I like the U.K. conventions for punctuation – they make more sense (maybe because the are more algebraic).
I’ll have to check those out. Got a good link?
Not in particular… the first hit with Google search terms “U.K. conventions for punctuation” gives some specifics:
There’s an interesting one in there, the difference between “license” and “licence”: in American English, both are words, and they have very different meanings, “licence” being the root of “licentious”.
Or at least it was that way forty years ago, back when the use of a dot – an “interpunct” – was still used to denote two vowels in a row that are to be pronounced distinctly rather than as a unit, e.g. co·operation.
Then there’s the “burned” vs. “burnt”; both are proper words in American English – or, again, at least they were forty years ago. The same is true of “dreamed” and “dreamt”.
Overall, the British version of things is more logical.
1 Like
Except for the pronunciation of ‘school’. If ‘schedule’ is pronounced ‘shedule’, ‘school’ should be _____ 
I note that the movie uses Licence to Kill.
2 Likes
Yes, in “Canadian” school we were also taught the verb/ noun spelling difference for “practise” vs. “practice”.
2 Likes
Interesting factoid: The kind of thing you guys are talking about here was actually useful in tracking down the Unabomber. Apparently, Kaczynski used some “quasi-British” spellings of certain words, both in his published manifesto & in prior writings…e.g., to his brother & his doctoral dissertation. IIRC, it was tied to an English textbook common in the Chicago area when he had been a kid.
4 Likes
I hate to admit it, but my wife’s middle name is Denise, and when filing out forms, I have to stop and think that it is De-nise not De-nice.
3 Likes
8 Likes
- Is Putin dead?
- If he isn’t. the Kremlin is lying and Ukrainian Defense Intelligence says Russian authorities just want to see who celebrates in order to punish them.
- On the other hand, if he is dead, the Russian authorities will still want to know and plan to punish them.
- Great opening scene from “Six Feet Under”, Season 4 Episode 2, I think:
• Someone fills “human” balloons with helium and lets them float up into the air.
• A woman is driving her car and sees people rising up to heaven. Thinking the Rapture is occurring right over her head, she stops her car, gets out in the street, and shouts “Take me! Take me!” And a car hits and kills her.
2 Likes
That’s just twisted.
This makes the Messier Marathon a lot harder.
1 Like
- Two egg yolks escaped here with their whites. When I catch them, I’m going to make omelets out of them.
2 Likes
Is that supposed to be some kind of yolk?
5 Likes