The Gang of Five

Beyond the Mysterious Beyond => The Party Room => Brain Food => Topic started by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 11:23:11 AM

Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 11:23:11 AM
This game will test how much you know about the forms, tenses, and other structures that make up languages. Each language has its own rules, some have more than others, and English probably has the most of all major languages. Towards that end. post a sentence and see if readers can guess which part should go where..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Clawandfang on February 08, 2009, 11:28:44 AM
I think an example would be useful Nick.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 12:13:15 PM
Sorry forgot to oput down an example.. This example you'll have to put the words in the right order:
dog store I the to took to
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Lillefot on February 08, 2009, 12:46:33 PM
I think you forgot a "The"

-I took the dog to the store

--edited--
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 02:24:15 PM
Thats a tonguetwister, thats for sure. But my goal on this is to get as many people involved as possible. So I'll pass on that one..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Lillefot on February 08, 2009, 02:53:26 PM
Quote from: Nick22,Feb 8 2009 on  01:24 PM
Thats a tonguetwister, thats for sure. But my goal on this is to get as many people involved as possible. So I'll pass on that one..
It sure is. But it's exelent practice for one's grammar, as many words in English are very similar to eachother when it comes to the spelling and pronunciation, not to speak of how well you practice your vocabulary.
But maybe it was abit to much to start with...

Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 02:55:21 PM
Yeah, We should start simple, and gradually move towards more complex sentences..At least , thats what I was doing.. :p
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Lillefot on February 08, 2009, 03:10:47 PM
Quote from: Nick22,Feb 8 2009 on  01:55 PM
Yeah, We should start simple, and gradually move towards more complex sentences..At least , thats what I was doing.. :p
You're right. Sorry for the inconvenience.


five finishes Tom past at work his half
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 03:19:15 PM
Its alright,  no harm done.
 Tom finishes his work at half past five.
 how often , btw, do you see anyone using 'half past' anymore?
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Lillefot on February 08, 2009, 03:22:37 PM
Quote from: Nick22,Feb 8 2009 on  02:19 PM
Its alright,  no harm done.
 Tom finishes his work at half past five.
 how often , btw, do you see anyone using 'half past' anymore?
Got that one right.

Quite often, why?
It's correct, but we can stick to numbers?
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 03:27:28 PM
Well, I just haven't heard it used much latesly, maybe its simply the company I hang out in :)
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Lillefot on February 08, 2009, 03:38:25 PM
Quote from: Nick22,Feb 8 2009 on  02:27 PM
Well, I just haven't heard it used much latesly, maybe its simply the company I hang out in :)
Hehe, I see.
Nick, we're making this a rather "two way" topic.
You got the last one, write a new one so we can let the others in!  :)
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 03:48:08 PM
seahore sixty Swedish by Sally the sells seashore smelly seashells
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Clawandfang on February 08, 2009, 06:08:12 PM
Sally sells sixty smelly seashells by the Swedish seashore.

I've missed out "seashoew"....I can't honestly think where it might fit in. Not even sure what word it's meant to be...heh... I guess some of the adjectives could be swapped around too.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 06:15:44 PM
It was supposed to be seashore.. your turn to put up a sentence Claw.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Clawandfang on February 08, 2009, 06:30:43 PM
Okay, let's see what happens if we try adding parentheses in. (I think that's what they're called anyway, but feel free to correct me.) Otherwise I think this is a fairly simple one.

go you everywhere 75 Earth , is , the On degrees temperature .
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 08, 2009, 06:36:18 PM
Those are apostrophes. (These) are parentheses.

On Earth, everywhere you go, the temperature is 75 degrees. There is a more grammatically correct way of wording it with only one apostrophe.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 06:36:20 PM
those are commas, parentheses are this ()
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 08, 2009, 06:37:07 PM
Oh, right. Commas. My bad. :slap
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 06:40:03 PM
No one's perfect LBT, your turn to put up a sentence..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Clawandfang on February 08, 2009, 06:43:30 PM
I was unsure, so I headed to Wikipedia, which had a quote from the Oxford English Dictionary:

Parenthesis
An explanatory or qualifying word, clause, or sentence inserted into a passage with which it doesn't necessarily have any grammatical connection, and from which it is usually marked off by round or square brackets, dashes, or commas.

Make of it what you will. And you're probably right on there being a better way of saying it LBT, but I was quoting directly from somewhere, what with creativity being on a low. In any case, your turn.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 08, 2009, 06:49:14 PM
Wiki should always be taken with a grain of salt, but yes, Comma can be consider parentheses.. anyway, onto the next sentence..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 08, 2009, 06:50:10 PM
a front than bottle me have I'd frontal rather in of lobotomy. a
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 09, 2009, 03:52:29 PM
This sentence is also very easy to find online.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: The Friendly Sharptooth on February 09, 2009, 10:41:15 PM
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

Well, I hope this is right. I didn't check it like you said it was possible to since that would ruin my suspense of knowing if I was right or wrong. I haven't heard of a "frontal lobotomy" before, but this just seemed the only way for the sentence to work.

