"Well, that's how it's pronounced over here at this. 'Look at Tim's beard' sounds like 'Looket Tim's beard', with the first two words run together. But I've never heard 'Look it' by itself."
Well, even though Andrew wrote "look it", I think Americans normally spell it "lookit". Though it's probably usually pronounced more like "looket" or "lookut". But, yes, we do use it by itself, without explicitly stating what object is to be lookited.
"On top of that it's just wrong. What REALLY gets on my goat - and it's REALLY prevalent in scientific papers... the word 'commonest' ARGH! It's 'most common' - but laziness has allowed 'commonest' to creep it's way into the lexicon."
Well, Oxford lists "commoner" as the comparative form of "common". Dictionary.com has two entries that list "commoner" and "commonest" as the comparative and superlative forms, and they don't mention "more/most common" at all.
"It'd be like saying beautifulest."
Not really. Single-syllable adjectives typically take "-er" and "-est". Three or more syllables, and you'd usually use "more" and "most". But disyllabic adjectives are kind of 50/50 on using "-er"/"-est" or "more"/"most".
Registered: Mar 1999
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1. Writing "could of" instead of "could've". Hello? "Of" doesn't mean "have"!
2. Using "your" in place of "you're" (that's worse than confusing "to" and "two"). More problems with contractions...
3. "Definite" being spelled with an "a". There's no "a"! No no no!
And, finally, to bring this back to Star Trek...
4. Split infinitives!!! "To boldly go" my ass.
-------------------- "Well, I mean, it's generally understood that, of all of the people in the world, Mike Nelson is the best." -- ULTRA MAGNUS, steadfast in curmudgeon
Registered: Feb 2001
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From what I can work out from "to boldy go" is that something is split that you have to boldy (insert verb) and to go - but the two have been combined?
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
posted
The split infinitive is something that no-one who has any semblence of a life cares about in the slightest. You almost certainly do it all the time in real life. I don't think that it even counts as "bad English" anymore (according to important people who are important).
I agree with the contractions thing, especially "your/you're", but split infinitives? Come on.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: I agree with the contractions thing, especially "your/you're", but split infinitives? Come on.
Hello? J O K E.
-------------------- "Well, I mean, it's generally understood that, of all of the people in the world, Mike Nelson is the best." -- ULTRA MAGNUS, steadfast in curmudgeon
Registered: Feb 2001
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
Can someon explain the "split infinitive"?
I should really leave the details to Timmy, because he lives for this kind of thing and I don't want to spite him too much, but I shall offer mine just so I can showcase my own VAST knowledge of English. B)
Now then. A split infinitive is an infinitive that has one or more adverbs between its "to" and "verb" components, which is clearly UNGRAMMATICAL since the Latin infinitive is a single word and so the English construction should also be treated as if it were one unit and people who persist in splitting them open should be hanged from the highest tree and have their livers picked out by ravens.
And while we're listing favorites, I SO despise the proles who always mix up "there" and "their". Such ignorami fill me with rage, man. RAGE.
posted
Did you search for that, or do you keep things like that handy just in case an opportunity to use them comes up in the future? Because I can see Batman doing something like that. Yes.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
I keep lots of things handy.
Registered: Nov 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
I keep lots of things handy.
Registered: Nov 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
I keep lots of things handy.
Registered: Nov 1999
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-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I think your all being silly. After all, is there a definate way to spell when to or more countries post in the same forum? As to Trek, there's no way they could of incorperated "split infinitives" into a storyline.
Somewhere MrNeutron's head has just exploded.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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that you have to boldy (insert verb) and to go - but the two have been combined?
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