Poll

Do you believe in God?

Yes
42 (71.2%)
No
9 (15.3%)
Unsure
8 (13.6%)

Total Members Voted: 59

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Author Topic: A Survey This Is  (Read 114030 times)

« Reply #240 on: January 26, 2006, 11:28:15 PM »
YSR: Haha, that reminds me of a classic Far Side: It's all one panel, one stairway leading upwards to Heaven and one leading downwards to Hell. An angel and a devil were passing each other, but the devil had a smirk on his face and the angel had a pie on his face. I thought it was hilarious. It's not that funny in text though. =/

« Reply #241 on: January 27, 2006, 10:58:42 AM »
Heh heh!  I love those Far Side Heaven and Hell jokes.  And I like your signature too, btw, because I know all too well from writing classes how frustrating it is trying not to not use a preposition to end a sentence with.  Uh... *smacks head on desk*
(E I): o{D___(--I I): o(D___(o 8(= P)___(=(:  )@)___(3 I)}:O})+)___<( )=(: )) )
The cake is a lie, your base belongs to us, keyboard cat will play you off as you fall out of the bus.

« Reply #242 on: January 27, 2006, 01:26:44 PM »
In some circumstances, ending a sentence with a preposition is more effective. That rule is outdated.

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« Reply #243 on: January 27, 2006, 03:13:45 PM »
I'm really surprised to see LD say something like that.
0000

« Reply #244 on: January 27, 2006, 04:36:01 PM »
Thanks YSR.

Let's see an example. Lizard Dude. I don't doubt you, it just kind of sounds like a crazy concept.

BP

  • Beside Pacific
« Reply #245 on: January 27, 2006, 04:49:17 PM »
I don't know what this talk of prepositions is about.
All your dreeeeeeams begiiin to shatterrrrrr~
It's YOUR problem!

« Reply #246 on: January 27, 2006, 09:35:20 PM »
From A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, H.W. Fowler:

"It was once a cherished superstition that prepositions must be kept true to their name and placed before the word they govern in spite of the incurable English instinct for putting them late. . . . The fact is that. . . . even now immense pains are sometimes expended in changing spontaneous into artificial English. . . . Those who lay down the universal principle that final prepositions are 'inelegant' are unconsciously trying to deprive the English language of a valuable idiomatic resource, which has been used freely by all our greatest writers except those whose instinct for English idiom has been overpowered by notions of correctness derived from Latin standards. The legitimacy of the prepositional ending in literary English must be uncompromisingly maintained. . . .
In avoiding the forbidden order, unskillful handlers of words often fall into real blunders. . . ."

"the 'preposition' is in fact [often] the adverbial particle of a phrasal verb, [and] no choice is open to us; it cannot be wrested from its partner"


Examples:
This is the axe he murdered her with!
He didn't know what he was getting into.
We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
She refused to come in.

You can split infinitives to greatly improve your sentences, too!

« Reply #247 on: January 29, 2006, 12:40:36 AM »
Eenteresting. That takes some funny out of my signature. =/

« Reply #248 on: January 29, 2006, 10:07:46 AM »
I do not like prepositions in any way. Maybe school house rock did that to me with their freaky-little song about them. It was annoying.
"I don't know why they're called boyshorts! Boys don't wear shorts that short!" - Mitchie

Markio

  • Normal
« Reply #249 on: January 29, 2006, 11:46:50 AM »
Examples:
This is the axe he murdered her with!
He didn't know what he was getting into.
We are such stuff as dreams are made on.
She refused to come in.

The so-called "right" way of arranging these sentences would be:
This is the axe with which he murdered her!
He didn't know into what he was getting.
We are such stuff on which dreams are made (??)
She refused to come in [the house].

They evidently sound better with the preposition at the end.
"Hello Kitty is cool, but I like Keroppi the best."

BP

  • Beside Pacific
« Reply #250 on: January 29, 2006, 03:23:46 PM »
What do prepositions have to do with God?
All your dreeeeeeams begiiin to shatterrrrrr~
It's YOUR problem!

« Reply #251 on: January 29, 2006, 04:43:39 PM »
Heh heh... I was kind of thinking that too.  But I like what LD is saying because it makes sense to me.  If you can write more effectively or convey your meaning better or more clear by doing something the "wrong way" then I don't care at all what a few people say about it (plus it makes my life easier too and I'm all for that!).  Now if only I could start a sentence with "and" and not have to change it because everyone says it's wrong.
(E I): o{D___(--I I): o(D___(o 8(= P)___(=(:  )@)___(3 I)}:O})+)___<( )=(: )) )
The cake is a lie, your base belongs to us, keyboard cat will play you off as you fall out of the bus.

« Reply #252 on: January 29, 2006, 06:01:16 PM »
I am the mad atheist. Beware.

Actually, I have no problems with people of any religion as long as they don't force their beliefs onto me.
Why is the word ''dictionary'' in the dictionary? If you don't know what a dictionary is, you wouldn't know to look in the dictionary to find the definition of dictionary.

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« Reply #253 on: January 29, 2006, 09:33:30 PM »
What do prepositions have to do with God?

You know what? It's okay for topics to go off topic as long as the discussion is stimulating. I'm getting really irritated by all these lames complaining about threads going off topic so they can stop intelligent conversation and talk about how it would be so cool if the Cape Feather were in SMB3 or something equally artarded.
0000

BP

  • Beside Pacific
« Reply #254 on: January 30, 2006, 12:10:47 AM »
*scared of TEM*
All your dreeeeeeams begiiin to shatterrrrrr~
It's YOUR problem!

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