait.

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MJMcCready
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Re: Pedants United

Post by MJMcCready » Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 am

What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?

Graham Borrowdale
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Graham Borrowdale » Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:01 pm

MJMcCready wrote:
Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 am
What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?
My take us that the pizza company needs to raise its standards. But I was never an English teacher. But I do know that a sentence should not begin with ‘but’.

David Sedgwick
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Re: Pedants United

Post by David Sedgwick » Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:42 pm

Carl Hibbard (in another thread) wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:52 am
I might start disabling accounts whose email address bounce ...
I think that you mean "I might start disabling accounts the email addresses of which bounce ..."

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Carl Hibbard
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Carl Hibbard » Thu Jan 20, 2022 1:18 pm

David Sedgwick wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:42 pm
Carl Hibbard (in another thread) wrote:
Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:52 am
I might start disabling accounts whose email address bounce ...
I think that you mean "I might start disabling accounts the email addresses of which bounce ..."
:roll:
Cheers
Carl Hibbard

Brendan O'Gorman
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Brendan O'Gorman » Thu Jan 20, 2022 1:50 pm

Graham Borrowdale wrote:
Wed Jan 05, 2022 2:01 pm
MJMcCready wrote:
Wed Jan 05, 2022 8:29 am
What's your take on the following: 'That pizza was more perfect than the last one'. OR 'His delivery was less perfect this time'?
My take us that the pizza company needs to raise its standards. But I was never an English teacher. But I do know that a sentence should not begin with ‘but’.
But it can. And the same goes for “and”.

Nick Ivell
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Nick Ivell » Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:57 pm

In general, I think we're moving away from prescriptive 'rules' about certain words at the start of sentences.

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John Upham
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Re: Pedants United

Post by John Upham » Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:19 pm

Leon Watson created the following web headline:

"Blair marshalls his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"

I felt that this should be

"Blair martials his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"

Hopefully I have brought this to the attention of those who enjoy this type of debate.

Please inform me of your decision. :D
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Roger de Coverly
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Re: Pedants United

Post by Roger de Coverly » Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:40 pm

John Upham wrote:
Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:19 pm
I felt that this should be

"Blair martials his Idiot King to victory in first Battersea Variants tourney"
"martial" isn't a verb therefore Leon was correct.

per google
Unless it's a misspelling, martial is not used as a verb.

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