Gransnet forums

Pedants' corner

Letter from Boris

(32 Posts)
Pittcity Sun 11-Jul-21 09:15:54

A public letter to the England team with far too much punctuation. It hurts my eyes!!

Oopsadaisy1 Sun 11-Jul-21 09:17:31

Well, I doubt that he wrote it himself.

timetogo2016 Sun 11-Jul-21 09:18:20

It`s the thought that counts,but i get your drift.

Kim19 Sun 11-Jul-21 09:18:56

I'm glad he took the time to contact them irrespective of grammar.

geekesse Sun 11-Jul-21 09:21:38

The writer seems to have problems with the difference between a sentence and a paragraph. It isn’t a good advertisement for an Eton/Oxford education,

FannyCornforth Sun 11-Jul-21 09:23:58

You can read it in his voice, he speaks in short, staccato sentences like that.
Just put emphasis on completely random words and you’re good to go!

Elleee Sun 11-Jul-21 09:28:14

I read Dear 'Santa'

25Avalon Sun 11-Jul-21 09:29:29

It’s so all the simple people are able to read it, unlike her maj’s letter which has so much dignity like her maj herself.

Pittcity Sun 11-Jul-21 09:50:40

"...., and the England Team" was obviously an afterthought.

MayBee70 Sun 11-Jul-21 11:05:00

He probably thought he needed to keep the wording simple and the sentences short because he was writing to people wot hadn’t had a public school education. And that it would be read on social media by even more people wot hadn’t had a public school education.

JaneJudge Sun 11-Jul-21 11:10:40

and I was very, very drunk

Sarnia Sun 11-Jul-21 11:21:41

Thank goodness it wasn't hand written. Looking at his writing it would have been illegible. Boris will be hoping for a photoshoot with the trophy in the hopes it will divert our attention from other things.

grandtanteJE65 Sun 11-Jul-21 11:30:33

I don't agree that there is too much punctuation, but some of it is wrong!

To my mind there should not have been a comma in the first sentence, but a semi-colon after "the whole country" would have been preferable to the comma there.

A letter of this kind should not contain dashes and commas instead of repeating "and" all the time when listing their accomplishments would have been an advantage. Why "seemed to shine" instead of simply and less demeaningly "shine"?

Whoever wrote it needs to pay attention to punctuation, style and learn to re-write a letter if he or she has forgotten the first sentence, not just add it as a hand-written emendment.

If the hand-written salutation was intended to make the letter look as if it had actually been written by Boris Johnson himself, it doesn't work. Only an entirely hand-written letter would create that impression.

MayBee70 Sun 11-Jul-21 12:13:01

On behalf of the entire nation? He doesn’t necessarily speak for me (well, he does but he doesn’t actually know that) or my Italian neighbour! Perhaps he thinks I can’t write my own letters. No mention of thanking them for donating their winnings to the NHS if they win, either. He probably doesn’t know about that and, if he does he should feel ashamed that they feel the need to do so.

Smileless2012 Sun 11-Jul-21 12:17:40

I like it.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 11-Jul-21 12:32:20

Short and to the point, cannot see what the fuss is about?

(If Mr.Johnson was to run into a burning building to save a puppy there are those who would complain that he forgot to save the puppy’s favoured toy)

geekesse Sun 11-Jul-21 12:41:09

GrannyGravy13

Short and to the point, cannot see what the fuss is about?

(If Mr.Johnson was to run into a burning building to save a puppy there are those who would complain that he forgot to save the puppy’s favoured toy)

If anyone with an Oxford education were to write such poor English, I’d make the same comment.

MayBee70 Sun 11-Jul-21 12:45:12

The fact is he’s someone pretending to be a huge football fan when I bet he’s never willingly gone to a football match in his life till this one and that’s only because he thinks it will be good for his image.

25Avalon Sun 11-Jul-21 12:51:43

He’s got England flags festooned all over Downing Street. Loads of fair weather fans and people who have never been to a football match are supporting England and why not? It’s something to cheer after the long dark tunnel.

BlueBelle Sun 11-Jul-21 12:51:47

Some people like every that man does and I do wish people stop referring to him as ‘Boris’ like he’s your best friend or next door neighbour
He and the letter is about as genuine as a Nottingham knocker

Galaxy Sun 11-Jul-21 12:54:01

I had to look that phrase up Bluebelle, am not sure how I have managed to miss it.

Shelmiss Sun 11-Jul-21 12:55:07

It’s a great letter. I have no idea about, or general interest in football, but I am completely behind England in this (and I’m half Italian!)

Currently listening to Three Lions blaring out on the radio!

BlueBelle Sun 11-Jul-21 12:59:35

Yes we re behind England shelmiss just not behind the hypocritical letter

Ellianne Sun 11-Jul-21 13:00:26

When Boris was Mayor of London he used to attend football matches. I remember he was asked which team he supported and he replied in that daft, woolly manner, "All the London clubs".
He also played in charity matches, so he isn't totally pretending to be a fan.

Shelmiss Sun 11-Jul-21 13:02:50

Bluebelle my comment was regarding a previous comment which said Boris was pretending to be a huge football fan. I’m not either but I’m behind England