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Grammar pedants - help please.

95 watchers

Steve NordRunner Sep 2023 1:53pm, 9 Sep 2023 3,335 posts	Quote Pin Steve NordRunner I'd like to enter a pre-complaint for the way this thread is heading towards hot drinks for the over-fifties.
swittle Sep 2023 2:01pm, 9 Sep 2023 100,066 posts	Quote Pin swittle Oh, indeed. We'd not want it to maltate...
RichHL Sep 2023 3:55pm, 9 Sep 2023 22,367 posts	Quote Pin RichHL Oh, f' coffee.
swittle Sep 2023 7:22pm, 9 Sep 2023 100,075 posts	Quote Pin swittle Don't want to make a Horlicks of it.
RichHL Sep 2023 8:31pm, 9 Sep 2023 22,368 posts	Quote Pin RichHL We already have it down to a tea.
swittle Sep 2023 8:34pm, 9 Sep 2023 100,078 posts	Quote Pin swittle I should cocoa.
ChrisHB Sep 2023 11:15am, 12 Sep 2023 22,658 posts	Quote Pin ChrisHB "King Charles sends Kim Jong-Un a message as he heads to Russia to meet Putin" I think this is correct by all rules of grammar, yet I understood it to mean that Charles was heading to Russia. Normally "he" would refer to the most recently-mentioned male, wouldn't it? Anyone else?
paulcook Sep 2023 11:47am, 12 Sep 2023 3,215 posts	Quote Pin paulcook I think it could mean either (other languages might be different) and where there's ambiguity it should be made clearer.
Helegant Sep 2023 11:53am, 12 Sep 2023 7,424 posts	Quote Pin Helegant "King Charles (sends Kim Jong-Un a message) as he heads to Russia to meet Putin" "Kim Jong-Un, on his way to Russia to meet Putin, receives a message from King Charles"? I wish I had studied grammar at school.
Helegant Sep 2023 11:54am, 12 Sep 2023 7,425 posts	Quote Pin Helegant I like commas. My daughter tells me they are old-fashioned and that 'Plain English' is better without them.