This is the worst thing I’ve seen in a long time

[noblegiraffe]

Worse than Brexit. How can we have fallen so low? ‘Thing’ doesn’t make any sense!

Nothing affected in the way my mum used it, especially with 'mate' tagged on the end.

My only vote would be for this to be one of the most boring threads ever. I come on here to break the monotony - this is shit.

You don't have to read every thread chocolate.

Wtf?
First thing, the assumption.
Second thing, the disappointment.

I do see this explanation, but it's so clumsy and awkward it's surprising people think it's correct.

Clumsy and awkward, compared to having a think coming? Sorry, must dash, I have a think coming and I'd hate to miss it.

I am literally a professional pedant and 'another thing coming' being absolutely correct is a hill I am prepared to figuratively die on.

Oh dear.

The world of professional pedantry is clearly not what it used to be.

Clumsy and awkward, compared to having a think coming? Sorry, must dash, I have a think coming and I'd hate to miss it.

Clumsy and awkward in the context of the phrase we are discussing, yes. Having a sentence fragment which purports to refer back to another part of the sentence while not actually being related to it is clumsy and awkward.

No "professional pedant" could possibly write "to figuratively die on". They would literally die before splitting an infinitive like that.

Of course, in some districts “think” mesvs “thing” eg: nuffink

*It's 'another think coming', but 'thing' makes sense and 'think' doesn't.

Think is a verb, not a noun. So how can you have a 'think' coming to/for/at you? A 'thing' however, is a noun. It's perfectly plausible to have a 'thing' coming to/for/at you.

I hate the phrase because it's so nonsensical, so I just don't say it.*

Same!

The proper phrase is grammatically incorrect or clunky at best. "Thing" sounds so much better even if it's wrong.

I’m also a professional pedant (in one of my hats) and IME split infinitives (if well-written) are ok. They are correct English, just not correct Latin so super-pedants in the past decided they were wrong in English, but we’ve now moved on from that, except in the most old-fashioned contexts.

I personally don't mind a split infinitive. Worse yet, I sometimes end a sentence on a preposition if the alternative sounds too clunky.

'Another thing', however, I will never accept.

Not sure whether anyone has said this already - it's a long thread - but I suspect the morphing of think (correct) into thing (incorrect) must surely be caused by the collision of the two /k/ phonemes represented by the letter k at the end of think and the letter c at the beginning of coming. If the phrase is said quickly, they easily merge into one, hence the mis-hearing as thing coming.

If you didn't know what a pink car was you might hear ping car, mightn't you?

Best ever sentence ending with a preposition? The following: uttered by child tucked up in bed waiting for a bedtime story but seeing least favoured book appear in parent's hand.

"What did you bring that book I don't like being read to out of up for?"

All the people saying think is a verb, not a noun:

(a) How do you cope with sentences like this? 'Could you have a think about it and let me know what you want to do?'

(b) Lots and lots of nouns are derived from verbs, or vice versa. Move, talk, look, run, drive, lift, dance, jump, dress, cook, iron - the list is endless.

"What did you bring that book I don't like being read to out of up for?" - that is so mangled it's fantastic!

I’m with you Baguette. That’s always how I thought about it and my mind is blown that it might be ‘think’ as that makes no bloody sense whatsoever. I’m in denial. I’m a ‘think’ denier. 😂 Too much to properly process for a Friday morning...I’ll have to go away and have a think/thunk/thought.

No "professional pedant" could possibly write "to figuratively die on". They would literally die before splitting an infinitive like that.

Then you missed the rest of the post where I explained about common parlance.

When you use technically grammatically correct speech, of which, by the way, I am perfectly capable, you quite often sound like a stuffy prick. Depending on your audience, of course. Cf. Rees-Mogg's list of banned words.

Language use changes. Everyone draws their lines in the sand somewhere. That's one of mine and I'll split infinitives with gay abandon because practically everyone does outside of academia, law and certain corners of the internet whose anuses are clenched so tight they can chew on their undies.

Think is a verb, not a noun

If you look in a dictionary, you will discover that 'think' is a verb and a noun.

When you use technically grammatically correct speech, of which, by the way, I am perfectly capable, you quite often sound like a stuffy prick. Depending on your audience, of course. Cf. Rees-Mogg's list of banned words.

Rees-Mogg's banned words list wasn't about grammatical accuracy. None of the banned words were grammatically incorrect. It was about his desire to project a particular image in respect of his office.

🤔 I have always used "thing"

On a serious note. This is precisely what is wrong with SATS test, language is ever-evolving and changing. Grammar, although there are many 'rules' adhered to, is a also a moveable feast. Dictionaries are constantly being updated with 'old' words edited out. Colloquialisms become fixtures. Language is fluid.

Rees-Mogg's banned words list wasn't about grammatical accuracy. None of the banned words were grammatically incorrect. It was about his desire to project a particular image in respect of his office.

Yes, and technical grammar correctness often does the same thing.

Language is communication. I could say to someone, 'Gimme that hammer,' and they would know what I wanted. I could also say, 'Would you mind terribly passing me that hammer, please and thank you kindly,' and they would know what I wanted. I could say, 'One is desirous of yonder hammer, pray hand it over,' and they would know what I wanted and think I was an insufferable arse.

Your mode of delivery, otherwise known as register, is a signifier of all kinds of things like audience, genre, class, education and so on. The fundamental message is the same, the register is all the trimmings.

This one of the reasons why there is no single 'correct' English language usage. Much like our constitution, our language is governed by a series of unwritten conventions, styles and traditions. These can and do change over time, like it or lump it.

So go nuts, say I, and split infinitives, live in a doggy dog world, use your chester draws – it's all communication. It's only 'incorrect' if you cannot properly and appropriately convey your meaning to your audience.

Language is fluid.

Vocabulary is fluid. The rules of grammar tend not to be (with some exceptions). A language which was completely fluid would be unintelligible.

Even dialects of the English language which are substantially different from 'correct' English have internal consistency. Take AAVE as an example; the vocabulary and the rules of grammar are very different to British English or American English, but it has an internally consistent grammar which makes it an identifiable, shared speech pattern.

It is always worth learning the rules of the dialect one uses, even if the vernacular of the present day doesn't always adhere to them. For language to be meaningful, it must be based on a system of rules.

doggy dog world, comes from Snoop Dog. It sums up life for many black, poor, Americans (and no doubt other nations)

Does it really? A "doggy-dog" world sounds really quite fun! I'm pretty sure that doesn't sum up life for the average poor, black American!