Pedants Of The World, Revolt!

That'll be 'teacher's approval', thank you. <_<

I thank you for the explanation. I'm worrying about whether the second last 'had had' is correct, but I'm off to bed now, and will worry more tomorrow.
 
Originally posted by BrianH@Jun 20 2005, 08:20 PM
Ah, good, a difference of opinion, nay, two! Patricians are people of noble birth and are both male and female.
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Just to be a total pedant (and to be shot down in flames by LordH for being wrong, no doubt!! :D ) an original Patrician (as defined by Roman society) was one who was specifically defined as owning noble blood through a bloodline that could be traced back to specific tribes that were deemed to be aristocratic during the times when Rome was run by kings.

Certainly at the time of Caesar, the leading patrician familes were the likes of the Cornellii, the Julii, the Sulli, the Servilli, the Octavii and the snobbery was rife amongst Roman society - when it came to the Senate, those who were plebeian rather than patrician were often made well aware of that fact, and looked down on by the patricians. This even included the likes of Marcus Tullius Cicero, who was plebeian by birth.
 
Very interesting, Shadow - so hence, 'Julius Caesar' or King Julius, and his merry band of Julii, and so on? I see the Sullii went over to Eire and became the Sullivans, then? :D
 
It was Augustus Caesar and Julius Caesar who started the promotion of plebians to the patrician class. As is usual with rulers, this was not altruism rather it was to ward off potential serious consequences from the plebians' objections to being unable to hold public office. The result was the coming of the nobiles, a ruling class made up of both paricians and plebians.
 
Julius Ceasar let a breezer on the coast of France.
The King of Spain tried to do the same, but he did it in his pants.

(just doing my bit to raise the tone)
 
Well, Kri - although Julius Caesar had a pretty high opinion of himself, he certainly didn't want to be King! He repeatedly refuted the rumours that were rife that he was intending to become Emperor of Rome.
 
Ah, takes me back to O Level Eng Lit:

"You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know."
 
Originally posted by BrianH@Jun 21 2005, 11:59 PM
The teacher had been marking an English exam and was comparing the papers of Mo and Jon. Jon, where Mo had had "had" had had "had had". "Had had" had had the teacher's approval.
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That looks like two sentences to me, Brian <_<
 
And here's my pedants rant for today.

It is report writing time and I was proof reading reports sent to me as a form tutor. I found that one person, quite high up in the school had made the same mistake on all of his reports, namely using practice instead of practise for the verb (an Americanism)

I returned the reports to him and told him what he had done. An hour later he finds me to say he has spoken to the Head and between them they are unsure if I am correct or not (humph). Because of this, the incorrect reports will be sent out to parents. he justified this by telling me that the parents will not know it is incorrect!! I told him he was wrong and had not one but 2 dictionaries to prove my point but he has brow beaten me by going to the Head. I am NOT happy.
 
I'm impressed with the lack of usage of a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence too, hun (not to mention the lack of a full stop at the end of the second paragraph).... :P
 
It's simple. You're right. Practice is a noun - practise is a verb. Tell those other people to see me after school. I don't care who they are - they deserve punishment.
 
I engaged in a shouting match with 2 Deputy Heads (including the pompous twit who was wrong in the first place) and it was very much a case of "We've been here longer and aren't going to change."
 
Don't I bloody wish!! I am getting promoted at the end of the year too if things go well. Oops....
 
Then it may not be good practice to practise disagreement with those who could influence your promotion - though I would not be able to resist the supply of proof
 
Pages from the dictionaries have gone in his pigeon hole - the relevant passages highlighted!!
 
Must I edit every post on this topic? :angy:

That's 'plebians' objections', Brian, and 'pedant's rant', PDJ. If there is any more apostrophe abuse by either of you, you'll be blackballed from every racecourse except Wolverhampton, and that just for Banded meetings. Now, stop mucking up those apostrophes, or else...
 
Paul, there are ways of making sure your 'superiors' know you're right without getting involved in a slanging match about it.

In my last place it got to the stage when the Principal checked with me about what was correct (even though there was at least one guy in the English department who was even more accurate).
 
I have people bring reports to me for correcting too, Mo. MOST people except I know my grammar and spellings....

Sorry, Jon. I was typing fast in a fit of pique!
 
Paul, ask them if they're favouring American spelling and, if so, send away for Webster's Dictionaries and dump the British editions. You can then go on to use 'practise' as both verb and noun, and teach the kids it's 'to burglarize', not 'to burgle', which is what your so-called superiors appear to be doing by raiding US usage.
 
Jon, they don't favour the American usage, they just don't know which is correct and guess.
 
Originally posted by krizon@Jun 22 2005, 07:22 PM
Must I edit every post on this topic? :angy:

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Well, I wasn't going to comment on the two examples of American infiltration I had seen on here with the spelling of a certain word, but now I feel as if I must.

I wonder who wrote this:

"Fontwell has begun putting up advertizing hoardings round the INSIDE of its' parade ring - something that some courses haven't yet cottoned on to."

:lol:
 
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