Wobbly English

Some attempts to see English wobble, benefiting from conversations on the ##English channel on the libera IRC chat network.

Other

• OEDReaders The good, the bad, the indifferent, and the dishonourable
• SentenceStress–Speech aspires to poetry
• NGrams Einstein, Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein citations in books

Words

• BodyEuphemism ‘Body’ as a suggestive word
• JoJoe Jo–a girl’s name, Joe–a boy’s name
• NurseryNursingSchoolHome Nursing in the nursery, at home and at school
• TheDealWithWeal How to pronounce the obsolete word, ‘weal’
• GoOntheMove “On the move”, “on the go”: What is the difference
• WillDo Strange use of ‘do’
• AKnowledgeableAcknowledgment The spelling of ‘-dgeable’, ‘-dgment’
• FauxOutrage Outrageous–Not damning with faint praise, but praising with quaint ‘Damn’
• FootHeadsArmsBody Up garden path_?
• AutoAntonym One word–Two opposite meanings
• PrancingPony Disparaging a politician–How is it done?
• AfterAll Solving a dilemma
• BeliesAnyClaim The use of ‘belie’
• ReadyWillingAbleAndCapable Ready Willing and Able, or Capable?
• FormerlyFormally Homophones for me!
• TakeThisOpportunity Recognition/appreciation of other’s role in speakers’ action
• FlingOrSling Is there a difference in meaning?

Grammar

Verb

• ComeAndGo Change as movement on timeline with close/far ends
• CanConfirm Come on. Are you confirming or not?
• FightWith On whose side are they?
• PassiveMarriage The rabbi married Jack and Jill.
• LeavePassive ‘be left’ acceptability discussion
• NuisancePassive ‘We were died on by our son.’
• ReturnedPeaceCorps They were returned, or have returned?
• LetCausative Let ’er rip! Let ’em have it! Let there be light!
• MayWeBeHeard Avoiding saying what the requestor will do
• PresentPerfect Present, Present perfect and past in Japanese and English
• InTransitive Transitive and intransitive: What is the difference?
• ErgativeVerb Challenge: Find 2 in/transitive verbs which go together
• GettingLaid Boswell teaches Dr Johnson how to describe liaisons
• WhileAspect Wait, while we check your ID, OR while we are checking your ID?
• PassiveFlagging When is it necessary to add ‘by who’ to a passive?
• AdjectiveParticleVerb How to make an adjective into a verb
• LeadPastTense ‘Read, read, read’, but ‘lead, led, led’

Modifier

• TimeConsumingVersusConsumingTime Take/spend/consume your time
• JustGetThereJustOnFoot “Just Do” vs “Do Just”
• NotJustAPrettyFace Ambiguity of ‘just not’ or ‘not just’
• ModifierScope Free software and beer

Determiner

• TheGuy The guy from San Antonio or a guy from San Antonio
• TheDefaultReferenceOfThe The reference in ‘the store’. Which store? All/many stores.
• ArticleRole ‘The’ with nouns in topic position, ‘a’ with nouns in other positions
• SupportForIEEEwithTHEorA IEEE: THE or AN organization
• FallRainVersusRainFall A parallel to article use in a topic-comment language
• SomeAnyNone Is there any/some/no difference?

Pro/Noun

• WeatherIt The ‘it’ in ‘It’s raining’–Is it a dummy pronoun?
• UnaccountablyUncountable Quirks of the un/countable distinction
• SubjectVerbDisagreement Coat and tie is required
• ThatsItThere Finding something: “There it is” or “That’s it there”?
• MinesIsBlue Can you say that?
• HairOfTheDog A dog hair? A hair of the dog’s?

Non-Native Speaker English

• NotationsDefined Does not seem right
• NumberAgreement Playing fast and loose with number

Me at

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