A man just walked into my house...

[luciapenguin]

I was upstairs, and went to open the window when I see a man walking out of my house (out of my front garden). I watched him from the window and he didn't go into anyone else's house, and left our street.

I thought it was really odd as he wasn't a Royal Mail postman or anything, but I went downstairs to check whether he had put anything through our letterbox. Nothing there. I opened the door to see if anything he had put in the letterbox had fallen out- again, nothing.

Can anyone think of a logical explanation (I have anxiety) or is this really dodgy?

By the way, you cannot start a sentence with 'And''

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear...

Solicitor is now challenging someone who worked for 12 years as a writer and editor. This is not going to end well. That is a stylistic rule and not a grammatical one. It is not ungrammatical at all. Those pesky scholars who wrote the Bible should be ashamed of themselves:

‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that [it was] good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.’

‘There used to be an idea that it was inelegant to begin a sentence with and. That idea is now as good as dead. And to use and in this position may be a useful way of indicating that what you are about to say will reinforce what you have just said.’
Sir Ernest Gowers, The Complete Plain Words (1954)

And in case we have American readers with us:

‘A prejudice lingers from the days of schoolmarmish rhetoric that a sentence should never begin with and. The supposed rule is without foundation in grammar, logic, or art.’
Modern American Usage (1966)

Ouch @ShatnersWig, that is going to sting! I doubt you will get a response to that lol

I want to see Shatner vs OP on the Oxford Comma.

Seriously odd question to ask, how is anyone on here going to possibly know the answer anyway?

@Please and @Archie Although I went to a grammar school and worked in the profession, I'm not a total pedant. House style is very much a thing with publications and these days some grammatical use is not sacred. Most will ignore certain aspects if common usage applies or something sounds better or less convoluted to the human ear. The obvious example is Captain Kirk's "To boldly go" which should correctly be "To go boldly". But I will pull people up if someone coming over high and mighty and playing the "I'm a solicitor" card as if they know better than the rest of us when the rest of their posting throws that into doubt.

I like the Oxford comma. I use them more often than not, but not in all cases. Where it brings clarity, it should probably be used.

[hearteyes] at Shatner.

Wouldn't a solicitor know how to report a crime rather than asking on a forum?

In the hot weather, people are more likely to leave back doors unlocked and thieves will try secluded/quiet houses on the off-chance.
Just make sure to keep your doors locked and you'll probably be fine, they're looking for a quick and easy target.

@theworld You'd have thought so, wouldn't you? Especially as she must have contacted the police only the day before when she saw someone burgle a car in broad daylight. I mean, you would contact the police to report that, wouldn't you? And so rather than go to their website, you'd probably ring whoever you spoke to the day before as at least a starting point.

I missed the car bit lol. Even more bizarre.

@theworldistoosmall

I've never dealt with criminal law and I have never worked in a firm who does. In any case, criminal solicitors don't tend to report crime . That's not our job.

I didn't want to call the non emergency police number because I didn't think it justified that. I've never reported something that isn't a crime to the police before, so yes, I didn't know how to initially without dialling the non emergency number. Obviously, a quick Google search enabled me to find their 'contact us' form.

I called the non emergency police number regarding the car.

I can't exactly post a picture of me on my firm's website, can I? I'm not going to bother trying to prove myself anymore. I'm wasting my lunch break.

I definitely won't be back here now, so you'll be speaking to a brick wall if you do reply.

This thread is futile now.

It always was.

I have really bad eyesight. I have been known to go right up to a front door to check if I am looking for a particular door number and can't see clearly from the street.

"Any more" should be two words, OP.

Just in case you have need of the expression again.

Spot on @Jemima

Although I enjoyed the last page or so....

Firstly, I will not be embarrassed for having missed a previous comment by not having scrutinised every one, because I have a life. The fact I am reading as much as I am I'd because I am currently convalescing.
I get the impression that the OP might be the only active adult at home, perhaps caring for elderly relatives and trying to earn a living. Unless you have experienced such a situation, I doubt you will appreciate how lonely and isolating that can feel. I read this as the OP feeling a bit frightened and vulnerable, and reaching out.
I don't know what sort of area she lives in, but if there are some socially concerned neighbours around, maybe getting involved in a neighborhood watch scheme, or starting one up, might help. Otherwise we can overthink things, reach no reassuring conclusion, and end up feeling even more afraid and alone.

Although I do find this a bit confusing/contradictory.
'I've never dealt with criminal law and I have never worked in a firm who does. In any case, criminal solicitors don't tend to report crime wink. That's not our job.'
And do people really still have secretaries to take dictation?

Quick reply @Devora13
Criminal solicitors tend not to report crime, their focus is to defend or prosecute. It isn't their role to report the crime, iyswim.

Yes, in bigger law firms, solicitors will dictate and legal secretaries will type letters. We simply do not have the time to write letters to clients, it is far quicker to dictate. Paralegals tend to write their own letters. I can't comment on smaller firms as I don't have experience working in a smaller firm.

@Jemima232 are you sure? Genuinely asking because I read this and it seems anymore is correct the way OP used it as she's referring to time?

When spelled as two words, any more refers to quantities. You already ate seven; you don't need any more ! When spelled as one word, anymore is an adverb that refers to time. It means “at present,” “still,” or “any longer.”

Yes, people still use secretaries for dication, my gynae does it all the time.
Many people on here are the only adult in the house, working and caring for others. But still, we tend not to exaggerate the truth.

UGH! Poor you. I really don't want to scare you OP but did he leave a mark on the front of your house? He may have been scoping it out. Some undesirable types are known to check out a property and then leave a visible mark - a kind of moniker - to show whether the property is worth breaking in to.

Clearly @LinnieMaple is one of those posters who never bothers to read a full thread

@shatnerswig
yep, you're right, I couldn't be a***d to read the whole thread.
Anyone with a job/life hasn't got time to go through 324 messages line by line

@ShatnersWig it is 13 pages long, not everyone has the time or particularly wants to.