1,626 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Well i thought it was funny.

Alright, one of my own jokes, from long ago.

"Excuse me, do you know the origin of the word 'malapropism'?
"Alas, no, I don't"
"Oh, I am surprised, as you are an entomologist."

William

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1,627 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Oh, right!

William

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1,628 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

jackneve wrote:

Travelling to England from Rome
She booked a holiday home
In a woodland chalet
She practised her ballet
And learned to pronounce the word 'some'

I have some issues with this verse, unlike the second. This first  limerick seems to be a collection of phrases cobbled together, with only the middle three bearing any relationship with each other, and none with  the first and last lines. Also Why the word "some" - I work quite hard to find relevant rhymes.

Why not try: "Having tidied her hair with a comb", or even "And practised the dance Sugar Plum"

As she is from Rome, English is probably not her native language. So the word 'some' is what is called an eye rhyme, it looks like a rhyme, but is not.

So the limerick illustrates, by ending with an eye rhyme of 'Rome' and 'home', one if the many inconsistencies in the pronunciation of English words.

William

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1,629 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Alfred wrote:
William wrote:

I consider that we should not be prevented from discussing the mending of socks when that is done in good faith, but mentioning of the mending of socks should not be used as a way to depart from making one's best efforts to participate in the maintaining of a genteel environment.

William

A noble sentiment, perhaps, but how are such things to be policed (other than by self-censorship)? If I write “I hope these darned socks don’t need darning again soon”, depending on how you read it you might be offended by the adjective.

By using the Sergeant Wilson style approach of asking someone using such language if they could possibly try please in future to contribute more effectively to the genteel enviroment of the forum.

William

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1,630 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Since you allude to my novels by mentioning the names of two prominent characters, have you read this chapter?

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~ngo/l … er_019.pdf

What about that name?

William

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1,631 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

I consider that we should not be prevented from discussing the mending of socks when that is done in good faith, but mentioning of the mending of socks should not be used as a way to depart from making one's best efforts to participate in the maintaining of a genteel environment.

William

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1,632 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

However the first quoted part was not a rhetorical question.

Do people go around talking like that in their everyday lives, using, amongst other vulgar words, the s word?

For example, commenting in the hearing of a member of staff upon being advised that there is no 'whatever' in the supermarket.

William

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1,633 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

My apologies, I had already changed my post before I saw your post.

You had quoted me before I changed it.

My mistake.

William

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1,634 Reply by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

When I talk to people such language is never used. Not by me, not by others.

I only hear swearing on the BBC.

I find the use of the s word in films and on the BBC appalling.

For example, I started to watch the following programme.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b … -episode-1

There is s-word vulgarity in the first 90 seconds.

Was the s word necessary?

Does the BBC have a policy that drama must include the s word?

Some time ago I watched the first episode of a drama about autism. About 40 minutes a character, not anyone purported as being autistic, used the s word.

Do people go around talking like that in their everyday lives?

I consider that standards are important in society and that it is not silly to bother about such things.

I never use the toned-down terms that Jack mentioned either.

William

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1,635 Topic by William

(23 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Should there be a policy on zero tolerance of bad language?

One post already used a word showing a letter, two asterisks and another letter.

A word such as 'rubbish' could have been used instead.

This is not the BBC, which seems often to need the s word in its dramas, unnecessarily in my opinion.

It makes it difficult to recommend a programme to a friend.

So I suggest a definite policy that this forum is a polite, genteel forum, where the culture is that only socially respectable language is used.

William

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1,636 Topic by William

(3 replies, posted in General Discussion)

https://blog.treedom.net/en/what-is-forest-bathing

William

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1,637 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Travelling to England from Rome
She booked a holiday home
In a woodland chalet
She practised her ballet
And learned to pronounce the word 'some'

Sometimes when writing a song
It's like turning the radio on
With rhyme after rhyme
In double quick time
New music is made before long

William

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1,638 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Hello Jack

Thank you.

Is this forum using continental time?

It is not yet midnight in the United Kingdom.

William

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1,639 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Hello Jack,

Here is a limerick in response to your challenge

At his letter the writer surmised
She in France might be surprised
Through the language barrier
By electronic carrier
At the reception end localized

William

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1,640 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

jackneve wrote:

Please let me start a thread for jokes.

I am sure humour will show its hoary head!
No example here, just a thread titling post

I have just reread it and it is amazingly funny.

Very cleverly done.

William

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1,641 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

jackneve wrote:
William wrote:

The rhyming couplet in the first post in this thread
doesn't rhyme but goes peculiar instead
I know this humour may not please most
But at least there's rhyming in this post

The first post in this thread was mine, prose text just asking for a jokes thread to be allowed.

If it's that post to which William is referring, and I can't see another,  I don't take it kindly.

I hope you will never find me guilty of trying to pass off such text as an attempt at a rhyming couplet.

You may have noticed I always try to regularise the no of stresses/feet in each line of a couplet, which more than can be said for your comment!

Wrongly seen as rhyme, first post in this thread,
   Rhymes not, William, obvious when read
This humour may not please the most; sublime, 
   But unlike some, these stanzas all do rhyme.
By me, compressed and tortured to be neat,
   At least, contain equality of feet.

Hello Jack

I was not trying to be unkind.

I read the first post in this thread and as I started to read it, it seemed like a rhyming couplet but it was not.

And it made me laugh!

I now know that it was not intended as a rhyming couplet but it just sort of, well, humourously jarred that it wasn't as if it were the unexpected punchline of a joke.

So I wrote a poem that bumped strangely as an attempt at humour.

Please note how it bumped at the word 'peculiar'.

The thread is for jokes.

It just seemed funny to me.

William

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1,642 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

jackneve wrote:

There was a young man with a goal
To swallow a lexicon whole
  To make a translation
  For the good of the Nation
That was his uplifting rôle

No names, no pack drill!

Could you possibly consider changimg 'a translation' to 'some translations' please?

Then 'nation' could be changed to 'nations' because it is about communication through the language barrier.

Your use of the word 'nation' reminds me of the font Gentium

https://software.sil.org/fonts/

where the name means 'for the nations'.

Gentium arose out of an M.Sc. project.

The use of the word 'young' is kind.

I remember my personal project of when I was young.

William

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1,643 Reply by William

(332 replies, posted in General Discussion)

The rhyming couplet in the first post in this thread
doesn't rhyme but goes peculiar instead
I know this humour may not please most
But at least there's rhyming in this post

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1,644 Reply by William

(52 replies, posted in General Discussion)

The invitation is a good way into a thread.

Perhaps a new thread in the Serif Lounge specifically about this forum would be a good idea.

William

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1,645 Reply by William

(60 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Thank you.

William

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1,646 Topic by William

(60 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Can one post a link to a music video in this forum?

Here is one as a test.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jVM72GP_a8

William

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