This is the Message Centre for T.B. Falsename ACE: [stercus venio] I have learned from my mistakes, and feel I could repeat them exactly.

On why one day I will lose it and cut someone's writing hand off..and other stuff

Post 1

T.B. Falsename ACE: [stercus venio] I have learned from my mistakes, and feel I could repeat them exactly.

One of our local papers, the Oban Times, had a story in it today with an atrocious butchery of the English language. It stated that "The Coastguard tasked..."
Now someone needs to learn, probably using small words and a big stick with a nail in the end, that the word task is not a verb*.

If only to add insult to injury whilst on the telephone to the NCTJ** today the woman I was speaking to kept telling me I should check to see if I was illegible for various grants and bursaries.

Oh and for anyone interested that painting I mentioned in my last journal hasn't sold yet.


smiley - cheers

*except, of course, in the loosest sense that all words are verbs as verb its self comes from the latin word for word.

**National College for the Training of Journalists


On why one day I will lose it and cut someone's writing hand off..and other stuff

Post 2

Secretly Not Here Any More

Did she spell "illegible" to you, or did she just have a strange accent, thus rendering her unable to pronounce "eligible" properly?

Oh, and not to piss on your chips, but I had a quick look in my huge copy of the OED.

task
noun & verb [verb usually passive]
v: To give someone a task.


On why one day I will lose it and cut someone's writing hand off..and other stuff

Post 3

T.B. Falsename ACE: [stercus venio] I have learned from my mistakes, and feel I could repeat them exactly.

>>task
>>noun & verb [verb usually passive]
>>v: To give someone a task.

How recent is your OED? Mine's from the 70s, so it doesn't have things like task being a verb, which it only is through common usage, or ignorant meaning rude, ditto.

Personally I get annoyed when words are misused and even more so when dictionaries validate this misusage by adding it to the definition.


smiley - cheers


On why one day I will lose it and cut someone's writing hand off..and other stuff

Post 4

Secretly Not Here Any More

Mine's from 2001, so fairly recent.

It's all part of the evolution of language TB, you can either complain about it or just embrace it as a fact of life.


On why one day I will lose it and cut someone's writing hand off..and other stuff

Post 5

T.B. Falsename ACE: [stercus venio] I have learned from my mistakes, and feel I could repeat them exactly.

I like the complaining. It's good to have stuff to moan about smiley - smiley

Oh and the 'illegible' woman didn't have a funny accent.


smiley - cheers


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