What happened to English grammar?

Oh God. He most likely saved a good number of our sailors from dying. That's all. He was a brave man and served his country well.

No?

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You can see it and respect it and still comment on the grammar.

Just as you, J08, could see and presumably respect the honest feelings of posters on some threads in the past and still comment asking someone to pass you the sickbag. If you live in a glass house, don't call the kettle back, and don't throw stones at the pot.

Sorry, bags, the past tense of sink is definitely sank. The passive is sunk as in The Ship was sunk. He sank the ship.
I have no feelings about the death of this man, and certainly did not envisage any debate about his achievements or the war. Still, any way of getting at me...........

Jingle - remember the thread about the murders near Annecy?

I do remember commenting on the French police and being moaned at for being rascist !!!

And if you want to know who reported your last post - it was me. As soon as I saw it.

Not yours, Nonu, it was J08s.

And I did too. This place is becoming very unpleasant.

It's been unpleasant for some time now MiceElf!

Really Elegran !!!! My oh my .

I have no feelings for this man either, and was totally against the Malvinas war. But I can see why this post would seem so insensitive to many.

I can think of terrible things that have happened to people's families, in general and also on GN - and what seems very sensitive and hurtful to one or more, due to past history, may not be for another or others.

What upsets me is that some just cannot see it. I could m produce a similar sentence, with the same mistakes in a different context- which would be so hurtful and upsetting to some or many, because of their past history. So best NOT post it surely. I can't understand how some of you cannot 'feel' that. Some things are beyond pedantry- although I agree the grammar and syntax is appalling. Even at school, when learning English as a FL, we learnt that it is : sink, sank, sunk.

Oh , didn't read far enough , excuse me !!!

Well Fowler's Modern English Usage (ancient edition from 1965 admittedly!) says 'sunk' and 'sank' are both pp but with sank now prevailing especially in intransitive senses. To quote: " sunk is used of what has been sunk especially by human agency".

I'm happy with either. Also happy to be told my edition of Fowler is way out of date! Though I may well use sunk anyhow. #naturallywickedaswellasthick

We were taught that 'go/went/gone', or 'see/saw/seen' or indeed 'sink/sank/sunk'

where 'present/past simple/past participle of perfect tense', and cannot be interchanged or else!

Whatever you want to use Bags. But perhaps its use for a ship which has been sunk would be more "the sunk ship" - but then again you would say "the sunken ship". Getting a bit too theoretical here.

What about the thread about the murders near Annecy? There is no way I would have been anything less than sympathetic to the victims in that case. I am not responsible for the spin you might have put on any of my remarks.

Just checked and Fowler says sank and sunk are both Past Tense of sink, not past participles. Sorry. So, I think that means either Woodward sunk the Belgrano or Woodward sank the Belgrano are both correct.

And we aren't repsonsible for the spin you put on ours either, jings. Works both ways. AGAIN.

I was against the Falklands war. But you can't not respect this man.

Yes. But I can see straight you.

Fowler says sunken is idiomatic. I like idiom

Also that sunken is intransitive (the sunken ship) and sunk is transitive (the shop has been sunk).

Love it!

I respect the work of the British navy in protecting British interests as ordered from the government.

Will that do?

I especially respect RAF Rescue helicopter pilots because I've been lifted off a mountain by one of them. Awesome.