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Posted by Trish Brown on June 30, 2009, 3:08 am
Dawne Peterson wrote:
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>> "Trish Brown" wrote ...
>>> Getting back to the subject at hand, another peeve of mine is the almost
>>> universal use of an apostrophe to form plurals. Where on earth did that
>>> come from?
>
> I particularly loved driving along the streets of the cottage community
> where not-quite-ex-H resides, and seeing all the signs. The Brown's. The
> Kwiatkowski's. The Prendergast's. I like to imagine it is like the
> Highland chieftains--The MacDonald, or whatever. And in each of the little
> cabins is a head of a far flung clan--I am The Prendergast! Amazed I have
> gone out at night and wrecked the signs with a baseball bat as is commonly
> done with roadside mailboxes.
>
> Dawne
>
>
ROTFLMAO!!! That's not something I see over here in N'cle (thankfully).
Few people even name their houses and it's pushing things uphill to even
get them to number their houses legibly.
Having said that, though, the people who live opposite us have called
their historic home 'Rosemar House' as a double tribute to the daughters
of the pioneer settler who built it. They were called 'Rose' and
'Marie', see.
Well, Lorraine went out and purchased some lovely eight-inch high wooden
letters and the word 'Rosemar' *just* fitted by a whisker into the space
beneath her parlour window. BUT - the place is known almost universally
as 'Rosemary House' and everyone believes she couldn't afford to
purchase the necessary 'Y' and so left it out. LOL! This drives poor
Lorraine mad and she's constantly explaining to people that 'Rosemar'
was on purpose.
--
Trish Brown
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Posted by Trish Brown on June 30, 2009, 3:17 am
Parrotfish wrote:
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> "Trish Brown" wrote ...
>
>> Getting back to the subject at hand, another peeve of mine is the almost
>> universal use of an apostrophe to form plurals. Where on earth did that
>> come from? I mean, it's not that hard to remember apostrophes are used for
>> contractions and for ownership. Is it? I nearly fainted when DD's
>> principal did it *three times* on the front page of the school newsletter!
>> Urgh!
>> --
> A sign outside our local farm shop announced.......
> '100 Real Ale's'
> I said to my husband that we should pop in.
> 'For the beer?' he said.
> 'Nooooo...... so that I can ask them to correct the sign'.
> And another thing!
> We went to the school Summer Fete yesterday, and noted in the programme were
> the raffle prizes. I wonder if I've won a *Neckless* ?
ROTFL! Now, that puts me in mind of 'Cat On a Hot Tin Roof' where Maggie
refers to Goopers 'little no-neck monsters'.
I've got another one (peeve, that is). It's highly personal and I don't
expect anyone to agree with me. This is just *my* annoyance, okay?
'Comedic'.
If you look it up in the dictionary, it will tell you that 'comedic' is
an adjective derived from 'comedy'. However, there was already a
perfectly good word(s) to use in this instance and that would be 'comic'
or 'comical', depending on where you'd want to use it.
Back in the dark ages, when I was concerned with teen acne, I was told
that a 'comedo' is a blackhead and that a 'comedic extractor' could be
used to remove its contents effectively. I've never forgotten that, so
whenever I hear someone referred to as 'comedic', I assume he's
afflicted with ragingly open, dirty pores!
What was wrong with 'comic' or 'comical' anyway?
--
Trish Brown
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Posted by Ericka Kammerer on June 30, 2009, 7:52 am
Trish Brown wrote:
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> I've got another one (peeve, that is). It's highly personal and I don't
> expect anyone to agree with me. This is just *my* annoyance, okay?
>
> 'Comedic'.
>
> If you look it up in the dictionary, it will tell you that 'comedic' is
> an adjective derived from 'comedy'. However, there was already a
> perfectly good word(s) to use in this instance and that would be 'comic'
> or 'comical', depending on where you'd want to use it.
>
> Back in the dark ages, when I was concerned with teen acne, I was told
> that a 'comedo' is a blackhead and that a 'comedic extractor' could be
> used to remove its contents effectively. I've never forgotten that, so
> whenever I hear someone referred to as 'comedic', I assume he's
> afflicted with ragingly open, dirty pores!
>
> What was wrong with 'comic' or 'comical' anyway?
I could be flat out wrong, but I've always felt that
there's a subtle, but real, difference. I've always used
"comic" or "comical" to mean "funny," but "comedic" to mean
"related to comedy." In other words, someone is a comedic
actor if he or she works in comedies, but a comic actor if
his or her acting is funny ;-) Obviously, there's a significant
amount of overlap in usage, and I'm not sure everyone draws
the same distinction (or even that they should), but that's
how I've always interpreted the usage.
Best wishes,
Ericka
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Posted by NDJoan on June 30, 2009, 11:16 am
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> We went to the school Summer Fete yesterday, and noted in the programme w=
ere
show/hide quoted text
> the raffle prizes. I wonder if I've won a *Neckless* ?
show/hide quoted text
<SPLORT!!!!!>
Joan
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Posted by NDJoan on June 30, 2009, 11:12 am
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> (You'll be pleased to know that our Eglantine is still kicking on, ,,, sh=
e's as spry as a phly. Isn't that great?)
show/hide quoted text
<cough> hmm, yes I s'pose, for your sake
show/hide quoted text
> A propos of two vowels, what about 'gaol', then? Hm?
You mean "jail"???? LOLOL! Same rule applies! HA! (Unless you
pronounce "gaol" differently than our spelling? When I first saw that
word *eons* ago, I thought, "What's gay-ole?")
show/hide quoted text
> And 'cough' (koffkoff)?
ROTFL! I *knew* you'd come up with the exceptions!!!!
show/hide quoted text
> I mean, it's not that hard to remember apostrophes are used
> for contractions and for ownership. Is it?
Obviously, it is!
show/hide quoted text
> I nearly fainted when DD's principal did it *three times* on the
> front page of the school newsletter! Urgh!
YIKES! Reminds me of the time when DS#1 was in 3rd grade. He came
home with his spelling lists twice with words misspelled by the
teacher: marshmellow and hydrophonics. She was actually glad I
brought them to her attention, although DS wouldn't believe me until I
talked to the teacher, the little toad!
Joan
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>>> Getting back to the subject at hand, another peeve of mine is the almost
>>> universal use of an apostrophe to form plurals. Where on earth did that
>>> come from?
>
> I particularly loved driving along the streets of the cottage community
> where not-quite-ex-H resides, and seeing all the signs. The Brown's. The
> Kwiatkowski's. The Prendergast's. I like to imagine it is like the
> Highland chieftains--The MacDonald, or whatever. And in each of the little
> cabins is a head of a far flung clan--I am The Prendergast! Amazed I have
> gone out at night and wrecked the signs with a baseball bat as is commonly
> done with roadside mailboxes.
>
> Dawne
>
>