University Challenge

[MrGongGong]

.
Not a good way to go, MrGG. This highlights a deficiency in the breadth of the current secondary curriculum

It does

There are all sorts of deficiencies in the breadth of the current secondary school curricula* (see what I did there? ); I suspect that the absence of Latin is one of lesser importance.

* in case anyone is tempted to point out that there is a National Curriculum that applies to all state schools, & therefore my use of the plural is not justified, I would like to point out that Scotland has its own national curriculum.

Though the NC is becoming less relevant as fewer schools need to take any notice of it at all.

(I love the way that in Scotland there is a "Waynes World" curriculum )

[french frank]

Wouldn't the concept of proof be covered by a)?

Somewhat - but you may offer a piece of information which supports your viewpoint without necessarily feeling you have proved it.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

as in not eating all one's pudding perhaps ....

[Flosshilde]

Somewhat - but you may offer a piece of information which supports your viewpoint without necessarily feeling you have proved it.

Quite probably; but that wouldn't exclude the possibility of the piece of information proving it, would it? A prosecution lawyer, in a murder case, might put forward a piece of information, for example a film of the accused stabbing the victim, which would conclusively prove that the accused was guilty.

[Serial_Apologist]

This might be a better example, and the reason why Wolf Hall is written the way it is.

Cromwell kept looking at the king, but he didn't reply.

Who is he?

Cromwell kept looking at the king, but he, Cromwell, didn't reply.
(I can see why keeping the 'he' grates for some.)
Otherwise, we need:
Cromwell kept looking at the king, but the king didn't reply.

Without a repeated Cromwell or king, wouldn't 'king' be implied by the 'he' (i.e., the last named, as I tried to say more clumsily above!)?

I would think that the answer as to who "he" was would depend on some kind of context; i.e. it had been previously established that either Cromwell of the king was awaiting some kind of reply.

Surely context is all-important, and the fact that the Cromwell example offers no context is the source of this kind of misunderstanding. Jean is right in this circumstance, having established an a priori context in her contributions to the thread discussion that led up to the "contentious" post.

[french frank]

Quite probably; but that wouldn't exclude the possibility the piece of information proving it, would it?

I suppose it wouldn't exclude the possibility of a piece of information proving something. I have now lost track of what was being cited to 'prove' the uselessness of Latin (was it? or something else?). I may cite my primary schoolteacher in saying that it is wrong to split an infinitive, end a sentence with a preposition or begin one with a conjunction. True it was that she said so, but I don't now believe that what she said was correct, or 'true'.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Though the NC is becoming less relevant as fewer schools need to take any notice of it at all.

It's being carried forward as a punishment for those who refuse to be bamboozled into converting to Ac***** status.

[MrGongGong]

It's being carried forward as a punishment for those who refuse to be bamboozled into converting to Ac***** status.

We aren't allowed to talk about politics
BUT

Who can I vote for to reverse the nonsense?

Erm

[Historian]

We aren't allowed to talk about politics
BUT

Who can I vote for to reverse the nonsense?

Erm

Haven't checked in detail but according to the brief BBC manifesto guide, Respect wants to end conversion of schools into academies. The Greens want to bring free schools and academies under the local authority system. As to whether either of them would require all schools to follow the National Curriculum, I do not know.

Edit; Looking at the Greens' manifesto in more detail they are against a 'strict curriculum', but they do want 'A broad, balanced and enriching curriculum, including creative and vocational areas'.

[Pulcinella]

I would think that the answer as to who "he" was would depend on some kind of context; i.e. it had been previously established that either Cromwell of the king was awaiting some kind of reply.

Surely context is all-important, and the fact that the Cromwell example offers no context is the source of this kind of misunderstanding. Jean is right in this circumstance, having established an a priori context in her contributions to the thread discussion that led up to the "contentious" post.

Indeed.

I did say `might be a better example.....'


And I did say that I would not have queried Jean's original sentence.


But I will continue to maintain that avoiding the `it' (or the `he' in the Cromwell/king example) usually leads to a clearer (even pellucid) statement.


And I must learn to stop using emoticons.

[Flosshilde]

Yes, they're lacking in pellucidity.

[MrGongGong]

Haven't checked in detail but according to the brief BBC manifesto guide, Respect wants to end conversion of schools into academies. The Greens want to bring free schools and academies under the local authority system. As to whether either of them would require all schools to follow the National Curriculum, I do not know.

Edit; Looking at the Green's manifesto in more detail they are against a 'strict curriculum', but they do want 'A broad, balanced and enriching curriculum, including creative and vocational areas'.

Can't vote for either of them here

[Serial_Apologist]

Can't vote for either of them here

You're 7 days too late to stand as an Independent Anarchist candidate I'm afraid, MrGG.

[MrGongGong]

You're 7 days too late to stand as an Independent Anarchist candidate I'm afraid, MrGG.

I wouldn't vote for me in 1,000,000 years

[Serial_Apologist]

I wouldn't vote for me in 1,000,000 years

To judge by civilisation's present decline and fall, I'd say it won't take long to get there.