David Richerby wrote:

Mark Houlsby wrote:
David Richerby wrote:
Mark Houlsby wrote:
David Richerby wrote:
if there are

...is... not ...are....

a lot of apostrophes floating around, I'll tend to use doubles to
avoid confusion.

Incorrect. The subject of the phrase ``there [verb] a lot of
apostrophes'' is ``a lot of apostrophes'',

Right.... "*is* A lot of apostrophes". Singular.

No. As I explained, the phrase `a lot of apostrophes' is a plural,
unless you mean `lot' in the sense of `parking lot', which I certainly
didn't.


which is a plural.

It's necessary, under the circumstances, to imagine the plural
participle not to be there. Just as I have explained above.

You explained nothing. You merely made a bogus assertion based on a
misunderstanding of English grammar.


1) There should be a *colon* (not a comma) after "He said".

Incorrect. Colons are an alternative to commas but certainly not
mandatory.

It may be an alternative, but many GRAMMARIANS (I am one), consider it
an inferior alternative. See my comment below.

`It' in this sentence can only reasonably refer to the subject of the
previous sentence.

Not so.

Since the subject of the previous sentence was the
plural, `colons',

1) you appear to be disagreeing with yourself by claiming now that
colons are inferior to commas;

No, I'm not doing that. You can't read.

2) you mean `they'.


No, I don't. Had I meant: "they", I'd've *written* "they".

Yes. Your punctuation is, frankly, mental

...if accurate...

Care to provide a citation?


Would there be any point?


and at odds with the vast majority of books published in the
English language in the last fifty years, say.

True, but that betrays only the fact that the standard of grammar
possessed by book editors has declined dramatically.

Oh, of course. The fact that you disagree with every major publishing
house, all the major newspapers and the BBC means that they're out of
step. Are you, by any chance, Tony Blair?


No. He struggles with the English language, as do most journalists and
BBC announcers/apparatchiks. Have you watched or listen to any BBC
programmes in, say, the past fifteen years?


I think it would be more appropriate if I took on the role of
teacher, here...

Think whatever you wish. You may even think that you are
correct. You may even think that you are smart.

I may even think I'm wasting my time following up to a troll.


Yes, you may even think that, but the fact that you keep posting the
same BS over and over suggests that the opposite may be true.

Not that you should believe it.

Mark

Mark Houlsby wrote:

See me after class.

I think it would be more appropriate if I took on the role of teacher,
here...

Think whatever you wish. You may even think that you are correct. You
may even think that you are smart.


IMO, this pompous "teacher", Mark Houlsby, has the
drawback of self-assurance. I call it a drawback because
when he is right, it lends no additional help, yet when he
is wrong (see the full text of posting snipped above), it
plainly serves to interfere. IMO, pomposity ought to be
reserved for the precious few who are incapable of error
(such as the HAL9000 computer, for instance). Humans,
more often than not, simply embarrass themselves when
embracing arrogance and pomposity. Hence, the proper
demeanor for all (fallible) human beings is humility.

-- help bot

help bot wrote:

Mark Houlsby wrote:

See me after class.

I think it would be more appropriate if I took on the role of teacher,
here...

Think whatever you wish. You may even think that you are correct. You
may even think that you are smart.


IMO, this pompous "teacher", Mark Houlsby, has the
drawback of self-assurance. I call it a drawback because
when he is right, it lends no additional help, yet when he
is wrong (see the full text of posting snipped above), it
plainly serves to interfere. IMO, pomposity ought to be
reserved for the precious few who are incapable of error
(such as the HAL9000 computer, for instance). Humans,
more often than not, simply embarrass themselves when
embracing arrogance and pomposity. Hence, the proper
demeanor for all (fallible) human beings is humility.

-- help bot

Quite right, Greg, and that is *precisely* what Richerby evidently
fails to understand. My being an idiot is well known. He thinks he's
smart. He trolled me.

So... what I am saying to you is... butt out.

-- Mark