Northeast Nate

That source hardly merits consideration (referring to the reply to my post.)


The source is the same one which writes that the form 'brung,' as in, the past tense of 'bring' is OK as well (they note that highly educated speakers use the term, but it is not standard in formal writing.)

Here is where my opinion differs from that of Bartleby's: By referring to someone as a highly-educated speaker, I am noting that their speech sounds nearly identical to their 'formal writing.' In a perfect world, there would be no distinction between spoken and written grammar whatsoever.

My point is, if one's goal is to simply get by with the English language, meeting the mark of coherence, college may not be the best place for him/her.

iamthepinkylifter

i guarantee you do not need 2/3 of the stuff that you pack. sit down with your suitcases and filter through them several times to lighten your load. ask yourself: "will i die without this?". if you have even the slightest bit of doubt, DON'T PACK IT. the amount of stuff you obtain during school will increase gastronomically, and before you know it you'll be a bona fide pack rat. you can always call home and get what you need sent, or buy it yourself. it's all about minimalism; after all, 'cleanliness is godliness'.

stele32

If you read more carefully, you'll note that "brung" is common in colloquial speech but is not considered standard in formal writing. They say nothing about its being appropriate; they only note that it's common. Furthermore, it is not the opinion of Bartleby (Bartleby is merely the provider of the source), but the opinion of the American Heritage Dictionary.

What you note you will find to be untrue. Highly educated speakers may speak more closely to what they write than your average Joe might, but their speech is not identical to their formal writing. I think you'll find that words such as "profligate," "riparian," and "verboten" are almost never used in speech, even if you do see them often in writing.

I don't see how the misuse of "bring" can be considered as an example of merely "meeting the mark of coherence." I count eleven grammatical or usage errors in your last post alone (not counting the same error more than once), but that hasn't stopped me from being able to understand you, and with clarity if I might add.

go48

kateapollo , one thing that's missing: a warehouse to keep all that stuff ;-) or a few extra dorm rooms...

Northeast Nate

Frankly, I'm curious as to how I've erred. One could make the argument that three or four of the commas are out-of-place, but once again I'm simply trying to make formal writing and everyday speech one and the same.


By the way, of the three words you've listed, I know none. I haven't heard these words in either formal writing or everyday speech.

P.P.S. I might have to throw up the white flag pertaining to that Heritage Dictionary usage. I wasn't aware that the usage of the word could have multiple references to location. So, you win..
-Nate

stele32

That source hardly merits consideration [(referring to the reply to my post.)] (1a)


The source is the same one [which] (2) writes that the form ['brung,'] (3a, b) [[as in,] (4) the past tense of 'bring'] (5) is [OK] (6) as well [(they note that highly educated speakers use the term, but it is not standard in formal writing.)] (1b)

Here is where my opinion differs from that of Bartleby's: By referring to [someone as a [highly-educated speaker] (7), I am noting that their] (8) speech sounds nearly identical to [their] (8) ['formal writing.'] (3b) In a perfect world, there would be no distinction between spoken and written grammar whatsoever.

My point is, if [one's goal is [to simply get by] (9) with the English language, meeting the mark of coherence, college may not be the best place for [him/her] (10)] (11).

1a: Since the words inside the parentheses are a phrase, the period should go outside the parentheses.
1b: This is an independent clause within the parentheses, and thus, the period should go inside the parentheses. In addition, there should be a period after "as well" and "they" should be capitalized.
2: The relative clause beginning with "which" is a nonrestrictive clause and therefore should begin with "that." (This is the rule, but in reality, using "which" for a restrictive clause is very common and is acceptable.)
3a: Double quotation marks should be used rather than single quotation marks, unless you are following British grammar and usage. But if so:
3b: Whereas American grammar dictates that commas should always be placed inside quotation marks, British grammar requires that the comma be placed outside the quotation marks.
4: There should not be a comma after "as in."
5: There should be a comma after "bring" because you have a comma after "brung," thus indicating that you have a nonrestrictive appositive.
6: Since you're talking about speech being equivalent to formal writing, "OK" obviously does not belong.
7: "Highly-educated" does not need to be hyphenated. You should hyphenate words such as "well-dressed," "ill-prepared," or "better-designed" when they precede the noun. However, they are not hyphenated when they follow the noun. In addition, adverbs that end in -ly are never hyphenated. (This is a paraphrase of what the MLA handbook says, by the way.)
8: Since you've used "someone," which is a singular noun, you also need a singular possessive adjective, which would be "his." I don't follow this rule all the time, but formal writing requires one to be more stringent.
9: A split infinitive is a no-no in formal writing. There is no logical reason why you shouldn't use a split infinitive, since this rule is based on Latin grammar, where it's impossible to split an infinitive, but the rule in formal writing is to avoid it.
10: Using "him/her" is both technical and lazy and should be avoided. You could easily replace this with "him or her," but see below:
11: Since you used "one's," the proper pronoun to use at the end of the sentence should be "one," not "him/her" or any other variant. (There is some disagreement about this rule. Some say that using "him" or "her" is acceptable, while others say that only "one" is acceptable. Personally, I see nothing wrong with using "him," and that's my preference, but this is a rule you should know about when writing.)

