Job Discussion Forums

[johnslat]

Dear Mike_2007,

OK, got me there . Did you google? And now, a sentence starting with "Than", please.

Regards,
John

[Mike_2007]

Dear John,

Of course I Googled I came up with a few of my own initially, but I thought I'd see if the constructions were used in written texts so search a couple of newspapers.

I'm stuck on than, though. I thought perhaps we could start a sentence along the lines of 'than this there is but...', but it sounds very pompous and Byronesque and I suppose is prepositional rather than conjunctional. Isn't there some kind of Norse god called Than? 'Than raised his powerful hammer and smited the Danes'? Ok, I give up. Than my best efforts to you more I cannot offer.

Mike

[AGoodStory]

[johnslat]

Dear Mike_2007,

Smote, I think . I'm glad to see that you're not taking this any more seriously than I am. It's a very complex subject and there's no need to compound it by heated argument. Perhaps there's no simple answer. .

As far as gods go (and often they go way too far) there is Thanatos, the god of Death. To his friends, he's simply Than - except, of course, that he HAS no friends.

Regards,
John

[ryan1981]

Thanks for all the feedback!

PC Parrot�s response gives me something tangible to work with, although I still can�t say I necessarily agree with the semantics of it.

It appears I might not be completely alone on this point.

Anyway� I guess I�ll just have to get over it.

[scrog_420]

[The Mad Hatter]

Forget conjunctions, one idea one sentence.

I can't believe I'm reading self-proclaimed experts littering their posts with little yellow faces.

If you can't make your point using the tools provided by the English language, how, in God's name, do you expect anyone to take you seriously?

[johnslat]

Dear The Mad Hatter,

"Forget conjunctions, one idea one sentence. "

Actually, that's two ideas.

"I can't believe I'm reading self-proclaimed experts littering their posts with little yellow faces."

Racist remarks are discouraged on these forums.

"If you can't make your point using the tools provided by the English language, how, in God's name, do you expect anyone to take you seriously?"


"I'm glad to see that you're not taking this any more seriously than I am"

Are you serious?

Regards,
John

[The Mad Hatter]

Ah, now I get it.

I've just looked at your number of posts.

You're the village one.

[johnslat]

Dear The Mad Hatter,

Yup, these days jobs are hard to find, so I'm the village idiot. Someday, I aspire to attain your lofty position: world idiot. But I know I've got a long way to go .

Regards
John

[scrog_420]

Yet another interesting thread devolves into juvenile babbling.

[johnslat]

Dear scrog_420,

What can you do? There are simply too many idiots around.

Regards,
John

[ryan1981]

scrog_420,

[antonia v]

[johnslat]

Dear antonia v,

I wouldn't say "it's common", but I would say it's "not uncommon". I've certainly come across it in my reading fairly frequently.

My opinion is that while the comma after an introductory adverb dependent clause is "mandatory", using a comma before a closing adverb dependent clause is a matter of writer's choice (i.e. does the writer want the reader to take a very slight pause before continuing to read).

"The correct punctuation is either He does well in English although he prefers math to English (no comma at all) or He does well in English, although he prefers math to English (comma between the independent clause and the dependent clause but still no comma after although. (This is an example of an instance in which we have an option whether to set off the closing dependent clause with a comma. If we want to give a little more emphasis to the contrast expressed by the although clause, we may opt for using the comma.)"

http://www.grammarmudge.cityslide.com/articles/article/2569239/36239.htm

Regards,
John