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2005-07-01 Afghanistan/South Asia

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Posted by Steve 2005-07-01 09:34|| || Front Page|| [8 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Defintely a case for the RAB.

Posted by Shipman 2005-07-01 10:08|| 2005-07-01 10:08|| Front Page Top

#2 He is engaged in dacoity, deer and tiger hunting in the Sundarbans.

Ah, I remember dacoity hunting in the Sundarbans, when the mem'sahib would sit on the veranda sipping punch, and the men would come home, a freshly-killed dacoity slung on a pole, and the servants would roast it and serve it with chutney. Yum.

Which illustrates how the British practice of not putting a comma after the penultimate item in a series can trip you up. "Dacoity", it turns out, is banditry by a group of dacoits. A "dacoit" is a bandit in India or Burma (and therefore dacoity is banditry by a group of bandits). Do not google for "dacoity" and expect to find pictures of antelope.

Posted by Angie Schultz 2005-07-01 11:02|| http://darkblogules.blogspot.com]">[http://darkblogules.blogspot.com] 2005-07-01 11:02|| Front Page Top

#3 LoL Steve, I'll bet you just phone these reports in?

Posted by Red Dog 2005-07-01 11:29|| 2005-07-01 11:29|| Front Page Top

#4 Droll, droll, droll, Angie :-)

Posted by Steve White">Steve White 2005-07-01 11:31|| 2005-07-01 11:31|| Front Page Top

#5 I have roasted bandit.
English rules ( actually styles) are for breaking.

Nothing like a good Crossfire $#157

Posted by Sock Puppet 0â Doom 2005-07-01 12:24|| 2005-07-01 12:24|| Front Page Top

#6 Um darn..

Thats Crossfire ™

Posted by Sock Puppet 0â Doom 2005-07-01 12:27|| 2005-07-01 12:27|| Front Page Top

#7 Thanks much for the grammar disquisition, Angie. Now I know why I was always uncertain of the placement of that final comma -- I grew up bilingual (Brit and Amer. English).

Posted by trailing wife 2005-07-01 12:38|| 2005-07-01 12:38|| Front Page Top

#8 The AP Stylebook changed in the late 70's / early 80's to adopt this confusing bit of illiteracy. I, of course, being of sound mind, lacking the AP gene, and intuitively being able to recognize the difference between readability and shit, refuse to conform.

Parse me and I bleed, lol!

Posted by .comma 2005-07-01 13:01|| 2005-07-01 13:01|| Front Page Top

#9 LOL Angie! Superior yet understandable drollery.

Posted by Shipman 2005-07-01 14:41|| 2005-07-01 14:41|| Front Page Top

#10 I wonder how much money was saved by eschewing the small amount of printer's ink needed for each comma? Is that why the New York Times is still in business today? (I didn't know that bit of historic trivia, .com. So they changed the rules while I was learning them. Coupled with my linguistic handicap, no wonder I have problems!)

Posted by trailing wife 2005-07-01 20:20|| 2005-07-01 20:20|| Front Page Top

#11 sounds like an act of Dacoitus

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2005-07-01 20:53|| 2005-07-01 20:53|| Front Page Top

#12 tw - My Ex was a reporter, back then, so we were painfully aware of the change. Her as reporter, me as her unpaid copyeditor, lol.

Posted by .com 2005-07-01 21:59|| 2005-07-01 21:59|| Front Page Top

#13 But it's so much fun to do the editing, I find. Darling Mr. [Chemical Engineer] Wife still brings his important memos and reports for my comments, and now both trailing daughters' friends are enjoying the results of what they've learned from my endless red pencil. Then too, the editor doesn't have to do any original work, so it suits those, like me, who are not highly energetic these days.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-07-01 23:31|| 2005-07-01 23:31|| Front Page Top

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