Captchas To Keep Idiots Out Of Comment Threads • Hacker News Board

Re: Captchas To Keep Idiots Out Of Comment Threads

#211

Post by mkr-hn » Thu, Aug 11, 2011, 11:19 AM UTC

raganwald wrote: post #115

Joeboy wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm disappointed - I think your idea is brilliant (although I wouldn't go with those examples)

Although my tongue was in my cheek, I think there’s at least a grain of truth in each of those examples.

It's possible to recognize that a fallacy is a fallacy without knowing the name. Asking "Is this a valid criticism?" kicks in the part of the brain that thinks about things.

If the person answers "Duh," you put them in some kind of post jail and make them earn their way out. I couldn't have named all those, but I recognized them as false criticisms immediately.

Re: Captchas To Keep Idiots Out Of Comment Threads

#212

Post by markokocic » Thu, Aug 11, 2011, 3:02 PM UTC

Symmetry wrote: post #77

markokocic wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they are probably an idiot. Did you mean "He is probably an idiot." or "They are probably idiots."?

I didn't downvote you myself, but the use of the singular 'they' to denote someone of unknown gender has been in use in English since at least the time of Shakespeare (he used it in places). There was a movement a long time ago to try to make English more like Latin, removing things like the plural they, the split infinitive and so on. Nowadays, with Latin no longer regarded as the highest form of language we really…

Thanks. It's good to know that this usage is correct. However, it's also good to know that it might not be safe to use it in language test because of the dispute ;)

Re: Captchas To Keep Idiots Out Of Comment Threads

#213

Post by mirkules » Thu, Aug 11, 2011, 3:57 PM UTC

epo wrote: post #207

mirkules wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't you think it's ironic then that you misspelled "suitable"?

Gosh, a correct use of the term "ironic", can the ghost of Morissette be being laid to rest?.

Thanks, I was very careful with that one.

Re: Captchas To Keep Idiots Out Of Comment Threads

#214

Post by erikpukinskis » Thu, Aug 11, 2011, 9:36 PM UTC

klipt wrote: post #178

erikpukinskis wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI, you write "correctly". The only thing, grammatically, that you can do "correct" is "come correct", but that's an idiom.

Using adjectives as adverbs is incorrect in British English, but extremely common in American English. For example: "I'm doing good" instead of "I'm doing well" "He eats real fast" instead of "He eats really quickly" If enough people speak that way, I don't think you can call it "wrong" so much as a dialect in its own right.

I wouldn't correct a native speaker. I was just offering, in case they cared.

Fast and good are de facto adverbs. Maybe in some American dialects it's common to use other adjectives as adverbs, but not in mine.

Agree that language changes.

Re: Captchas To Keep Idiots Out Of Comment Threads

#215

Post by jmilloy » Sat, Aug 13, 2011, 8:23 PM UTC

defen wrote: post #195

jmilloy wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's just that being in a poem doesn't have anything to do with being correct or not, whether it is correct in this poem or not.

OP said "I don't think anyone would ever use loose in that manner without preceding it with 'let'". I provided a counterexample, so the OP's statement is refuted. Now, granted anyone could write a nonsense sentence to refute any rule of grammar. But this is a very important poem by a prominent poet.

I think that my comment came across as an attack. Rather, I just find the ways in which poems can interact with and affect existing, seemingly fixed aspects of language are beautiful and interesting! And in particular, it means that poetry has a unique place in discussions about both proper grammar and common usage.

You make a good point that you were furthering discussion about common usage and not necessarily grammar.