Are all the sentences fine?

@JTT,

Quote:

McTag is a complete study in confusion. He offers "advice" but he can't say where it comes from. He has vague ideas but they all come from his teachers

Christ, are you still gibbering on, looking for the last word? I don't know where this nonsense about prescriptivism comes from; do you think that all teaching of English should be abandoned? Perhaps the internet and the mass media will tell the learner all he has to know, and Mr Pinker's books can apply the finishing touch. You silly sod.

1 Reply

@McTag,

Quote:

I don't know where this nonsense about prescriptivism comes from;

I notice that you left out your parents. You don't know where the issue of prescriptivism comes from! How disingenuous of you, McTag.

Quote:

do you think that all teaching of English should be abandoned?

No, I think that they should continue teaching all the crap that you learned so that the next generation of A2Kers can have another Pet Peeves of English thread. So that McTag Jr can mislead on 'can/may'.

2 Replies

@JTT,

Quote:

I notice that you left out your parents. You don't know where the issue of prescriptivism comes from! How disingenuous of you, McTag.

As far as I understand it, everybody is taught their native language by their parents.
The Germans even call it Muttersprache
Maybe you were taught by a robot? Which would explain quite a lot.

1 Reply

@JTT,

Quote:

I notice that you left out your parents

What a pity that people like them did not have you around to explain their shortcomings to them.

1 Reply

@McTag,

Quote:

As far as I understand it, everybody is taught their native language by their parents.

Again, that's illustrative of how little you know and understand about language, McTag. The notion that parents teach their children language is certainly a widespread one but it is false. That's like saying that parents teach their children to walk.

Quote:

Maybe you were taught by a robot?

No, that would be you when your parents/teachers "taught" you about 'can/may' for permission. That was/is a robotic attempt to teach/force something that isn't a natural part of language. We know this because, like all prescriptions, it fails.

That's you [and others, robotic] when you have tried to pass on these same silly prescriptions in the various peeves threads.

1 Reply

@McTag,

Quote:

What a pity that people like them did not have you around to explain their shortcomings to them.

That's very true, McTag, and you didn't even realize it. Noam Chomsky and the rapid growth in ESL/EFL has caused thinking people to take a new fresh look at language. Dinosaurs like you and your parents were content to mouth these silly old canards.

Think about it. No, REALLY I mean really think about it. If these old wives tales were actual rules of language, they wouldn't have to be drilled and forced onto people.

For dog's sakes, if you were honest enough to actually look at their origins, to actually do a bit of research, you see that they were made up rules, concocted for spurious reasons.

Notice how you never address your prescriptions in any focused manner. When they're shown to be false, so patently false, you DO run off on all manner of tangent.

1 Reply

@JTT,

Quote:

that's illustrative of how little you know and understand about language

What's puzzling me is how did we manage through all those years without you being on hand to constantly explain to us "how language works".

1 Reply

@JTT,

Quote:

What a pity that people like them did not have you around to explain their shortcomings to them.

You ignore the irony, because to acknowledge it would show you as what you are, a jumped-up useless little twit.

0 Replies

@McTag,

Quote:

What's puzzling me is how did we manage through all those years without you being on hand to constantly explain to us "how language works".

Again, that's illustrative of how little you know and understand about language and how it works.

1 Reply

@JTT,

The following is what I posted.

a) If you hadn't broken your leg, you could be playing in the match next week.

b) If you hadn't broken your leg, you would be playing in the match next week.

c) If you hadn't broken your leg, you might be playing in the match next week.

Are all the sentences fine?

Is the sentence in bold wrong? I have used it quite often and no native speaker has said the sentence is wrong. I may not be a native speaker, but I don't believe that the sentence is incorrect.

3 Replies

@tanguatlay,

Quote:

I may not be a native speaker, but I don't believe that the sentence is incorrect.

You're quite right -- the sentence is not incorrect. It is, however, a somewhat unusual usage of the word 'fine', one that is not quite colloquial and, therefore, could be considered by some to be somewhat capricious. McTag was just trying to be helpful by pointing this out in an effort to make you sound more like a native speaker.

1 Reply

@Lustig Andrei,

I concur.

0 Replies

@tanguatlay,

Quote:

Are all the sentences fine?

Is the sentence in bold wrong? I have used it quite often and no native speaker has said the sentence is wrong. I may not be a native speaker, but I don't believe that the sentence is incorrect.

The sentence in bold is fine, Ms Tan. It is NOT incorrect. Notice that even McTag, after he whined about it, after he was deceptive as hell, said it was fine.

====================
WB Yeats: Hi, did you want to say

-Are these sentences fine?

is not English?

McTag: No, it's just not terribly colloquial.

============================

I don't know the numbers for how often this is used, MsTan, but it's silly to suggest that it isn't used. Not one other native speaker raised a voice and as you said, you've used it often, probably at other websites too.

McTag never seems to be able to defend his notions. That ought to tell you a great deal about the value of his judgment. Sad, considering he can sometimes off very insightful comments on language.

2 Replies

@JTT,

All McTag said was "it's not colloquial" which is true.

You're the one who makes mountains out of mole hills. Your repetitions are "not normal." It's not "colloquial."

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@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
Are all the sentences fine?

.

The sentence in bold is fine, Ms Tan. It is NOT incorrect. Notice that even McTag, after he whined about it, after he was deceptive as hell, said it was fine.

You are right. I have used the sentence in other English forums and no native speaker commented that the sentence is wrong. Why is every member except you thinks that the word "fine' is incorrect? I am really confused.

1 Reply

@tanguatlay,

tanguatlay wrote:

. Why is every member except you thinks that the word "fine' is incorrect? I am really confused.

It is not incorrect. And that's not what McTag said. It's merely not common usage.

0 Replies

@tanguatlay,

You wrote,

Quote:

Are all the sentences fine?

Or, a) Are all the sentences correct?
b) Are all the sentences okay (ok)?
c) Are all the sentences right?
d) Are there other ways to state those sentences?

1 Reply

@cicerone imposter,

The following is the reply from a native speaker to my question "Are all the sentences fine/correct?" I asked whether I could use either word.

One can use either. If there is any real difference, "correct" might be confined to grammatical correctness, and "fine" might include that and also being natural usage.

1 Reply

@tanguatlay,

As stated many times by many people, using "fine" is okay/correct/acceptable usage.

2 Replies

@cicerone imposter,

cicerone imposter wrote:

As stated many times by many people, using "fine" is okay/correct/acceptable usage.

I don't think many of the members say the sentence is fine. Only you, Lustig Andrei, and JTT say that it is fine. In fact, Lustig says that is not common usage and McTag says the word "fine" is not appropriate. That is why JTT has gone all the way out to say that the sentence is correct.

However, the native speaker I consulted says "fine" might include "correct" and also being natural usage, which is in agreement with JTT's assertion.

0 Replies

Are all the sentences fine?

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