Photos In The Sales Section

[Marco]

Ah now, regional vernacular/dialect is a rather different thing, and can be huge fun!

Ah widnae gie ye the steam aff ma pish, ya bawbag.

Marco.

[Mike Reed]

:

Ah widnae gie ye the steam aff ma pish, ya bawbag.

Marco.

Think that's a Glaswegian pleasantry.

Even in the fifties, I can't remember being taught the full gamut of the English language, although learning French did instill some aspects; esp regarding tenses. I encountered considerable left-leaning child centred tuition at college prior to the the chalk face but it wasn't until I became a supply teacher a decade later, covering diverse educational venues and, for he first time, many junior schools, that I became fully aware that grammar had effectively been dropped from the curriculum with the exception of some punctuation. I was rather spoilt thereafter by entering the E.F.L. arena, where the more you teach, the more you learn.. Better still, the more you understand the logic of the rules and usages.

I must confess that I enjoy writing on forums in order to keep up my skills now that my teaching days are behind me (unfortunately). There will soon come a time, though, when my execrable typographical skills will nullify any pretence at preserving linguistic skills.

By then, I hope that emojis displaying recognisable grunts will be available. Sort of 'back to the stoned ages', if you like.

[Mike Reed]

And so she should

Myself, him/herself, ourselves, yourself/ves and themselves are, whether for emphasis or not, reflexive pronouns. I find that Collins text rather vague. There might be a case where a reflexive pronoun can be used without its corresponding pronoun (or by implication) but I can't think of one. Reflexive means just that; it reflects (something gone before). Happy to learn otherwise, though.

Common oral (and probably written) error: 'my mate and myself went.....' . This fails on two fronts. The reflexive 'myself' has no 'I' to reflect, and, one should always be the second mentioned. 'Me and a mate went.....' has the object pronoun as a subject, let alone in the wrong order.

I do wonder, when it's as simple to speak/write correctly, even without any particular education, why this logical sequence has been erroneously stood on its head. It's almost as if another language structure was deemed superior to that laid down over centuries.

[Marco]

Think that's a Glaswegian pleasantry.

Indeed, much like this endearing snippet of witty repartee, between two gentlemen robustly vying for the affections of a young lady: 'Haw, fannybaws, ah'll scone yer dome wi ma chib, if a catch ye sookin ma burd's gash agin'.

Marco.

[struth]

Which translated means, "I say old chap, would you be so good as to stop French kissing my wife's thatch"

[Marco]

...to which the other chap responded rather earnestly: 'Haud yur wheesht, ya glachit wee zoomer, or ah'll cowp ye oan the flair and marsbar yur coupon. She's the toon bike, so ah'll fire intae her if ah wahnt tae!'.

Marco.

[Gaz]

'May I have' is the correct form. 'Can I have' implies that you are asking if you are physically capable of having it.

Likewise with 'Can I get?' The correct response is 'I don't know, can you?'

Wrong again

https://www.lexico.com/en/grammar/can-or-may

[Gaz]

[Marco]

Wrong again

https://www.lexico.com/en/grammar/can-or-may

Well, she certainly *couldn't*...



Marco.

[Gaz]

As the Oxford English Dictionary is, and always has been, the definitive source of what is, or isn't, correct, I'm afraid we need to accept that what was once incorrect may not me nowadays.
As somebody mentioned earlier, the language changes with time so perhaps we are becoming the modern versions of those complaining about thou, ye etc being changed.
My Dad was taught, at a Grammar School in the 1930s,that contractions were lazy and poor grammar