I despair of the education system.

missbiggles1

bod1467 wrote: »

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it ironic that a thread about English and grammar has such a grammatical error?

(As far as I am concerned, "nothing" should be "anything" to be grammatically correct).

Sorry, I disagree.

"I wouldn't've wanted to do anything but that in English Language " makes no sense whatsoever.

Backbiter

Nick_C wrote: »

The comma wasn't strictly necessary, but I don't think it's use was incorrect.

Cough.......

bylromarha

missbiggles1 wrote: »

I was one of the sad people who enjoyed parsing

Well I've learnt something new tonight.

Parsing was not a word in my vocabulary - I know now why you were a sad person

missbiggles1

bylromarha wrote: »

Well I've learnt something new tonight.

Parsing was not a word in my vocabulary - I know now why you were a sad person

In my excuse, we did do it with coloured crayons and called it sentence analysis - I only came across the word parse in later life and realised that was what we'd been doing.:)

Cornucopia

I don't recall the word "parsing" from English classes - but it's a definite feature of my studies in IT.

I'm very resistant to being/becoming one of those older people who decries the modern world and everything in it.

What mystifies me, though, is not that people don't know things, but that they lack the curiosity to reach for Google and find out. (A whole lot easier than when I was at school, and we had to trek to the Library to use the encyclopaedias).

When I left school, there was one tiny part of English that I knew I didn't know - which was the usage of "it's" and "its", and I decided that I'd become far too old for there to be any likelihood of anyone teaching me that, so I went and found out for myself.

FWIW - yes, it is possible to have achieved an English O-Level back in the day without knowing that.

Cornucopia

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Sorry, I disagree.

"I wouldn't've wanted to do anything but that in English Language " makes no sense whatsoever.

Presumably you know the meaning that you intended when you wrote that originally?

The two immediate issues with it are "wouldn't've" is not an accepted contraction, and your original sentence is a double negative, which is usually frowned upon - though it is used in colloquial speech and for dramatic effect.

FWIW, what I think you probably meant was something like: "I consider that an essential part of English Language classes".

Personally, I would say that your original had 3 errors, but in forums anything goes.



*** Really trying hard to write good in my posts ***

missbiggles1

Cornucopia wrote: »

Presumably you know the meaning that you intended when you wrote that originally?

The two immediate issues with it are "wouldn't've" is not an accepted contraction, and your original sentence is a double negative, which is usually frowned upon - though it is used in colloquial speech and for dramatic effect.

FWIW, what I think you probably meant was something like: "I consider that an essential part of English Language classes".

Personally, I would say that your original had 3 errors, but in forums anything goes.



*** Really trying hard to write good in my posts ***

I certainly tried to write it colloquially - I have a habit of writing too formally which I try to correct at times. The double contraction is perfectly acceptable in spoken English, although unusual in written English and a bit quirky but I feel acceptable on a forum if both the apostrophes are in the right place, as mine were.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_double_contractions


I certainly didn't mean ""I consider that an essential part of English Language classes" or that's what I would've said. Perhaps I should've said "Parsing shouldn't be the only thing in the English language syllabus" but that's a statement rather than a comment based on my feelings.

You're right about the double negative but unlike "I haven't done nothing", if you remove both the negatives it makes no sense.

An interesting discussion topic.:)

Cornucopia

Ah, yes - I wondered if I had misunderstood what you were saying.

The-Truth

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

I guess my class was lucky, in that none of the pupils were considered 'stupid'.

Your op just basically reads "my maths is better than yours" then you write this. Also that the op is perfectically impatient. Seriously are you that impatient you have to butt in because someone was counting up to 12!

It actually makes you come across as insecure to me.

Nick_C

The-Truth wrote: »

Your op just basically reads "my maths is better than yours" then you write this. Also that the op is perfectically impatient. Seriously are you that impatient you have to butt in because someone was counting up to 12!

It actually makes you come across as insecure to me.

No. The OP illustrates that many young people lack the most basic maths skills.

And putting up with these declining standards and stating that these people have different abilities simply excuses our failing education system.