Also the use of "--" between words, capitals used for words you want to stress should be avoided, as should clumsily breaking up sentences ("--I am presuming-- "). "I presume" is preferable to "I am presuming" by the way.
Okay, so (1) we have now established that you don't know what a dash is, (2) on a forum I capitalize words to indicate words I would verbally emphasize in a conversation (not something I would do in formal writing, but it still isn't a grammar issue), and (3) your objection to the "-- I am presuming --" is completely about style and has nothing to do with grammar. In summary, your impugning of my grammar fails. Have a nice day.
We also have better swearwords too. C*nt, w@nker and shithouse being particular favourites of mine, and of course the all time classic, bollocks.
I do agree with that, it's impossible for someone to say "jerk" or "douchebag" or "hey, you suck" without sounding like a 12 year old. Although Americans do have some quality swearing, "son of a bitch" said in a southern accent or the wonderful "f*** you and the horse you rode in on"
We are better at being vulgar than the Yanks are. We also have better swearwords too. C*nt, w@nker and shithouse being particular favourites of mine, and of course the all time classic, bollocks.
Good evening.
I've never heard anyone say shithouse over here but the others are quite common. C*nt is widespread on TV (HBO especially), w@nker with the appropriate hand gesture I've seen and heard quite a bit and bollocks is used in the Newcastle Brown Ale TV ads which I don't think were allowed to be aired in the UK.
Yes, you are. A while ago I read a statement from a British blogger along the lines of "British people sound funny when they swear. Americans just sound profane." That not only struck me as true, but as quite interesting, because I can't quite figure out why there is that difference.
We also have better swearwords too. C*nt, w@nker and shithouse being particular favourites of mine, and of course the all time classic, bollocks.
C*unt and shithouse have been used in America forever. W*anker and bollocks are great British words. Using "bloody" as a swearword is British and I approve of it.:)
I do agree with that, it's impossible for someone to say "jerk" or "douchebag" or "hey, you suck" without sounding like a 12 year old. Although Americans do have some quality swearing, "son of a bitch" said in a southern accent or the wonderful "f*** you and the horse you rode in on"
Hahaha, but doesn't douchebag just have that quintessential American-ness to it. Others here have already told us how because we're such a "young" country of just over 200 years we suck, maybe our insults fit for a 12 year old are perfect for us, :-)
Yes, you are. A while ago I read a statement from a British blogger along the lines of "British people sound funny when they swear. Americans just sound profane." That not only struck me as true, but as quite interesting, because I can't quite figure out why there is that difference.
C*unt and shithouse have been used in America forever. W*anker and bollocks are great British words. Using "bloody" as a swearword is British and I approve of it.:)
Tw*t is a word I believe you don't use much over your way, or in the states.
Tw*t is a word I believe you don't use much over your way, or in the states.
Yes, the word is used in North America, but not nearly as much as in the UK. The funny thing to me about the word in the UK is how differently it is pronounced. In the UK a short "a" is used, while in the US and Canada, a long "a" is used. In case somebody reading this doesn't know what that means, in the UK the word rhymes with "pat," and in North America it rhymes with "pot."
Ah but the friendliness isn't necessarily sincere. I've had short conversations with Americans (eg on a train) and they've given me their card and invited me to come and visit. I'm sure they'd be horrified if you turned up on their doorstep! But it is true that cynicism and sarcasm are much more part of British culture than American... I hope that protects us from being the gullible dolts that get taken in by TV evangelists and other charalatans on the other side of the Atlantic
Bet they wouldn't, I have experienced a lot of similar American hospitality. I had a friend in Seattle, when I said I was planning to visit San Francisco she immediately called her friend there (whom I had never met) told her I was coming and the friend put me up in San Francisco. If I had good friends visiting Seattle I have no doubt that same friend in Seattle would take them under her wing.
C*unt and shithouse have been used in America forever. W*anker and bollocks are great British words. Using "bloody" as a swearword is British and I approve of it.:)
Slight diversion but I remember the uproar over here when a Mork and Mindy episode had a character called Mr w@nker. Created much hilarity amongst me and my friends at the time (we were young )
Americans seem to celebrate people's successes, rather than build people up, to knock them back down like we do in the UK. You almost have to feel ashamed to have made something of your life in this place sometimes.
Also the use of "--" between words, capitals used for words you want to stress should be avoided, as should clumsily breaking up sentences ("--I am presuming-- "). "I presume" is preferable to "I am presuming" by the way.
Forums needn't be grammatically correct, it's not a test, however when you criticise others you should make sure your posts are 100% right.
[...]
Dashes -- in this format -- are in common US usage in comicbooks and the like. It's an established style that I've used myself when I've had to churn out comicbook-speak.
