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Pedants' corner

Big red bus? or Red big bus?

(46 Posts)
grandMattie Wed 01-Nov-17 12:07:28

DH and I often wonder how the protocol of adjectives is organised. Why is it a "Big, red bus" not a "red, big bus" or that it is "silly, old man" not "old, silly man"?
Can one of you pedants help out, please? BTW I am a pedant too - or as my SiL's mug says "Your a pedant"! grin

Jalima1108 Sun 05-Nov-17 10:42:44

Quite djen

And that's why I put grin after 'poetic licence'
Perhaps I should have put wink

sunshine a drop of golden sun
(not physically possible)

durhamjen Sun 05-Nov-17 10:38:46

Greta, I thought our authority was the Queen.

durhamjen Sun 05-Nov-17 10:34:02

What's bad writing about finding a rhyme to teach a group of children of all ages about music?
I don't understand that. Not clumsy at all.

Grandma70s Sun 05-Nov-17 10:22:41

Jam and bread isn’t poetic licence. It’s a clumsy attempt to find a rhyme. Just bad writing.

Greta Sun 05-Nov-17 10:14:40

Interesting topic. The problem is that there is no authoritative language academy that regulates the English language. The French have their Academie francaise, the Swedes have Språkrådet, The Germans have Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung. I think the English rely on 'common usage'. This, of course, often leads to a multitude of errors, misconceptions and general confusion.

durhamjen Sat 04-Nov-17 14:15:58

And maybe in Austria they say jam and bread.

Jalima1108 Sat 04-Nov-17 14:13:17

it's called poetic licence! It has to rhyme with 'thread'
grin

Grandma70s Sat 04-Nov-17 13:27:08

I’ve always been a bit offended by the line in The Sound of Music: ‘Tea, a drink with jam and bread’. No one ever says jam and bread. It’s bread and jam.

durhamjen Sat 04-Nov-17 12:33:31

I bet lots of people split infinitives all the time without realising.

Is it okay to really want to.....?
Is it okay to really wonder about....?
Is it okay to actually think that....?

Jalima1108 Fri 03-Nov-17 20:56:11

You can’t split infinitives ( as Star Trek does) by saying ‘to boldly go’ etc.it would be ‘to go boldly.’

I do. I proudly split infinitives all the time grin

Chrissie I think that, if you start another thread, you could get more responses.

I don't recommend masks, the moisture could breed germs. An essential oil called 'Thieves' has been recommended and I use that occasionally on flights. Whether it is beneficial or not I do not know.

giulia Fri 03-Nov-17 11:20:14

In Italy they say BIANCO E NERO while we say black and White. Also, in Italian, adjectives can precede or follow a noun with great flexibility.

Chrissie1564 Fri 03-Nov-17 10:28:45

After a recent flight both my friend and I contracted noro virus. I am flying to Spain next week and have antiseptic wipes to take and First Defence nasal spray. My friend recommends wearing a mask. I can see the sense of this but think I would be embarrassed. What do you think? Chris

durhamjen Thu 02-Nov-17 21:17:18

Not all native speakers get word order right. My grandson sometimes doesn't; he has autism.
Just in case you think that all people who get word order wrong are non-native.

lemongrove Thu 02-Nov-17 21:00:55

You can’t split infinitives ( as Star Trek does) by saying ‘to boldly go’ etc.it would be ‘to go boldly.’

Jalima1108 Thu 02-Nov-17 20:24:02

Day6 probably the most important ingredient should come first - perhaps your American visitor thought that chips are more important than the fish which was an after-thought!

Ale and steak pie anyone?

willa45 Thu 02-Nov-17 16:49:09

Boggles.....Syntax seems to vary widely depending on language. I don't know sign language but it seems to work around the world, regardless of spoken language of origin. It must be quite a challenge to learn to sign in a different language.

willa45 Thu 02-Nov-17 16:35:26

Thanks grandMattie and Day6. I get the sense that (rules aside) the one that rolls off the tongue more easily, is likely the best choice.

Day6 Thu 02-Nov-17 15:39:27

A bit of an aside, but we had an American lad staying with us a few years ago who insisted on telling us how much he enjoyed the "chips and fish" supper we provided for him one evening!

We corrected him and he asked why? He had a point. hmm

boggles Thu 02-Nov-17 15:25:26

You'll find in sign language too it's ' I have a jumper blue' or 'trousers red' Just thought I'd mention it.

grandMattie Thu 02-Nov-17 15:17:25

sorry sorry, the reverse - quickly walked is hasty, etc.

grandMattie Thu 02-Nov-17 15:16:17

No idea - but the first phrase seems to indicate haste; the second a habitual mode of movement and the third seems a bit clunky.

willa45 Thu 02-Nov-17 14:54:12

I often have trouble with the placement of adverbs, (i.e. walked quickly towards the aisle...or quickly walked towards the aisle... or walked towards the aisle, quickly).

Does it make any difference where they go or is there a hard and fast rule that governs the placement of adverbs?

grandMattie Thu 02-Nov-17 14:47:47

Well done all of you, and thank you!
What about the hyphen? DH's favourite example is "extra marital sex is a good thing". If the hyphen is between extra and marital... wink

grannyactivist Thu 02-Nov-17 14:00:42

As a teacher of English as a second language I have to say that teaching word order is one of my favourite lessons.

lemongrove Thu 02-Nov-17 13:57:24

It’s the dog that is dreadful, so it would be ‘he was scared by
A big dreadful dog’....well, sounds right to me.