Comments for Seymour Writes

Comment on Freelancing: a Time Management System that Works for Me by Robert Rife

Robert Rife — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:38:59 +0000

As ingenious as this is, Seymour, I prefer my system. It’s more chic, sophisticated, and less labour intensive: delegate, ignore, dismiss, procrastinate (note this one’s last). Maybe that’s why I don’t have your job…?

Comment on Freelancing: a Time Management System that Works for Me by lifestyletea

lifestyletea — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:58:29 +0000

This is great! I try colour blocking my tasks in the week in my schedule. This corkboard trick is a good one!

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by Seymour

Seymour — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:31:17 +0000

Ah, subtle and brilliant!

Raising money for cancer? Ridiculous! no wonder they have not found a cure yet, they are to busy sponsoring the disease itself. Good point

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by mister anchovy

mister anchovy — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:20:54 +0000

I confess I was attempting to be cheeky, balancing out one problem with another. It bugs me when people say they are raising money for cancer (pick a disease) when they mean raising money for research or to develop a cure. We already have the disease.

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by Seymour

Seymour — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:22:00 +0000

That is definitely a problem.

If you see any other unspoken proverbial shoes hanging in the air please let me know

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by Robert Rife

Robert Rife — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:13:41 +0000

Done!

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by literacywhore

literacywhore — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:55:36 +0000

I prefer it when people say ‘thanks for doing that’ (as opposed to ‘I’d like to say thanks for doing that’). The unspoken ‘but ….’ hangs in the air like the proverbial shoe.

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by Seymour

Seymour — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:30:59 +0000

Indeedy! The only problem is, if you put yourself out there as a grammarian, sooner or later someone catches you doing a bad – ‘cos nobodies’ perfect! Then, it’s humiliating.

As we said before, I think, I’ll watch your back if you’ll watch mine

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by Robert Rife

Robert Rife — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:38:05 +0000

Indeed. It’s rare to find other, borderline anal, grammar cops like myself. It’s a whole ‘nother thing and just…gooder somehow.

Comment on Linguistic Peeves: “A Big Thank You” by Seymour

Seymour — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:15:46 +0000

Mmmm … I think that is an improvement … but it still grates on me somehow. I suppose I can’t be so fussy when this is turn of phrase we use all the time. Certainly it is better to “extend a thank you” than to “say a thank you” (in my mind anyway).

The outstanding issue for me is the tentative tone of the language. If I say to you, “I’d like to tell you that you are doing a great job,” that choice of words expresses my wish without actually telling you. I’d prefer to go for the directness of, “You are doing a great job.”

Ho hum, semantics eh?