Hi, Bill.

BG> BG> Sorry, I meant to type
"grammar-syntax-context-spelling-checker", but
BG> was
BG> BG> initially too lazy to do so.  I wish I had now...

BG> FM> Too late! You can't get away that easily. (But if you find one of those
BG> I
BG> FM> *want* one!

BG> BG> My immediate reaction was going to be "you'd be
lucky", but such an app

BG> BG> would likely be possible, albeit positively immense in size (and
BG> probably
BG> BG> incredibly slow to run, due to the vast amount of cross-checking
BG> BG> involved).

BG> FM> I'm not even sure about possible.

BG> Probably not to the extent that would make it sufficiently useful, agreed.

Because after all who ever could intelligently interpret the rampant
ravings, miscellaneous musings, flagrant flirting, calculated
condescension, blatant bigotry and RTL, in AvTech?

BG> FM> In that specific example, you could say, "Shakespeare is
a valid Englis

BG> FM> work" or "Shakespeare is a valid English word".

BG> Dunno, I'd be inclined to suggest that the first example is grammatically
BG> incorrect anyway, and should read either "A 'Shakespeare' is a
valid Englis
BG> work", or "Shakespeare's is a valid English work" (or
to be completely
BG> pedantic, "Shakespeare's are valid English works").  Ain't
English fun?

I'll maintain the original is valid; it's acceptable to use the
singular as a generic as in, "Man is a social animal".

BG> FM> Not to mention the usual ones like, "Time flies like an
arrow".

BG> True, metaphors would be an absolute nightmare to validate.

The English grammar parser I started to write many years ago for
interest actually generated 3 meanings for that sentence, in the form of
3 separate parse trees.

BG> BG> However, there is still no substitute for having learned correct
BG> BG> grammar, syntax etc at school,

BG> FM> Yes.

BG> Glad you agree.  I perpetually nag Robert (now 15) about his poor spelling
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I think you knew I did. :-)

BG> and grammar, but my main concern is with his pronunciation and elocution.
BG> After a few weeks of making him verbally repeat any word from which he drop
BG> the final letter(s) (*ing is the worst, as you'd expect), all is well until
BG> he spends a weekend in Toowoomba with his dole-bludging moronic natural
BG> father, then the whole cycle repeats itself.  So much for learning by
BG> example...

The learning is only as good as the example.

BG> BG> As an aside, Brisbane City Council held their annual school spelling be

BG> BG> last week, and it did not surprise me in the least that it was won by a
BG> 12
BG> BG> year old Vietnamese boy.  Why do Asians do so well in our educational
BG> BG> institutions?  The only explanation I can offer is that their attitudes

BG> BG> towards learning are far more intense than ours, which is very much in
BG> BG> keeping with my own observation that the majority of local school kids
BG> are
BG> BG> simply lazy little shits.

BG> FM> No doubt you're right,

BG> I'd hoped not, but do you have any other valid explanation?  I don't.

Yes. Your learning by example example above. No social pressure to do
so. Positive peer pressure *not* to do so. Perceived irrelevance (Rod's
argument). Current education philosophies. Individual teacher
incompetence within the education system. Cultural corruption (your TV
comment below).

That's just off the top of my head. :-)

BG> FM> although I'm sure you'd also agree it very much depends on the school,
BG> to
BG> FM> the extent that it reflects the culture of the area from which it draws
BG> its
BG> FM> clientele.

BG> Absolutely, no argument with that at all.  Mind you, given the amount of TV
BG> being watched by kids these days, some of the grammatical blunders made by
BG> news copywriters (and compounded by their readers) are disgusting (as my
BG> hero, Stuart Littlemore, so frequently and pungently points out).

And pompously. He's not lily-white you know. Nevertheless I too like
Media Watch.

BG> FM> * It's easy to apply yourself, if you just use crazy glue!

BG> Stealing American taglines now, are we?  Have you no shame?  |-)

Fuck me stupid, I get more comments on the damned taglines than on the
message content!

No, don't bother commenting on that. :-)

Regards, FIM.

 * * Comes with all you see here. Batteries not included.
@EOT:

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