• Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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    4 hours ago

    It annoys me so much when I feel I need to write a sentence like that that I go to great lengths to restructure sentences to avoid it.

    …fuck

  • m4m4m4m4@lemmy.world
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    5 hours ago

    I remember one time at r/peloton one of those tribalistic mildly-xenophobic nutcases told me, after sharing an article in spanish which had some ambiguous word, something to the effect that “spanish is the most confusing language in the world”.

    Yes, that genius told that. In english.

  • BartyDeCanter@lemmy.sdf.org
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    9 hours ago

    “That that” can and probably should be replaced with “that which” in almost every instance it is used.

    Edit: or “when that”

    • credo@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      Many times you don’t need the first “that” at all.

      Did you know that I play soccer?

      Vs

      Did you know I play soccer?

    • khannie@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      It needs a comma.

      All the good faith I had had, had had no effect.

      Essentially “all the food faith I previously had, didn’t have any effect”.

      Good God English is an awful language.

      • abbadon420@lemm.ee
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        8 hours ago

        It doesn’t need a comma, it needs restructuring. When phrasing it like this, it is customary to add a comma between two adjacent verbs. You could even argue that the first part is an introductory phrase, which would explain the comma too.

      • Classy@sh.itjust.works
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        13 hours ago

        I’m pretty sure it is grammatically correct with no comma. The version you provided is a comma splice.

        To slightly change the tense, All the good faith that I had had no effect is grammatically correct with no comma, so the gerund form should also not need a comma.

        • khannie@lemmy.world
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          13 hours ago

          Perhaps. Regardless it’s outlandish abuse of the tongue IMO and definitely would benefit from the comma because nobody’s going to just bang out 4 had’s in a row in speech without a pause without a justifiable slap across the chops and possibly a challenge to a duel.

          “But your honour, he said ‘had’ four times on the trot without pause”

          “Case dismissed”

        • khannie@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          True enough but I feel like English has more quirks than other languages though I acknowledge that may be bias.

          I used to have near fluent Irish way back when and I don’t recall any shenanigans like this (again I acknowledge I may not have been presented with them). I feel like most other languages have a more clearly defined set of pronunciation rules too.

          Irish looks horrific (Siobhán is shiv-awn for example) but very very closely follows pronunciation rules so that pronunciation would be no surprise to a native reading it for the first time. English sure as fuck does not follow rules like that.

          Near. Neat. Book. Boot. Etc.

          (Some small subset of Irish folks do say “boo-k” though)

          • pyre@lemmy.world
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            10 hours ago

            maybe I should have clarified: not every language has quirks in the same ways. German has weird articles that make no sense. French has different pluralization rules for up to four objects

            But even of you just want to think about writing: German makes super long words that look monstrous by mushing words together. French doesn’t pronounce half the letters in its spelling. Arabic doesn’t really have vowels but instead uses diacritics that are often omitted so you have to be really familiar with the language to read at all.

        • khannie@lemmy.world
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          13 hours ago

          You’re welcome. :) Took me a minute tbh. Not sure if the wine I’ve had helped or hindered. It’s 2:30am here.

  • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    You can create a sentence with an infinite number of “police”

    Who polices the Police?

    Police Police police Police.

    Who polices the Police Police?

    Police Police Police police Police Police.

    And so on…

  • ornery_chemist@mander.xyz
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    14 hours ago

    dass das das das dass da ersetzen kann ist falsch

    translation: that “das” can replace “dass” there is wrong.

    same shit different barbarians

  • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    The landlord of a pub called The Pig And Whistle asked a sign writer to make a new sign. When he saw it he thought that the words were too close together, so he said to the sign writer “I want more space between Pig and And and And and Whistle”.

    • BluesF@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      Inspired by the story, another landlord decides to name their pub “Pig and And and And and Whistle.” Lo and behold, the sign was cramped… Ther needed more space between Pig and and and and and And and And and and and and and And and And and and and and and Whistle.

    • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      I think you or they added two extra ands, because the pub isn’t “Pig And And Whistle.”

      • Baleine@jlai.lu
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        20 hours ago

        Space between pig and and, and space between and and whistle

      • Signtist@lemm.ee
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        19 hours ago

        Nah, it’s referring to the first space by grouping the first and second words, “Pig” and “And,” and then referring to the second space by grouping the second and third words, “And” and “Whistle.”

          • can@sh.itjust.works
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            17 hours ago

            “The Pig And Whistle” asked a sign writer to make a new sign.

            I want more space between “Pig” and “And”

            and

            [more space between] “And” and “Whistle”

            • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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              15 hours ago

              Ovahea’s comment as I copy and paste is

              Pig and And and And and Whistle”.

              So if you remove the bonus ands, it becmes “Pig And And Whistle”.

              • can@sh.itjust.works
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                14 hours ago

                But as someone else pointed out it’s the same “and”. The sign has three words on it. Between the words are spaces. How many spaces are there? What on either edge of each space?

                • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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                  14 hours ago

                  Okay I concede that it works, albeit it requires a comma, but it also works without the redundant ands

  • Inucune@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    Have you heard the tragedy of pumping lemma? Have you heard the tragedy of the tragedy of pumping lemma? Have you heard the tragedy of the tragedy of the tragedy of pumping lemma?

  • frigidaphelion@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    My friends and I call their dog “That” and we’re always saying stuff like “that’s that that!” when he comes down the stairs and such lol

  • AirBreather@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    James, while John had had “had”, had had “had had;” “had had” had had a greater effect on the teacher.

  • Purox@feddit.org
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    21 hours ago

    In German the following is a completely valid sentence:

    Wenn hinter Fliegen Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen nach.

    Which translates to when flies fly behind flies, then flies follow flies. The same works for seals:

    Wenn hinter Robben Robben Robben, robben Robben Robben nach.

    • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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      20 hours ago

      Some Hungarian prefixes can be piled on without limit, while still creating meaning.

      The word “úszni” means “to swim”.

      Úsztatni - to make someone or someone swim
      Úsztattatni - to make someone make someone swim
      Úsztattattattattattattattattattni - to make someone make someone make someone … make someone swim

      Can be done with any verb, and maybe some other suffixes as well.

        • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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          17 hours ago

          It’s basically a mishmash of Ancient Ugric, Turkish, German, Slavic and Romani words with grammar that is an eldritch monstrosity, nobody really knows where it came from, and it is seriously weird.

          There are only two real tenses, but nineteen cases and two different ways of doing imperative, which are kind of equivalent but carry cultural and tonal differences in certain contexts.

    • mutter9355@discuss.tchncs.de
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      16 hours ago

      The same works in Dutch:

      Als vliegen achter vliegen vliegen, vliegen vliegen vliegen achterna.

      Although my favourite form of that tongue twister is:

      Als vliegende vliegen achter vliegende vliegen vliegen, vliegen de vliegende vliegen vliegensvlug.

      When flying flies fly behind flying flies, the flying flies fly rapidly (“flying fast”).

      • Bob@feddit.nl
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        5 hours ago

        You can say “fleetly” instead of “rapidly”. Actually “rapidly” sounds incorrect when describing flying.

    • ÞlubbaÐubba@lemm.ee
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      20 hours ago

      English has Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo

      I don’t know what it means but I’ve been told it is indeed a full sentence.