"The moment we landed, we had to drop him off at THIS housing unit that they had had us staying in [sic]. He was going to get ready to go down for his nap. We immediately went to an official engagement in THIS township called Nyanga, and there was THIS moment where I'm standing on a tree stump and I'm giving THIS speech to women and girls, and we finish the engagement, we get in the car and they say there's been a fire at the residence."
THIS? How does one indicate a non-present housing unit, township, moment and speech?
The very moment we landed, right there on the tarmac, was a housing unit. And "they" had had us staying in". Little Arch immediately went somewhere (going) to prepare himself to go somewhere else (down) for his nap (not someone else's nap then). Lots of moments and immediately going on.
"And so much, I think, optically, the focus ends up being on how it looks instead of how it feels."
Yes, so much thinking indeed, optically speaking.
Yours sincerely,
Oldfart Whiner, Col. (ret.)
The Shambles
Oxon
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 5:34 pm
by Big RR
I'm not sure if that is any sort of English, American or British. Neither teaches the us of "this" as the writer used it, nor does either teach ending a sentence with a preposition in most cases (and the use here does not fall within one of the exceptions). But since it appears to be an informal communication, perhaps an online post of some sort, there are no real rules--even non-words like LMAO can be used.
Re: Dear Sir, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 5:51 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
A spoken interview (and I thought the Retd. Colonel's use of 'sire' was appalling)
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 7:24 pm
by BoSoxGal
That’s a verbal tic, like when people say ‘like’ repetitively in their regular speaking pattern. It wasn’t taught but would require a concerted effort toward unlearning the habit.
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 8:48 pm
by ex-khobar Andy
And BTW, the 'housing unit' Her Grace was staying in was not - as might be thought - some sort of two-up two-down place for the masses but the High Commissioner's place. HC is what we used to call ambassadors within the British Empire or (more recently) the Commonwealth. So this 'housing unit' was pretty much a mansion.
Mind you: compared to her current digs, maybe it was a tad on the plebeian side.
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:01 pm
by Bicycle Bill
My dear MajGenl:
I believe what you are seeing here is a 'truncation' of a phrase. Try inserting the word 'specific' or 'particular' after the word 'this' in the example you provided. Now ask your subordinate (the colonel) if that would make the sentence more grammatically correct in his eyes.
As for ending a sentence with a preposition, it happens. And the whining of grammarians about such infractions is just pointless pedantry, and that is something, up with which I shall not put. -"BB"-
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:07 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
Is it really so difficult to use "a" or "an" or "the" rather than "this"? Is no one taught that "this" is indicative and requires the nearby and visible presence of "this"?
The abomination of "like" is destroying my meals out. For some reason, I can hear nothing of any nearby conversation except for that one word, over and over and over. I'm going to have a shirt made with a slogan - Stop Using 'Like, You Moron.
Another one - I'm awful when fellow Christians pray aloud. I keep track of the word "just" on one hand and "Lord" on the other. Usually the "justs" win. They keep telling the Lord that they just want him to do this and just that. I can't figure out if they are unable to quantify or think he can barely do some things.
Can't help it. It's like this habit.
And BB, I scoff at "particular" and "specific".
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 12:32 am
by Joe Guy
Is it okay for me to use this thread to repeat that I am sick of hearing and reading the word "literally"? It's as bad as "basically" and anyone who uses those words should be punished in a way that causes them to experience pain.
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 2:26 pm
by Burning Petard
I plead for mercy ! Can one person, by themself, 'huddle'?
In an email this morning I described a WWII photo of a soldier on the ground, no other person visible in the photo, under artillery fire. I described the person as 'huddled on the ground, making themself as small as possible." The visible area was flat with sparse vegetation no more than a foot high.
Oh boy! I just can't stay out of trouble. I find that 'themself' is controversial.
snailgate.
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2022 3:33 pm
by MajGenl.Meade
snail brought it on themself. No, wait. That doesn't sound right. Probably if you'd thought, WW2 soldier = MAN, "himself" would have been comfortably correct.
Question: if a person is schizophrenic, should it be 'themselves'?
Schizophrenia isn’t about multiple personalities. It’s about having visual and auditory hallucinations and often a psychotic break with reality.
You’re thinking of multiple personality disorder, or what is now called dissociative identity disorder - a diagnosis still of some controversy among mental health professionals.
Snail, only a group of people can be a huddle in the noun form, but one person can curl themselves into a small space and thusly activate the verb huddle all on their own.
The abomination of "like" is destroying my meals out. For some reason, I can hear nothing of any nearby conversation except for that one word, over and over and over. I'm going to have a shirt made with a slogan - Stop Using 'Like, You Moron.
I plead for mercy ! Can one person, by themself, 'huddle'?
In an email this morning I described a WWII photo of a soldier on the ground, no other person visible in the photo, under artillery fire. I described the person as 'huddled on the ground, making themself as small as possible." The visible area was flat with sparse vegetation no more than a foot high.
Oh boy! I just can't stay out of trouble. I find that 'themself' is controversial.
snailgate.
Well, 'huddled' on the ground certainly sounds better than 'cowering' on the ground. -"BB"-
Re: Dear Sire, Amerenglish is killing language
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:09 am
by Big RR
one person can curl themselves into a small space and thusly activate the verb huddle all on their own.
I had never heard it used this way, so I checked; all the dictionaries I checked (even the sainted OED) provide that definition.
one person can curl themselves into a small space and thusly activate the verb huddle all on their own.
I had never heard it used this way, so I checked; all the dictionaries I checked (even the sainted OED) provide that definition.
I am glad the sainted OED confirms my assertion.
Did I ever disclose that I was the kind of geeky child that would spend hours perusing Roget’s thesaurus for the pure pleasure of growing my vocabulary? My copy was all nibbled along the top edge by my pet cockatiel who loved to perch on my books when I was reading.
The abomination of "like" is destroying my meals out. For some reason, I can hear nothing of any nearby conversation except for that one word, over and over and over. I'm going to have a shirt made with a slogan - Stop Using 'Like, You Moron.
one person can curl themselves into a small space and thusly activate the verb huddle all on their own.
I had never heard it used this way, so I checked; all the dictionaries I checked (even the sainted OED) provide that definition.
I am glad the sainted OED confirms my assertion.
Did I ever disclose that I was the kind of geeky child that would spend hours perusing Roget’s thesaurus for the pure pleasure of growing my vocabulary? My copy was all nibbled along the top edge by my pet cockatiel who loved to perch on my books when I was reading.
No cockatiel then, but I did pretty much the same thing. I still keep a copy on my desk for some of the writing I do.
