Pedants' Paradise

[Nick Armstrong]

Ingenious, but etymologically it's nothing to do with French au verso - it is directly from the past participle of Latin avertere, a (from) + vertere (to turn), thus turned from.

Hmmm! I still feel it my way!

Also - I'm generally inclined not to use 'disinclined' - don't like that word!

[french frank]

The same is true of 'averse'.

Yes, I think about that quite frequently: the older construction 'averse from' is absolutely the 'logical', 'etymological' one. The only two points I would make about my personal usage are:

1. 'Averse' is not a word I use often: I do use 'different' quite frequently, therefore I have to make a regular decision which has now become instinct rather than decision. I am aware of the change from 'averse from' to 'averse to' :-) but my only thought would be that IF I were to use 'averse from' I would be well aware that I was using a construction which had fallen out of common use: I do not feel that with 'different from'. Therefore, yes, there is some influence of common usage. But I am slow to pick up (even averse from picking up) neologisms and catchphrases. I do not use phrases like 'a big ask' or 'any time soon' or 'Oh, you are AW-ful' .

2. I'm not someone who 'feels strongly' (your quote) about the issue (I would never "correct" 'different to' or 'different than', for example - though I might register that that is not my own usage; I certainly register that 'different than' seems to be the preferred construction of the Americans) so perhaps am not the one to answer your question.

[gurnemanz]

Prepositions used to convey a literal meaning must be logical, but when used figuratively they tend to be much more flexible. I notice this again and again teaching German where students often have to learn the discrepancies in preposition usage between English and German. E.g English: I'm interested in ... German: Ich interessiere mich für ...

[vinteuil]

... apostrophes are easy.
:

... if you notice that the bootlaces of the maître d' are undone, do you refer to them with one or two apostrophes -

the maître d' s laces or the maître d' 's laces ? ...

[Don Petter]

... if you notice that the bootlaces of the maître d' are undone, do you refer to them with one or two apostrophes -

the maître d' s laces or the maître d' 's laces ? ...

I am not worthy even to mention his laces, so don't have the problem.

[mangerton]

... if you notice that the bootlaces of the maître d' are undone, do you refer to them with one or two apostrophes -

the maître d' s laces or the maître d' 's laces ? ...

Probably one, as the apostrophe can indicate any number of missed letters.

On the other hand, I once read a book, which I think dated from the 1930s, where "shall not" was rendered as "sha'n't".

[vinteuil]

On the other hand, I once read a book, which I think dated from the 1930s, where "shall not" was rendered as "sha'n't".

... yes, Lewis Carroll regularly used two apostrophes in sha'n't and ca'n't - to mark ("logically" ) the absence of the ll and the n

https://motivatedgrammar.wordpress.com/2007/09/11/preposterous-apostrophes-v-contractions/

.

https://thepaleographer.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/lewis-carroll-his-critics-and-his-apostrophes/

.

[gurnemanz]

A classic of its kind, perpetrating two errors since "panini" is already plural .. unless, of course, it is restaurant run by someone called Panini.

[Nick Armstrong]

A classic of its kind, perpetrating two errors since "panini" is already plural .. unless, of course, it is restaurant run by someone called Panini.

... positively French in its perversity - south of the Channel they usually refer to 'des spaghettis' and 'des lasagnes' (despite my derisive splutterings when anyone does so in my presence ).

Still, at least they don't shove in a bloody apostrophe! Then again: 'pur boeuf' apparently means '100% horse' so where the hell does that leave one?!?!





Ah! our French cousins!

.

*(With respect to Findus - I suspect there's been some photo-shopping (as in "le photo-shopping" ) of that image!)

[ardcarp]

Mind your p's and q's.
The a's and b's have come out crooked.

I don't like that particular use of apostrophes. Mind you, it's hard to know what to use instead in these circumstances....

[vinteuil]

A classic of its kind.

... yes, Panini's is hard to beat.

Mind you, there is a bus stop by a church in Addison Rd London W14 which is confidently labelled St Barnaba's ...

[mangerton]

Mind you, there is a bus stop by a church in Addison Rd London W14 which is confidently labelled St Barnaba's ...

Yes. He was related to Pancra.

Further north, "Princes Street" is regularly mis-spelled, with an apostrophe, a second "s", and sometimes even both.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I don't like that particular use of apostrophes. Mind you, it's hard to know what to use instead in these circumstances....

How about: The As and Bs have come out crooked?

[Serial_Apologist]

So...what preposition do you think would logically follow averse? Or disinclined?

Disinclined usually precedes another verb though, doesn't it, rather than an object-noun? e.g. "I am disinclined (i.e. have no inclination) to listen to Mozart today"?

[french frank]

A classic of its kind, perpetrating two errors since "panini" is already plural .. unless, of course, it is restaurant run by someone called Panini.

My eldest nephew is one of Panini's employees. I have not enquired whether they are the brothers Panino, which might affect the position of the apostrophe, depending on how one interprets the name of their company. But they are very good employers and take all their employees for all-inclusive mass holidays on chartered liners, usually round the coast of Italy, tour guides supplied. If that help's.