An opportunity for all of our resident pedants to demonstrate their impeccable knowledge of English grammar with this BBC quiz. For the record, yours truly scored 9/10, falling down on the "Hilary" question.
Grammar test for would-be pedants
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Originally posted by Flay View PostNo need to tidy up - grammar could do with a thread of its own
"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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yes I fell over Hilary too, but I'm still a guru apparently
I regularly get which and that confused, also less and fewer
I honestly don't remember having any formal grammar lessons at school, except in foreign language and Latin classes
I must have done at some point surelyLast edited by mercia; 14-05-13, 13:29.
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Originally posted by mercia View Postyes I fell over Hilary too, but I'm still a guru
I regularly get which and that confused, also less and fewer
I honestly don't remember having any formal grammar lessons at school, except in foreign language and Latin lessons
must have done at some point surely"...the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices..."
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I had to copy and paste the Hilary question and then blow it up to 24 pt before I got that.
A couple of the others I have doubts about (is my grammar that shaky?). On the semicolon question I should have built in to the answer that ONE was correct. But I would have preferred a colon in
SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERDON'TLOOK
Landing a plane isnโt difficult; I once saw a child do it.
I wouldn't see those as being 'independent clauses' but rather that the second elaborates, expands on or explains the first (i.e. it explains the reasoning behind my statement). Or, as Fowler describes its special function, 'delivering the goods that have been invoiced in the preceding words'. IOW, I would use a colon, not a semicolon.
Otherwise it is simply a statement of fact based on knowledge/experience (Landing a plane isn't difficult) and then an additional fact, 'oh, and, by the way, I once saw a child do it. Let me tell you about it ...'
Jean?
But I got the that/which question wrong too, so I was only 7/10 Still pondering that one - and whether context matters.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.
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And looking at The Complete Plain Words (Gowers rev. Sir B Fraser) it says you may use a colon 'to precede an explanation or particularisation'. He then quotes Fowler's 'delivering the goods' metaphor.
But it does show the danger of being dogmatic about such things.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.
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Ah, the "Hilary" question. I excused myself for coming up with a different answer to the BBC () on the grounds that, in spoken English, it would be impossible to know whether a semicolon or a comma had been used. Moreover, the gender neutral word "sibling", allied to the fact that Hilary is an epicene name, led me, I think excusably, to go for the "could be male or female" option. All of which, is a long way of saying I screwed up.
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Originally posted by Flay View PostI still don't get it. I disagree with their conclusion. But who am I to say?
But the semicolon one is defintely wrong. There appears to be no 'rule' that says you can't follow a semicolon by a conjunction. Gowers/Fraser does so anyway. I would go for the whiskers as the only correct one.It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.
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Simon
9/10. I fell foul of Hilary too - wasn't looking far enough into the trick! Good point, Sir Velo, that it wouldn't be clear in dialogue - unfortunately no excuse here.
ff How can you of all people possibly not get the "that/which" one? It's as clear as day!
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