New grammatical constructs???

[TheGITM]

Originally Posted by tinnitus

So is "Me and Bobby McGee" an example of everyday poor grammar? Or is it a textbook example of "pseudo-ignorant malingering" (Tom Wolfe coined that term) to play up the dirtiness of that red bandana wrapped around the harpoon?

Actually, it's good enough for me.

[Cypress Knee]

My current pet peeve is the use of "perfect", often pronounced "PURR-fect".


As an example, I place on order at a coffee shop. The young cashier tells me "Your total is six dollars and fifty cents."

I give her a ten-dollar bill.

"PURR-feect" she replies.


I think "No. Perfect is when I give you a five-dollar bill, a one-dollar bill, and two quarters."

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by RJVB

You'd have to go back to when it was written and find a justification why it wouldn't be an example of poetic liberty.

Oh golly, I would trade everything Tom Wolfe ever churned out for almost any one song by Kris Kristofferson in a heartbeat.

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Cypress Knee

As an example, [...] a coffee shop. [...]

"PURR-feect" she replies.

I think "No. Perfect is when I give you a five-dollar bill, a one-dollar bill, and two quarters."

And I would think that I was experiencing a perfect example of inflation, unless of course you were talking about a coffee shop in Amsterdam (in which case I have no further comments)

[Norsepicker]

And of course Webster's has now declared the dangling proposition no longer a a crime - whatever

[Chipotle]

Originally Posted by Norsepicker

And of course Webster's has now declared the dangling proposition no longer a a crime - whatever

"You want to go back to my place or........?" Now *that* would be a dangling proposition. I think you meant preposition. Sorry, had to since this is a grammar thread.

That rule has always been arbitrary, made up by some 17th-century pedants who thought English should aspire to being Latin. Well, it's not. A preposition, in English, is perfectly fine to end a sentence with.

[TheGITM]

There are some things up with which I will not put!

- how's that for good grammar?

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by RJVB

And I would think that I was experiencing a perfect example of inflation, unless of course you were talking about a coffee shop in Amsterdam (in which case I have no further comments)

I think it's just running out of ways to say "uh-huh", "okay", "got it", etc. and/or getting sick of repeating those100s of times a week.

Word inflation I do hate: "insanely" for "very".

"Our pure cotton shirts are insanely comfortable!" So, as comfortable as ?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Of course, what we're discussing here isn't really grammar per se. We're talking about ellipsis, words that are being used for functions other than strict meaning. For example, "Yeah", in "Yeah, no..." is an intensifier and isn't meant to have a literal meaning. Similar to how you sometimes throw the word "right" at the end of a sentence as an indicator, right? (See what I did there?)

Language that strictly adhered to only grammatical meaning would be pretty boring, IMO.

And it ain't really all that new ya'll
Indeed the song Gimme some lovin' would be pretty dam stiff an boring

[rllink]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

No one mentioned 'farther' and 'further'?

C'mon, people!

My neighbor across the street pontificated for twenty minutes on pretty much on this very same subject just last week and he brought up farther and further. I was duly impressed with his wealth of knowledge and his aversion to pretty much everything that isn't "proper." I'm thinking I will look out my window and try not to be outside picking up my mail if he is out and about this summer.

[RP]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

There are some things up with which I will not put!

- how's that for good grammar?

I think we could probably get you permission to dangle a preposition...

[KenL]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

That rule has always been arbitrary, made up by some 17th-century pedants who thought English should aspire to being Latin. Well, it's not. A preposition, in English, is perfectly fine to end a sentence with.

I see what you did there, Chipotle. Well done!

[Jim Owen]

I can’t even.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by TheGITM

There are some things up with which I will not put!

- how's that for good grammar?

Stuff like that was good enough for Yoda...

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

Stuff like that was good enough for Yoda...