Monday, May 13, 2013

Lunedi Lunacy

I don't talk about work a great deal because a) it's boring and because b) I'd have to kill or at least paralyze you for life after I told you what I did.  But I can guarantee one thing if I had written the previous sentence at work the position of the repeated "because" would have been cause for discussion.  Should the "because" really have come before the alpha tag or would it have been better after?  And was it really necessary to repeat it or would a single "because" have been sufficient? 

Yep I work with a bunch of language nerds!  The air temperature in our office can rise on the placement of a comma or the number of bullets on a PowerPoint as readily as it can when the kettle boils for afternoon tea.   And be assured that no point of grammar takes precedent over a "nice cuppa" in what we affectionately think of us our "college dorm".   But that's a story for another day.

So for the gang at the office who make my days, and a good few of my evenings, enjoyable here's a few lunacies that I feel somehow you'll understand and probably agree with.*  And okay that last one isn't about language but lets not pretend it's not something we've never done!**











*Yes I know I ended a sentence with a preposition but how often have I said it's a silly rule that was applied to English only because it was a Latin rule and the codifiers of English grammar where all bloody Latin scholars at Oxford!!!!  So drop it okay?  Tea anyone?

** Yes I know a triple negative - Geoffrey Chaucer used the multiple negative in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales to describe the Knyght: He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde (line 70).  Two centuries later, Shakespeare used it in Twelfth Night:  Nor never none / Shall mistress be of it, save I alone (Act III, scene i).  If it's good enough for Chaucer and Shakespeare then it's bloody well good enough for this crowd!   Anyone want one of Jenn's Costco biscuits?

13 May - 1848: First performance of Finland's national anthem.

 


5 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I gotta git me a paddle and go a-huntin'. My first target? Those who confuse and misuse "its" and "it's."

David said...

Debra, are you wryly referring to Will's first line?? If not, I am...

Willym said...

I'm fine with copy editing others - my own work... boh! Oh no wait a minute I did it intentionally to see if anyone would catch it. Yes, yes that's what it was!

David said...

Well, that got you commenting!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Hee hee!