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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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 Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
You know what I hate? People who tell me "I'm good" is an improper response to the question "How are you?" - a question which asks for an adjective. They insist "I'm well" is better, which it isn't....I think they get confused with the question "How are you doing?" in which "I'm doing well" is a much more appropriate response than "I'm doing good."
It tends to be "English majors" who throw that line of crap at me. And since they're English majors, they must be right. |
If you volunteer at an orphanage or do some charity work, you're good. If you're discussing how you are in bed, let's hope you're good. Otherwise, "How are you?" is short for "How are you doing?" and you should answer "I'm well."
It is becoming outdated, but it's still the proper usage. I don't correct people, but my mom used to correct me all the time, and it's second nature now. I made a point of doing a good deed every day just to be able to answer snarkily that I helped some old woman cross the street or something, so, yes, I am good. 
Nice, quoting English majors, by the way. It tends to be "very smart people" who don't use quotes correctly.  |
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johnnyrook
Joined: 08 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
| Robbo wrote: |
| "decimated" when used to describe something totally destroyed. "To decimate" is to reduce by 1/10th. |
Uh, that's not really a mistake. You're just being a purist...or a pedant. That might be the literal meaning when looking at the root "deci," but it's used in other ways.
dec�i�mate
/ˈdɛsəˌmeɪt/ Show Spelled[des-uh-meyt] Show IPA
�verb (used with object), -mat�ed, -mat�ing.
1.
to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague.
2.
to select by lot and kill every tenth person of.
3.
Obsolete . to take a tenth of or from.
The Roman military's punishment of "decimation" was quite brutal. Sure, only 1/10 soldiers were executed, but the person chosen was random and it was carried out by their comrades. You could say the psychological effects go beyond reducing the strength of the unit by one tenth. What would happen if NYC or LA were literally "decimated?" (Now someone can chime in that there'd be celebrations)
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I encountered something similar at uni, one of my professors threatened to mark students down if they used "impact" as a synonym of "affect". He was adamant that its only appropriate meaning was "to collide with". Ever since then I've noticed that it shows up in plenty of peer-reviewed science articles.
Language change over time is natural. Many of the things in this thread will become grammatically accepted forms in the future if not already, with only the occasional ageing English purist to carry on defiantly against their usage. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| If you volunteer at an orphanage or do some charity work, you're good. If you're discussing how you are in bed, let's hope you're good. Otherwise, "How are you?" is short for "How are you doing?" and you should answer "I'm well." |
I always thought that 'good' had evolved to become a synonym for 'alright' or 'okay' or 'there is nothing wrong with me'. |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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good is an adjective and is just fine for answering the question "How are you?" Would you object to "I'm feeling good, and I knew that I would?" Good has several meanings. There's no reason it can't be applied to one's emotional state.
Now, to say, "I'm doing good." No. You need an adverb. The closest adverb being well.
I'd say "How are you doing?" is merely the long way of saying "How are you?" How many people actually answer that question with an adverb?
Well is more flexible as it can be used as an adverb or an adjective. So if you want to be safe...sure. Always "well."
Ever notice how good and well have the same comparative and superlative forms? Gee, I wonder why that is.
I'm better than yesterday....must mean I am being a dynamo in bed today or volunteering at an orphanage. |
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Globutron
Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| I used to say 'I'm well good' or 'it's well good' |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:47 pm Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
Nice, quoting English majors, by the way. It tends to be "very smart people" who don't use quotes correctly. |
How is that a mistake? I wasn't being ironic. That's what they said they were. Do you not find it odd that people who have graduated university years ago still refer to themselves as "English majors?"
You might want to edit that first sentence. Isn't this your job?
Last edited by nukeday on Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Globutron
Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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90% of the English 'majors' I know have spelling and grammatical abilities FAR below my own..
One's who use neccesary and so forth.
Then again the University system in England is a complete load of BULL****.
