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Are you smarter than a 5th grader question

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09-12-2008 , 08:12 PM

runner4life7

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,985

I'm watching this awesome show and the category is 2nd grade grammar.

In the English Language, all grammatically correct sentences must have a word with a capital letter. True or False.

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09-12-2008 , 08:13 PM

LFS

emo gaylord

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,865

Yes?

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09-12-2008 , 08:14 PM

punkass

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 12,474

looks like a trick question.

not a trick question.

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09-12-2008 , 08:14 PM

runner4life7

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,985

Quote:

Originally Posted by Los Feliz Slim

Yes?

ill wait for a few replies or like 20 minutes and then explain my problem with it

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09-12-2008 , 08:14 PM

ac32

banned

Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 649

True, unless you're counting numbers and symbols. Or talking about e e cummings

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09-12-2008 , 08:22 PM

swingdoc

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 3,531

yes

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09-12-2008 , 08:23 PM

Cry Me A River

Orange is the new Green

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 23,784

False but mine is a trick answer (not watching the show). If the first word in the sentence is a proper name that is not capitalized.

Example:

e.e. cummings wrote a lot of poems.

(Trying to come up with business names, I'm sure there are a few. Was originally going to cite eBay but of course there's a capital in the middle...)

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09-12-2008 , 08:24 PM

runner4life7

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,985

nevermind, lock this thread, im apparently a moran.

for some reason i thought the independent clause after a semi colon was considered another sentence, but this appears to be incorrect, so no im not smarter than a 5th grader

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09-12-2008 , 08:25 PM

yeotaJMU

Shines ELIte's Shoes

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 22,414

this may be a dumb Q but

are capital letters considered grammar?

Last edited by yeotaJMU; 09-12-2008 at 08:26 PM. Reason: im trying to find a loophole

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09-12-2008 , 08:25 PM

#10

GrammarPolice

newbie

Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 37

Technically, the correct answer is "true."

For those of you citing examples like "e.e. cummings wrote a lot of poems," language purists will argue that cummings's name is purposely written as grammatically incorrect. Therefore even though writing his name in all lower case is accurate, it's an accurate citing of a grammatically incorrect proper noun.

I would say "true" if I wanted to win money on the show, but I sympathize with those who think "false," because language is a social construct and people who choose to name themselves in lower case shouldn't be deemed incorrect to do so.

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09-12-2008 , 08:25 PM

#11

yeotaJMU

Shines ELIte's Shoes

Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 22,414

Quote:

Originally Posted by runner4life7

so the answer is yes then?

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09-12-2008 , 08:26 PM

#12

Jon1000

grinder

Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 546

yes. Unless some words/interjections like Ew! wouldn't count b/c they are probably not in the dictionary? I dunno. my gut feeling is still yes.

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09-12-2008 , 08:26 PM

#13

Cry Me A River

Orange is the new Green

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 23,784

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac32

True, unless you're counting numbers and symbols.

That's another good point.

1,168,788 people live in my city.

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09-12-2008 , 08:30 PM

#14

Cry Me A River

Orange is the new Green

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 23,784

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarPolice

I would say "true" if I wanted to win money on the show, but I sympathize with those who think "false," because language is a social construct and people who choose to name themselves in lower case shouldn't be deemed incorrect to do so.

Even if you go with uncapitalized proper names being deliberately ungrammatical, I think that sentences beginning with numbers too complex to be spelled out is a legit example of sentences with no capitals.

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09-12-2008 , 08:31 PM

#15

LFS

emo gaylord

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 21,865

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cry Me A River

That's another good point.

1,168,788 people live in my city.

I could be wrong, but I believe that the rule is you must spell out the number if you start the sentence with it.

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09-12-2008 , 08:32 PM

#16

runner4life7

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 3,985

They did say the answer was true fwiw.

I guess I thought the semi colon counted as two because that's how I would count how many sentences for papers in high school.

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09-12-2008 , 08:40 PM

#17

Hawklet2

adept

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Los Feliz Slim

I could be wrong, but I believe that the rule is you must spell out the number if you start the sentence with it.

Yeah, I don't know if it's a rule, but I know that it's certainly very discouraged to start a sentence with a number. So either write out the number One-million eight hundred sixty five thousand five hundred thirty two, or, more commonly, preface it with a work (i.e. "Over 1,865,532 people...).

Regardless, that question was tough as hell. They might as well have asked if a comma goes before the word "and" in a series.

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09-12-2008 , 08:49 PM

#18

kerowo

lolcat

Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 37,190

What about quoting someone and starting the quote in the middle of their sentence? "...and then I put the pencil in my ear."

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09-12-2008 , 08:59 PM

#19

Hawklet2

adept

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,111

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerowo

What about quoting someone and starting the quote in the middle of their sentence? "...and then I put the pencil in my ear."

I think it's "[A]nd then I put the pencil in my ear."

Also, not supposed to start a quote with ellipses. They're for snips only. "[A]nd then...in my ear."

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09-12-2008 , 09:45 PM

#20

jjshabado

Carpal Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 22,732

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarPolice

Of course they should. If they choose to name themselves grammatically incorrectly then they've chosen to be grammatically incorrect.

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09-12-2008 , 10:44 PM

#21

Sephus

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 4,668

the correct answer is false. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammar

words don't have capital letters. words don't have letters at all. words are sound patterns, not sequences of letters.

capitalization has nothing at all to do with grammar.

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09-12-2008 , 10:48 PM

#22

Sephus

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 4,668

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjshabado

Of course they should. If they choose to name themselves grammatically incorrectly then they've chosen to be grammatically incorrect.

orthographically incorrect.

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09-13-2008 , 01:20 AM

#23

g-bebe

because robots are strong

Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 22,860

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephus

poty

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09-13-2008 , 01:42 AM

#24

MicroBob

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 61,575

What if it's some sort of quote at the beginning being used as an example?

Lowercase letters would not work very well on license plates.
"yjg475" would look too weird.