welcome! jeremy freese is a professor in sociology at northwestern university. he finds blogging to be a good diversion from insomnia and a far better use of time than television.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
my shivering depravity
I just walked out in a freaking blizzard to get a Coke Zero. At least I had the foresight to buy a second for later.
10 comments:
Anonymous
said...
"freaking"? Aren't blizzards far worse in the mid-west? Or are you skittish? Or? (Stay cozy.)
If you need an earlier catalyst to catapult you into action in the future, prompting foresight before the first trip of the morning in a blizzard, then you can have emergency alerts sent to your computer or wireless device for free from here: www.emergencyemail.org
sarahliz: one of JF's strong points is that he takes pride in his ability to use the English language precisely and well. So I'm sure he's fine with with the were/was reminder.
I wasn't arguing that correcting Jeremy's grammar was wrong. My point was merely that subjunctive is a subtlety that lots of people don't get at all (in part because subjunctive sounds like past tense in a lot of cases) so not having fully incorporated it doesn't strike me as all that embarassing, particularly if you at least understand the rules.
10 comments:
"freaking"? Aren't blizzards far worse in the mid-west? Or are you skittish? Or?
(Stay cozy.)
RWS: Neither market near where I live sells Coke Zero in multiple packs of plastic bottles, and I prefer bottles to cans.
Anon: If I was in the midwest and needed Coke Zero in the middle of a blizzard, I'd have a car.
...if I WERE in the midwest (so, are you skittish?).
If you need an earlier catalyst to catapult you into action in the future, prompting foresight before the first trip of the morning in a blizzard, then you can have emergency alerts sent to your computer or wireless device for free from here:
www.emergencyemail.org
I would go out into a blizzard for a couple of cheap bottles of wine.
JLP: I have ForecastFox in my browser, so now I'm way better apprised of the weather than in the past, although I don't always act on it.
Anon: It's plain that I don't have the subjunctive tense properly incorporated into my natural way of speaking. It's a little embarrassing.
At least you know it's subjunctive. That's more than a lot of people can claim. I wouldn't be too embarassed.
sarahliz: one of JF's strong points is that he takes pride in his ability to use the English language precisely and well. So I'm sure he's fine with with the were/was reminder.
I wasn't arguing that correcting Jeremy's grammar was wrong. My point was merely that subjunctive is a subtlety that lots of people don't get at all (in part because subjunctive sounds like past tense in a lot of cases) so not having fully incorporated it doesn't strike me as all that embarassing, particularly if you at least understand the rules.
Go out and play in the snow...
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