Jan Freeman

@lifestanceUS wants me to pay a $70 penalty because I called to reschedule an appointment only 47 hours and 47 minutes in advance ... instead of a full 48 hours. As if Massachusetts needed more evidence of the ill effects of letting private equity take over health care ...

@jhansen434 @AntigoneJournal Yes, I concur.

@AntigoneJournal I don’t think it’s new. I’ve heard it all my life, and I’m over 60.

Have linguists got a name for the new phenomenon in English hospitality of people using the past tense to avoid a direct question? "And what was the name?"; "Did you want a receipt?"; "Did you have any allergies?" This does seem a real thing... 'The Preterite of Politeness'?

@fredvultee @GrammarTable The pioneers: of the pioneers who etc., he was one.

@GrammarTable What’s the antecedent of “who”?

His grandfather was one of the pioneers who converted marshland into thriving farmland with _____ (his, their) bare hands.

Jesse Sheidlower catalogs endless permutations of the F-word bostonglobe.com/2024/11/26/opi… via @BostonGlobe

@FedExHelp I just sent a direct message can you access that one

@Jan__Freeman Hello, this is Sandra for Mitzi who is currently out of the office. I will be happy to assist you. My apologies we will need the complete number. Please also DM your complete address and email address. twitter.com/messages/compo…

@FedExHelp Come on people, you don't say delivery is from 10-2, then from 10-12, and AT NOON change it to "sometime today" without even an end time. We have people assembled to take care of this heavy item, now will expect porch delivery. Tracking #779968898575

@FedExHelp number is 617-680 xxxx you should have the rest

@Jan__Freeman Hi, this is Mitzi. I apologize if your package has not been delivered yet. I'll be happy to assist you with your concern, please send me a DM with your delivery address, phone number, email address and your name. twitter.com/messages/compo…

@FedExHelp I'm unable to send a DM for some reason. Address is 113 Park Place, Ithaca 14850, name there s. vaughn, i'm the contact, janfreeman11@( my phone company's name)

@JemButterfield @aigne_aighne Janfreeman@bsky.social (if this site allows me to post it)

@Jan__Freeman @aigne_aighne Ain't laggard the greatest word! It sounds much older, but it's only 18C - just (1702). Unlike blaggard (1535).

Eeek. My follower numbers are declining. What have I said? (Of course, they can't tell me, because they're no longer following.)🤔🤔

@JemButterfield @aigne_aighne Already there, but I have to stop by here occasionally to check up on you laggards!

@Jan__Freeman @aigne_aighne And are you?

@JemButterfield @aigne_aighne They don’t have time for two accounts either, so they’re moving to Bluesky…

@aigne_aighne I had wondered about that. I haven't the time to have other accounts, e.g. Bluesky, etc.

@RCdeWinter Yesssssss!

Well, I’m not leaving, but I am going to become more active on bluesky. I’ve just been over there and there are a lot of trueblue X refugees which is nice to see.

@imalexbeamyrnot *demonstrandum

Quod erat demonstratum

@MikeSacksEsq "a meaning that often trumped the letter of the law"

Next Alito’s gonna say how he didn’t violate the foreign emoluments clause because an *American* branch of *dispossessed* foreign royals knighted him. But yo this just in from dude’s FedSoc friends: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

I don’t think getting yourself an arguably unconstitutional foreign title from the Bourbons was what your admirers meant when they called you the Burkean justice, but yo you do you Knight Sam

@reneeygraham Maybe consider Bluesky? Would love to see you there,

@GrammarTable You're welcome! Did you get a copy of "The Truth about English Grammar" from his publisher? I asked them to send one (which may have gone to your publisher).

@Jan__Freeman Thank you, Jan!

What part of speech is "worth" in the sentence "That first edition is worth $5,200"?

@GrammarTable I also asked him about "estimated to sell for," in an earlier quiz, and he said he thought its oddity was that "you are forced to take 'to sell' as having a future time reference." (I had thought it might be nonstandard, but he said no, its weirdness was "not extreme.") 3/3

@GrammarTable That is, you can say "it's pretty" but not "it's worth." And the complement has to be a noun/noun phrase ("worth your time, worth millions.") So it's not strange that classifying it was a headscratcher for many of us civilians! See CGEL pp. 546-547. 2/3

@OliverKamm Yes, but even better: Geoff Pullum has a new book, The Truth about English Grammar, that's even simpler than the Student's Introduction. Perfect for non-linguists like me who are steeped in the old, confusing "grammar" and would like to sweep away the cobwebs.

And if you want to be *really* informed about English grammar, this textbook written by Brett, Rodney Huddleston & Geoffrey Pullum is the best way of acquiring that knowledge. Because it’s technical, it needs to be read carefully. But you’ll thank me. amazon.co.uk/Students-Intro…

Few who complain that my trade uses “passive voice” to obfuscate can recognise a passive clause. Thankfully, @brettrey3 here explains the grammar. (As he notes, the common hack of adding “by zombies” to identify a passive is problematic - eg “I walked by zombies” isn’t passive.)