So, nothing wrong with those. Also nothing wrong with "I am presuming" as it's a style issue, and Jane Austen used initial caps for emphasis, especially when she was taking the piss.
Educational outlooks at university are different.
Americans expect lots of support and one-on-one time with teachers.
We just get on with it ourselves. Americans always asked questions in lectures at uni, which was infuriating. They'd always be really obvious answers as well. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just wait til the end of the lecture or go read up on it.
My old roommate was American, and he said that in high school they were used to being talked up a lot. Whenever they did something well, they would get 100% (and inexplicably sometimes 105% due to 'extra credit'). I never got 100% in anything in school because if we did there'd be no room for improvement!
I've spent a lot of time in the states growing up and as an adult, so I feel qualified to make these judgments:
Americans talk a lot louder than we do in public.
They're more excitable than we are, especially the women. Though that's not necessarily bad.
Their light switchers are in the inside of bathrooms.
They find saying "toilet" as a synonym for "bathroom" rather vulgar!
You often get the feeling that they are hiding their true feelings...emotionally, they seem to have a bit of a barrier with one another.
They are OBSESSED with medication. Everyone knows every pill under the sun and can tell you the side effects and chemical workings of them. People are quite upfront about taking mental health drugs, like anti-anxiety or anti-depressants.
Lots of people have been talking about New Orleans..I think physically it's beautiful but it's utterly spoiled by the people. The locals are lovely, welcoming and nicer than any group of people you can meet, but the other American and foreign tourists / expats who go there for the drugs, cheap booze, prostitutes and debauchery are utterly vile. The French Quarter is hideous thanks to them. My idea of hell.
I also think the English have an inbuilt expectancy that most things turn out to be shite!! Like the weather etc. It doesn't seem to sit well with us when things are going well - we always expect them to take a turn for the worse - and they usually do! This amuses me about us (the English), also our 'keep calm and carry on' persona, our inability to complain, our love of queing, and we just don't get over excited like the Americans tend to, its probably been coached out of us due to years of apathy and mediocrity! I love England and the English! Hurrah!
Bet they wouldn't, I have experienced a lot of similar American hospitality. I had a friend in Seattle, when I said I was planning to visit San Francisco she immediately called her friend there (whom I had never met) told her I was coming and the friend put me up in San Francisco. If I had good friends visiting Seattle I have no doubt that same friend in Seattle would take them under her wing.
Slight diversion but I remember the uproar over here when a Mork and Mindy episode had a character called Mr w@nker. Created much hilarity amongst me and my friends at the time (we were young )
Re your first paragraph - I agree. When my husband and I were in Washington in 2010, we met a guy in a bar and got chatting with him. He gave us his email, and we have exchanged emails with him ever since. When he and his fiancee came to London recently, my husband was working down there, and our friend contacted us to say that he was coming and would we like to meet for a drink? We have also made plans to meet up with them again when we go back in November this year.
A British friend of ours married an American man (which means we get lots of cheap holidays on the East Coast - yippee!) He has picked up a lot of quintessentially British swear words from here, and it always sounds funny when he uses any of them.
I guess this explains why people in the US expect customers to tip while the average Brit probably thinks "what for"?
Apparently though, bar and waiting staff in the US are not eligible for the minimum wage, and their expoected tips are taken into account when it comes to their wages. So if they don't get good tips, they make very little money. And to be honest, I do find that the level of service in the US is far superior to the level of service over here (generally speaking, of course).
I also think the English have an inbuilt expectancy that most things turn out to be shite!! Like the weather etc. It doesn't seem to sit well with us when things are going well - we always expect them to take a turn for the worse - and they usually do! This amuses me about us (the English), also our 'keep calm and carry on' persona, our inability to complain, our love of queing, and we just don't get over excited like the Americans tend to, its probably been coached out of us due to years of apathy and mediocrity! I love England and the English! Hurrah!
My ability to remain calm under pressure is almost stuff of legend at this point.
Comments
Okay, so (1) we have now established that you don't know what a dash is, (2) on a forum I capitalize words to indicate words I would verbally emphasize in a conversation (not something I would do in formal writing, but it still isn't a grammar issue), and (3) your objection to the "-- I am presuming --" is completely about style and has nothing to do with grammar. In summary, your impugning of my grammar fails. Have a nice day.
why Yorkshire?
from my part of Yorkshire (ull) it would be "Sophie should uv gone"
clearly derived from 'have' via 'ave'
I do agree with that, it's impossible for someone to say "jerk" or "douchebag" or "hey, you suck" without sounding like a 12 year old. Although Americans do have some quality swearing, "son of a bitch" said in a southern accent or the wonderful "f*** you and the horse you rode in on"
Drop in anytime...I like visitors.:)
I've never heard anyone say shithouse over here but the others are quite common. C*nt is widespread on TV (HBO especially), w@nker with the appropriate hand gesture I've seen and heard quite a bit and bollocks is used in the Newcastle Brown Ale TV ads which I don't think were allowed to be aired in the UK.
