h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*quietly creeps back onto the thread and sits in the corner*

Where were we? Oh yes, smoke and daggers.

Tony Blair shared a platform with Bertie Ahern once and deflected to him those questions that neither wanted to answer. Bertie waffled so successfully that they were safely onto the next question before anyone worked out that he hadn't said anything to the point.

Political air guitar.

Isn't that what all politicians do?

*applauds the sentiment - questions the detail*

Ho-ho-ho.

Here's an early xmas present for all my old
British English friends.

It's actually not a bad Grammar Quiz with a lot
of very good user comments and arguments, both
for and against the site's 'definitive' answers.

Nothing like a little thought provocation to get them
juices flowing, the whine mulling and the brain gears
up and running.


http://whatis.techtarget.com/quiz/Tis-or-tis-the-season-A-grammar-quiz

Merry Christmas to all...

~jwf~

Hmm. Got one of those wrong.

You did or they did?
Your meaning is not clear.

Seems to be at least a pronoun missing
so that an antecedent can be deduced.

Happily...
many of the arguments put forth in the comments
are quite reassuring for anyone with self-doubt or
fraught with misgivings such as yours (or theirs).



~jwf~

I got one wrong.

Here's a thing that's been puzzling me. When did 'free' become a quantity? Increasingly I hear or read that something is 'for free'. Surely, if an item or service doesn't cost anything, it's just free. What is the point of the extra word?

I accept that language is always changing. This is one change that seems pointless to me.

Good question. Perhaps they mean 'for (taking) free'

This isn't British English, but it drives me mad that in German (and possibly in other languages) you say "It can be possible"

Either "it *is* possible" or "it can be..."

As for "for free" - that has always sort of bothered me, too, but I never thought about why! They mean "for nothing", really, don't they.

I understand for as'in exchange of'

I give you this in enchange of\for 5 pounds, for free , for a week in Granada,....

TC, in English you can say 'it might/could be possible' if you're not sure whether something can be done. I agree that 'it can be possible' just doesn't work.

I've done some online searching regarding 'for free'. Grammar purists hate it, but everybody knows what it means so it's generally accepted. I wouldn't say that I hate it, but it does feel wrong.

It can be possible...

Irish news reports are also so careful not to accuse anyone of anything that have double and triple conditionals.

"It was alleged that Mr X may have struck the police officer."

It was in fact alleged that he did strike the police officer, not that
he may have.

It may be just an Irish habit of never saying anything definite.

"Will you go to the party?"

"I think I probably might."

Sorry, that sentence was intended to say:

"Irish news reports are always so careful not to accuse anyone of anything that they have double or even triple conditionals.

Looking at it from the German point of view, the English are just as bad at avoiding making an actual point when they speak, or even write. Not sure if I want to open that here, though.

But I've been working with English people for some 20 years now. It is so difficult to get a straight statement out of them. This is mainly, of course, in a work situation. Here on h2g2 in their free time, people can be very definite, decisive and assertive in their opinions and comments.

Foreign visitor, not believing it possible that 'Here you never get a straight answer', thinks of a question that should elicit one.

He asks a man leaning against the Post Office, 'Is this the Post Office?'

Answer: 'Is it stamps you want?'