Random

[desoto_hia873]

Have made it to p. 304 of Harry Potter. I think I can say, with conviction, that I've never seen so many semi-colons used in one book before.



A vampire named Sanguini! ::snerk:: That made me laugh out loud. I'm curious to see how vampires in the Potterverse operate.



In other news, Dad has made it to Blood Ties in BtVS S5 and called me tonight to ask where Glory had gone. He thought maybe he'd seen the last of her - I don't think he's quite grasped the idea of the seasonal Big Bad yet. He hated the episode Triangle (I rather agree with him on this one - it was a weak episode), but liked Lydia from the Watcher's Council in Checkpoint. I told him that Lydia's thesis is available online (http://www.channelingboards.com/SpikeThesis/) and have just discovered that an updated bound version is available for purchase (http://www.cafepress.com/teaattheford.12070289). Hee - I might have to get a copy of that.

Oh, and his theory for what happens to Buffy at the end of the season? She becomes a vampire. Heh.

Comments

[that_mireille]

I think I can say, with conviction, that I've never seen so many semi-colons used in one book before.

Oh, god yes. She's worse than ME.

[desoto-hia873.livejournal.com]

It should be stated outright that I was never taught very much grammar in school - and so I am stating it. That said, it seems to me that she uses her semi-colons in a peculiar way - I've never seen anyone else use them like she does. Now I have to do semi-colon research!

Or maybe just go and read the next chapter...

[frimfram.livejournal.com]

When I was at school my English teacher told me I was abusing commas. Then, as an undergraduate, a supervisor circled in red every single semicolon I'd used in my weekly essay, with sufficiently humiliating results. I started my Masters, and my supervisor underlined every hyphen in my first draft essay. Coming soon in PhD research near you: go home, colons! I am never, ever going to get this part of punctuation nailed.

[frimfram.livejournal.com]

I like your dad's theory! Phin is half way through Season 7 of Buffy and Season 2 of Angel and is still adamant that both Tara and Doyle are due for resurrection, since that's what happens in Joss shows.

[frimfram.livejournal.com]

Also: my brain has involuntarily started understanding 'HBP' as an acronym for 'Harry Bloody Potter.' ;)

[desoto-hia873.livejournal.com]

Sadly, resurrecting Doyle would also require resurrecting Glenn Quinn. :-( We should all live in the Jossverse for real.

I read somewhere that Joss was planning to bring Tara back in S7, but then Amber Benson wasn't available. I thought Tara was terribly boring at first - and then they killed her just as she was starting to show some personality. Figures.

[desoto-hia873.livejournal.com]

I thought I knew how to use semi-colons correctly, but J.K. Rowling uses them in a completely different fashion. Half the time, I don't know why she didn't just use a period instead.

The external examiner for my MSc thesis informed me that I had no idea how to use commas. In a literal sense, he's right - I don't remember ever being taught where to put them. I do remember reading that George Bernard Shaw put them where ever he wanted his actors to take a breath, which I thought was a nicely functional way to do it. I think I put them in where I hear a sentence pause or change in tone in my head. Which means I'm probably wrong alot.

Someone on LJ finally gave me an explanation of when to use the subjunctive tense last year. Three languages - English, French, and Spanish - and I never understood the subjunctive. Guess I'll have to hunt someone down who can explain commas. Think there's a grammar community on LJ? :-)

[frimfram.livejournal.com]

If LJ comprises less than seventeen percent grammar communities, I will drop dead with shock.

I never learnt grammar either. There was a kind of touchy-feely 'expressing one's creativity is far more important than actually knowing how to use the language' trip in primary school teaching when I was little. Then, my supervisor (the one who accused me of 'writing like a German') made me go out and get The Elements Of Style, which really helped a lot. I've almost got my 'whiches' and 'thats' sorted now!