Does grammar matter?

[Asthehills]

This is an obese ration rather than a criticism but I think a sign of how the world moves on and things develop.

I can’t help thinking that THOR and other of his generation would struggle to adapt to a modern office environment.

Message fired around by teams, WhatsApp etc often even rigour capitalisation as it doesn’t matter.

People eating KFC, McDonald’s, Chinese atc at their desk without plates or cutlery.

Drinking from bottles.

Meeting where Pizza arrives and everyone just dives in with their fingers.  Even client and board meetings here normally involve pizza or yards of pasty or maybe a McDonald’s delivery.

[The Voice of Reason]

5 minutes ago, HeliX said:

Out of the millions who drink out of cans daily, how many are now dead of can-related-diseases?

Like I said such tales of catching nasty diseases may be apocryphal. 
 But if true ( even if only in part or only in very rare cases) you don’t have to die, for any such disease to have a negative effect on you.

 

[Ghost Ship]

13 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Absolutely not.
Why would you think otherwise?

Do you not practice table manners?

 

Hmmm...

Edited June 15, 2023 by Ghost Ship

[The Voice of Reason]

17 minutes ago, Asthehills said:

This is an obese ration rather than a criticism but I think a sign of how the world moves on and things develop.

I can’t help thinking that THOR and other of his generation would struggle to adapt to a modern office environment.

Message fired around by teams, WhatsApp etc often even rigour capitalisation as it doesn’t matter.

People eating KFC, McDonald’s, Chinese atc at their desk without plates or cutlery.

Drinking from bottles.

Meeting where Pizza arrives and everyone just dives in with their fingers.  Even client and board meetings here normally involve pizza or yards of pasty or maybe a McDonald’s delivery.

By THOR do you mean me? ( I’m guessing auto spelling)

I have worked in an office all my working life up until recent retirement. So I have worked in a “ modern” office environment without struggling.

I have  seen the changes,  the banning of smoking in the office, the relaxation of the dress code, the introduction of technology ( particularly for communication purposes) without having a meltdown ( I think that’s the word used now).

Not seen people eating Chinese at their desk though without cutlery including chopsticks. Noodles and rice, I imagine might be a bit problematic.

Of course things evolve, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, dependent on your own point of view.

Edited June 15, 2023 by The Voice of Reason
Reference to chopsticks

[Gladys]

Many years ago, driving up Crellin's Hill there was a lad with a pizza box walking (2 steps forward, one wobble back) up, obviously after a session in a local hostelry.  He had both hands to hold the box level while he munched on the pizza direct from the box.  It was a masterpiece. 

[Roxanne]

8 minutes ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Of course things evolve, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse, dependent on your own point of view.

But the thing is, most of it is out of your control, so what is the point in despairing of it. Why put yourself through it?

 

 

[KERED]

20 hours ago, Asthehills said:

They won’t have editors.

Why would MR pay an editor?

They have people who write and post the content.  That’s all.

For many years, MR had a Broadcast Editor, an Online News Editor, Deputy News Editor, Sports Editor and Deputy Sports Editor.

Right now MR has a Morning News Editor.

[KERED]

7 minutes ago, KERED said:

For many years, MR had a Broadcast News Editor, an Online News Editor, Deputy News Editor, Sports Editor and Deputy Sports Editor.

Right now MR has a Morning News Editor.

 

[manxman1980]

2 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Your presumption of me being an older male is correct.

What a surprise 🙂

2 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

I hear what you say about women guarding against spiking of their drinks. But when I go to a pub say, I don’t see groups of women all sat there with their thumbs over their bottles.

You go to pubs on the Isle of Man.  Try going to a UK nightclub or a very busy pub and you will see people doing that (and people covering the tops of plastic "glasses" with their hands).  Sadly it appears that spiking drinks is not the only tactic in use now.  It appears that use of a needle is becoming more common.

2 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

You also have to balance that against the hygiene aspect. There are tales ( maybe apocryphal but I can believe it) of long tails urinating over the top and neck of bottles leading to the  potential for people to catch nasty diseases from drinking from them.

I have heard the stories.  Pouring the drink into a glass probably won't help much as the liquid will simply wash whatever is on the top of the can into the glass.  If you are really worried the best way is to wash the top of the can beforehand.

2 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

Thank you for your potted history of the fork. That’s all quite  interesting.

But like the lady in question I’ll take my chances against the wrath of God and continue to use cutlery.

I shared simply to highlight that times change and one day people will look upon you as being uncouth and uncivilised.  @Roxanne has also done a good job of highlighting that.

In relation to the rules of English Grammar, I suspect that you will find them a relatively modern construct.  You do not have to go back far in history to find large parts of society that could not read or write.  Go back further and that group increases.  Even with our education now we can find reading older documents difficult as the approach to grammar was very different and spelling was hit and miss.  It is one of the reasons why people (some not all) find Shakespeare difficult to access and read.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I think grammar and punctuation matters because it isn't just about whether you can read something but it's about whether you can read something in the easiest way, with any ambiguity and so that things look tidy.

 

[wrighty]

3 hours ago, Asthehills said:

This is an obese ration...

...People eating KFC, McDonald’s, Chinese atc at their desk without plates or cutlery.

Drinking from bottles.

Meeting where Pizza arrives and everyone just dives in with their fingers.  Even client and board meetings here normally involve pizza or yards of pasty or maybe a McDonald’s delivery.

Selective quoting - apologies - I just thought 'obese ration' (presumably should be 'observation') was quite apt talking about eating junk food.

[Augustus]

4 hours ago, Asthehills said:

Meeting where Pizza arrives and everyone just dives in with their fingers.  Even client and board meetings here normally involve pizza or yards of pasty or maybe a McDonald’s delivery.

This is A1 taxis, yeah?

[A fool and his money.....]

9 hours ago, Karellen said:

Commas save lives:

Let's eat Grandma

Let's eat, Grandma

Perhaps if you'd eat your Grandmother, without any further thought or resistance, just because somebody told you to.

Either sentence is fine IMHO.

[A fool and his money.....]

5 hours ago, La_Dolce_Vita said:

I think grammar and punctuation matters because it isn't just about whether you can read something but it's about whether you can read something in the easiest way, with any ambiguity and so that things look tidy.

 

I agree with that. I also agree with there being absolutely nothing wrong with taking some pride in your writing.

What I disagree with is berating people who either can't or won't take the same care, or those who simply make a mistake, as we all do from time to time.

Especially (as is very often the case) if the intended meaning can be easily understood.

It's very rude and unecessary.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

18 minutes ago, A fool and his money..... said:

Perhaps if you'd eat your Grandmother, without any further thought or resistance, just because somebody told you to.

Either sentence is fine IMHO.

Is it?

If the comma made no difference then I'd agree.  

If there was a possibility of it first being read as eating grandma then it's not fine when a comma can remove or reduce that possibility.  The punctuation means you don't have to read something again.  If someone isn't educated well on this sort of thing then that's not worth berating them.  If they don't care and don't see the point, they might be ignorant of these things and think it's normal. Maybe that's an education thing.

And it depends on what is being read. If it's in a text or email from a friend then it doesn't matter.  It's not good in formal writing, the media, or in business documentation.