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Petty Things That Get On Your Nerves...


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On 14/02/2019 at 05:42, NJ2 said:


If there’s nothing in your contract about a minimum period revert to statutory, which is probably a year I would guess

Statutory is 2 years or more for redundancy pay, I think.  Notice is 12 weeks IIRC.

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10 hours ago, GordonD said:

Nothing to do with social media; the problem goes back a lot further than that.  Given that I was taught how to use apostrophes properly the decline must have set in after I left school. But even then it was known as the Greengrocer's apostrophe, as seen in signs reading "Apple's 50p a pound" (or however much apples cost; I never bought them).

It's not all about you Gordon!

I reckon every generation has been taught properly but every generation has had dimwits who didn't listen or learn. Social media has just highlighted how many illiterate folk are out there. 

Unfortunately I have to own up to recently putting apostrophes before the 's' after abbreviations/acronyms as I  seem to remember being taught that it can be used if there is a possibility of ambiguity although admittedly there shouldn't be too much confusion when there is a small 's' after a capitalised abbreviation. 

I'd like to apologise to everyone concerned. 

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15 hours ago, GordonD said:

Nothing to do with social media; the problem goes back a lot further than that.  Given that I was taught how to use apostrophes properly the decline must have set in after I left school. But even then it was known as the Greengrocer's apostrophe, as seen in signs reading "Apple's 50p a pound" (or however much apples cost; I never bought them).

I recently saw a sign in Amsterdam Airport advertising PANINI'S. Given that PANINI is already plural this somehow manages to be grammatically wrong in two languages at the same time.

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2 minutes ago, Northboy said:

I recently saw a sign in Amsterdam Airport advertising PANINI'S. Given that PANINI is already plural this somehow manages to be grammatically wrong in two languages at the same time.

Tbf Dutch apostrophe rules are different, so probably only one error.

image.thumb.png.3480e3cad3da9e2f31ad97a5124e9c60.png

http://www.dutchgrammar.com/en/?n=SpellingAndPronunciation.27

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2 hours ago, welshbairn said:
2 hours ago, Northboy said:

I recently saw a sign in Amsterdam Airport advertising PANINI'S. Given that PANINI is already plural this somehow manages to be grammatically wrong in two languages at the same time.

Tbf Dutch apostrophe rules are different, so probably only one error.

image.thumb.png.3480e3cad3da9e2f31ad97a5124e9c60.png

Fair enough - but can I drop Dutch and make English and Italian the two languages?

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Glad to see some sensible folk are around. Pannini's is an absolute bugbear of mine (Not as bad as a sign I once saw in Kirkcaldy advertising that they now sold "Lattie's") but also I was too late with the Dutch language chat. I only know about the apostrophe rules there from doing Dutch on Duolingo and learning that the plural of menu in Dutch is Menu's (men-ows). Sadly people feel less and less of a need to learn a new language these days which is a real shame. I've learned so much about English (and Scots dialect) from learning Italian and other languages.

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I think we should get the license to do what the f**k we like with foreign words when we import them. Doctors do it all the time by mixing up Greek and Latin to confuse a patient with a sore bit. I'm pretty sure that the ancient Persian or modern Turkish plural for a wee self standing booth isn't "Kiosks."

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59 minutes ago, MixuFixit said:

I'd just like to point out I have never used the word panino in real life. Language evolves lads.

Imagine being that guy who asks for a panino. 

Can I have a panino please?

- U wot m8? Do you mean a panini?

- Nope. Panini is plural whereas I am after a single panino. 

- f**k off. 

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3 hours ago, Bairnardo said:
7 hours ago, Northboy said:
I recently saw a sign in Amsterdam Airport advertising PANINI'S. Given that PANINI is already plural this somehow manages to be grammatically wrong in two languages at the same time.

What is a singular panini?

A bit lonely.

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