Oolite Bulletins

Geordie1 wrote:

Are you a Geordie Killer Wolf?

Y’know, this question nicely demonstrates the value of the common comma.

Are you a Geordie Killer, Wolf?
Are you a Geordie, Killer Wolf?

Grammatical humour in (presumably) non-native language AND oolite programing. I'm impressed!
9 hour game sessions from Geordie - scary! One could imagine winning the lottery and setting oneself up with a game-linked salary, and a room with suitable decor to spend all the time in the world of Oolite!
*cat

I’m fully bilingual, and my English is somewhat better than my Swedish. But it’s true, I wasn’t born with it. ;-)

Thank you for the grammar lesson. Although I was born and bred in Geordieland (God's Own), I have basically matured here in Japan after spending the last 17 years here, I came here when I was a young whippersnapper at the age of 23, so these days I feel more comfortable speaking in Japanese, hence my English grammar can sometimes fall short.

Ahruman wrote:

Are you a Geordie Killer, Wolf?

This one's wrong too. The capital K makes "Killer" a proper noun, precluding the adjectival use of "Geordi" as an attributive noun as both are proper nouns.

However, it could pass as an elliptic form of "Are you a (member of the) Geordie Killer (gang), Wolf?"

Yes, yes, yes... Pedantism strikes again!

Your all too intelligement for me I have to warn you though, when I get my military laser I am going to blast you guys

I ain't got the bestest Anglish, but then again, I'm 'Murican.

reills wrote:

I ain't got the bestest Anglish, but then again, I'm 'Murican.

...I'm not familiar with that tribe, are they related to the Mahican...?

This one's wrong too. The capital K makes "Killer" a proper noun, precluding the adjectival use of "Geordi" as an attributive noun as both are proper nouns.

Clearly you've never heard of proper adjectives, then...

So we middle-aged Oolite players and Elite fans have finally had our mental ages regressed back to that of school kids? Or are we having a deeper, more mature outlook on the importance of grammar in communication?
One thing, at least, is certain: no noob whippersnapper should try to use l33t or other suchlike cyber pseudolanguages around us!

Anyway, this whole second page should be moved to a new thread on the Outworld forum... "Grammar challenge", maybe?

Ahruman wrote:

Are you a Geordie Killer, Wolf?

Cmdr. Maegil wrote:

The capital K makes "Killer" a proper noun, precluding the adjectival use of "Geordi" as an attributive noun as both are proper nouns.

Roberto wrote:

Clearly you've never heard of proper adjectives, then...

Well, even though I'm no linguist nor a native english speaker, I did - but I think it doesn't apply to this case. Still, in this construction, instead of a proper adjective, it would be possible to use a proper adverb.

In "a Geordie Killer" we could have
"a" as an indefinite article, used before a singular noun that refer to a member of a group
and
"Killer" as the singular proper noun to which the article refers
which would make
"Geordie" assume the proper adverb function.

In other words,
A member of the "Geordie" faction/etnicity/school/etc., of the "Killer" more general group/association/etc., "a Geordiean Killer".

Come on, people, let's find out how many ways are there to read this phrase.

Errrrm, the Panda eats shoots and leaves?


Captain Hesperus

What was the original topic again?

An adverb can be used to modify the meaning of an adjective, a verb or another adverb - not a noun. Geordie in the context of "Geordie Killer" (assuming Killer to be a proper noun) must be an adjective.

*EDIT* "I say, Marjorie - you're killing very Geordily today" - *that* would be an adverb!

PML at this thread

That's it! I'm callingprofessor 'grammar Nazi' Break from the EBBS' apostrophe patrol!

Captain Hesperus wrote:

Errrrm, the Panda eats shoots and leaves? !

No, that would be the panda, unless you meant that the Panda gang member eats, shoots and leaves.