Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Username

JJMBallantyne

Member Since

December 30, 2006

Total number of comments

142

Total number of votes received

365

Bio

Latest Comments

I’ve no idea

  • April 16, 2012, 12:49pm

1. "Is it a correct syntax to say: 'I’ve no idea' to shortcut 'I have no idea? I see alot of people doing this and I feel that it is wrong."

I've no idea why you'd have trouble with it. It is perfectly fine English and completely unremarkable.

2. On "I've to go", I wondered: is this a BE usage? To me, (as a Canadian English speaker), it desperately needs either "got" in there or "have" in full to give it emphasis. Now, if the statement were extended e.g., "I've to go to the school tonight", I could certainly see that as a BE usage, though I would say "I've got to go to the school tonight."

Do any UK posters have thoughts on this?

make it work

  • March 29, 2012, 4:44pm

Well, "work" is the infinitive. The fact that it often requires the prepositional marker "to" doesn't change that.

By the way, my preference would be to use the term "base verb" as well.

Complete Sentence

  • March 29, 2012, 4:37pm

"if in sentence hasn`t subject or oredicated it is fragment.excample: yes. no. go."

Wrong.

"I cannot stand how people in the USA say 'legos'. drives me nuts.

it hurts my ears like say 'sheeps'."

You must live in an odd place if you're hearing "legos" and "sheeps" all the time...

If LEGO wishes me to "protect its brand name" in my private correspondence and speech, no problem: I'm willing to accept payment to do so!

Otherwise I'll use "LEGOs" or "legos" for a plural when and as I choose, thanks.

Pronunciation of “Nova Scotia”

  • March 18, 2012, 2:15pm

Typo: make that "weren't".

Pronunciation of “Nova Scotia”

  • March 18, 2012, 2:14pm

"but I speak as a Scot when I say that the Scottish version is as I described: Scoh-shia. What you say in the new Canadian one I leave for you to report."

We were'nt discussing the Latin name for Scotland; we were discussing the name of a Canadian province.

Canadians say "SKOE-shuh". How you might choose to pronounce the Latin name for Scotland is moot.

“American”

  • March 16, 2012, 7:05pm

"I'm argentinian and I actually think it IS offensive."

Stop - you're breaking my heart!

You folks also believe the Falklands are the Malvinas. But you lost that argument too.

Life isn't fair. Get used to it.

Pronunciation of “Nova Scotia”

  • March 16, 2012, 4:47pm

Well, as one who has lived "Down East", I agree with "dougincanada" here: I've only ever heard NOE-vuh SKOE-shuh.

Nova Scotia is Latin, of course. If it were pronounced in that language it would be NOH-WAH* SKOT-EE-AH.

You'd be hard pressed to find that version in common usage though!

* Or -VAH if you're going with Ecclesiastical Latin.

of a

  • March 15, 2012, 7:26am

As for a "lucid argument", there's none to be made because no argument is necessary.

Clearly some dialects use "of" here and some don't.

End of story.