General Chat

"Fishes" is quite acceptable as a plural for "fish" and has been for hundreds of years; does not the parable of "the feeding of the five thousand" in the Authorised Version tell of "five loaves and two small fishes"? Both Chambers and Collins dictionaries give both words as acceptable plurals. PS: I thought of apostrophizing "Chambers" and "Collins" but both dictionaries carry the title with no apostrophe. PPS: There is a verb to "apostrophize (or apostrophise)", so I consider my use of "apostrophizing" to be valid.

By the way, is there any grammatical difference between 'learned' and 'learnt' or 'spelled' and 'spelt'. I'm sure both can be used, as far as I know.

Answering a phone would surely be reactive. Proactive (no hyphen needed!) would imply picking up the receiver before the phone had rung!

ja get me bruv, naw ot I mean. Love it lol

wot laffs you all gie me ta eva so

"5 items or less" signs at checkouts. Official documents where the writer seems unable to use a full stop before the end of a paragraph. Also the sign in the computer shop window that drove me up the wall: "All stock is empty boxe's". Grrrrrrrr. Hannah

I would like to know why we have lost the word 'GROUND' when speaking of outside? When I was at school the 'ground' was outside the 'floor' was instead but in the past few years its changed and the floor is used for outside and inside, especially noticable when there is a discussion about football these experts say "he spent a lot of time on the floor", Is that correct? So there are no Grounds Men anymore they must be Floor Men??? Where I live it's the opposite they use 'ground' for both inside and outside? Confused Pat x

Every name is called a NOUN, As field and fountain,street and town: In place of the noun the PRONOUN stands, As he and she can clap their hands; The ADJECTIVE describes a thing. As magic wand or bridal ring; The VERB means action something done- To read and write, to jump and run: How things are done the ADVERBS tell, As quickly, slowly, badly, well; The PREPOSITION shows relation. As in the street or at the station; CONJUNCTIONS join, in many ways, Sentences, words, or phrase and phrase; The INTERJECTION cries out, "Hark! I need an exclamation mark!" To often these days you find that some people have forgotten these guide lines Bren

In a bill recently sent(and that is a split infinitive) it should be sent recently . The firm included their Complementary Slip.Now this gave me quite a problem as they had been extremely hard working and had found my grandson for me. What should I do? .1) Point out their error and correct it to Complimentary , or 2)leave well alone and risk someone else saying "You would think they would know that one means in addition to(it complements) or is gratious or flattering(complimentary) I left well alone - Was I right to do so- Flumoxed Rose

Paul,if you want to be a real pedant you could even correct that further- Can I ,means am I able to, to which your answer is Well Can you ,you tell me. May I ,is correct,asking if one may do so and so. Do you know advice and advise, practice and practise and many more.C verb s noun, but so confusing Rose

I love the rhyme Brenda,it would have been very useful years ago Rose

H.I.V.virus............Human Immuno Virus virus...why? its like saying " a London Omnibus bus also pcb board....Ie printed circuit board board also frequently used by racing drivers." thats for sure",or "for sure"

We all make mistakes, it's human nature. Even those who think they're perfect. It's horses for courses isn't it? As long as the listener understands the question. Are we setting up a grammar, spelling and elocution class here - all volunteers must be eloquent. Flippin 'eck live and let live eh. Jan P

dON'T TAKE IT SERIOUSLY IT WAS DONE AS FUN AND POINTING UP HOW DAFT AND DIFFICULT OUR LANGUAGE IS, GO ON SMILE jAN hUGS rOSE

Oh what a wonderful World this would be If ev'ryone spoke just like you and like me. I have a pet hate of bad Grammar but I have to keep reminding myself that language is fluid. Some words, like sediment, drop out of use and sink out of sight into the dusty archives. Some new words are imported from other languages with or without emendation, and some new words are being created all the time. It reallt p..s me off. I want to keep the language of P.G.Wodehouse and Company.

One of my pet hates is how everyone on telly especially, but probably also in general, seems to get the words something, nothing and everything wrong when speaking them i.e they say "somethink, nothink and everythink" Why do they change the 'g' to a 'k'???? It gets me sooooo riled.

Its Caws we is londeners and we is sposed to talk and fink like dat............

And the th to F

twinkle if you came to wycombe and surrounding areas you will notice that everyone says off of! it is the dialect around here..lol my sisters x husband used to say about us talking like that but its the way we are down here,lol susie

Hi Rose, Thanks for the hugs. I am smiling, just had my lunch - and it was cooked for me hehe. Don't get me wrong, there are loads of mis-this and that, that really do get to me, especially on the television, advertising boards, official documents. The 'k' at the end of words instead of the proper 'g'. If you complain it doesn't get you anywhere - they don't understand wot ur torking abhaut. And - can you start sentence with 'and' these days? - I hit my head against enough bricks walls trying to get to grips with this ancestry research. Nah wot ah meen. Jan P