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F' all youse grammar mavens
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For all you who bitch about the figurative use of "literally," it's the point I've been making. Slowguy. Windywave. The rest of the Aspergers crew.

http://lifehacker.com/...uratively-1797636385
Last edited by: AlanShearer: Aug 10, 17 17:06
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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That's a fantastic article.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [Sanuk] [ In reply to ]
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Pinker is one of those brilliant minds that writes to a popular audience. Even put out a style manual, if you could call it that. You don't have to agree with him -- he doesn't ask for that. But he challenges you.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
For all you who bitch about the figurative use of "literally," it's the point I've been making. Slowguy. Windywave. The rest of the Aspergers crew.

http://lifehacker.com/...uratively-1797636385

Irregardless, it's a mute point.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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Like, I TOTALLY agree! Fer sure!

Normalizing, and thus, accepting, poor grammar should be a capital offense. It is what lead to horrible habits like improperly interchanging "because" and "since." "Since" is a measure of time. "Because" implies cause and effect. No, it is not ok to interchange them.

"Since the Packers are playing tonight, I am watching." NO!

"Because the Packers are playing tonight, I am watching." BINGO!

It also leads to things like the gross overuse of the word "that."

"I want to tell you that the sky the blue." NO!

"I want to tell you the sky is blue." THERE YOU GO!

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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"Poor grammar?" Notwithstanding the jest in your post, that comment makes me think that you don't know what the term mean. This has nothing to do with grammar. Arguably usage, but not grammar.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
"Poor grammar?" Notwithstanding the jest in your post, that comment makes me think that you don't know what the term mean. This has nothing to do with grammar. Arguably usage, but not grammar.

Notwithstanding the tongue in cheek nature of my response, I disagree. Grammar is "the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general." That would certainly seem to include usage, especially in written form.

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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A few observations

1) The writer is an idiot. Fantastic still retains its meaning when used colloquially i.e. too good to be true => unbelievable => fantastic.

2) Pinker is Canadian from Quebec. Enough said.

3) His interpretation is basically let's lower the bar to lowest common denominator for the uneducated.

4) I always thought people were saying littoral

5) I could literally care less.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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You probably should double down and study it a bit more.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [windywave] [ In reply to ]
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windywave wrote:
A few observations

1) The writer is an idiot. Fantastic still retains its meaning when used colloquially i.e. too good to be true => unbelievable => fantastic.

2) Pinker is Canadian from Quebec. Enough said.

3) His interpretation is basically let's lower the bar to lowest common denominator for the uneducated.

4) I always thought people were saying littoral

5) I could literally care less.

QED

In addition, Pinker < Windy with regard to idiocy.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
You probably should double down and study it a bit more.

Nope. I'm good.

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
You probably should double down and study it a bit more.

Nope. I'm good.

Ignorance is bliss.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
windywave wrote:
A few observations

1) The writer is an idiot. Fantastic still retains its meaning when used colloquially i.e. too good to be true => unbelievable => fantastic.

2) Pinker is Canadian from Quebec. Enough said.

3) His interpretation is basically let's lower the bar to lowest common denominator for the uneducated.

4) I always thought people were saying littoral

5) I could literally care less.

QED

In addition, Pinker < Windy with regard to idiocy.

I literally didn't realize I needed to use pink. (Well except the first point)
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
You probably should double down and study it a bit more.


Nope. I'm good.


Ignorance is bliss.

I wouldn't know.

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
You probably should double down and study it a bit more.


Nope. I'm good.


Ignorance is bliss.

I wouldn't know.

I totally understand. You're a Brewers fan.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
You probably should double down and study it a bit more.


Nope. I'm good.


Ignorance is bliss.


I wouldn't know.


I totally understand. You're a Brewers fan.

And you voluntarily live in Californistan, so, I hold you to a much, much lower standard. In fact, I think windywave is the only one I hold to a lower standard.

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
You probably should double down and study it a bit more.


Nope. I'm good.


Ignorance is bliss.


I wouldn't know.


I totally understand. You're a Brewers fan.

And you voluntarily live in Californistan, so, I hold you to a much, much lower standard. In fact, I think windywave is the only one I hold to a lower standard.

Yeah but Illinois is a really fucking low bar.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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As an English major who makes his living as a writer, I've come to believe that we should view grammar as a tool to help us express ourselves, not as a rulebook that must be blindly followed without exception. Stephen Fry has an interesting take on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY
Last edited by: Gator1736: Aug 10, 17 21:58
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [JSA] [ In reply to ]
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JSA wrote:
AlanShearer wrote:
"Poor grammar?" Notwithstanding the jest in your post, that comment makes me think that you don't know what the term mean. This has nothing to do with grammar. Arguably usage, but not grammar.

Notwithstanding the tongue in cheek nature of my response, I disagree. Grammar is "the whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general." That would certainly seem to include usage, especially in written form.

Aren't you talking about the meaning of words not the system or structure of language?
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [Gator1736] [ In reply to ]
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Gator1736 wrote:
As an English major who makes his living as a writer, I've come to believe that we should view grammar as a tool to help us express ourselves, not as a rulebook that must be blindly followed without exception. Stephen Fry has an interesting take on the topic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY

Languages constantly evolve and change, this bothers some people.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [ThisIsIt] [ In reply to ]
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I know. It still bothers me when people say, " I am doing really good" or Jim and me are going to the beach

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [len] [ In reply to ]
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I literally corrected your sentences in my mind as soon as I perused them.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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Language evolves, and that's fine. The issue I have with "literally" is that the new usage means the exact opposite of the original usage. If you adopt the meaning of "figuratively" for the term "literally," then the word "literally" literally becomes meaningless.

"I literally pounded him into the ground." So, are you saying you actually did, or you didn't?

It's not like "fantastic," which used to mean something fantasy-like and now has the added meaning of "terrific," since the new meaning is an offshoot of the original meaning and not a negation of it.
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [swimwithstones] [ In reply to ]
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swimwithstones wrote:

It's not like "fantastic," which used to mean something fantasy-like and now has the added meaning of "terrific," since the new meaning is an offshoot of the original meaning and not a negation of it.

He literally called me a moron for pointing that out
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Re: F' all youse grammar mavens [AlanShearer] [ In reply to ]
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AlanShearer wrote:
This has nothing to do with grammar. Arguably usage, but not grammar.

Notwithstanding the really supercool back and forth between you and JSA, but you indicated that this was a grammar issue in the title of the thread.

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)
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