Top 10 grammatical errors that make you look stupid

**Big Dog** · 19th April 2007, 20:49

Originally Posted by Dave Lobster

Fewer, surely?

Possibly, possibly the word I chose works.
Were I in the mood to debate this, I would need evidence that you were not just trying to be a master debater.

Looking back at my post I do have to ask, is that the best you can do?

**Hitcher** · 19th April 2007, 21:02

Originally Posted by Big Dog

is that the best you can do?

Bugger. I should have saved the rep for this post. Gold!

**Dave Lobster** · 19th April 2007, 21:06

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Possibly, possibly the word I chose works.
Were I in the mood to debate this, I would need evidence that you were not just trying to be a master debater.

Less when there is 'one' of something. Fewer when there is more.

For instance..

Less water in the glass.
Fewer bottles in the fridge.

The other way around doesn't make sense, does it?

**Big Dave** · 19th April 2007, 21:29

Originally Posted by Big Dog

In a round about way it is.
How many times has someone replied to one of your posts having only read the first half?
Is this because you are taking too long to get to a point?
How often does someone clearly fail to comprehend your post despite clearly understanding each of your sentences?

Rarely, but then, most of my posts don't have sentence-s.

**Big Dog** · 19th April 2007, 21:33

Originally Posted by Dave Lobster

Less when there is 'one' of something. Fewer when there is more.

For instance..

Less water in the glass.
Fewer bottles in the fridge.

The other way around doesn't make sense, does it?

So how does it work when each call comes in one at a time?
Is it fewer calls if you have you have one less?
(E.g. 1 call instead of 2)

I concede that "Fewer water in the glass" does not make sense.
Do you concede that "Less bottles in the fridge." is still true, if less poetic?

**Big Dog** · 19th April 2007, 21:35

Originally Posted by Big Dave

Rarely, but then, most of my posts don't have sentence-s.

If Hitcher had his way some of our sentences would carry sentences.

Nobody is beyond reproach.

**Big Dave** · 19th April 2007, 21:39

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Nobody is beyond reproach.

Cool - Just as long as I can stay ahead of salvation.

**MikeL** · 19th April 2007, 22:00

Originally Posted by Ixion

Woohoo.

Pedant war

Where's Mr MikeL when we need him.

As MacD said, at the pub.

Sometimes us pedant's just cant be bothered.

Bring back compulsory Latin in schools...

**Big Dave** · 19th April 2007, 22:09

Originally Posted by MikeL

Bring back compulsory Latin in schools...

Deal - For some weird reason the synapses in the big dave cranium aligned in such a way that i 'got' latin. Algebra and French had me f***ed, but

Centurion:	What is this then? Romanes eunt domus, "People called Romanes they go the house"?
Brian	It-it says, "Romans, go home"!
Centurion:	No, it doesn't! What's Latin for "Roman"? [grabs Brian's ear] Come on, come on!
Brian:	Romanus!
Centurion:	Goes like?
Brian:	Annus!
Centurion:	Vocative plural of annus is...?
Brian:	Anni?
Centurion:	[writes] Romani. And eunt? What is eunt?
Brian:	"Go"! Let-
Centurion:	Conjugate the verb "to go".
Brian:	Ire; eo, is, it, imus, itis, eunt!
Centurion:	So eunt is...?
Brian:	Third person plural, present indicative. "They go!"
Centurion:	But "Romans, go home" is an order, so you must use the...?
Brian:	The... imperative!
Centurion:	Which is...?
Brian:	I!
Centurion:	[twisting Brian's ear] How many Romans?
Brian:	[yelling] I.. Plural, plural! Ite, ite!
Centurion:	[writing] Ite. Domus? Nominative? But "go home", it is motion towards, isn't it, boy?
Brian:	Dative, sir!
	[The centurion promptly draws his swords and presses it against Brian's throat. Brian yells:]
	No, not dative! Not the dative, sir! No! The... accusative, accusative! Domum, sir, ad domum!
Centurion:	Except that domus takes the...?
Brian:	The locative, sir!
Centurion:	Which is?
Brian:	Domum!
Centurion:	[writing] Domum... -um [sheathing his sword] Understand?
	[Brian nods eagerly]
	Now, write it out a hundred times!
Brian:	Yes, sir, thank you, sir! Hail Caesar!
Centurion:	Hail Caesar. If it's not done by sunrise, I'll cut your balls off!
Brian:	Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. Hail Caesar and everything, sir!
~ FINIS ~

**The Pastor** · 19th April 2007, 23:05

Meat is murder.

This one pisses me off. You cannot murder an animal as the word murder exclusivly refers to humans.

mur·der
1. Law. the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. In the U.S., special statutory definitions include murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson (first-degree murder), and murder by intent but without deliberation or premeditation (second-degree murder).

**Hitcher** · 20th April 2007, 09:06

Originally Posted by Big Dog

I concede that "Fewer water in the glass" does not make sense.
Do you concede that "Less bottles in the fridge." is still true, if less poetic?

Less and fewer are used in terms of making comparisons between two points in time.

Use "less" if the matter in question cannot be counted, use "fewer" if it can.

Your example begs the question "Less than what?"

Less is more.

**Hitcher** · 20th April 2007, 09:09

Originally Posted by renegade master

Meat is murder.

This one pisses me off. You cannot murder an animal as the word murder exclusivly refers to humans.

Technically you are correct, but anthropomorphists, such as animal rights activists, hold a completely different view. Bless them. Now where's my steak?

**The Pastor** · 20th April 2007, 09:56

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Technically you are correct, but anthropomorphists, such as animal rights activists, hold a completely different view. Bless them. Now where's my steak?

They are person-I-fi-ing animals, some are so far entrenched in this lie (animals are NOT humans) that they cannot understand the differance between a sheep and a school teacher(who eats meat, vegi/vegan humans are the superiour race after all).