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Help Please Grammar Nazis.

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  • mowgli 6 Aug 2008 19:25:31 31,931 posts
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    If you please. A few questions for you, I have seen a distinct lack of grammar nazi attacks in the past month so feel free to call me a mong if it helps.

    Can I use etc. midway through a sentence and just keep going, or must I only use it at the end?

    What is best practice for lists?

    , then breaking it up with ; jim; bob; your mother.

    or

    ; followed by , , ,
    ?

    Shit I have more but can't remember just now.

    Pissy pants.

  • JediMasterMalik 6 Aug 2008 19:27:50 11,826 posts
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    Yes

    The second
  • Deleted user 6 August 2008 19:29:18
    You can use it whenever.

    Lists also depend on context and internal punctuation.
  • mowgli 6 Aug 2008 19:32:25 31,931 posts
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    Cheers, do you have any examples Gremmi?

    Pissy pants.

  • Jeepers 6 Aug 2008 19:35:28 12,590 posts
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    you can use 'etc.' in a sentence, altho' it's not very pretty.

    Lists is up for debate. Your best bet is to look at one of respected style guides like Strunk & White, a usage guide like Fowler's or a journo version like The Chicago Manual of style.

    Cor, I'm helpful!
  • lady_fluffstar 6 Aug 2008 20:54:34 105 posts
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    Agreed on the etc. but not pretty business, however a list depends. If it's a list of short phrases then commas are more than enough. However if it is a list of longer clauses or phrases it should be : then ; ; ;.
  • thefilthandthefury 7 Aug 2008 09:05:14 24,477 posts
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    <a href=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094077/>Grammar Nazis Must Die!</a>
  • Lutz Moderator 7 Jan 2009 20:49:46 48,845 posts
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    Lutz is shocked at the quality of peoples English these days.

    Does that have an apostrophe in peoples?
  • Jeepers 7 Jan 2009 20:51:48 12,590 posts
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    Couldn't you do either peoples' or people's?

    As in "A History of the English speaking Peoples".
  • Lutz Moderator 7 Jan 2009 20:53:35 48,845 posts
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    I'm not fussed about re-writing it, as I've already done it.
    But I'm still curious about that sentence.
  • phAge 7 Jan 2009 20:54:41 23,890 posts
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    Lutz wrote:
    Lutz is shocked at the quality of peoples English these days.
    Re: this - how often do you think "oh there goes phAge again with his silly English-as-a-2nd-language talk" - i.e. how close am I, generally, to a convincing if not perfect native English?

    I can take it...

    /braces self
  • Jeepers 7 Jan 2009 20:55:02 12,590 posts
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    I vote for peoples' then. It has a nice, old-school ring to it.
  • Jeepers 7 Jan 2009 20:56:29 12,590 posts
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    phAge wrote:
    Lutz wrote:
    Lutz is shocked at the quality of peoples English these days.
    Re: this - how often do you think "oh there goes phAge again with his silly English-as-a-2nd-language talk" - i.e. how close am I, generally, to a convincing if not perfect native English?

    I can take it...

    /braces self
    It depends. Where are you from? If it's Holland, Germany or Belgium then see Response A. If elsewhere, see Response B.

    Response A:
    You are a hateful man.

    Response B:
    Very good indeed.
  • angeltreats 7 Jan 2009 20:57:05 2,486 posts
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    You can't use a semicolon to begin a list (you should use a colon, but you don't really need anything at all), but you can to separate items in it.

    Example:

    I used lots of ingredients to make my dinner this evening including chicken, eggs, rice, red peppers and onion.
  • Lutz Moderator 7 Jan 2009 20:57:29 48,845 posts
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    phAge wrote:i.e. how close am I, generally, to a convincing if not perfect native English?

    I can take it...

    /braces self
    Well, that sentence is fucked for a start. What's a native English?
  • JetSetWilly 7 Jan 2009 20:57:48 5,720 posts
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    phAge wrote:
    Lutz wrote:
    Lutz is shocked at the quality of peoples English these days.
    Re: this - how often do you think "oh there goes phAge again with his silly English-as-a-2nd-language talk" - i.e. how close am I, generally, to a convincing if not perfect native English?

    I can take it...

    /braces self
    I'd say you were indistinguishable from a native speaker.
  • phAge 7 Jan 2009 20:58:14 23,890 posts
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    Jeepers wrote:
    It depends. Where are you from? If it's Holland, Germany or Belgium then see Response A. If elsewhere, see Response B.

    Response A:
    You are a hateful man.

    Response B:
    Very good indeed.
    \o/

    I's more fun if you don't know, though.
  • ronuds 7 Jan 2009 20:58:23 20,553 posts
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    peoples'
  • angeltreats 7 Jan 2009 20:58:41 2,486 posts
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    lady_fluffstar wrote:
    Agreed on the etc. but not pretty business, however a list depends. If it's a list of short phrases then commas are more than enough. However if it is a list of longer clauses or phrases it should be : then ; ; ;.
    I agree with all of this.
  • Glassmachine 7 Jan 2009 20:59:03 34 posts
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    Read more.
  • Glassmachine 7 Jan 2009 20:59:04 34 posts
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    Post deleted
  • phAge 7 Jan 2009 20:59:16 23,890 posts
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    Lutz wrote:
    phAge wrote:i.e. how close am I, generally, to a convincing if not perfect native English?

    I can take it...

    /braces self
    Well, that sentence is fucked for a start. What's a native English?
    Ah crap.

    Indigenous?
  • Lutz Moderator 7 Jan 2009 20:59:25 48,845 posts
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    A_T, check the dates stamp hun! :)
  • Jeepers 7 Jan 2009 20:59:45 12,590 posts
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    Lutz wrote:
    phAge wrote:i.e. how close am I, generally, to a convincing if not perfect native English?

    I can take it...

    /braces self
    Well, that sentence is fucked for a start. What's a native English?
    It's not completely fucked - "How close am I to perfect native English?" is fine, innit? It's shorter than "How close am I to writing in a style that might be considered as equivalent to that of a native English speaker?".

    /pedant
  • Deleted user 7 January 2009 20:59:51
    Why do you want help pleasing the grammar nazis?
  • phAge 7 Jan 2009 21:00:43 23,890 posts
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    JetSetWilly wrote:
    I'd say you were indistinguishable from a native speaker.
    Cool. Isn't it weird to have people from so many countries speak/write your language relatively well?
  • Lutz Moderator 7 Jan 2009 21:01:08 48,845 posts
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    phAge, you needed Englishman. Or just native.

    But yeah, you'd easily pass for English over here going by your typing. It's better than most college level kids.
  • angeltreats 7 Jan 2009 21:01:10 2,486 posts
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    Lutz wrote:
    A_T, check the dates stamp hun! :)
    Grrr.

    Still, it helped with my procrastination for a few minutes.
  • angeltreats 7 Jan 2009 21:02:12 2,486 posts
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    Lutz wrote:
    phAge, you needed Englishman. Or just native.

    But yeah, you'd easily pass for English over here going by your typing. It's better than most college level kids.
    He wouldn't, anyone would know he's not English. His spelling and grammar are too good to be native ;-)
  • Chopsen 7 Jan 2009 21:02:17 13,728 posts
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    phAge wrote:
    Cool. Isn't it weird to have people from so many countries speak/write your language relatively well?
    Depressing more than anything: shows how isolationist and arrogant we are as a culture, because we're mostly monolingual.

    Thanks for expressing interest in my signature!

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