What are your pet peeves re English usage?

Well, u know, he 's good at doing that, Mr. McTag,
because he gets a lot of practice.





`

glitterbag wrote:

Well, u know, he 's good at doing that, Glitterbag,
because he gets a lot of practice.




glitterbag wrote:

U were patient with him.
I was also, for a long time, but it was hopeless.
Eventually, I had to give up.
I was always skeptical of his sincerity.
I 'll wager that he probably was not appropriately grateful for your thoughtful assistance.



glitterbag wrote:

I believe that your choice is wise, GB.
JTT appears to be incapable of reason, hence unworthy of attention,
but the Ignore button works quite well to cure his irritations.
I have found it thus. Good Luck.





David

See if u can get a Clydesdale!





David

I don't think he meant to write it or have it read (short e) in the past tense.

I think he meant exactly what he wrote: 'You must not read (long e) enough of his posts.'

In other words - you don't read enough of his posts to have an accurate idea of what he means or does (whatever - I didn't read enough of the thread to ascertain what the context or subject under discussion was).

Maybe you misread it JTT or maybe you HAVE misread it JTT.

dave, I thought for sure you had me on ignore by now...

????
Did something happen that I don't know about ?





`

usually...

Then maybe Spendius was right about my education.

good god, don't let him see that...

Keep the discussion going, this thread is even funnier than the "really bad jokes" one..

Yes. The really amazing thing is that apparently there are some people who seem to take it all seriously.

Paraphrasing Pascal:

- The heart has reasons that David cannot know..

The Shadow knows. . . .

Humor is poorly shared out..

I am greedy, but not stingy.

There you are then gb. You claimed you couldn't remember and, as I pointed out, memory was not a factor. You lied. The conclusion drawn from "couldn't be bothered" is a vastly different one from that drawn from "can't remember".



Is that by way of saying that we are at fault in trying to look smart and that it is "ridiculous" to do so?

I can make a case that it is ridiculous to try to look smart. When, for example, you went to the restaurant I have little doubt that you were dressed in a manner which was intended to negate Schopenauer's scientific description of the female as "stunted, narrow-shouldered, broad hipped and short-legged". And that you were pretending that you were not there to stuff tricked-up nutrient down your gizzard to be digested and so forth. Which is all self-evidently ridiculous because none of the tricks, and the length of time it takes women to "get ready" signifies how many tricks are involved, don't kid anybody and that includes those who wish to be kidded and expert in pretending to be.

But I wouldn't make such a case. I'm a civilised person. I favour you trying to look smart on social occasions because it allows for a more pleasing aesthetic spectacle and I'm prepared to suspend my scientific appraisal in the service of such a praiseworthy objective. If you are going to object to "trying to look smart" on the grounds that it is ridiculous only when applied to myself and JTT and not when applied to yourself I do believe we have caught you tickling your own tummy again.

Anyone who thinks I am trying to appear serious must have had a very restricted education in the use of English. I try to appear serious when I am turning over in bed or taking the top off a boiled egg.

I have invariably found that people who really, really, really take themselves seriously make such remarks as that all the time as if they have, by doing so, somehow got the upper hand. They ought to be informed that that is far from being the case.

Not having an ironic capacity themselves they assume no-one else has. It is quite tiresome at first but one can get used to it.

Kan't keyp you're thawts strait, OmCigDevad?

You might be gratified to learn, spendi, that I have never, ever, under any circumstances taken you seriously. Don't get a swelled head now.

Okay - this brings me back to a question I asked about ten pages ago (I'm estimating - I can't be bovvered to look back to find out exactly) JTT.

Are you in fact American? You gave some vague answer about liking Americans and their country in general terms, but didn't commit as to your own nationality one way or another.

Because any American English speaker would not phonetically spell the name David as Devad.

I have heard people who are native spanish speakers pronounce the name Dahveed- but where would Devad come from? David is one of those names that are/ (is?) pronounced exactly as it's spelled. That's probably one reason that David enjoys being named David.