Durham Applicants 2008 Thread

I do that Aula! I wimp out by doing the whole "of" thing.

Martin that was a shiny sentence. Apoperfection.

The WORST is plurals where people assume the apostrophe always comes after the S. For something like "Children" or "Cattle" the apostrophe goes between the word and the S or it's just stupid.

P.S. ITS and IT'S faux pas is so ridiculous! It's is only EVER "it is", for ownership you have to ignore the rules slightly and it just becomes "its house"...

Reply 4263

This is why grammar is sexy :biggrin:

haha.

Don't even get me started on paragraph and speech layout...

Reply 4264

NDGAARONDI

16

I find it hilarious that we are taught about Shakespeare without having learnt our own language in its purest form.

That was deliberate. I used the word 'its' without the apostrophe. :p:

Reply 4265

Anatheme

Lol, I'm glad there are other people that love grammar !
You should learn French. Impossible grammar full of exceptions.
I learn something about French grammar every single day tbh.

Reply 4266

mhsc

17

Now someone teach me how to use commas perfectly :teeth:

Reply 4267

Aula

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/punctuation/commas/

*sigh*
Grammar is never taught anymore. Most of mine I've picked up elsewhere, or from my gran telling me off.
(So mine isn't necessarily the most accurate, but the few things that I do know I'm a pedant about, and am quite prepared to be told that I'm wrong)

Reply 4268

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

15

mhsc

Now someone teach me how to use commas perfectly :teeth:

Reply 4269

Aula

NDGAARONDI

I find it hilarious that we are taught about Shakespeare without having learnt our own language in its purest form.

That was deliberate. I used the word 'its' without the apostrophe. :p:

that was accurate :biggrin:

and Anathame, I think that was one reason why I struggled learning French. If I've never been taught English grammar, how on earth am I supposed to learn it in other languages.
tbh, I only have a vague grasp of objects, subjects and suchlike...

and mhsc, I use commas where I feel they're necessary... so where I would have a gap if I was speaking, or when I'm listing things.
I'd quite like someone to teach properly how to use commas, or is how I do it okay?

Reply 4270

NDGAARONDI

16

Do not attempt to learn Russian grammar. It is more complicated than Schrodinger's equations and special relativity.

Reply 4271

Grammar words also sound so lovely. Language-y words sound fabulous too: declensions, conjugations... Delightful!

Commas are to divide off sub-clauses as long as they don't have a linking word such as "and". Best way to think of it is "where would I pause in this sentence?" and that's usually where the comma falls. Although sometimes, to be honest, it's a bit hit and miss. That sentence was deliberate as it had a cool aside which also requires a comma, if you see what I did there. Commas are quite fluid really. Semi-colons are godly and should be used more.

Reply 4272

mhsc

17

Aula

that was accurate :biggrin:

and Anathame, I think that was one reason why I struggled learning French. If I've never been taught English grammar, how on earth am I supposed to learn it in other languages.
tbh, I only have a vague grasp of objects, subjects and suchlike...

and mhsc, I use commas where I feel they're necessary... so where I would have a gap if I was speaking, or when I'm listing things.
I'd quite like someone to teach properly how to use commas, or is how I do it okay?

*If* I understand properly you are supposed to use them where you can just take a slice out of a sentance and it still makes sense.

E.g. "Some words, more words, words" will still make sense as "Some words words"

But i'm probably wrong and thats why I was asking :p:

Reply 4273

That's about right comma-wise. The fun comes with sub-clauses where you want to run them into the sentence. C.f. Jane Austen and her sometimes inexplicable use or lack of commas.

Reply 4274

Anatheme

NDGAARONDI

Do not attempt to learn Russian grammar. It is more complicated than Schrodinger's equations and special relativity.

One word : Totallyagreed (yes it is one word from now).
Well I actually don't know about all that equations stuff but Russian is really difficult ...

Reply 4275

My biggest grammar flaw is over-use of hyphens. *admires the irony of abusing the hypen in a sentence admitting to said tendancy*

Reply 4276

Aula

I always used to way overuse brackets, I got very told off for it by my teacher at GCSE English (I don't do it so much anymore though) :p:

Reply 4277

Hopping Mad Kangaroo

15

NDGAARONDI

Do not attempt to learn Russian grammar. It is more complicated than Schrodinger's equations and special relativity.

*finds learning Russian grammar an appealing prospect*

Reply 4278