Even if I'm wrong... Thanks for posting this thread Nick22! I love grammar too. This was a great idea and I hope more will join. I'm definitely going to be a regular in this one. Later!
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 10, 2009, 09:26:37 PM
a frontal lobotomy is a surgery to remove part of the brain. in "one Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest" it was the ultimate fate of the Jack Nicholson character, he had a lobotomy forcibly performed on him..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Cancerian Tiger on February 10, 2009, 10:51:02 PM
A frontal lobotomy is a surgery to remove part of the brain.  In "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest", it was the ultimate fate of Jack Nicholson's character.  He had a lobotomy forcibly performed on him.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 11, 2009, 10:53:09 AM
Quote from: Nick22,Feb 10 2009 on  08:26 PM
a frontal lobotomy is a surgery to remove part of the brain. in "one Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest" it was the ultimate fate of the Jack Nicholson character, he had a lobotomy forcibly performed on him..
Quote from: Cancerian Tiger,Feb 10 2009 on  09:51 PM
A frontal lobotomy is a surgery to remove part of the brain. In "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest", it was the ultimate fate of Jack Nicholson's character. He had a lobotomy forcibly performed on him.

Woah, serious dÈj‡ vu. Did you both get that from the same source?

You're right, TFS! Your turn!
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: The Friendly Sharptooth on February 11, 2009, 04:40:58 PM
Great! Ah, let's see... Oh, and thanks you two for clearing that up for me.

called is dot, An dot. sometimes dot, elipse a

(And Nick22, no peeking at that old PM of mine I sent you, heehee.)
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 11, 2009, 07:12:56 PM
An ellipse is sometimes called a dot, dot, dot.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 11, 2009, 07:15:38 PM
Ct, that was really odd. we posted the exact same post, Weird. :blink:
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Cancerian Tiger on February 11, 2009, 11:29:46 PM
:blink: For real!  That really is weird :wacko:!
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: The Friendly Sharptooth on February 12, 2009, 11:53:04 AM
I agree. They are very similar posts indeed. Of course, you can tell that one post wasn't just copied from the other. These were definately written by each of you. There are just a few minor differences to show this: A few differences in capitalization, two ways to describe the character,
Quote
Jack Nicholson's character
Quote
the Jack Nicholson character
one finishes with two sentences while another using one with two independant clauses, and finally, one uses a period closing the statement, another trails off, feeling that something else should have been added to that statement.

My, I love how there are many ways to say the same sentence. English is so fun. Many sentences have multiple solutions, like using either a semicolon or conjunction, and the freedom goes on. Anyway, Lettuce Bacon&Tomato, you are absolutely right, and I look forward to your next test. Later!

Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 12, 2009, 09:33:39 PM
Two guarantee friend. not a thousand does admirers
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 12, 2009, 09:41:23 PM
Two thousand admirers does not guarantee  a friend.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on February 17, 2009, 02:45:48 AM
Sage advice.

Your turn fellow Nick!
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on February 23, 2009, 02:13:40 AM
this phrase is a famous saying..
 I ere Elba was I able saw
 bonus points if you know who said it..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on March 01, 2009, 04:53:42 PM
I know Elba was the island where they exiled Napoleon. I can't decipher the quote though.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 02, 2009, 12:06:06 AM
Keep trying...   I explain once someone gets it..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on March 04, 2009, 06:44:30 PM
Hey! Those words form palindromic pairs! I think I can do it now:

I saw Elba ere able was I ?
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 04, 2009, 07:53:27 PM
No, but you're close.. keep trying....
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on March 04, 2009, 10:07:45 PM
I'm fairly certain the sentence needs to be readable backwards and forwards...so ere must be in the center...

Able I was ere saw I Elba ?
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 04, 2009, 10:09:10 PM
Very good, you got it. Napolean is supposed to have said it upon seeing the island for the first time.. Your turn..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on March 04, 2009, 10:16:39 PM
Napoleon must have had a quick brain to figure that syntax out so quickly. I would have been more like, "Crap! Do I even get room service?"
I actually had to cut out little paper squares with the words on them and rearrange them to make something coherent. Good quote, fellow Nick!

Righto, next sentence.

we feel it, as fine... and I know the world of It's end

EDIT: Wait, add another "the". I forgot one.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 04, 2009, 10:18:37 PM
It's the send of the world as we know it, and I feel fine..." Its from an R>E>M. song..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on March 04, 2009, 10:20:49 PM
One of my favorite REM songs.

That was certainly fast. You're up!
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 04, 2009, 10:24:22 PM
R.Em's one of my favorite groups.. :D
 ok..
reasons love for I you sentimental
 Pretty easy, but the artist who sings it is a bit more difficult..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on March 04, 2009, 10:28:25 PM
I've got a guess, but I think I'll wait so other players have some chances at guessing.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 04, 2009, 10:28:56 PM
That's fine..
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Malte279 on March 05, 2009, 05:48:58 AM
Did Napoleon speak English at all?
Perhaps the linking of him to the sentence is a myth based on the notion that he is probably the main reason why people anywhere would hear of Elba. I've been there on holidays three or four times, but the last time I was just about seven years old I think.
Title: Grammar Trivia
Post by: Nick22 on March 07, 2009, 04:59:15 PM
I think he did... But I'm not completely sure.