Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)

[Artemis]

I was taught "dove," never "dived." "Learned" is US but I still use "learnt" sometimes anyway, as well as "burnt," "dreamt," etc.

 

I'd honestly be surprised to hear of any more "Sherlock" happening as soon as 2020. 2022, maybe, at the earliest.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I use "spelt" most of the time. As for "burnt" vs "burned," I use them differently, with "burned" as the past tense ("Darn, I burned the toast!") and "burnt" as an adjective ("I don't like to eat burnt toast").

[Artemis]

Yeah, "spelt" is another. I use "burnt" as an adjective as well, but for past tense I tend to interchange "burned" and "burnt." Just kinda depends on what pops out, lol.

[Artemis]

Take your example "This has got to change," meaning "This must change." "Gotten" would not be used in this sentence, only "got."

 

Take another example: "She has got to be head of her class" means "She must become head of her class." "She has gotten to be head of her class," is a perfectly good sentence too, but it means something different, namely, "She has become head of her class," i.e., she has already accomplished it.

To add another example (just for fun! :P ), one could say "That has gotten to be very annoying," meaning "That has become very annoying," but "That has got to be very annoying" would usually mean "That must be very annoying."

[Carol the Dabbler]

Damn but I'm glad I grew up speaking English, so I didn't have to learn it as an adult! (Though I suppose any other language would have just as many oddities.)

[Pseudonym]

Just to add in my two pence, you're right, I've never said gotten. 

[Artemis]

I accidentally just gave this thread a rating, and I think it was only 3 stars. Sorry about that!

[Pseudonym]

Eurgh, I'm covered in soot and charcoal. In addition to my various other duties I'm in charge of running two big laser cutters that cut balsa and ply. The ply machine died last week, so I'm now doing everything on the other machine, which is powered differently so it takes a bit of guess work what settings to change to get things to cut properly. Just got out a layout that cut, er, a bit too well. And I had to sand the charcoal off to get them looking decent, and I'm now covered in black soot. 

[Fantasy Lover]

I admit that when I read the first sentence I thought: What did you do to upset Santa so much he covered you in soot a week before Christmas?!

[Artemis]

^ My first thought was she was cleaning out the chimney in preparation for his arrival, lol.

[Pseudonym]

I used to be terrified of Father Christmas, who wants some weird old bloke sneaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night when you're sleeping?

[Artemis]

Personally I never saw the appeal of Santa, but I didn't grow up "believing" in him either.

[Pseudonym]

I did when I was really little. I think it's just to make the whole thing seem more magical. I also used to be terrified when we'd all go downstairs, where most of the presents were, and as the littlest one I was the one who had to open the door - I guess because I was the one most excited. But I remember one of my parents saying 'let's hope Father Christmas isn't still in there!' from which point on I was always scared he would be and thought my dad should be the one to open the door because he was more likely to be able to take him. 

[Artemis]

[Pseudonym]

Or Krampus.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I used to be terrified of Father Christmas, who wants some weird old bloke sneaking into your bedroom in the middle of the night when you're sleeping?

He came into your bedroom? That *is* creepy!

 

Our Santa comes into living rooms (or wherever the tree is). We'd always leave milk and cookies for him.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Damn but I'm glad I grew up speaking English, so I didn't have to learn it as an adult! (Though I suppose any other language would have just as many oddities.)

For me, it's confusing because English is English. I didn't really notice it's UK or US and that there are differences. I remember I was confused when someone spelled words with s instead of z, like recognise etc.

 

I admit that when I read the first sentence I thought: What did you do to upset Santa so much he covered you in soot a week before Christmas?!

 

But I remember one of my parents saying 'let's hope Father Christmas isn't still in there!' from which point on I was always scared he would be and thought my dad should be the one to open the door because he was more likely to be able to take him.

 

Wait.. so you wanted this guy to give you present and when he stayed a minute longer, you wanted to beat him up?!?

 

I didn't get a chance to believe in Santa. When I told my mom that a kid in school told me Santa brought present for him, you meant a stranger old man climb down kid's house, leave present and manage to keep his beard sparkling white? He believes it? How old is he?

We have a bridge to sell.. (well it's not exactly what she said XD.

Anyway celebration and present are not something we could afford back then. We had them but as and when, so having a fix time would be burdensome for my parents in case we started to ask for present when they couldn't be sure that particular time was good, beside them never sugarcoat us with tales but reality, which I appreciate.

I still tried to put my tooth under the pillow though and the next day when the rotten thing was still there I thought 'damn this friend must be dumb and lives in lies.!' :p

[Pseudonym]

He'd leave the bulk of the presents in the living room, but he'd also leave a stocking on the bed post. At least when I was really little, after a while it changed to be on the door knob outside the room. 

 

I didn't want to beat him up but I was worried if we interrupted him he might attack!

[Van Buren Supernova]

I heard he steals cookies. So yes, maybe you have a point in there.

 

Anyway I misread your word attack as talk: if we interrupted him he might talk! Ha.. I thought, way to insert Sherlock reference in there!

If I remember correctly, Sherlock refused to share cab with John because he might talk. XD

[Pseudonym]

I vaguely remember that, though I dunno when it happened. Oh wait, was it in TRF?

[Artemis]

Yes, that's when he got into the cab that Moriarty was driving.

 

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

So.. would you ask your dad to beat him up to if he had talked?

[Pseudonym]

Er, no. I was thinking more if he did this kind of thing. 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Just don't try to grab his pretty gold ring, and you'll be OK.

[Van Buren Supernova]

But he stole your cookies and talked!

 

I'm disappointed, I'm disappointed in you.