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Is "I could care less" and "I couldn't care less" the same?

 
 
shibo77
 
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 07:36 am
Is it?
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 1,706 • Replies: 14
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 07:40 am
yes
0 Replies
 
Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 07:44 am
By the way, your question should be phrased:

Are "I could care less" and "I coulnd't care less" the same?

and your initial post should read:

Are they?


Just a point of grammatical order there . . . counsel for the defense may proceed . . .
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shibo77
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 08:14 am
Right , sorry!

And thanks!
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NickFun
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 09:02 am
"I couldn't care less" is the proper phrase. By saying you could care less means that you still have interest in the subject. It's a simple bastardization of the phrase. Santana - you misspelled "couldn't".
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Letty
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 09:06 am
Right, nick. I've made that mistake several times myself.
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kitchenpete
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 09:22 am
shibo

In the UK we ONLY use "I couldn't care less"

As NickFun correctly points out, the meaning of the words doesn't correspond with the intention if "could" is used.

KP
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 09:25 am
Those who would apply logic to language betray their own humanity . . . quite apart from making themselves appear dense . . . but then, on this topic, i could care less . . .
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kitchenpete
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 09:28 am
and I couln't

Laughing
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GeneralTsao
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 03:10 pm
Nick,
The period in your last sentence belongs inside the quotation marks.

E.g. "...couldn't."

General Tsao,
Just being a wiseguy...
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NickFun
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 04:10 pm
You are correct GeneralTsao. As you have pointed out I have made an egregious error in my punctuation. However, I am too lazy to actually go back and correct the offending period.
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the reincarnation of suzy
 
  1  
Reply Tue 29 Jun, 2004 05:04 pm
Smile
0 Replies
 
kitchenpete
 
  1  
Reply Wed 30 Jun, 2004 03:41 am
GeneralTsao wrote:
Nick,
The period in your last sentence belongs inside the quotation marks.

E.g. "...couldn't."


This is another UK/US difference. We'd put the full stop (UK for "period", in this context only!) outside.
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GeneralTsao
 
  1  
Reply Wed 30 Jun, 2004 12:16 pm
kitchenpete wrote:
GeneralTsao wrote:
Nick,
The period in your last sentence belongs inside the quotation marks.

E.g. "...couldn't."


This is another UK/US difference. We'd put the full stop (UK for "period", in this context only!) outside.


That's very interesting! And that clarifies another question I've had for a long time--why is it that in the movies (particularly the old ones) when someone sends a telegram, it is dictated something like this:

"WILL ARRIVE AT UNION STATION SATURDAY 8:05 [STOP]
MEET ME WITH THE INFORMATION [STOP]
WILL RECEIVE FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS LATER [STOP]"

I've always wondered why they say "stop" after each sentence. Now I know. Smile
0 Replies
 
GeneralTsao
 
  1  
Reply Wed 30 Jun, 2004 12:17 pm
NickFun wrote:
You are correct GeneralTsao. As you have pointed out I have made an egregious error in my punctuation. However, I am too lazy to actually go back and correct the offending period.


ROR!
0 Replies
 
 

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