Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Returning to the subject of Housie's Mr. Chips I recall him advising his class that the use of the words et cetera in written work only ever meant that the writer could not think of anything else to say. I suppose that that practice was at least better than the modern tendency today, and not only by younger people, to say "and stuff" in its place. I wonder what he would have made of this, not to mention the excessive use of "like".
Chris Bartlett

.... and people standing at the pub bar, asking..... 'Can I Get.............?'

STILL one of my pet hates.

There are so many phrases and mispronunciations in use today that would have many English teachers turning in their graves.
Alastair McGowan, impressionist, gave an example in his recent television programme of a footballer using the phrase "as I say"
no less than twenty times in a two and a half minute interview. How about Chooseday instead of Tuesday and Har past four,not to mention Bubbye instead of Goodbye by nearly every television Newsreader?
Chris B

How many interviewees reply with the word" Well"l when beginning any answer to a question? I remember the late G.W. Pink, Preparatory Master, writing on the blackboard ( now incidentally an unpolitical word) the verbal answers of a boy as he spoke .
It went something like this "Er. Um , well I think the answer is um."
Chris Bartlett

Chris, I'm not sure blackboard has ever been an unpolitical word, it's the fact that most children have never seen one, what you find in a modern classroom is a white board and confusing to children if it's called a blackboard.

But English has changed continuously for at least 800 years. Much of what we consider ‘proper’ would have been decried as ruining the language 100 or 200 years ago. It is necessary to find the right balance between the inevitable changes and complete anarchy. It that light, I doubt if we are doing any worse than most periods of history.

J.R. wrote:.... and people standing at the pub bar, asking..... 'Can I Get.............?'

STILL one of my pet hates.

Now't wrong with that. The answer has to be (so far as appropriate) "You're over 18, you are not paralytic, you have money in your pocket so you can get whatever you want".

Alternatively "Are you old enough?"

LongGone wrote:But English has changed continuously for at least 800 years. Much of what we consider ‘proper’ would have been decried as ruining the language 100 or 200 years ago. It is necessary to find the right balance between the inevitable changes and complete anarchy. It that light, I doubt if we are doing any worse than most periods of history.

The more I've delved into languages, and the older I become, the more tolerant I am of changing usage. There are one or two things that irk me, and I like to think I can still write a piece of good prose when I put my mind to it, but I no longer fret over people confusing "due to" and "owing to", or "that" and "which". And I take a positive delight in splitting infinitives . Much of what we believe to be correct actually has no basis in linguistic history. There is an excellent weekly newsletter at http://www.worldwidewords.org, to which I have been subscribing for around 10-12 years, which demonstrates this amply week after week.

I used to reply to my children when asked for example, can you pour me a cup of tea, yes. Sometimes they would then say, Please
can you pour me a cup of tea ? I would then say Yes, I am physically able to pour you a cup of tea, would you like me to do so ?.
Was I being pedantic or merely giving them a lesson in correct grammar? I like to think the lesson worked.
Chris Bartlett

Kit Bartlett wrote:I used to reply to my children when asked for example, can you pour me a cup of tea, yes. Sometimes they would then say, Please
can you pour me a cup of tea ? I would then say Yes, I am physically able to pour you a cup of tea, would you like me to do so ?.
Was I being pedantic or merely giving them a lesson in correct grammar? I like to think the lesson worked.
Chris Bartlett

Aargh...you've just reminded me of the gleefully sarcastic and humorous (in her own eyes) Miss Morrison, Hertford English teacher extraordinaire (not), one of whose favourite chants was "you probably can, but may you?" with a big smug, self-satisfied grin on her face.