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lashbear
11-30-2009, 01:13 AM
Hi all !

Here is a sentence from an Agatha Christie novel [referring to the properties of Curare]:

"It is a very swift and rapid poison"

What is the grammatical term for using two adjectives with identical meaning in the same sentence? Stoat and I can't think of the term, and it's driving us insane.
Morrigoon
11-30-2009, 05:09 AM
So I googled it, and the answer is "tautology".
lashbear
11-30-2009, 05:36 AM
Bum, why couldn't we find that ?

thank you so much - you're been beneficially helpfully of use to us !! :D
Cadaverous Pallor
11-30-2009, 08:44 AM
I'm trying to think of some minute sliver of distinction between the words "swift" and "rapid".
Moonliner
11-30-2009, 09:04 AM
I'm trying to think of some minute sliver of distinction between the words "swift" and "rapid".

I suppose a poison could be swift to be absorbed into the blood stream but slow to act on the system... So in this case it would be swift to be absorbed and quick to act.
Kevy Baby
11-30-2009, 09:06 AM
Another word that comes to mind is "redundant"
Ghoulish Delight
11-30-2009, 09:37 AM
Redundant and repetitive.
SzczerbiakManiac
11-30-2009, 10:31 AM
I have another grammar question. One of our more annoying directors sent out a banal Thanksgiving e-mail last week which included this sentence:

"Perhaps all of us can get passed the big dinner and look forward for the opportunities ahead to be grateful."

Am I correct in thinking he should have used "past" instead of "passed"? Or is that a perfectly cromulent sentence?
Ghoulish Delight
11-30-2009, 10:34 AM
Past.
Ghoulish Delight
11-30-2009, 10:34 AM
Unless he was hoping someone would pass the entire dinner to him from the other end of the table.
SzczerbiakManiac
11-30-2009, 10:36 AM
Thank you for the confirmation.
SacTown Chronic
11-30-2009, 10:37 AM
Which would be an opportunity to be grateful, in my book.
Alex
11-30-2009, 10:38 AM
Yes, it should have been past.
Gemini Cricket
11-30-2009, 10:42 AM
This thread embiggens my grammar doings.
Alex
11-30-2009, 10:47 AM
And if you want some information on how you'd know:

"Passed" is always a verb ("I passed the car" "he passed away").

Past can be a noun ("I knew him in the past") and adverb ("he drove past me"), and adjective ("the past events were a success") or as a preposition ("the high school is down the road just past the convenience store"). But not a verb.

In your sentence, "passed" is used as a preposition. Which means it should be "past."
SacTown Chronic
11-30-2009, 10:52 AM
This thread embiggens my grammar doings.


DeSean Jackson of the Eagles said that it's "unpossible" to cover him with one defensive back.


"Perhaps all of us can get passed the big dinner and look forward for the opportunities ahead to be grateful."Maybe it's a fortune cookie calling for a happy and safe post-Thanksgiving, uh, movement.
JWBear
11-30-2009, 11:28 AM
I have another grammar question. One of our more annoying directors sent out a banal Thanksgiving e-mail last week which included this sentence:

"Perhaps all of us can get passed the big dinner and look forward for the opportunities ahead to be grateful."

Am I correct in thinking he should have used "past" instead of "passed"? Or is that a perfectly cromulent sentence?

Passed/past isn't the only grammar error in his sentence.

I would have said "Perhaps we can all get past the big dinner, and look forward to the opportunities for being grateful that lie ahead.
Alex
11-30-2009, 12:04 PM
I'm trying to think of some minute sliver of distinction between the words "swift" and "rapid".

"small bird" vs. "rough patch of river"

Perhaps it is a poison that both kills birds and dissolves rocks.
Ghoulish Delight
11-30-2009, 12:11 PM
Passed/past isn't the only grammar error in his sentence.

I would have said "Perhaps we can all get past the big dinner, and look forward to the opportunities for being grateful that lie ahead.
The comma is unnecessary.
alphabassettgrrl
11-30-2009, 09:55 PM
DeSean Jackson of the Eagles said that it's "unpossible" to cover him with one defensive back.

::shudder::

I would have said "Perhaps we can all get past the big dinner, and look forward to the opportunities for being grateful that lie ahead.

The comma is unnecessary.

Unnecessary, but not out of line.

I love grammar!
Kevy Baby
07-24-2011, 02:09 PM
Here's one I thought some might appreciate.
Ghoulish Delight
07-24-2011, 02:14 PM
Err, you did something wrong with your attachment. Tried to fix it, but didn't work.
Kevy Baby
07-24-2011, 02:47 PM
Err, you did something wrong with your attachment. Tried to fix it, but didn't work.I fixed it. I tried something new, and it showed in preview and after the post as okay; not sure what happened.

Weird
Ghoulish Delight
07-24-2011, 03:28 PM
I fixed it. I tried something new, and it showed in preview and after the post as okay; not sure what happened.

Weird
It showed for you because the image was in your cache.

The way you to do what you were trying to do is to upload the file, then come back to the editing box and click the drop down arrow next to the paperclip icon. Click on the image name and it will insert the correct tag for you.
Morrigoon
07-24-2011, 03:41 PM
That made me totally LOL. I may have to repost that sentiment at some point...
lashbear
01-06-2013, 05:15 PM
Had to share - and this is a better forum that FB just because.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/64039_583400535022737_89712364_n.jpg
flippyshark
01-06-2013, 10:40 PM
Number 14 should read "Fvck profanity!"
Cadaverous Pallor
01-10-2013, 11:14 AM
I love number 15, and number 20 because I LOVE the passive voice and have always been graded down because of it. Fvck you, English teacher!!
SzczerbiakManiac
01-10-2013, 04:40 PM
I use passive voice when I want to avoid using "they" as a singular non-gender-specific pronoun.