Not really. Failed 11+ consigned to the worst secondary modern in Buckinghamshire where I was preselected for a life of manual labour. Me? Bitter? Yes, a bit. Even after all these years.
Ok, that may explain part of my issue with the thread title. My native language is German, and I am used to the Duden serving as a common and accepted base to discern between right and wrong. However, my point stands: if something is proper it's proper, not degrading or degraded.
That would be hard to swallow for those that speak other European languages with strict rules defining when capitals may and may not be used.
Despite flexibility I guess that won't be forgotten together with correct punctuation.
Not far from me then (lived in Chesham briefly before escaping to North Devon) but was fortunate enough to get into Rickmansworth Grammar School. The clue is in its name I suppose...
In the English language, there are general rules for capitalisation in the titles of articles, books, papers, speeches, and other documents.
Capitalise:
- The First and Last Word
- Nouns and Pronouns
- Adjectives and Adverbs
- Verbs and Helping Verbs
- Short Prepositions
- Articles
- Short Coordinating Conjunctions
Yes so exactly like I wrote. Maybe only understood when one speaks more than just 1 language.
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When writing my comment that the use of capitals in the titles of threads here is entirely optional and there is no right or wrong I was considering the rather informal nature of this website.
Surely, in any formal situation, such as the title of a book, movie, opera, or any other important entity capitalization is absolutely required.
And if you return to my comment, you will see that it was in response this comment by mbrennwa:
Yes, the words "degradation" and "proper" should not be written with capitals.
He was wrong and needed to be corrected.
I hope you intended to write that my statement may have been wrong.
I (as in me, myself, and I) am not and was not wrong. I am totally fine.
Proper or Correct English?
Depends on your company or situation; at home with close family, at work, down the pub, or encountering someone randomly?
The ability to raise or lower your vocabulary to match the social environment, is that more useful? I wonder how Charlie 3 would survive if he was randomly dropped into one of our local pubs without any support?
So, at the end of the day, obviously, it depends on how pendantic you want to be😉
Depends on your company or situation; at home with close family, at work, down the pub, or encountering someone randomly?
The ability to raise or lower your vocabulary to match the social environment, is that more useful? I wonder how Charlie 3 would survive if he was randomly dropped into one of our local pubs without any support?
So, at the end of the day, obviously, it depends on how pendantic you want to be😉
mbrennwa,
I was referring to your statement in Post #168 where you said:
Yes, the words "degradation" and "proper" should not be written with capitals.
As I understand the context of your statement it is referring to the title I assigned to this thread. To wit "The Degradation of Proper English", and you are saying that the words degradation and proper in that title should not have been capitalized.
If that is what you are saying, then you are positively wrong.
I was referring to your statement in Post #168 where you said:
Yes, the words "degradation" and "proper" should not be written with capitals.
As I understand the context of your statement it is referring to the title I assigned to this thread. To wit "The Degradation of Proper English", and you are saying that the words degradation and proper in that title should not have been capitalized.
If that is what you are saying, then you are positively wrong.
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Speaking not as a moderator but as a member of the forum, I don't believe the forum has a stance on this per se.. I feel the membership in general has an appreciation for doing things a certain way that makes doing so worthwhile. On the other hand since this is an international forum, and it caters for members of all levels, a little tolerance can go a long way.
Many of us have no doubt experienced people trying to raise us up by calling out our mistakes. The proper opportunity to do that doesn't always occur in the middle of a technical discussion, and slipping in a comment wouldn't always be wise. Therefore I don't think we can assume someone acquiesces.
Yeah, you're right. I thought a couple of times whether to throw in "positively", but finally decided to do it anyhow. Just to add a little emphasis to the statement.
Since we're not publishing formal papers on DIYAudio, "Proper English" isn't so important, but it's a technical forum and let someone confuse mS (millisiemens) and ms (milliseconds) and all heck will break out.
That third letter “i” in the mS makes quite a difference. One of the side effects of certain BPH medications is what happens when there’s only 2. 😵
I think what is most important to discussions on informal places like this forum is whether or not the quality of writing is sufficient to convey the intended meaning.
The language is evolving rapidly and grammatical rules relating to writing have likely changed significantly since I was educated. (Assuming that a lot of what I read in recent publications is a guide.) Sometimes effective writing deliberately breaks the rules to serve some literary or other purpose.
Edit: Apparently I am not an effective writer based on how many times I have edited this post. 🤣
The language is evolving rapidly and grammatical rules relating to writing have likely changed significantly since I was educated. (Assuming that a lot of what I read in recent publications is a guide.) Sometimes effective writing deliberately breaks the rules to serve some literary or other purpose.
Edit: Apparently I am not an effective writer based on how many times I have edited this post. 🤣