You should have at least heard of "profligate" (excessive), as in "profligate spending," for example. I think "profligate" is a fairly common word used in writing, especially in news reports and such. "Verboten" is a German word meaning "forbidden." I've never heard of this word used in speech, and I would usually use "forbidden" anyway. However, "verboten" has a connotation of "fobidden by authority," (e.g., "Bible study was encouraged, while dancing was verboten in Puritan society.") which is not found in just "forbidden." "Riparian" (relating to a riverbank, e.g., "riparian woodlands") is a word I have never heard in speech or seen in writing, although I do know this word. (This happens with many words; I would never use "anon," for example.

Formal writing and everyday speech will never be the same because all words have connotations. There are many words that will be used only in writing because they are seen as being too formal; using them in everyday speech would be seen as pretentious. I could say, "At seven in the evening, I go for my everyday stroll." Compare that with, "At seven in the evening, I go for my quotidian perambulation." Other words will be used in writing but not in speech because they are archaic, such as "anon." You'll find that in general, Latinate words have connotations of being formal, pretentious, educated, etc., whereas Germanic words have connotations of being visceral, simple, down-to-earth, etc. Compare "everyday stroll" with "quotidian perambulation" above, or something like "He killed himself" versus "He committed suicide."

AcceptedAlready

You guys are all idiots. Those things aren't even needed. You are all FOBs.

Eclipsed

thanks guys, esp stele32, for trying so hard to woop his booty, for that funny side argument to a wonderful thread--thanks kate..regardless of bring/brung/ take/vertaken..

i would have almost forgotten to remember to take these things:

bandages, body lotion, stamps, my ethernet cables (eek almost forgot those), my trusty bought-for-college loofah, a nail cutter, tools (who would think a screwdriver would come in handy), and of course my lucky swim trunks

nice nice list

skigurl432

wow great list! Not sure if this is on the list, but I'm also bringing a sleep mask (one that covers the eyes and blocks out light) for when the roommate still has the lights on when i want to sleep.

spikespet128

Allergy meds are a definite. Don't forget, campuses pride themselves on their flowers and grass and come spring there is always a ton of pollen. I was a city girl who never had any allergies until I set foot onto my campus.

Also, a deck of cards, shoe insoles (some of you will be doing a lot more walking and your feet will be protesting) and a good first aid kit. Stick to regular store bought bandages though. My mother decided I need everything for my first aid kit and i had crazy things like dissolvable stitches, extra absorbent gauze, and even a freakin scalpel. I swore she thought I was going to med school or something. I had to tell her that if something so bad happened I need a scalpel, that much gauze or stitches, i'd be at a hospital, not sitting on my bed fixing myself.

Eclipsed

lol, my aunt's new car came with a similar first aid kid. It was about the size of my torso and fit behind one of the rear seats. Man, you could equip a small hospital with that stuff.

Sdizzle

Don't forget to bring yourself.

go48

im thinking of fedexing myself there, it comes out much cheaper...

zombiequeen

I really enjoyed reading this list, as I made a similar one for myself last year. Since I have most of the basics leftover from last year, I just used the list to refresh my memory for things I ran out of that I'll need to buy again before I go back to college.

Some people truly enjoy making lists like this. It's a fun way to look forward to something exciting -- like going off to college. Not to mention a good idea. The "trivial" things on the list are often things you really wouldn't think of otherwise that you WILL find out that you need at the last minute and yes you can go get them at the store but sometimes you are in a rush (someone told me to bring wrapping paper with me, and it was great advice because you never know when you might need/want to give a spur-of-the-moment gift to someone) or you feel too sick to go to the store and you're glad you have that box of nyquil sitting in your desk.

So for all the people criticizing the list: who cares? If you don't like it, it's as easy as closing the window in your web browser. Saying "this list is too long" does not help anyone. People can decide for themselves what items they need and don't need.

And for all the people who said they are just going with a suitcase and toothbrush and laptop, I pity you.

kateapollo

... you're a sweetheart. Thanks for writing that.