Deliberate mistakes

Is the mistake the scene in the background is an all woodwork workshop and the fella is using a metalworking lathe with no metal in the lathe

Car used to have oil pressure gauges, now they have a simple light.

N,

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Mike,

I have a theory [or hypothesis] about that ...

Try this ...

Greengrocers think of their produce in the same way as [say] metal dealers.

Therefore, just as there are prices for Gold, Silver, and Copper ... they have prices for Carrot, Potato, and Onion [note the absence of any 's' on these commodities]

Now go to the shop ... "Carrot's 80p/Kg."

suddenly makes sense, because it means "Carrot is 80p/Kg."

I'm sure that there are numerous exceptions, but it's worth a thought.

MichaelG.

but you wouldn't buy a singular carrot, or part of a carrot, so you need an abbreviation for 'carrots are' which could be carrots're. This is getting even more bizarre than the treacle mines thread

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Duncan,

I think perhaps you have missed my main point ^^^

MichaelG.

The village shop near my sister's school sold carrot material in convenient single sticks as the girls would sometimes buy one to feed a horse on their walks.....

I'd beg to differ.

The different typefaces used for the name and then "his book" clearly indicate that these are two separate phrases. Different thing alltogether.

More of a deliberate inaccuracy, don't you think?

I just can't imagine the average greengrocer putting that much though into it.

I think they are the same as the professional signwriters, unsure about were the pos goes so sprinkle a few through their work at random and hope for the best. Most customers would not be sure if the pos was correct or not these days, so defer to the better judgement of the professional and think he must know more than they do.

Baz, I'm not sure I get what you are referring to exactly. Can you give us an example or two?

Seems like the phrase "Please refer to the below reference" is acceptable colloquial English, if that is what you are talking about?

It's often interesting working with Indians and Hong Kong Chinese and the like because their education systems still reflect grammar and useage that was current back in the days of the Raj. They can often quote you rules of English grammar up one side and down the other, yet their speech may sound rather stilted.

EG, "I am working in the IT industry and I am getting up at six every morning" is technically correct, both actions being ongoing and regularly repeated. Therefore according to the strict rules of colonial-era grammar the present progressive tense (I am ...) is called for.

But you or I would just say "I work in the IT industry and get up at six every morning".

It's landladies' quotes that get my ire. The classic was:

Please do not flush anything except "toilet paper" down the toilet.

Two nights without being able to relieve myself

Neil

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Hopper ... Feel free to differ: It wouldn't be a very interesting forum if we were all of the same opinion.

In response: Yes, of course they are two different phrases, but that's irrelevant to this expression being the origin of the "apostrophe s".

There is decorative art in the BookPlate; but I have seen manuscript annotations with the same phrasing, and no 'change of typeface'. ... Here are a couple of examples.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 17/05/2016 08:12:44

Bored now.

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It doesn't require much thought to follow established custom & practice.

**LINK** Clearly demonstrates that many vegetables are priced as substances, not items.

MichaelG.

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Questtion: How much is Gold ? ... Answer: Gold's £28,500/kg

Hopper in his above email which is displayed above has the gist of my point. I was being deliberately obscure. It is all about what sounds right to us indigenous Brits though it may also depend on region and education. 'Above' can be used before and after the item to which it refers. According to some online references 'below' can be used in the same way. However putting 'below' in front of the noun sounds wrong generally except when one is doing it deliberately to draw attention to something by the jarring effect.

How can I advise them of good English usage without offence? There are a lot of more blatant errors that sometimes can be a bit amusing.

Can you explain what is happening here. It is a rather ludicrous situation but technically possible in bad weather.

"Ships' ship's boats shipping ships and boats shipped ships and boats in a BOAT"

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Well ... That's nice, when I'm still busy trying to support your argument.

MichaelG.

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Edit: for the sake of disambiguation:

Yes; my use of "That's nice" was sarcastic.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 17/05/2016 09:40:42

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Try advising them of vernacular English usage; whilst respecting the fact that their English might be more technically correct.

MichaelG.

Sorry

English is a minefield for pedants. For decades even well educated Brits firmly believed in the correctness of "Standard English" and "Received Pronunciation". Today's view is that "Standard English" is just another dialect, no more or less valid than English as practised in Yorkshire, Scotland, Wales, Zummerset or Birmingum.

British readers looking for another example of ill-considered authority might enjoy Strunk and White. "The Elements of Style" is mandatory in many US educational establishments and students are marked down if they don't follow its directives. Although the book does contain much good advice, native speakers will easily detect "rules" that are surely only the prejudice and personal preference of the authors.

A friend went to school in the US. Aged 12 it was agreed that it was OK for her to stand facing the wall whilst the rest of the class swore allegiance to the flag, but her refusal to spell words like colour, theatre, and aluminium correctly was always punished.

On the subject of Aluminum, the spelling is consistent with Platinum and Tantalum. Does anyone know the origin of these variations?

Edit Fixed deliberate error.

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 17/05/2016 10:45:13