An American grammar question (totally off topic)

[schro]

.....
Who taught you people that? Its awful!  

(I do realise there are more important issues in the world. I'm just killing time before dinner)

What's awful is realize being spelled with an S.  

[baldjoeg]

Great picture Razor. I like it

[baldjoeg]

I agree with Mikekoz. Interesting discussion though.

[Slynito]

Seems to me when I speak with Britz...they use a lot of adjectives, more than needed imho.

[Chavster]

I agree with Mikekoz. Interesting discussion though.

I thought so too

[Tyler]

Eats, shoots and leaves.

[120inna55]

I dont know why you're feeling the need to be so antagonistic and snotty today. One day you're like chalk, the next you're like cheese. One day up, one day down. One day pleasant, one day sour. Maybe there's a reason for that, but thankfully I dont need to be surrounded by it in person.

I hope you're kidding.  I don't really see anything antagonistic, per se, about the responses thus far.  I just see good natured ribbing in response to a light-hearted original post.  Whether your original post was intended to be a light-hearted poking fun at a culture's way of doing things, or a simple query with expectation of data, cannot be confirmed by dissecting said post.  That said, one might expect, in the presence of a public forum such as this, at least some degree of retort.

Now, on a personal note...

Despite my being native Texan (many of us cling closer to our Texas heritage more so than that of our nation), the use of the commas as indicated in headlines has always seemed awkward to me, and thus counters the presumed purpose which is to make it more concise.

[Chavster]

Nope, unfortunately I wasnt kidding, but I also wasnt referring to the replies just on this thread. Tom and I rarely go a day without fighting but hopefully its in a friendly way rather than an 'I dislike you' kind of way. It certainly isnt that from my side of things.

[Arnie]

You know what really chaps my hide?

When people don't use a comma after the second person before the "and" in a group of three or more.

Tyler, Schro and BaldRob walk into a bar... 

Tyler, Schro, and BaldRob walk into a bar... 

[Chavster]

Im more than happy to be proved wrong, but I have a feeling the version that pisses you off is the correct one (although I tend to use the one that doesnt piss you off)

[Razor X]

Im more than happy to be proved wrong, but I have a feeling the version that pisses you off is the correct one (although I tend to use the one that doesnt piss you off)

I believe that the second comma is known as the Oxford comma.  I was always taught that it was the correct usage, just as Arnie said.  I also thought it was standard usage in British English.  However, more often than not it is omitted in common usage.  Both ways seem to be considered acceptable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma

[Laser Man]

Razor is right - it's known as the Oxford comma.  It was taught as the correct punctuation when I went to school, but that was long enough ago that the rules have changed / slipped.  The comma before the "and" was meant to delineate a series of individual items from a grouping of what came before and after the "and". 

[BReady]

I personally did not use a comma just before the conjunction.  After reading this thread and about the serial comma, I can see why that can be a problem.

As for the OP's question about the lack of "and" in the headline.  I always thought weird sounding headlines were for the sake of making it short as possible.

Dog Bites Mailman (instead of A Dog Bites the Mailman) is an example
I guess Bush, Obama eat at the Olive Garden would be the same?

...and here is the first thing I thought of when it was mentioned that Brit's use the word "right" a lot:



Shawn says, "Right!" just before he explains his plan.

[tomgallagher]

Whatever happened to the possessive apostrophe in the English language.
a. That is Franks' automobile.

Nowadays it always seems to be written,
b. That is Frank's automobile.

[Razor X]

Whatever happened to the posessive apostrophe in the English language.
a. That is Franks' automobile.

Nowadays it always seems to be written,
b. That is Frank's automobile.

The apostrophe after the S (example A) is plural possesive and Example B is singular possessive.