Attributed to Winston Churchill, possibly apocryphal: “This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.”
-- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 ________________________________________ From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU] on behalf of Bob Bridges [robhbrid...@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2022 3:49 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Re: ] Re: "A Rexx" (or "A REXX") I know you're being facetious, but it happens I ~like~ the subjunctive. At least, I do now that I understand it. I was barely exposed to it in English, and when they tried to teach it to me in French class it didn't take. It wasn't until I studied classical Greek in college that I finally got it. Now I think it's a shame we're losing it. I especially cringe when the flight attendant says "It's important that your seat belt is fastened at all times". On the other hand, I heartily reject the notion that we should never split an infinitive or end a sentence with a preposition. Both claims are based on Latin and Greek, which have a one-word form for the infinitive and affix prepositions in front of verbs at least as often as letting them precede the object noun. English is a Germanic language, and as such has its own forms. And our "prepositional verbs" are a rich source of extra meaning which I'd hate to lose. (About the rule that you never end a sentence with a preposition, one writer says this: "My son doesn't believe this rule. He thinks a preposition at the end of a sentence gives it zing - shows us where it's at. I went upstairs to read to him at bedtime the other night, and he said 'What did you bring that book that I didn't want to be read to out of up for?'.") --- Bob Bridges, robhbrid...@gmail.com, cell 336 382-7313 /* We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there -- lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again, and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one any more. -Mark Twain */ -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of Bill Ogden Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2022 10:01 ....One can take this "sticking to the archaic original" in additional positive directions. A good example is the vanishing use of the subjunctive in "modern" English; perhaps the educational system should help restore the expression and usage of this classic format. Complaining about a "modernization" or "a way of adapting a few words into modern English" based almost completely on a few Latin words is very small-minded in my opinion. Of course in one's daily Latin conversations or writings one might see this differently. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
