Apostrophe crimes

[AW77]

Here is an interesting BBC article that might be relevant to this thread:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/201409 ... ammar-nazi

[PhilW]

Here is an interesting BBC article that might be relevant to this thread:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/201409 ... ammar-nazi

"BBC Worldwide (International Site)
We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee"

[jdaw1]

"BBC Worldwide (International Site)
We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee"

Same for me. So, obviously, it applies only to foreigners.

[AW77]

That's quite strange. While the international programme may not be funded by the licence fee, it will certainly be funded by the taxes you pay. So I think you as tax payers should be entitled to it.

Shall I post the whole article here on the forum or would the moderators advise against that due to copyright difficulties this might ensue?

[djewesbury]

That's quite strange. While the international programme may not be funded by the licence fee, it will certainly be funded by the taxes you pay. So I think you as tax payers should be entitled to it.

Shall I post the whole article here on the forum or would the moderators advise against that due to copyright difficulties this might ensue?

BBC Worldwide is an entirely commercial enterprise and therefore not funded through the licence fee...

[AW77]

BBC Worldwide is an entirely commercial enterprise and therefore not funded through the licence fee...

Old Reith would not have liked that at all...

[djewesbury]

BBC Worldwide is an entirely commercial enterprise and therefore not funded through the licence fee...

Old Reith would not have liked that at all...

Well, the letters BBC originally stood for British Broadcasting Company. It was a private enterprise, running the radio station 2LO from a building on the Strand (Marconi House I think). The Managing Director was John Reith. It wasn't until 1927 that it was nationalised. So Reith would have been fairly comfortable with the current arrangement!

[Glenn E.]

ponto grande.jpg (148.52 KiB) Viewed 5142 times

[jdaw1]

Re previous post, it’s the Residencial Ponto Grande in Pinhão, a different error having been corrected since Google’s car visited.

[PhilW]

Re previous post, it’s the Residencial Ponto Grande in Pinhão, a different error having been corrected since Google’s car visited.

I can't tell at this resolution, but is there an additional error in the diagonal arms of the Union Jack?

[Glenn E.]

Re previous post, it’s the Residencial Ponto Grande in Pinhão, a different error having been corrected since Google’s car visited.

I can't tell at this resolution, but is there an additional error in the diagonal arms of the Union Jack?

As I recall, yes, but it looks to me like that particular error exists in both pictures. I have not found the corrected error to which he refers.

[DRT]

This wasn't the most annoying thing that O2 did to me today but it is all the physical evidence I have:

Screen Shot 2014-10-25 at 15.54.31.png (16.69 KiB) Viewed 5089 times

[PhilW]

the

[DRT]

the

Not again.

I must not repeat my thes.
I must not repeat my thes.
I must not…

[DRT]

the

Not again.

I must not repeat my thes.
I must not repeat my thes.
I must not…

Actually, I disagree that this was a crime. Discuss.

[djewesbury]

the

Not again.

I must not repeat my thes.
I must not repeat my thes.
I must not…

Actually, I disagree that this was a crime. Discuss.

PIN number?

[jdaw1]

There is genuine ambiguity. TPF is a contraction of a definite-article-adjective-noun, but is also a standalone compound noun. It is both. So there is definitely ugliness, but not a crime.

Derek: are you willing to plead to being ugly but not criminal?

[DRT]

Derek: are you willing to plead to being ugly but not criminal?

I could, but wouldn't that seem implausible to women reading this thread?

[Glenn E.]

the

Not again.

I must not repeat my thes.
I must not repeat my thes.
I must not…

Actually, I disagree that this was a crime. Discuss.

I agree with your disagreement. In this case, "TPF" is an adjective describing the equivalent. Even if not abbreviated I would include both thes.

[djewesbury]

Hooray, Derek is spared!! Free to roam the corridors again, making comments hither and thither.

[DRT]

2014-11-02 14.59.22.jpg (48.45 KiB) Viewed 5029 times

[PhilW]

2014-11-02 14.59.22.jpg

Am not seeing the crime; "Graham's" and "Taylor's" are both as per trademark/brand shortened form of Vendor's (port)?

[djewesbury]

2014-11-02 14.59.22.jpg

Am not seeing the crime; "Graham's" and "Taylor's" are both as per trademark/brand shortened form of Vendor's (port)?

Quinta de Noval?
Quinta da Noval?
No. Neither.

[PhilW]

2014-11-02 14.59.22.jpg

Am not seeing the crime; "Graham's" and "Taylor's" are both as per trademark/brand shortened form of Vendor's (port)?

Quinta de Noval?
Quinta da Noval?
No. Neither.

Ah; Not an apostrophe crime, but an oops indeed.

[jdaw1]

Like father, like greatⁿ-grandson.

One would write a “great-great-grandson”. Observe that also the hyphen is repeated. But “greatⁿ-grandson” suggests the likes of “greatgreat-grandson”. The expression “(great-)ⁿgrandson” would have correctly caught the repetition of the hyphen. Perhaps clarity could have been helped by adding a half-width non-breaking space: “(great-)ⁿ grandson”.

It is hoped that this prompt and full confession will lessen my punishment.

[djewesbury]

Like father, like greatⁿ-grandson.

One would write a “great-great-grandson”. Observe that also the hyphen is repeated. But “greatⁿ-grandson” suggests the likes of “greatgreat-grandson”. The expression “(great-)ⁿgrandson” would have correctly caught the repetition of the hyphen. Perhaps clarity could have been helped by adding a half-width non-breaking space: “(great-)ⁿ grandson”.

It is hoped that this prompt and full confession will lessen my punishment.

On the contrary, I was quite happy with your phrasing until you came along with this turgid, toadying annotation! 20 lashes, and no Nacional for a week!