Yes, you are. A while ago I read a statement from a British blogger along the lines of "British people sound funny when they swear. Americans just sound profane." That not only struck me as true, but as quite interesting, because I can't quite figure out why there is that difference.
C*unt and shithouse have been used in America forever. W*anker and bollocks are great British words. Using "bloody" as a swearword is British and I approve of it.:)
Hahaha, but doesn't douchebag just have that quintessential American-ness to it. Others here have already told us how because we're such a "young" country of just over 200 years we suck, maybe our insults fit for a 12 year old are perfect for us, :-)
Tw*t is a word I believe you don't use much over your way, or in the states.
Yes, the word is used in North America, but not nearly as much as in the UK. The funny thing to me about the word in the UK is how differently it is pronounced. In the UK a short "a" is used, while in the US and Canada, a long "a" is used. In case somebody reading this doesn't know what that means, in the UK the word rhymes with "pat," and in North America it rhymes with "pot."
Bet they wouldn't, I have experienced a lot of similar American hospitality. I had a friend in Seattle, when I said I was planning to visit San Francisco she immediately called her friend there (whom I had never met) told her I was coming and the friend put me up in San Francisco. If I had good friends visiting Seattle I have no doubt that same friend in Seattle would take them under her wing.
Slight diversion but I remember the uproar over here when a Mork and Mindy episode had a character called Mr w@nker. Created much hilarity amongst me and my friends at the time (we were young
Dashes -- in this format -- are in common US usage in comicbooks and the like. It's an established style that I've used myself when I've had to churn out comicbook-speak.
So, nothing wrong with those. Also nothing wrong with "I am presuming" as it's a style issue, and Jane Austen used initial caps for emphasis, especially when she was taking the piss.
How to pronounce aluminium or is it aluminum.
Americans expect lots of support and one-on-one time with teachers.
We just get on with it ourselves. Americans always asked questions in lectures at uni, which was infuriating. They'd always be really obvious answers as well. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just wait til the end of the lecture or go read up on it.
My old roommate was American, and he said that in high school they were used to being talked up a lot. Whenever they did something well, they would get 100% (and inexplicably sometimes 105% due to 'extra credit'). I never got 100% in anything in school because if we did there'd be no room for improvement!
I've spent a lot of time in the states growing up and as an adult, so I feel qualified to make these judgments:
Americans talk a lot louder than we do in public.
They're more excitable than we are, especially the women. Though that's not necessarily bad.
Their light switchers are in the inside of bathrooms.
They find saying "toilet" as a synonym for "bathroom" rather vulgar!
You often get the feeling that they are hiding their true feelings...emotionally, they seem to have a bit of a barrier with one another.
They are OBSESSED with medication. Everyone knows every pill under the sun and can tell you the side effects and chemical workings of them. People are quite upfront about taking mental health drugs, like anti-anxiety or anti-depressants.
Lots of people have been talking about New Orleans..I think physically it's beautiful but it's utterly spoiled by the people. The locals are lovely, welcoming and nicer than any group of people you can meet, but the other American and foreign tourists / expats who go there for the drugs, cheap booze, prostitutes and debauchery are utterly vile. The French Quarter is hideous thanks to them. My idea of hell.
Yes - we HAVE culture...
Brits care about service to a degree, but mostly on a superficial level i.e did we get what we wanted in a reasonable amount of time.
The Yanks want their 'servers' to know their names, what their favourite drinks are and make them feel special at all times.
I find that really overbearing.
But are you being sincere when you say that?
Ha! Neither, its FOIL.:D
Re your first paragraph - I agree. When my husband and I were in Washington in 2010, we met a guy in a bar and got chatting with him. He gave us his email, and we have exchanged emails with him ever since. When he and his fiancee came to London recently, my husband was working down there, and our friend contacted us to say that he was coming and would we like to meet for a drink? We have also made plans to meet up with them again when we go back in November this year.
A British friend of ours married an American man (which means we get lots of cheap holidays on the East Coast - yippee!) He has picked up a lot of quintessentially British swear words from here, and it always sounds funny when he uses any of them.
Apparently though, bar and waiting staff in the US are not eligible for the minimum wage, and their expoected tips are taken into account when it comes to their wages. So if they don't get good tips, they make very little money. And to be honest, I do find that the level of service in the US is far superior to the level of service over here (generally speaking, of course).
My ability to remain calm under pressure is almost stuff of legend at this point.
But I complain incessantly and hate queuing.
My apathy knows no bounds.