The Word Cloud

To say the same thing as Spangles in a different way, "momentarily" is an adverb - i.e. it describes the verb, not the noun (the person).
What is meant, is that the person will be with you imminently [and then stay for as long as it takes], but what is actually said by your example, is that the person will arrive [at an unspecified time] - and depart in a flash.
So they mean "the person will be here in a moment" but they are actually saying "the person will be here for a moment".

Nicely put, Whisks.

I think it's just bad spelling (pots and black kettles spring to mind, but no matter). People hear "I would've loved that" and if ever called upon to write it down they write what they heard: "I would of loved that." I see it all the time in teenagers writing, in my work.
The other thing I hate to see - the teenagers do it, but a multitude of adult professionals do too - and that is to leave out hyphens and write suffixes as though they were words in their own right. Non- is the most common offender, as in non attendance, for example, which of course should be non-attendance.
But here's a question: A space is never correct, but is there a rule about when a hyphen is used, as above, and when the suffix is simple joined to the word without the hyphen as, for example, in nonsensical or nonentity?

Curious that, about hyphens - I've never known the answer, either.
Is it because a thing like "nonentity" is actually, er, an entity? Whereas non-attendance - isn't?
Then again, I'm not sure that "nonentity" is correct, either - nor where nonsensical fits in.

The one that beats me, is "no-one" or "noone" or even "no one". None of them look right, so I use "nobody" instead. Wouldn't mind knowing, though.

Tony, I've been looking up the 'non' question in my reference books and can't find any specific rules. Admittedly, I haven't looked in all of them yet, but my first action is always to consult some of the greats - such as Eric Partridge's Usage and Abusage and Fowler's Modern English Usage. They are, admittedly, pretty ancient by now but they can also be very helpful and often very amusing. (For instance, Fowler's entry on Battered Ornaments, which are overused phrases, which then sends you off to read about Elegant Variation, about which he really makes his feelings known.)

Wow! What a start to the day. Thanks Spangles for such a full response! I feel quite non-plussed, or is that nonplussed - or should I just say negative?

AHA!!!
SPELLING ERRORS on my new contract....
I think I've sussed what happened to that document.
Technology happened to it and no one re-read it afterward.
I know with some fancy scanners you can scan a text document, save it in Word format and go back into the document to change the text on the screen. (very clever) I'd forgotten this but was reminded of it recently.
I suspect - when you scan a text document that has hand written amendments it turns them into type-written text.
Very clever. But, sometimes perhaps it doesn't recognise or differentiate between letters, words, numbers.
( Technology ey!!)
As my brother often comments, technology will always be outwitted by complete stupidity.
(or laziness in this matter)

HYPHONS
I spotted that one as well, hyphons used sometimes and not all the time.
This is a prime example of why I get confused.
They are dropping like flies.

I sometimes think the whole idea of using the english language is to see how much you can shorten words without making them cryptic.

Thanks Spangles
you're a gem

Nibs

I'm happy to be of help, Nibs. Another problem with text that is scanned before being turned into a Word document is that sometimes the text is scrambled in the process. I've worked on manuscripts that were scanned, and they are a nightmare because bits of text drop out completely and others are replaced by strange words or symbols. I can't help thinking that very often it would be easier to start all over again and retype the document.

Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to jump into this discussion - my brain's been elsewhere. Tony, I loved the preposition joke!

Nibs: As far as I'm aware, there is no rule of thumb on the spelling (or pronunciation!) of 'ough' and 'augh'. The reason is that they entered English from various foreign language sources, and at various times; the latter means that different honchos were head of the royal spelling police during the entry point into English of different words, and they each treated them differently. Lucky us.
Don't laugh with the cough you caught as you bought a book on spelling...

-ISE / -IZE: Here's the low-down: The -ize spelling comes from the original Greek and Latin forms, and came into English between the 11th and 15th centuries (I know, that's a big span of time, but does it really matter now? ); sometime in there the British changed to the -ise of the French spelling, but began reverting back to the original spelling from the late 16th century. It gets a bit muddied due to the fact that there are some -ise words that are not of Greek origin, such as 'surprise' or 'advise' (both French). As far as I can tell, the French suffix -isen came from the Latin -izare, which means the French had to be different from the get-go. Personally, I'm a purist - if whence Greek it came, Greek I shall spell.

Spangles & Nibs, those misspellings make me twitch as well! I've even seen misspellings and wrong punctuation carved into tombstones, if you can believe it!! Talk about adding insult to injury... Nibs, if I were you, I'd sign the contract, then offer your services as editor at an additional price!

Spangles, I don't think I'd ever heard the word splenetic, but it's a great one! I'm just not so much into bowels as I am into prepositions... but I will pause momentarily to reply to the latest question of Nibs: I would trust a good old OED over an American any day on that issue (since I don't consider myself American by a long shot, present company excepted!). Due to the juxtaposition of deterioration of spelling and grammar within the workplace with the standard expected in business letters and reception telephone skills, the tendency is to use big words they have no CLUE how to use correctly - it just sounds elegant. That goes for offices on both sides of the Pond.

Ok, now I'm going to add some fun additions to the punctuation forum.

Page 2...

Spangles, I know what you mean - I freely rant and rave about abused apostrophes forced into "pluralistic" slavery... I'm an abolitionist, personally.
I agree with your comments regarding hyphens, especially the fact that they will always change because language is always changing. A case in point: Nobody. It was "no body" for 4 centuries, and graduated to "no-body" for another 2 before arriving at the form we now know to be "correct". And the world was flat... and yonder 'thar be dragons.

It's interesting that you should mention co-operative and cooperative. I grew up using both forms, with distinctly different usages: Co-operative was a noun -- an association formed and operated for the benefit of those using it, and cooperative was an adjective -- an attitude displaying willingness to compromise or adjust a position in order to arrive at an agreement.
One of the two largest grocery store chains here in Switzerland is called Coop - the two Os overlap to look like a dash, and it's pronounced Co-op, and it fits the first definition. I never realized (there's that -ize) that Britain had lost the distinction between those two words. American English has also apparently lost the distinction as I couldn't find a clear example of it in modern dictionaries... it can be that Kansas retained the distinction in its vocabulary as remnants from the Germanic influences there. Intriguing thought.

And Tony, feel free to feel nonplussed. Bewildering, ain't it?

Talking of mistakes on tombstones, a parsimonious Yorkshireman wanted simply the words "SHE WAS THINE" on his late wife's headstone. When it was ready he was horrified to find they had inscribed, "SHE WAS THIN". 'You've left out the E,' he exclaimed. The stonemason apologised and said there was plenty of room to fit it in, if he didn't mind waiting until tomorrow.
Sure enough, he returned the next day to see the inscription, which now read, "E, SHE WAS THIN"!

Tony, I had a good laugh! Thanks!

Hi Persia
I had a good laugh at all that, you are undoubtedly a second to none word guru.

CONTRACT
yes, signing it. lol. Shall I charge them a fee or shall I try and get a payrise. lol.
(doubt I'll get either. lol I AM worth the extra dosh even if they don't think so. hahaha)


Tony
I loved that last joke. When I go to see Cesar Milan tonight at the CIA in cardiff, I'll be telling it to all my friends.

Nibs

chow for now