Alfred's Serif Users' Forums — Nostalgia money arithmetic

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (Alfred) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 18:12:00 +0000

William wrote:

William wrote:
Well, I wrote it the same as if I was saying it in a conversation.
I have just noticed. I wrote "was" but should it have been "were"?
William

I think the subjunctive in English is very largely ignored these days. If I were you I wouldn’t worry about it!

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (William) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 17:13:10 +0000

William wrote:

Well, I wrote it the same as if I was saying it in a conversation.

I have just noticed. I wrote "was" but should it have been "were"?

William

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (William) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 17:07:37 +0000

Well, I wrote it the same as if I was saying it in a conversation.

Perhaps it is some sort of language feature to indicate that whereas "us" would complete the set upon which "some" operates, that using "we" indicates that there is more to come to describe the set upon which "some" operates.

Done unconsciously because of being fluent in one's native language.

William

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (Alfred) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 15:45:59 +0000

Isn’t “we older people” simply clarifying that, as used here, “we” refers to older people? If it is, then the clarification isn’t strictly necessary, so “we older people” becomes simply “we people” or even more simply “we”; replacing “we older people” with “we” means that “Some of we older people” becomes “Some of we”, but I hope it’s clear to everyone that it should be “Some of us”.

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (William) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 13:50:44 +0000

But is it

Some of (we older people) here

yet

Some of us here

YET NOT

Some of we here SIC, SHOWN AS AN EXAMPLE OF BEING WRONG

though.

William

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (Alfred) — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 05:35:38 +0000

William wrote:

Well, what?

Well, I would say “some of us” rather than “some of we” (and likewise, “some of them” rather than “some of they”). You could, of course, avoid the issue altogether by omitting the first three words (to leave you with “Older people…”) or the second and third words (leaving “Some older people…”).

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (William) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 20:26:12 +0000

Well, what?

Re: Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (Alfred) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 19:06:49 +0000

William wrote:

Some of we …

Hmm.

Nostalgia money arithmetic

null@example.com (William) — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 18:54:29 +0000

Some of we older people here who lived in the UK many years ago may remember spending hours doing arithmetic problems of a type of which the following is a newly made up example.

Convert 2209 pennies to £ s d.

William