A Conversation for Ask h2g2
Pedants thread
The Groob Started conversation Jul 9, 2004
I know how H2G2 like to don the pedants hat, so I thought we need a 'pedants thread' to celebrate er, pedantic pedantry.
Whose first?
Pedants thread
Ivan the Terribly Average Posted Jul 9, 2004
pedant's hat
pedants' thread
Who's first
****
Sorry, I just couldn't help myself! 
Ivan.
Pedants' thread
Ivan the Terribly Average Posted Jul 9, 2004
I wonder where all the other pedants are?
Pedants' thread
Fathom Posted Jul 9, 2004
Assuming there's more than one pedant that would be "pedants' thread" would it not?
F
Pedants' thread
Ivan the Terribly Average Posted Jul 9, 2004
Yes Fathom, you're right. I've changed the subject line
Pedants' thread
IctoanAWEWawi Posted Jul 9, 2004
"I wonder where all the other pedants are?"
Peer Review, where else?
Pedants' thread
Ivan the Terribly Average Posted Jul 9, 2004
Surely they'd like a change of scenery every so often?
*thinks - it's about time I submitted something to PR*
Pedants' thread
Mu Beta Posted Jul 9, 2004
**subscribes on the principle that the spelling is likely to be better in this thread than elsewhere**
B
Pedants' thread
IctoanAWEWawi Posted Jul 9, 2004
No Master B, I think you wanted the 'Cheerful Optimists' thread, not this one, with a comment like that! 
Pedants thread
Gnomon - time to move on Posted Jul 9, 2004
There's no need for an apostrophe in Pedants Thread. If it was a thread about elephants, it would be the Elephants Thread, not the Elephants' Thread; the latter would indicate that it belonged to the elephants.
This thread is not just for pedants, but about them as well, so I'm happy to rename it as the Pedants Thread.
I'm going on my holidays, so I won't be contributing to the pedantry here over the course of the next few weeks.
Pedants thread
The Groob Posted Jul 9, 2004
The 'Whose first' was a deliberate error to get things going.
I am expecting someone to say "I believe you, thousands wouldn't". If they do, they will be shamed by an entry in the "Jokes that are past their sell-by date" thread.
Like me, I'm sure you know someone (or several people) who is guaranteed to use the "I believe you....." line on a regular basis, and like me, you have probably realised that to try to persuade them that you are telling the truth is IMPOSSIBLE. Can't be done. Also (hey this should be in the 'Facts of Life' thread) any subsequent further attempts to win them to your view will be met with "yeah yeah".
Pedants thread
2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... Posted Jul 9, 2004
*subskribes on bases tat their sold be less smelling pistakes and tipos
Pedants thread
Fathom Posted Jul 9, 2004
I notice that the express queue in Marks & Spencer is correctly signed "Ten items or fewer", rather than the more common but grammatically incorrect "Ten items or less".
Now, someone point out that it actually reads "Five items...
F
Pedants thread
Orcus Posted Jul 9, 2004
Interestingly I heard Sainsburys (or some other supermarket type place) interviewed on the business section of BBC's breakfast news a couple of months ago.
They claimed that they had changed it due to lots of letters telling them of their grammatical error. They had then changed it back again because "ten items or less" is more "snappy".
Presumably this is snappy in the same sense as Fish 'n Chips 
Pedants thread
MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. Posted Jul 9, 2004
Wouldn't that depend on the type of Fish? Whether it is Snappy or not?
Key: Complain about this post
Pedants thread
- 1: The Groob (Jul 9, 2004)
- 2: Ivan the Terribly Average (Jul 9, 2004)
- 3: The Groob (Jul 9, 2004)
- 4: Ivan the Terribly Average (Jul 9, 2004)
- 5: Fathom (Jul 9, 2004)
- 6: Ivan the Terribly Average (Jul 9, 2004)
- 7: IctoanAWEWawi (Jul 9, 2004)
- 8: Ivan the Terribly Average (Jul 9, 2004)
- 9: Mu Beta (Jul 9, 2004)
- 10: IctoanAWEWawi (Jul 9, 2004)
- 11: Mu Beta (Jul 9, 2004)
- 12: Mu Beta (Jul 9, 2004)
- 13: Gnomon - time to move on (Jul 9, 2004)
- 14: Mu Beta (Jul 9, 2004)
- 15: The Groob (Jul 9, 2004)
- 16: 2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... (Jul 9, 2004)
- 17: Fathom (Jul 9, 2004)
- 18: Orcus (Jul 9, 2004)
- 19: MMF - Keeper of Mustelids, with added P.M.A., is now in a relationship. (Jul 9, 2004)
- 20: You can call me TC (Jul 9, 2004)
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