The English language

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dtaai-maai
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The English language

Post by dtaai-maai »

One of the reasons English is not easy to learn... or to teach!

“Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac. It’s an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list, but almost none of us could write it out.”
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/201609 ... ow-we-know
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PeteC
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Re: The English language

Post by PeteC »

"So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife."

I have a little old lovely green rectangular French whittling knife....

I have an old lovely green little rectangular French whittling knife....

I have a rectangular French whittling knife, old, green and lovely.... :mrgreen:
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Khundon1975
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Re: The English language

Post by Khundon1975 »

I have a spherical, Thai twittering wife, old, green and lovely. :roll:
I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.
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T.I.G.R.
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Re: The English language

Post by T.I.G.R. »

"Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order"

Never heard of that.......must be "old" English, eh.
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Re: The English language

Post by HHTel »

DM is correct. It's not a new rule either. I learnt it in grammar school in the fifties.
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Re: The English language

Post by arcadianagain »

HHTel wrote:DM is correct. It's not a new rule either. I learnt it in grammar school in the fifties.
You must be very learned to have learnt that :oops:
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Re: The English language

Post by HHTel »

arcadianagain wrote:
HHTel wrote:DM is correct. It's not a new rule either. I learnt it in grammar school in the fifties.
You must be very learned to have learnt that :oops:
Learned it - yes. Never said I remembered it. Forgotten a long time ago.
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Vital Spark
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Re: The English language

Post by Vital Spark »

It's a really interesting article. I particularly liked the 'clip-clop, tick-tock' bit, something that I'd never thought about. I think that I also learnt adjective order when I was a grammar school many moons ago. One thing that I always teach my students is to use no more than three adjectives to describe something (otherwise it's rather clumsy, and difficult to read).

VS
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Re: The English language

Post by Nereus »

Vital Spark wrote: I think that I also learnt adjective order when I was a grammar school many moons ago. VS
Really, VS? And which part of the school exactly were you? Or is it: "which part of the school were you exactly"? :rasta:
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Re: The English language

Post by Vital Spark »

At which part of the school was I, exactly? Just a normal English language class in a lovely (sadly, since closed) grammar school in rural Suffolk (in 1972).

VS ;)
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Re: The English language

Post by HHTel »

"when I was a grammar school many moons ago"

This is a casual conversational forum. Some members are very picky. So the word 'at' was missing from the above sentence. I wonder if these members speak correctly or slip into 'conversational English' like most of the English speaking population.
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Re: The English language

Post by Vital Spark »

Oh, heck. I didn't notice my typo. :oops: Hence not picking up on what Nereus meant. In true Thai fashion I'll prostrate myself in front of my keyboard and beg forgiveness. ;)

VS

P.S. I hope some members of this forum don't become too nit-picky about grammatical or typing errors. It may just deter people posting interesting stuff. Know wot I mean?
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Re: The English language

Post by Bamboo Grove »

What I've been wondering for eons: Where did the "I was sat" come from?
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Re: The English language

Post by Vital Spark »

BG: I blame the BBC, because they moved their headquarters up to Manchester. Northern English accents have become more popular for a multitude of programmes, and the dialect up north uses this form. It really irritates me when I hear it, but I guess we have to accept (grudgingly) that the English language is dynamic, and if something is used long enough it becomes part of the norm.

I still hate it...

VS
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Bamboo Grove
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Re: The English language

Post by Bamboo Grove »

Thanks, VS, it irritates me, too. Although, I can give no explanation to why it does.
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