General Chat

no no fair play you can get big kids

i got two in my family
hubby and son in law

Outside our village church last year there was a sign saying 'Prey for small children'

The mind boggles

I remember being in a shoe shop once with my dads wife who was an English Teacher and they had an offer on 'Plimpsoles' she went to great lengths to ask what the Plimp was the shoes were made out of and what made them different from Plimsoles in other shops.

I was at a big indoor children's play place and the notice to parents was so bad. There were apostrophes where they shouldn't be and missing where they should be. Their and there mixed up and littered with spelling mistakes. I had to change my seat as I couldn't bare to look at it. Sorry the Bare was intentional. lol

Incorrect spellings:

Eg. potatos, tomatos seen on the local veg stall.

Another, more a spoken issue.

Can I 'lend' some money, rather than borrow

and Can you 'learn' me, rather than teach

The above used quite often by young and old. It even drives my children to distraction.

and the one that drives me mad using the letter F for TH eg somefin, free,(three) fought (thought)

Ann,

It is Wilkinsons,,,,,or Wilkos.

So you are right,:}~

What about "there you go" from a shop assistant instead of "Thank you,madam/sir."

There was a sign outside a house by the A3,as if that mattered,that said"Jack Russel puppy's for sale." I always hoped the poor little puppy didn't miss it.Maybe they had bought him a nice new one.

Kathryn
right yes, I know what you mean now re if/whether.

And yes, sloppy on my part it probably should be Wilkinson's. Don't remember what their shop front says though.

I always remember my lovely Scottish Granny coming down to stay with us.......she was looking after us whilst Mum and Dad went to work......we went to the shop and Granny asked for....

.....half a stane o'tatties in her best Scottish accent......I had to translate that she wanted 7lb of potatoes, bless her.....

lol Mac.....

.....one of the sayings here is 'your alright' in answer to anything.....

I asked one of my son's girlfriends a few years ago if she would like a drink.......and she said 'no, you're alright'......meaning no thanks......

I felt like saying, yes......I know I am alright, but WOULD YOU LIKE A DRINK.....

lmao
thats funny mac,

you forget they got different way of talking avent they

mind you the welsh and the english are totally different in thier phrases,
hubby corrects me all the time,

its over here not over yer,

and its cardiff not caardifff

the gararge fixes the car,
not the garige fixes the caar

Ann -- Shouldn't that be

WILKINSON'S

?


In IT. Good one.

Ah, if/whether. The error makes my ears hurt in oral speech, and is like a little fishhook in my eyes in the written word.

Tell me if you are going to the store.
Tell me whether you are going to the store.

Two completely different things!

In the first, I want to know THAT you are going to store, IF you are going to the store. I want you to tell me *if and only if* you are going to the store.

In the second, I want to know WHAT you're doing either way: I want to you to tell me if you're going to the store, and I want you to tell me if you're not going to the store.

If I were not going to the store, I would say nothing when you said "tell me if you are going to the store". And that would probably not be the desired result!


"Whether" is a subordinate conjunction used to create a noun clause; "whether you are going to the store" is the direct object of the verb "tell".

"If" is also a subordinate conjunction, but the clause it creates is an adverbial clause modifying the verb "tell".

It doesn't matter if you go to the store -- if you go to the store, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter whether you go to the store -- if you go to the store it doesn't matter, and if you don't go to the store it doesn't matter.


That one is honoured so much more in the breach that I doubt that anyone throughout my career who was responsible for my work (where things like that are precisely what matter) would even have noticed a breach. When I've trained people in what I do, I've beaten them over the head with it, so maybe I'll cause a revival. ;)


Here endeth today's lesson.


The bit about English speakers in the UK that always kills me is that you don't use the subjunctive.

In North America, we say:
It is important that you be on time.

In the UK, you say:
It is important that you are on time.

I just find that funny, since it's our usage that is arguably the more archaic!

A local fish & chip shop has no idea what a vegetarian eats.

Sign in window

Special for vegetarians
We will cook your fish and chips in vegetable oil


Everytime I see that sign I want to go in and tell them the difference between vegetarians and demi-vegs.

Maureen

Ann,

It should have read-

Bring Your Own,:}!

lmao
mac

i just got back from taking dog for run and thats made me laugh,
im so knackered but its made me chuckle

It makes me angry to see and hear journalists use poor English.It is the tool of their trade.You wouldn't expect the plumber to use bent spoons and a bit of bent wire.(When they could of bought some proper tools and done the job proply!)

Kathryne, another cause for complaint here too usually in greengrocers shops. Apple's and pear's.

In answer to your question i am not sure? i usually know if something is wrong when I see it but am trying to picture an example of whether and if. (By the way i am not perfect, reasonably good at English but it was a long time ago that I was at school.) I don't actually remember doing whether and if though.

Ann
Glos

it is in it lmao

no airs and graces tho mac have we

Buy two,get cheapest one free.