03-12-2021, 10:39 PM
Whilst I am quite pedantic about English grammar, I must admit to not being immune from the odd grammatical 'faux pas', such as:-
Starting a sentence with "So"
Using two "ands" in the same sentence.
The trouble with posting on line is there is a temptation to press the 'Post' button and then realising one's mistake. I believe it is called the "Oh B*gg*r" factor!
However, perhaps there is a tendency especially amongst those of us of a certain age, to forget that language is constantly evolving. If we all started to write our prose in the way that Victorian writers did, then it would be considered rather odd. Even listening the the clipped pronunciation that was used by BBC announcers when I was little sound strange to modern ears, whereas the Oxford accent for the twenties would sound positively affected today (perhaps it was in the twenties too! I know that D.H. Lawrence wrote a poem castigating it.)
The purpose of language is communication, and, provided the meaning is clear and unambiguous, then perhaps we should put up with such shortcuts as 'm8' (mate), 'LOL' (laugh out loud), the liberal use of Americanisms and so on, even though, for me, such things grate. Remember that English spelling was not put on a consistent footing until Dr. Samuel Johnson compiled his dictionary in the mid-eighteenth century.
Mind you, being pedantic about these things is so much fun.........
Starting a sentence with "So"
Using two "ands" in the same sentence.
The trouble with posting on line is there is a temptation to press the 'Post' button and then realising one's mistake. I believe it is called the "Oh B*gg*r" factor!
However, perhaps there is a tendency especially amongst those of us of a certain age, to forget that language is constantly evolving. If we all started to write our prose in the way that Victorian writers did, then it would be considered rather odd. Even listening the the clipped pronunciation that was used by BBC announcers when I was little sound strange to modern ears, whereas the Oxford accent for the twenties would sound positively affected today (perhaps it was in the twenties too! I know that D.H. Lawrence wrote a poem castigating it.)
The purpose of language is communication, and, provided the meaning is clear and unambiguous, then perhaps we should put up with such shortcuts as 'm8' (mate), 'LOL' (laugh out loud), the liberal use of Americanisms and so on, even though, for me, such things grate. Remember that English spelling was not put on a consistent footing until Dr. Samuel Johnson compiled his dictionary in the mid-eighteenth century.
Mind you, being pedantic about these things is so much fun.........