Silly Things You Do But Can't Help Yourself

[ade 3]

I break down sentences into groups of 4 syllables and if the sentence won't fit I amend it so that it will. If it really won't fit, I try and get groups of three syllables instead, but 3 isn't anywhere near as good as 4 . I don't do it much now but I used to do it a LOT.

 

Can you give an example? It was my understanding that 'syllables' were the building blocks of words, not sentances. 1 syllable being monosyllabic, 2 disyllabic, 3 trisyllabic and over 3 polysyllabic.

 

I'm not calling you on this, just interested as I don't understand the 'breaking down sentences into groups of syllables' bit. Do you mean words?

 

eg the sentence 'I break down sentences into groups of 4 syllables in my head'

 

I'd start like this 'I break down sen........tences into......groups of 4 sy.......llables in my........head' - which obviously doesn't work because there's an extra syllable at the end. What I'd probably do here is change into to to - which would make the sentence 'right'. If I needed an extra syllable I'd look for abbreviations - for instance 'I've' would become 'I have', 'don't' would become 'do not'.

 

Sometimes if it just doesn't work I cheat a bit and 'invent' an extra syllable just to make the sentence fit - eg I'd stretch the word 'three' into 'ther-ree'. not logical I know, but in my head I can get away with it.

 

I'm not mad, honest.

 

Like Miss Take said - Only differ......ence is I nev....er used to bo...ther if it end...ed equally... or not. I used to picture a dice face showing a 4 that allowed me to break things down and I would always speak like...der dum dee dum, dee dum dee dooh, der dum dee dum, dee dum dee dooh (obviously not using those actual words!). Talking about it now like this reminds me, that similarly to Miss Take, I would have a certain feeling of satisfaction if I could group things together equally - In my case, groups of 8 or 16 syllables.

 

I know that reading this back sounds weird, and difficult to do consciously, but after a while it really did become quite natural (worryingly.)

[Doric 0]

I don't mean to put oil on troubled waters here, but 4 syllables is pretty easy.

 

8 or 16 is nigh on very difficult.

 

You could be more powerful or intelligent than a 4er

[ade 3]

Aye, you're probably right. When my young fella grows up, I'll drum it in to him that he should be speaking in groups of maybe 7 or 13 syllables. That'll smarten the little blighter up a bit

[beejay103 0]

I have to have volumes on anything - TV/Stereo/Car stereo on an even number

 

But for some reason anything ending in a 5 is acceptable too

 

 

Other wise i'll blow up and die

Or maybe i'll just get annoyed and change it, quick

[b4mbi 873]

say "winner" every time my PIN is accepted by a credit card machine

 

wave at the fairies

 

support Everton

[Lonan3 1,790]

Whenever I - or someone else nearby - drops a coin, I shout "heads."

 

I can't help it.

 

It's extremely annoying.

 

And it's always 'tails,' anyway!

[sarahc 714]

say "winner" every time my PIN is accepted by a credit card machine

wave at the fairies

 

support Everton

 

This one really tickled me for some reason! I guess I'll always know if I'm in the queue behind you.

[Cret 28]

I like that one too. I'm going to steal it, and I may even substitute it for a 'Kerrching!' noise at times.

[b4mbi 873]

it's particularly useful at ATM's as well

[thebees 2,811]

I act relieved when a transaction goes through on my card, thats a bit strange. Also guilty of saying 'Thanks' to the cash machine.

 

I also always try to guess who is calling whenever our 'house phone' rings, its got a bit OCD'y because often I make the children answer the phone in case it is my cousin who I actually think the world of but I hate talking on the phone to.

[Sparky 1]

Put the lid down on the loo even if I haven't used it;

Always tie my left shoe first even though I have no order for socks;

Get really annoyed at the mess people leave in the works kitchen.

Cover my face if there is a gory bit on tv like someone having liposuction!!

[Doric 0]

Aye, you're probably right. When my young fella grows up, I'll drum it in to him that he should be speaking in groups of maybe 7 or 13 syllables. That'll smarten the little blighter up a bit

 

The above is far to predicatble.

 

What your young fella should do is learn pi to as many decimal places as possible (click it for 1000 places. Then change the number of syllables to talk in according to the next pi number.

Edited May 30, 2008 by Doric

[Joe Public 33]

Ask the nice ladies on the aeroplanes what todays movie is.

 

Oh how they laugh.

[Joe Public 33]

Oh, and since the age of about 11, I have to say the word 'potato' every day or the king of the potato people will have me killed. Later on I worked out that I hadn't been saying it for 11 years which is about 4000 potatoes but that's OK because catch ups are allowed so I'd have to recite the word potato many times which was a bit boring until I sang it using the tune of the local ice cream van which I don't know the name of but goes a litte like 'potato potato potato potato potato po-o-tato po-o-tato potato. I'm not sure the po-o-tatoes are really allowed, but they are needed to fit in with the tune who's name escapes me and it must work because I'm not dead yet.

[immortalpuppet 220]