[jdaw1]

On the contrary, I was quite happy with your phrasing until you came along with this turgid, toadying annotation! 20 lashes, and no Nacional for a week!

Is the annoyance because the original expression was correct, or is the annoyance because you have been shown what you should have seen unaided?

The failure of policing should cost you “20 lashes, and no Nacional for a week”.

[djewesbury]

I thought the original phrasing most elegant and moreover I think that contractions should be capable of implying the punctuation that their expanded forms demand. Your apology undid the simplicity of your original formulation and cast us out into a hostile land populated with inelegant parentheses.

No Nacional for a fortnight!

[PhilW]

Like father, like greatⁿ-grandson.

One would write a “great-great-grandson”. Observe that also the hyphen is repeated. But “greatⁿ-grandson” suggests the likes of “greatgreat-grandson”. The expression “(great-)ⁿgrandson” would have correctly caught the repetition of the hyphen. Perhaps clarity could have been helped by adding a half-width non-breaking space: “(great-)ⁿ grandson”.

It is hoped that this prompt and full confession will lessen my punishment.

On the contrary, I was quite happy with your phrasing until you came along with this turgid, toadying annotation! 20 lashes, and no Nacional for a week!

Accuracy over marketing-speak please! Hence “(great-)ⁿgrandson” much improved over the original poor syntax; A magnum of old, partially oxidated Nacional to JDAW, a large swanky bottle of amazing, inspiring, fantastic pink port to DJ.

[djewesbury]

-1!
What marketing speak?
More seriously, the formulation you prescribe simply isn't English as it is used or spoken. Algebraic or logical notation should not be used in place of the English language!
A double magnum of Real Vinicola 1983 to Phil, to be finished by lunchtime!

[LGTrotter]

I know that this post will lay me open to all kinds of just rebukes of my use of the written word, but I can't help disagreeing less violently than usual with Daniel that mathematical notation does not add to the clarity or elegance of the above.

I shall try to keep my beak out of these contretemps in future, in the hope of avoiding the lash of public censure.

[djewesbury]

I know that this post will lay me open to all kinds of just rebukes of my use of the written word, but I can't help agreeing with Daniel that mathematical notation does not add to the clarity or elegance of the above.

I shall try to keep my beak out of these contretemps in future, in the hope of avoiding the lash of public censure.

Especially wise given the stray apostrophe in your last but one post. But thanks for backing me up. Down with algebra as a spoken language.

[LGTrotter]

I know that this post will lay me open to all kinds of just rebukes of my use of the written word, but I can't help agreeing with Daniel that mathematical notation does not add to the clarity or elegance of the above.

I shall try to keep my beak out of these contretemps in future, in the hope of avoiding the lash of public censure.

Especially wise given the stray apostrophe in your last but one post. But thanks for backing me up. Down with algebra as a spoken language.

Ah yes, I would plead guilty but request the court to take into account 793 previous offences and auto correction.

[djewesbury]

I can't help agreeing with Daniel

Let this simply be remembered as the high point of PortForumming.

[LGTrotter]

I can't help agreeing with Daniel

Let this simply be remembered as the high point of PortForumming.

Thank you for pointing this out to me I have amended my original post to reflect my views more accurately.

[djewesbury]

I can't help agreeing with Daniel

Let this simply be remembered as the high point of PortForumming.

Thank you for pointing this out to me I have amended my original post to reflect my views more accurately.

There is no emoticon to do justice to the feelings I have now.

[PhilW]

Down with algebra as a spoken language.

Blind mathematicians will be knocking on your door soon. U=a²-d

[djewesbury]

Down with algebra as a spoken language.

Blind mathematicians will be knocking on your door soon. U=a²-d

"No! Not -d! No Doctor! That means.."
"Yes, Tara, I have to activate the Algebrathon. It's the end of cultured life as we know it."
"But Doctor! E⁶ ≪ f^e!"
"Exactly dear girl. Exactly."

[flash_uk]

Tara, or Clara?

[djewesbury]

I was envisaging a Doctor's Assistant from a time not experienced.

[LGTrotter]

You see, now we have descended into maths humour. Derek had a link to a site of maths jokes. They were bad, not in a street parlance, kind of good but called bad, just bad. Maths is important, but should not be encouraged.

[djewesbury]

It's not big, and it's not clever.

[PhilW]

It's not big, and it's not clever.

357686312646216567629137

[djewesbury]

It's not big, and it's not clever.

357686312646216567629137

I rest my case. No further questions your honour.

[PhilW]

It's big (fairly) and clever (fairly) - in case anyone is interested, it is the largest prime from which you can remove any number of leading digits and the remainder is also prime. Perhaps slight off-topic now.

[djewesbury]

It's big (fairly) and clever (fairly) - in case anyone is interested, it is the largest prime from which you can remove any number of leading digits and the remainder is also prime. Perhaps slight off-topic now.

The ones who are still here are sound asleep Phil. Or worse, like that unfortunate old gentleman in The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club.

[DRT]

So this is what happens when I leave you all alone for 48 hours.

Is this the first instance of a thread where the off-topic drivel needs to be split from a thread in Meaningless Drivel?

[LGTrotter]

We are attempting to resolve the vexed question of whether mathematical notation should be used, as a form of punctuation, on these pages. I thought this was the thread for punctuation, its uses and abuses.

And I say; Never! Never! Never!

So does Daniel. But waddaya know Phil and Julian say otherwise. An adjudication would be helpful.

[DRT]

I agree with Daniel and Owen, purely on the basis that the Mathamatists didn't show their working out.

[Glenn E.]

I agree with Daniel and Owen, purely on the basis that the Mathamatists didn't show their working out.

Do you really want to see a Mathamatist in lycra and spandex?

I thought not. Best they not show.