Author Topic: Dear Expert (Read 165464 times)

BlackBlade · « **Reply #425 on:** March 07, 2012, 08:47:48 AM »

Quote from: rivka on March 06, 2012, 08:37:08 PM

Quote from: BlackBlade on March 06, 2012, 08:32:04 PM
It's actually boo-sher.
Definitely not.

I say it like this.

Definitely not the correct pronunciation, or definitely not better sounding?

rivka · « **Reply #426 on:** March 07, 2012, 10:05:04 AM »

Both, actually.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #427 on:** March 07, 2012, 04:55:30 PM »

I'm sorry being 50% right is still being incorrect.

Porter · « **Reply #428 on:** March 07, 2012, 06:27:14 PM »

You're half right.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #429 on:** March 07, 2012, 10:06:18 PM »

Quote from: Porter on March 07, 2012, 06:27:14 PM

You're half right.

How much do I have left then?

Porter · « **Reply #430 on:** March 07, 2012, 10:44:03 PM »

I still remember an episode of Bewitched where the evil brunette cousin of Samantha mentioned that she got in trouble for wearing half of her bikini to the beach.

When asked, she said that it was the left half.

pooka · « **Reply #431 on:** March 08, 2012, 10:41:28 PM »

I told her the first syllable should rhyme with book. Fortunately, no one has much cause to say butcher anymore, kind of like how it doesn't matter that I say "sword" wrong.

rivka · « **Reply #432 on:** March 08, 2012, 11:21:55 PM »

Quote from: pooka on March 08, 2012, 10:41:28 PM

Fortunately, no one has much cause to say butcher anymore

I use the word fairly often.

Marianne Dashwood · « **Reply #433 on:** March 09, 2012, 12:31:45 AM »

I don't use the noun very often. But I use the verb a lot, especially when discussing what Lady Gaga does to music.

rivka · « **Reply #434 on:** March 09, 2012, 08:07:39 AM »

I use both.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #435 on:** March 09, 2012, 12:35:12 PM »

The noun comes up every time I mention those three men in a tub.

BlackBlade · « **Reply #436 on:** March 13, 2012, 02:02:17 PM »

Dear Expert,

How dare you question my judgement!

Or,

How dare you question my judgement?

That is all.

Jonathon · « **Reply #437 on:** March 13, 2012, 02:10:13 PM »

Either one is fine. I'd say it depends on what you're trying to convey. The exclamation mark says righteous indignation to me, while the question mark conveys more hurt and betrayal. (But that's just my impressionistic interpretation; your mileage may vary.)

BlackBlade · « **Reply #438 on:** March 13, 2012, 02:13:04 PM »

Seems like the placement of how necessitates it being a question. Though I've certainly used it as a statement without expecting an answer like I would a question.

Jonathon · « **Reply #439 on:** March 13, 2012, 02:31:18 PM »

Syntactically, it's a question. But as you said, pragmatically, it's really not. It often has more of the force of a statement or exclamation. You can find instances with either question marks or exclamation marks (or even just periods) in published writing. You could even use both an exclamation mark and a question mark if you want.

rivka · « **Reply #440 on:** March 13, 2012, 02:56:38 PM »

Quote from: Jonathon on March 13, 2012, 02:31:18 PM

You could even use both an exclamation mark and a question mark if you want.

Only in informal writing though, neh?

Jonathon · « **Reply #441 on:** March 13, 2012, 04:11:59 PM »

*shrug*

I don't know of any hard and fast rule against doing so. But I'm not sure what kind of formal writing would include the sentence "How dare you question my judgement!"

rivka · « **Reply #442 on:** March 13, 2012, 04:18:19 PM »

A character speaking in a book. And if they used double punctuation, I would be dismayed.

Jonathon · « **Reply #443 on:** March 13, 2012, 04:28:43 PM »

Huh. I'm not sure I would call fiction "formal writing." (I'm not sure that I'd call it informal either.)

rivka · « **Reply #444 on:** March 13, 2012, 04:40:34 PM »

Semi-formal?

pooka · « **Reply #445 on:** March 13, 2012, 05:35:07 PM »

I'd prefer double punctuation to the necessary conversational tag, which would have to be "Taylor ejaculated".

Jonathon · « **Reply #446 on:** March 13, 2012, 05:50:56 PM »

Quote from: rivka on March 13, 2012, 04:40:34 PM

Semi-formal?

Business casual?

rivka · « **Reply #447 on:** March 13, 2012, 05:53:01 PM »

Semi-formal is much more formal than business casual.

The Genuine · « **Reply #448 on:** March 13, 2012, 06:53:37 PM »

Of course, at least in the States, there's only one e in judgment. So both are wrong.

rivka · « **Reply #449 on:** March 13, 2012, 07:43:15 PM »

Quote from: The Genuine on March 13, 2012, 06:53:37 PM

Of course, at least in the States, there's only one e in judgment.

Which has never made sense to me.