• This topic has 115 replies, 71 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by alpin.
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  • Reflexive pronoun abuse
  • amedias
    Free Member

    I would’ve thought this:

    He was the best known cyclist of his generation

    could imply he was the ‘best’ of the ‘known cyclists’.
    ie: Many cyclist’s were known, but he was the best (cyclist) among them.

    But could equally be read as best known among a group of cyclists. There’s some room for ambiguity in interpretation even if in the strictest literal sense if means what you say.

    Where as this:

    He was the most well known cyclist of his generation

    most definitely says he was the one that was best known, but not necessarily the best (cyclist) of the lesser known cyclists.

    Or have I got exposed my own misunderstanding there?

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Bugger, there was me thinking I’d made an original observation! Bloody literate comedians…

    whitestone
    Free Member

    I use “most well” in something like: “Most well known professional cyclists use periodisation training”. I.e. the majority.

    In your first interpretation I’d write “He was the best, known, cyclist of his generation.”. If spoken then that sentence would have a pause then stress on the “known”

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    paton
    Free Member

    Wood have
    Can be either I am in possession of a quantity of timber
    Or
    I would like to acquire a forest.
    Then again I no 0.

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    I’d write “He was the best, known, cyclist of his generation.”

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    Also: “I have ran it”

    This is an Americanism, I looked it up as I wanted to correct the person using it. Apparently, it’s “correct”.

    Pah!

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    myself. most overused word in the workplace!

    Count how many times you hear it in a week/ day. then work out hoe many times it was needed: I’m not sure it’s the correct word 90% of the instances I hear it.

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    Count how many times you hear it in a week/ day. then work out hoe many times it was needed: I’m not sure it’s the correct word 90% of the instances I hear it.

    I’ve done this myself. Enlightening.

    onewheelgood
    Full Member

    The abuse of the reflexive pronoun is made even worse by the addition of the entirely superfluous ‘at all’. As in the now standard question from the server “would you like any desserts for yourself at all?”. It’s a wonder I haven’t killed anyone for that. Yet.

    Oh, and ‘off of’ is deliberately clumsy and wrong, it’s a joke.

    poah
    Free Member

    comma splices get my goat, they don’t really.

    zippykona
    Full Member

    Hasn’t “would of” evolved from “would’ve” ?

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    Oh, and ‘off of’ is deliberately clumsy and wrong, it’s a joke.

    I think it started as a joke, but lately seems to have been adopted into normal usage.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Oh, and ‘off of’ is deliberately clumsy and wrong, it’s a joke.

    You can blame Scott Mills off of the radio for that one.

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    Hasn’t “would of” evolved from “would’ve” ?

    I would say that’s mutation rather than evolution.

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    I’m on a really dull conference call. Speaker just said “if you have any questions contact myself”.

    OK, my first question is…

    ourmaninthenorth
    Full Member

    Pardon?

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    You can blame Scott Mills off of the radio for that one.

    …and Cougar off of computers for perpetuating it.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    That’s the response to Tourupps 😆

    jimoiseau
    Free Member

    The thread has listed most of my grammar pet peeves, but the worst one of all? Using a bloody question mark when you should use a bloody colon!

    (I blame Buzzfeed)

    johndoh
    Free Member

    WTAF – David and myself would be at least the correct order

    In informal written English it is generally accepted to say ‘me and David’.

    john_drummer
    Free Member

    David and myself would be at least the correct order

    David and I, surely?

    gordimhor
    Full Member

    Jimmy I’m still waiting on ye getting off of the cludgie so I can see whit ye done.

    Nico
    Free Member

    Cabin crew. “Would you like any scratchcards yourself, at all?”. It’s just a way of filling out the sentence to delay the moment when you say no. You wouldn’t. At all.

    perchypanther
    Free Member

    Jimmy I’m still waiting on you getting off of the cludgie so I can see whit ye done.

    Surely, it should be affy?

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    David and I, surely?

    In “David and I are going to ride our bikes”, OK.
    But “you can join David and me on our bike ride”.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    You use “I” when it’s the subject of the verb and “me” when it’s the object. So:

    “I hit him”

    “He hit me”

    Cougar
    Full Member

    In “David and I are going to ride our bikes”, OK.
    But “you can join David and me on our bike ride”.

    This. It depends if you’re the subject or the object.

    A handy way of working it out is to remove David from the equation. Take: “Me and David are going to ride our bikes.” Sounds ok? Removing David, “Me is going to ride my bike” is clearly wrong.

    johndoh
    Free Member

    “Me is going to ride my bike” is clearly wrong.

    I is going to ride my bike?

    hols2
    Free Member

    It all started going wrong in pre-/ infant school when teachers allowed children to sound out words and write down what they thought was the correct spelling

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    I’ll see your Walken and raise you a Shatner.

    mrmonkfinger
    Free Member

    would you like any desserts for yourself at all?

    Does make me somewhat desire to assume the mantle of Jackson, to whit, replying:

    “Would you like any desserts for yourself, AT ALL WHAT MOTHERF*****!?”

    Or perhaps shouting something about having had enough of all this bad grammar on this form of public transport.

    mrmonkfinger
    Free Member

    Incidentally, does the thread title not mean “abusing myself”.

    Think of the children, not in public, etc.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Think of the children

    That’s probably a bad idea in this case.

    Mister-P
    Free Member

    myself. most overused word in the workplace!

    Oh I don’t know. Literally would give it a good run for that title in my workplace.

    RobHilton
    Free Member

    Also: “I have ran it”

    This is an Americanism, I looked it up as I wanted to correct the person using it. Apparently, it’s “correct”.

    Myself thinks its worng mostly cos it sounds clunky – I could of sweared its something too do with present perfect tense?

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    I made myself read this thread, as education for myself.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Oh I don’t know. Literally would give it a good run for that title in my workplace.

    Oh, I could like, literally like myself say that!

    vickypea
    Free Member

    “At all” – I thought I was the only person who found that irritating.
    “Have you been here before, at all?” 😀

    onewheelgood
    Full Member

    “would you like a coffee at all?”

    “yes, I would, but only a little bit, not really enough to actually buy one”

    That should confuse them.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Literally would give it a good run for that title in my workplace.

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