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Pedants' corner

The importance of punctuation

(63 Posts)
MawtheMerrier Thu 01-Dec-22 08:32:05

Just that, really wine

springishere Mon 05-Dec-22 11:32:14

Thanks for the laughs. I'm always amused at these traffic instructions: Slow traffic crossing. Slow plant moving.

Mollygo Mon 05-Dec-22 14:03:59

Or the confusing poster near school.
“Stopping here could endanger a child!”

Is it just me who thinks that not stopping might be even more dangerous?

Oldnproud Mon 05-Dec-22 17:26:08

The TV advert for a laundry product always gets me. At the very end, we are instructed to "Always keep away from children".

I don't want to keep away from all children - I quite like to give my dgc a hug now and then! 😁

Jaxie Fri 09-Dec-22 15:42:06

“ punc” is Latin for point.

FannyCornforth Fri 09-Dec-22 15:51:32

Jaxie

“ punc” is Latin for point.

Thank you Jaxie, most illuminating. You may have seen that I was wondering about the etymology of it.
(But was to lazy to do anything about it) smile

absent Fri 09-Dec-22 19:13:34

Those things over there are my husbands.
Those things over there are my husband's.

Oldnproud Fri 09-Dec-22 19:32:41

It makes you wonder how we understand each other in spoken English, doesn't it, with no punctuation whatsoever!

Yes, intonation and word stress can make all the difference, but equally often they don't, as in absent's example.

JackyB Fri 09-Dec-22 20:01:55

John had had had where James had had had had had had had had the teachers approval

John had had "had", where James had had "had had". "Had had" had had the teacher's approval.

Doodledog Sat 10-Dec-22 00:21:40

JackyB

John had had had where James had had had had had had had had the teachers approval

John had had "had", where James had had "had had". "Had had" had had the teacher's approval.

Correct ⭐️

grin

Mollygo Sat 10-Dec-22 09:43:55

John had used the perfect tense of the verb to have, where James had used the pluperfect tense of the same verb. The pluperfect tense was accorded the teacher’s approval.

Doodledog Sat 10-Dec-22 10:28:22

grin ⭐️⭐️

Witzend Sat 10-Dec-22 10:39:10

JackyB

John had had had where James had had had had had had had had the teachers approval

John had had "had", where James had had "had had". "Had had" had had the teacher's approval.

I remember that from school!