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On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:36:59 -0400, Warp wrote:
> I have to admit I have no idea if this contraction is wrong or
> acceptable. It *sounds* wrong to me, but how should I know? The answer
> to this is also something just impossible to find with google:
>
> "The rest of it is not difficult." -> "The rest of it's not difficult."
Perfectly acceptable English, yes. I've heard both spoken and seen both
written.
The first is more common, in my experience.
Jim
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On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:53:36 -0400, Mike the Elder wrote:
> Stylistically, however, the option of "The rest of it isn't difficult"
> would generally be considered preferable for the following reason:
I didn't consider that option (as not presented), but I'd concur with
this.
Jim
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On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:17:31 -0700, Darren New wrote:
> Good -> "This is not something I'll put up with."
I wouldn't put up with this. ;-)
Jim
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On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:46:31 -0400, Warp wrote:
> How about sentences where the initial conjunction is redundant? For
> example: "And exactly how do you know that?" (The "and" could be removed
> without changing the meaning of the sentence in any way.)
Depends on whether you're writing in a formal style or a colloquial style.
Jim
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On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:17:31 -0700, Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom>
wrote:
>Stephen wrote:
>> should be written as: "The rest of it, is not difficult."
>
>Not in American English. Putting a comma there is incorrect, as it's
>separating two halves of one sentence. I understand British English is
>more relaxed about where commas go.
I was taught that a comma can be used to show a slight pause in a
sentence and/or to clarify the intended meaning. An example from
Wikipedia
The teacher beat the scholar with a whip. A simple description.
The teacher beat the scholar, with a whip. Expression of outrage
Having said that I agree that it doesn't look right :)
--
Regards
Stephen
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"Warp" <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote in message
news:48693817@news.povray.org...
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> > Mike the Elder wrote:
> > > Other useful hints about English grammar:
> > All three of these aren't correct.
> Btw, wouldn't it be better to say "none of these three are correct"?
Correct you are, but I wonder how "btw" fits into all this...
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Warp wrote:
> Btw, wouldn't it be better to say "none of these three are correct"?
Yes, probably. I tend not to write particularly carefully here, as you
might have noticed. :-)
> How about sentences where the initial conjunction is redundant? For
> example: "And exactly how do you know that?" (The "and" could be removed
> without changing the meaning of the sentence in any way.)
Hmmm... Good question. Based on the rules *I* know, I'd have to say
it's likely incorrect. Of course, people say it anyway, so it's hard to
say they're wrong. :-)
"Exactly how do you know that?" is reasonably a question.
"And exactly how do you know that?" sounds like an accusation.
I think the "and" is a signal to link it to the previous lines of the
argument, as in "good excuse, but I'm not buying it, because now you
have to answer this question also" or some such.
That's just my gut feeling, tho.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:17:31 -0700, Darren New wrote:
>
>> Good -> "This is not something I'll put up with."
>
> I wouldn't put up with this. ;-)
Of course you can rephrase any sentence. "This is not something up with
which I shall put!" I was giving an example where leaving the
preposition off the end of the sentence changes its meaning, not
implying that you couldn't get around the problem.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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Stephen wrote:
> On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:17:31 -0700, Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom>
> wrote:
>
>> Stephen wrote:
>>> should be written as: "The rest of it, is not difficult."
>> Not in American English. Putting a comma there is incorrect, as it's
>> separating two halves of one sentence. I understand British English is
>> more relaxed about where commas go.
>
> I was taught that a comma can be used to show a slight pause in a
> sentence and/or to clarify the intended meaning.
And where did you learn this? I got my instruction from a British
immigrant teaching English classes, who was surprised that American
grammar had different (and generally more strict) rules, which she had
to explicitly learn before they'd let her teach. Like I said, different
areas have different rules, which usually only the professionals learn
strictly.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:38:44 -0700, Darren New wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:17:31 -0700, Darren New wrote:
>>
>>> Good -> "This is not something I'll put up with."
>>
>> I wouldn't put up with this. ;-)
>
> Of course you can rephrase any sentence. "This is not something up with
> which I shall put!" I was giving an example where leaving the
> preposition off the end of the sentence changes its meaning, not
> implying that you couldn't get around the problem.
I just couldn't resist, since the sentence made sense in response as well
as as a demonstration. :-)
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