"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode! - Page 86 - Other Topics Forum - Discuss Pop Culture, Arts and Entertainment

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"Grammar" and "Punctuation" nit's unite! You're "head" will literally explode!

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Last

06-24-2011 , 10:36 PM

#2126

GMan42

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 5,330

Both are correct in your example. There are some cases where the latter form is ambiguous though...for example, "he likes cheese more than me" could conceivably mean "he likes cheese more than he likes me", so you'd use "I do" instead to clarify.

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06-24-2011 , 11:07 PM

#2127

RussellinToronto

veteran

Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcardcharlie

Could somebody please tell me what the rule is regarding when to say "than I" or "than me". For example, which is correct out of:

(A) "He knows more than I do";
(B) "He knows more than me"?

It's interestingly problematic. There's a good discussion of the question here:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com...s-than-me.aspx
And as this site suggests, there's a long history to the debate. For the record, I come down on the "conjunctionist" side.

When I was in high school I was taught A was the formally correct answer and B was acceptable in casual use. That's not a bad rule of thumb, though I've come to prefer A.

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06-24-2011 , 11:41 PM

#2128

fsoyars

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Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 7,297

Isn't A correct bc you're just leaving off the word "do" at the end of B, even though it is implied? You wouldn't say "He knows more than me do."

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06-25-2011 , 12:14 AM

#2129

Hardball47

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Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 13,308

I usually just make due with whatever is available when it comes to grammar. I can't be bothered with all the nitty details, since the internet is chalk full of grammar mistakes.

I feel so dirty just posting here...

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06-25-2011 , 12:58 AM

#2130

RussellinToronto

veteran

Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardball47

That's fine.

Spoiler:

Quote

06-25-2011 , 01:10 AM

#2131

Hardball47

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Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 13,308

Quote:

Originally Posted by RussellinToronto

That's fine.

Spoiler:

I was just playing along and making the obvious mistakes, but true.

Quote

06-25-2011 , 01:11 AM

#2132

W0X0F

sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight

Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5,853

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hardball47

I usually just make due with whatever is available when it comes to grammar. I can't be bothered with all the nitty details, since the internet is chalk full of grammar mistakes.

I feel so dirty just posting here...

Leveling, right?

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06-25-2011 , 01:29 AM

#2133

Hardball47

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LOL Yes.

Looks like it worked.

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06-25-2011 , 03:10 AM

#2134

RKW3

centurion

Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 113

Quote:

Originally Posted by RussellinToronto

If the only writing you do in your entire life is posting to internet fora.

Interesting how I never learned about "fora" until just now.

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06-25-2011 , 06:19 AM

#2135

lastcardcharlie

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Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 10,730

Quote:

Originally Posted by RussellinToronto

It's interestingly problematic. There's a good discussion of the question here:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com...s-than-me.aspx

Thanks. I like this kind of thing, even though I don't fully understand it. (I was never taught formal grammar at a young age and I seem to have a mental block about it. I think not teaching grammar to children is ridiculous.)

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06-25-2011 , 10:18 AM

#2136

RussellinToronto

veteran

Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,243

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcardcharlie

I agree. One of the very best arguments these days for having kids study a second language in school such as Spanish or French is that, even if they never acquire proficiency in that language, at least they will become acquainted with the basics of grammar and the structure of language.

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06-25-2011 , 10:45 AM

#2137

lastcardcharlie

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Quote:

Originally Posted by RussellinToronto

I lived in France for a while (as an adult) and I found that learning French forced me to learn some grammar (not sure how well it stuck, though).

I think part of the theory of teaching English when I was at school was to deliberately avoid grammar; I don't know if this is still the case. I was taught Latin for three years at secondary school so that should have helped, but the teacher sucked at teaching (great guy though that he was). Goddam, it would be awesome to know Latin.

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06-26-2011 , 01:19 AM

#2138

DDNK

veteran

Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2,591

Quote:

Originally Posted by RKW3

Interesting how I never learned about "fora" until just now.

Probably because you never learned Latin before.

Quote

06-26-2011 , 01:32 AM

#2139

11111

journeyman

Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 243

Quote:

Originally Posted by DDNK

Probably because you never learned Latin before.

According to my favorite usage guide, the preferred plural is forums.

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06-26-2011 , 01:35 AM

#2140

ToTheInternet

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06-26-2011 , 08:21 AM

#2141

DDNK

veteran

Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 2,591

Believe it's log in.

Believe it's epistulae.

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06-26-2011 , 11:25 AM

#2142

quirkasaurus

old hand

Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,701

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastcardcharlie

Could somebody please tell me what the rule is regarding when to say "than I" or "than me". For example, which is correct out of:

(A) "He knows more than I do";
(B) "He knows more than me"?

A is correct. "perfectly clear", would be:
He knows more than I know.

B is actually saying:
"He knows who I am -- but he knows more than just who I am."

The rule is:
The cases of the pronouns being compared need to match.

Ie. You would NEVER say:

(C) He knows more than my.
(D) He knows more than mine.
(E) He knows more than myself.

ftw

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06-26-2011 , 07:28 PM

#2143

JaredL

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Here's an article on plagiarism. This part is relevant to this thread:

Quote:

C: But that’s just the constraints of the assignment, right?

T: Yes, but it is a red flag to me that there is plagiarism elsewhere in the paper. The second one is grammatical. In those cases I was alerted to plagiarism by the sudden appearance, in a paper that is otherwise a morass of grammatical errors, of a series of flawless sentences with complicated structures. The correct use of a semicolon is a big red flag for me. As is the use—and often misuse—of specialized jargon or technical language that I’ve not discussed with them in class. Then I type those sentences into Google, and they all wind up being smoking-gun cases of plagiarism. My favorite case this semester was plagiarism within plagiarism. When I informed this student that I suspected her paper was plagiarized, she said to me, “I got my paper from one of the students who was in your class last semester. How was I to know that she had plagiarized?” Which indicated to me, along with a number of the other email responses I got from students, that many of them don’t even know what plagiarism is.

Emphasis mine

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06-26-2011 , 07:42 PM

#2144

ToTheInternet

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Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 13,876

Quote:

Originally Posted by DDNK

Believe it's log in.

Believe it's epistulae.

I werent even trying to get it correct!

Quote:

“I got my paper from one of the students who was in your class last semester. How was I to know that she had plagiarized?”

lol wow

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07-01-2011 , 03:37 PM

#2145

Sig3000

journeyman

Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 201

Question: Which is correct?

Name is Boyd.

Two brothers own a painting company. Two brothers = plural. They also this possess the company.

Boyd's Painting Inc.

Boyds' Painting Inc.

Boyds Painting Inc.

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07-01-2011 , 04:10 PM

#2146

ToTheInternet

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Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 13,876

"Boyd..." is best. Two brothers might be plural, but the family -- "the Boyd family" -- is singular. "Boyd's..." is the best one listed.

"Boyd & Boyd" would work, but a lot of prospective customers would suddenly wonder why these lawyers are asking to paint their house.