Considering I was by far the best at what I did in my year (brag brag) and came out with the same results as a stoner who would bring his girlfriend in to lectures to make out with, and then present a presentation about how drugs are good for writing better music with a conclusion that drugs feel good and the 'police' think it's 'more bad' than it is.
I've bitched about this for the better part of two years now... Jeeze...almost 2 years. Time flies. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
Nice, quoting English majors, by the way. It tends to be "very smart people" who don't use quotes correctly. |
How is that a mistake? I wasn't being ironic. That's what they said they were. Do you not find it odd that people who have graduated university years ago still refer to themselves as "English majors?"
You might want to edit that first sentence. Isn't this your job? |
Nice, quoting English majors, by the way. It was a fragment for the sake of style. It doesn't warrant editing.
Your usage of quotes is wrong. Use italics, bold, or anything else. Quotes are incorrect. I was an English major. I am an editor and teacher. You are a silly little man. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Globutron wrote: |
90% of the English 'majors' I know have spelling and grammatical abilities FAR below my own..
One's who use neccesary and so forth.
Then again the University system in England is a complete load of BULL****.
Considering I was by far the best at what I did in my year (brag brag) and came out with the same results as a stoner who would bring his girlfriend in to lectures to make out with, and then present a presentation about how drugs are good for writing better music with a conclusion that drugs feel good and the 'police' think it's 'more bad' than it is.
I've bitched about this for the better part of two years now... Jeeze...almost 2 years. Time flies. |
Again with the quotes. It's incorrect usage.
I've noticed the bolded as well, and a good percentage of the time they were literature�not writing�majors. |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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Ah, fragments for style, with lots of extra commas, because why not. You are always right.
Using quotation marks to quote direct speech is proper usage. If you cannot use quotation marks then, when can you? Does their appearance bother you?
Now go cuddle your man-replacement puppy. You're extra cranky today. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:02 am Post subject: |
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As for your quotation use, you were using them in a way that made a mockery of the major. Don't try to BS me.
There were no extra commas. Commas are a matter of taste, when used correctly. When I'm wrong, I gladly admit it. I have done so on numerous occasions, including here on Dave's. Don't make stupid statements if you don't want to be called out on them.
I decided to get a man to play with, instead, so I'm in a pretty good mood  |
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nukeday
Joined: 13 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:03 am Post subject: |
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So commas are a matter of taste, but quotation marks have very specific usage rules and must be proven before you that they are a direct quote and not ironic?
Another NYC, Gal doozy.  |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:09 am Post subject: |
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| nukeday wrote: |
So commas are a matter of taste, but quotation marks have very specific usage rules and must be proven before you that they are a direct quote and not ironic?
Another NYC, Gal doozy. |
If they were a direct quote, they were a nasty one. If you were, in fact being nasty, then you were correct in using them. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt. You used quotations to belittle English majors. In the modern sense, using them that way means that you doubt the validity of the major, or that you don't believe that it is a true major. Which was it? Incorrect usage or a-holery? I'm guessing that it was the latter.
Commas are a matter of taste if used within the parameters of grammar. Ask any editor at any major publishing house. Oh wait! You don't have to because one just answered it for you!
Anyway, I don't feel like arguing with you. Let's just agree to disagree, because I'm off for a dinner date with my new boy toy. xoxo |
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comm
Joined: 22 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:11 am Post subject: |
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| NYC_Gal 2.0 wrote: |
| As for your quotation use, you were using them in a way that made a mockery of the major. Don't try to BS me. |
Mockery or no, he was still right. If he's heard someone refer to his or her group as "English majors", then it was a quote and quotation marks are the way to go. In fact, I'd imagine that you've referred to "English majors" before, which is amusingly appropriate.
Anyway, maybe we could put some effort into cleaning up the use of the words there, their, and they're instead of squabbling over perfect vs culturally accepted quotation mark use. |
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Globutron
Joined: 13 Feb 2010
Location: England/Anyang
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| Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 3:16 am Post subject: |
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| I used 'major' because that's what American's call them. In the UK we don't have a 'major' system. So I was quoting 'major' because it's what 'American' people use. |
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