Vexing phrases

[Gibbon]

Have you evern tried to help your Uncle Jack off a horse?

If you didnt have an uncle Jack it wouldn't make sense would it, its a extreme example to stretch language where it does not belong and obvs. beloved by pedants.

[Gibbon]

Because when people speak, they add pauses - they don't need to say "apostrophe". Also, the reader might be partially sighted and using a screen reader, where punctuation informs the context.

(who wants to "starting a sentence with Because"?)

They don't add pauses for a contraction, the shortening is deliberate to aid brevity, maybe, just maybe, you're actually, well maybe, thinking about, probably, commas?

[jamesbrown]

Some self-proclaimed anti-pedants are the most pedantic cretins I have come across; for example, Oliver Kamm, who writes for The Times.

Just sayin'.

[Gibbon]

Some self-proclaimed anti-pedants are the most pedantic cretins I have come across; for example, Oliver Kamm, who writes for The Times.

Just sayin'.

Is that really the best you have got! God, the nights must fly by!

[jamesbrown]

Is that really the best you have got! God, the nights must fly by!

I was merely suggesting that you sound like a ginormous, pettifogging bellend. Perhaps it's just your ginormous-bellend posting style and, in reality, you're a perfectly harmless common or garden moron when engaged in the spoken word.

Either way, no need to get your clown pants in a twist.

[Gibbon]

I was merely suggesting that you sound like a ginormous, pettifogging bellend. Perhaps it's just your ginormous-bellend posting style and, in reality, you're a perfectly harmless common or garden moron when engaged in the spoken word.

Either way, no need to get your clown pants in a twist.

I refer to my previous post. You must do well on mumsnet.

BTW how does the written word 'sound'? FFS! (edit) got it! You have to read out loud!

[jamesbrown]

FFS! (edit) got it! You have to read out loud!

Oh, seamless.

We should set your posts to some Benny Hill music.

[Gibbon]

Oh, seamless.

We should set your posts to some Benny Hill music.

That would be your level so feel free, do post when you've done it so we can all hear.

Actually forget it. When you can argue without insult come back.

[d000hg]

I wonder how our reading impaired friend will cope with this:

Meanwhile, Camilla has carried on with her planned engagements, earlier visiting Paddington Haven, a sexual assault referral centre in West London.

She met former Love Island star Zara McDermott and discussed her experience of revenge porn and assault.

No apostrophes to help you out here, should something be added to language to clarify who "her" refers to?

Although presumably any revenge porn incident involving Camilla is revenge on the person being forced to watch it

[OwlHoot]

She met former Love Island star Zara McDermott and discussed her experience of revenge porn and assault.

I wonder how our reading impaired friend will cope with this:No apostrophes to help you out here, should something be added to language to clarify who "her" refers to? ..

"the latter's experience"

or for Gibbon:

the latters experience

The latter latter doesn't look quite right to me, but there you go

P.S. I wonder if the latter latter latter should be quoted