Pedants sign here.

[lionheart]

Is this new topic an attempt to contain the rampant pedantry that exists on MN?

Discuss.

The one in a patisserie (or similar) window?

Actually, there are two.
There's the one that says:
Invoices
Leaflets
Menu's

Also, the one that says:
Tiles Tap's
Toilets Vanities
Tool's Adhesives

Ah. I was thinking of the one that says

• Home-made cakes, muffins and pastries [you see? it all started so well...]
• Speciality coffee's, tea's and smoothies
• Freshly made panini's, ciabatta's, pasta's & more

I love communion dress's !

I am a careful user of English.
You are pernickety.
He/she is a pedant.

I'm thinking of writing to Sainsbury's Magazine about an article in their September issue. It states that a product 'is now available in over 100 outlets, among them homeopathic pharmacy, Ainsworths,(sic) and Mimi Holistica, one of this country's only organically certified spas...'

I want to know if Mimi H is the only organically certified spa or one of only 10, or even one of only 1000. The statement makes no sense.

I will now start the first blazing row in our new corner:

'This House believes that we should get with the program(me) and use '-ize/-ization' endings in preference to 'ise/sation' endings, with the following exceptions:

1. proper nouns, where appropriate;
2. words ending in 'yse', such as: analyse, breathalyse, catalyse, paralyse; and
3. certain other exceptions including but not confined to the following: advise, advertise, comprise, compromise, despise, excise, exercise, franchise, otherwise, revise, supervise, surmise and surprise.

To cling desperately to the outmoded use of 'ize/ization' is akin to the ridiculous French practice of refusing to admit US-origin words to the language.

Discuss.'

Seconded, policywonk. With the proviso that if we accept -ize spellings, the USA will, as a quid pro quo:

1. Abandon all attempts to get us to accept any other US speillings
2. Ensure that Microsoft Word, and all other software, protect UK English
3. Call a halt to cultural imperialism generally (except for The Simpsons on UK telly).
4. Get out of Iraq (ok, us too)
5. Wear a silly hat for two weeks

lemonaid - Sorry, I didn't pick up on the fact that there were several pages
I'm off to peruse the others now ...

LOL threadworm!

On the apostrophe photos; I think that my favourite has to be on 'Examples 4', the one that says:

SELL HOUSES
I'TS EASY!

I wish I were clever enough to be truly pedantic.
I can just about sit on my hands with you+are=you're and similar offences, but I know that my posts leave a lot to be desired at times.
I am also terrible at typing, so it would be pointless of me to correct other mistakes.

I shall sit in the background, try to learn and make sure you are all aware of anything I believe should be corrected but daren't actually do myself.

So how would you say "Cotton has two t's - two ts - two "t"s - two..."

I won't sleep until I know.

I forgot the question mark on the end.

Jura - bugger. I was in the process of reviewing the heck out of that post when I got all fat-fingered and hit 'post'.
Shaun - ta, mate.

I remember reading somewhere that the "ize" thing is not an American thing, but has been in The Times guide for journalists, or whatever it's called, for most of the last century. It's just that people kept on using "ise" regardless. Americans have accepted it, but we just won't. No one knows why.

Saw a yoga book not long ago with "exercize" in it. Looks really odd.

ahem

I think generally people won't accepts it because they think it is American, rightly on wrongly. There is a belief in England that Americans take the easy way out WRT spelling and grammar, and that British English should work hard to make people adhere to the more obscure conventions. I find this odd myself, because IME of working with US editors, they put us (or, at least, me) to shame.

OK we really need an edit button on this thread

I used to work for OUP. They've been using -ize for a very long time. And ... ... they use the serial comma.

well you learn something new every day. I didn't know ize had proper British establishment credentials.

But if we're going to rationalise English (US and UK) spelling, why not do it properly? There are lots of spellings that are much less rational than -ise after all. And -ize looks silly to me - italways looks like it's trying too hard to be cool.

(also lol at needing an edit button on this thread! even pedants can make typos though: it's not the same).

If there's anything that really annoys me about American English it's "different than". It doesn't make sense. When you compare two things using the same scale of values, like height, or weight or temperature, you can say "taller than", "heavier than", "hotter than". But when you're comparing them in terms of different qualities, then "different than" makes no sense. "Differ" means very nearly the same thing as "diverge". One line is divergent from another, or possibly divergent to another, but it couldn't be divergent than another, could it? So, in this case, I don't think it's stubbornness that makes us resist American usage. Our way makes sense, theirs doesn't.

I have just had a leaflet thrust through the letterbox offering
'fresh made currie's.'
Now, I don't blame the establishment - perhaps English is not the first language of the proprietor. I do judge the fecking printers, who are happy to take money from customers for laying out and designing leaflets without making any attempt to proof-read.

AAAGGGGGHHHHH!

Thank you, I feel better.

so how do you feel about "different to", Roxy?