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 #17 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:28 am Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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Strictly speaking, your original post is a series of statements in the form of rhetorical questions. Those statements indicate that you are not happy with a state of affairs.
Ralf then asks how you would improve matters. It seems a reasonable question. How would you improve matters?
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| #18 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:33 am Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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Strictly speaking, this the main question, MrP: "Do you know some of the other ridiculous ways?"
Do you? |
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Molly
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| #19 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 22:15 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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It seems to me that the original examples were devised for the purpose of ridiculing those examples. Do you have any authentic examples of circularity?
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| #20 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 22:22 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| MrPedantic wrote: |
It seems to me that the original examples were devised for the purpose of ridiculing those examples. Do you have any authentic examples of circularity?
MrP |
The examples are real. Do you doubt that grammar writers can be so ridiculous in their explanations? |
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Molly
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| #21 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:27 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| Where did you find the examples? |
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MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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Location: Southern England
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| #22 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:32 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| MrPedantic wrote: |
| Where did you find the examples? |
In a BESIG conference in Vienna.
Hope we're not back to you expecting me to answer all your questions and you going on to then avoiding answering mine.
This what I asked above?
Do you doubt that grammar writers can be so ridiculous in their explanations? |
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Molly
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| #23 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:36 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| Are those the complete explanations? |
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MrPedantic
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| #24 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:37 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| MrPedantic wrote: |
| Are those the complete explanations? |
They are indeed. |
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Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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| #25 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:44 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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That was the whole chapter in each case?
Cf. the Natural History of Iceland, by Horrebow:
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Chap. LXXII. Concerning Snakes.
There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island.
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MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| #26 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:52 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| Quote: |
| That was the whole chapter in each case? |
In each case of the above, just about. |
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Molly
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| #27 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:54 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| MrPedantic wrote: |
Cf. the Natural History of Iceland, by Horrebow:
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Chap. LXXII. Concerning Snakes.
There are no snakes to be met with throughout the whole island.
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MrP |
Not even in a lawyer's office? :shock: |
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Molly
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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| #28 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:55 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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It's curious that neither example is to be found on any website other than this.
Is it possible that the person who presented you with these sentences had simply made them up?
MrP |
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MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
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| #29 (permalink) Wed Sep 10, 2008 23:58 pm Ridiculous ways of presenting rules. |
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| MrPedantic wrote: |
It's curious that neither example is to be found on any website other than this.
Is it possible that the person who presented you with these sentences had simply made them up?
MrP |
Anything's possible, Mr P. Same question as, twice, above: Do you doubt that grammar writers can be so ridiculous in their explanations?
And, Is it possible that many of the people who present "rules" in pedagogical grammars have simply made them up? |
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Molly
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 Ralf
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| Opinion on esltube.org and one video there. | "smashing" use |
