Pedant's Corner

[GrannieAnnie]

We've inherited, I believe, from you Brits a disturbing phrase which has never seemed correct to me (though I'm no pedant). How can "he went missing" ever be correct? It has become as common as weeds now.

[GrannieAnnie]

[calendula]

he is missing + he went missing = present and past, either way he still missed the point  ;D

[Palustris]

And after reading that I shall have to go and boil the kettle for a cup of tea. Or perhaps I should boil the water in a kettle?

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

he went missing sounds fine to me, mind you I went missing years ago

GrannieAnnie - the one that get us here is "gotten". Surely not one of ours we stopped using? Did you get it from the Germans or the Dutch?

I keep asking for a packet of green cigarette papers, and they are always white

[GrannieAnnie]

he went missing sounds fine to me, mind you I went missing years ago

GrannieAnnie - the one that get us here is "gotten". Surely not one of ours we stopped using? Did you get it from the Germans or the Dutch?

Here the past participle for "get" is gotten.  I have no idea of its origin- could easily be German we're such a mishmash of heritages. And we usually delete the word "have" since it is inferred and would waste one breath of air whilst (that's British) causing more sound pollution.;D

[OllieC]

Never use one word when ten will do the job just as well!

[GrannieAnnie]

Never use one word when ten will do the job just as well!

Oh my, last night we sat through a speech by someone who actually believed that saying. It about slowed the retirement party to a screeching halt.

[Ishard]

And how do you 'make a loss' when talking about finance?

Slightly off topic but I really hate it when people say Canadian geese for a gaggle of them. NO!! They are Canada geese.

[telboy]

Excuse me for poking my big nose in here.

May I, with respect, request a countrywide referendum to ban the use of the following words:

'basically'
'obviously'
'absolutely'
from the English language.

Thank you in anticipation!
8)

[asbean]

Or "koi carp"

We wouldn't say "goldfish goldfish", or "blackbird blackbird" :( :( :( :( :(

[OllieC]

Yet, with no intentional irony, we say naan bread...

[Amazin]

And I happily chunter that I'm growing Poona Kheera cucumber

(Kheera is Hindi for cucumber)

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

sorry GrannieAnnie - we pick up most things American, but gotten is just so wrong, even our youth of today don't use it

[GrannieAnnie]

sorry GrannieAnnie - we pick up most things American, but gotten is just so wrong, even our youth of today don't use it

I wasn't suggesting you adopt "gotten" in England, only stating what is considered American English. I'd rather our countries kept their own unique ways instead of exporting it. Except for- what's his name, the actor.

[Hyacinth]

he went missing sounds fine to me, mind you I went missing years ago

GrannieAnnie - the one that get us here is "gotten". Surely not one of ours we stopped using?

'Tis so! We imported it to America. Blame the Pilgrim Fathers :o

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

yes, we have ill-gotten gains of course

another thing - as we are a small country and things change fast, and you are a large one and things change slowly, the idea is that you still have people speaking the language of, or  at least, the accent of, Shakespeare - Google-meister suggests they're in the Carolinas. How cool is that?

"fear no more the heat o'the sun,
nor the furious winter's rages.... how's that in a Carolina accent?

[Ishard]

As dear old Winston Chruchill said 'Two nations divided by a common language' is exactly how the US and UK are.  ;D

[saddad]

Sorry I've missed all this, down to one 'puter here so not getting on much! Just knew I'd have a mention, didn't realise I'd started it!!
We have no problem with forget ... forgotten, so what's the problem with gotten? Having just marked some gcse scripts I can assure you it is alive and well is some parts of the country. Yes it is a germanic declension, as are most of our common words. Anglo-Saxon (?) and Saxony is where exactly?...
;D

[Hyacinth]

.....something else we imported to the USA where it's still alive and well AND I WANT IT BACK, please,.....is......
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'

the
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
'
z

Had you realiz(s)ed that?

My mate'n'me's gotta Save the Zed Society, 'cept that he calls it the "Save the Zee Society"...  ;D

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

perhaps they'll do us a job lot and thrown in all those u's they don't u's, and we can give them some f's for them to u's when they mean ph