Forum Topic

Open to majority opinion!

Not bullied Chris - just want it to read correctly and am more than open to correction!What does anyone else think?Annemarie

Editor ● 5067d9 Comments

Hey lighten up - SK may have fundamentally meant what she said but it was clearly said in a fairly lighthearted spirit, not at all spiteful, being a clever-dick (or whatever the female equivalent may be), nor intended to humiliate.Anyway her raising of the matter has opened up a delightful Pandora's can of hornets' nests from which we may all have learned (or learnt - a particularly subtle weak/soft verb difference) something - even a clever-dick like One's Good Self aka Yours Truly.

Chris Veasey ● 5066d

The meaning and understanding of the statement did not seem to change whichever way it was written. However, for me, it is more pleasing to the ear and eye to read "When Ealing Shook" or as an alternative " When Ealing was shaken". Was shook may be acceptable, but just doesn't sound right.

Charles Campbell ● 5066d

My knowledge of the English language is not as good as some of the other people who are disagreeing on this matter on the other thread so it's probably best for me not to comment on this aspect. What I am sure of is that it was unfair and rather spiteful of Susan Kelly to be so publically critical of you. If she genuinely believed you had made a mistake then why not just inform you privately? If we are to be charitable and say it wasn't her intention to try and humiliate you she can still be accused of trying to be a bit of a clever-dick. If she is in fact wrong about you making a mistake, this seems to have back-fired quite badly.

Anna Hardacre ● 5066d

On the basis that was shook is correct grammatically (the terminology was a new one on me) then yes, you should certainly have stuck to the original.When I first saw the headline my instant reaction was whether there had been a small earth tremor in West London. I would not have used the passive in that context. But in context, yes peoples’ senses were shaken.

George Knox ● 5066d

Beware of dictatorship full stop. Diversity based on tolerance (or even better, understanding and broadmindness) is far preferable except (possibly, for some matters not including dialect and grammatical forms) in wartime emergency.

Chris Veasey ● 5066d

Beware of the dictatorship of minorities.

Susan Kelly ● 5067d

You should have sticken to the original version!

Gerald MacArthur ● 5067d

Don't think Susan constitutes a majority!I looked at it and looked again because it does beg the question is it grammatically correct? So, to spend a second glance and query a headline suggests it needs simplifying.Also, interestingly in Orwell's 5 rules for effective writing:Never use the passive where you can use the active. Annemarie

Editor ● 5067d

Beware of the dictatorship of majorities.

Chris Veasey ● 5067d