Perfect for pedants' corner

I got 13 out of 14 - hadn't spotted that "pride" can be a collective - as in a pride of lions. But I objected to the question that asked which sentence was grammatically correct. My contention is that they were*all*grammatically correct but some had spelling mistakes. Grammar is not the same as orthography.

I got 13 out of 14 - hadn't spotted that "pride" can be a collective - as in a pride of lions.
But I object to the question that asked which sentence was grammatically correct. My contention is that they were*all*grammatically correct but some had spelling mistakes. Grammar is not the same as orthography.

MamaCaz - I'll come clean - I used to be an English teacher and I made the same mistake - just doing it too fast to think about it!

I forgot to add that I wasn't taught any of that stuff in school English lessons - it has all come from learning French and Spanish.

One wrong here - I knew that 'pride' was an abstract noun, but forgot its collective meaning!

Anno - I am a bit unusual in that I love both maths and English, so I am equally happy doing a maths/logic puzzle or a crossword. I was told at college that I was a convergent/divergent thinker - I think the wires in my brain are crossed!

Shocking favouritism, feetlebaum!

Oh anno - I hated grammatical analysis. Fortunately, my English master (who had co-authored the text book 'An English Grammar of Function') recognised this, and told me that as I used the language well enough, I could write, while the others fiddled about with their seven columns of analysis!

I also enjoyed analysis of sentences at school. I like to see a pattern - so it's a bit puzzling that I had little use for maths.

I'm only saying that's how it came across when emails first started. Like most things, usage has evolved.

It wasn't' t used so much in a social context back then.

Horses for courses I guess.

The school that I attended had compulsory Latin for the first year! At the time I couldn't see the point, but it's surprising how some of it can relate to other languages.

Although as our Latin teacher was Welsh, there are probably still a few of us around who quote Latin phrases with an accent that is pure Swansea!

Gerundives don't really figure in English grammar, I think, and I always explained gerunds by saying they were verbal nouns, using 'I enjoy running' as an example. 'A dripping tap' is a verbal adjective.
I grew up in the era of parsing and analysing and I loved it. I think I can still remember all the different types of adverbial clauses - no, I have never needed the knowledge, but I just enjoy it.

Agreed, grumppa, I found I could explain most aspects of grammar to students at all levels, but gerunds and gerundives? Pointless, unless the said students had a background in the classics which most of them hadn't.

Agree entirely, Greatnan. A letter is a letter, whether it's sent through the post, faxed, or emailed.

On grammar in general, a pupil's knowledge of the basics certainly helps modern language teachers and pupils, I recall from my dim and distant past in both roles.

Gerunds are something else. They and gerundives were a necessary hurdle in Kennedy's Latin Primer, but are beyond pedantry in English, even beyond Pedant's corner, I would have thought.

Who dictated the rules for e-mails? I always use Dear... and Yours sincerely, or Faithfully, depending on whether I know the name of the correspondent.
I judge companies who send me e-mails by how polite I find them. I don't use teen-speak and rarely use abbreviations, even on this site. It doesn't take much longer to write things out in full and saves your readers from the effort of trying to work out what you mean.
I reserve the right to decide for myself how I will word my e-mails.

Phoenix - I am sure you have the unwavering support of all of us who have been following your search for employment.

Yes phoenix. Sarcastic like you were being with your reply to my potato comment.

I repeat, I was talking to Sel. From last night.

I disagree J08 a bit of civility in business emails wouldn't go amiss.

It's demoralising enough when job-hunting, never mind putting up with dismissive replies.

And when you need to work, trying find a job becomes your life.

Really?

I was being sarcastic when I said "your thread".

Not my thread, Cari's actually.

Yes, there is more to life then job interviews, like wondering how to pay the mortgage.

More to life than job interviews!

Forgive me if I diversified slightly from your thread. I was still communing with Sel

That is how emails should be written Phoenix. All this 'dear...' and 'love from' belongs back in snail mail.

So how many times have you actually been asked to peel a potato at an interview J08 ?

I remember some useful stuff from school. When you slice a potato through you can see the bit under the skin where the vitamins are stored. So always peel thinly.

It's only a quiz in a newspaper.