Any grammar experts out today?

Farmerjim

Farmerjim

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Stuck inside on a miserable day I was playing on FB and did one of those tests. It was a "Find out your IQ" sort of test.
Q3. States .... "
The word, "mineral," can be spelled using only the letters found in the word, "parliament." True or false?
My answer was "False" since to my way of thinking the word mineral can be spelled using the letters found in railmen or mainlier or loads of words! But that's the wrong answer. Other posters on FB disagree. Whadya think?
 
I would have said True, but I think the question could have been worded slightly better. Maybe, as it was an IQ test, you were trying to look into it too much, and not just answering the question at face value?
 
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Ambiguous isn't it? Mind you, couldn't do a moderate Sudoku today so perhaps I've an attack of stupid coming on :)
 
I'd say true also.
If it were false, I suspect the question may have been worded: The word "mineral", can only be spelled using the letters found in the word "parliament".
As the question stands currently, yes, it can be spelled using only the letters from parliament, but the question doesn't rule out that it can be spelled using the letters of other words.

(As an aside, what does "mainlier" mean?)
 
strictly speaking it should be , 'the word mineral can be spelled using only some of the letters used in the word parliment' - as its a b****r to spell mineral using the letter p
 
Yeah, you overthought it. I agree though that the question is slightly ambiguous.

Remove the word "the" from the question and it's much clearer.
 
Like mainly but more so? Or, more likelier, fat fingers and a trypo...

IMO, either answer could be correct given the word order in the original question but if I was to answer it, I would go for yes since it can be spelled using only the letters found in the word parliament rather than only spelled with those letters. Is the quiz setter a clever clogs?
 
viv1969 said:
(As an aside, what does "mainlier" mean?)
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It's the comparitive adjective for the word "Manly".
I knew that without Googling it, honest... no really:rolleyes:

It's a slow news day today :)
 
Farmerjim said:
It's the comparitive adjective for the word "Manly".
I knew that without Googling it, honest... no really:rolleyes:

It's a slow news day today :)
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Are you sure that's not MANLIER? ;) Or maybe it's manlier but spelled with an Aussie accent? :LOL:
 
Well, it's not an anagram, that's for sure.
 
As an interesting aside, Mainlier is a Grey Irish gelding born in 1993!
 
Farmerjim said:
As an interesting aside, Mainlier is a Grey Irish gelding born in 1993!
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While we are at it, Google tells me that
there is an Irish Grey Partridge Conservation Trust.
(I didn't really google it, I knew that :D )
 
Technically you are correct... However, so am I when I give the answer to any true or false question as yes.

This drives my wife mad as I would answer yes to her question"is the oven on or off".


Steve.
 
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Maybe I'm not good at thinking laterally but I can't get your answer/explanation to fit as a correct answer to the question:confused:
 
Id say answer is definitely true. There's a 'p', 'a' and 't' left over but mineral can be spelt using only the letters found in parliament.
 
Farmerjim said:
Ambiguous isn't it?
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That's the point, either answer could be correct, depending on how you interpret it.
As is the written word, rather than the spoken word, you had no idea which the author meant as you couldn't here the inflection in his voice.
Yes (True) it can be spelt using the letters contained in Parliament.
But No, False) as it can be also be spelt using other words, containing those letters.
 
Steve Smith said:
Technically you are correct... However, so am I when I give the answer to any true or false question as yes.

This drives my wife mad as I would answer yes to her question"is the oven on or off".


Steve.
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Wouldn't drive me mad....but you'd be making all your own meals :lol:
 
Mrs Nod gets cross with me when I answer "Yes" to questions like "Do you want pizza or spaghetti for lunch?"

Like Steve, I do a fair amount of cooking for myself and for her!

When we get phone calls and the caller asks "Can I ask you a few questions?" I usually answer "Well, you've asked one and I'm not going to answer it..." Luckily I don't rely on them to feed me either!!!
 
"Spelled" never heard of it, always spelt.
 
Steve Smith said:
Technically you are correct... However, so am I when I give the answer to any true or false question as yes.

This drives my wife mad as I would answer yes to her question"is the oven on or off".


Steve.
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My sister-in-law was an air hostess and used to get fed up with some passengers [can't think why :)] . She's got one awkward beggar who's been a right pain and she's going round doing meals...

SIL "Would sir like dinner tonight?"
Passenger. "What are the options?"
SIL "Yes or no."
 
Farmerjim said:
Spelt isn't an old chestnut, it's a type of wheat:)
Pedantic, Moi?
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Well, more an ancestor of wheat but a similar type of grain! ;)
 
It's an old chestnut, and both are acceptable.
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Aye, that's Americans for you!
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Annoyingly, the American version of English is apparently more accurate than our current version. Apparently they didn't develop the language in the same way we did, hence color, not colour etc, and the same with spoken 'English'. So I think Viv is right, spelled is correct, certainly in older versions of spoken English, if not in our current usage.
But on the main topic of this, I am in the "FB & IQ" in the same sentence camp.
 
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When we exported our language along with a boatload of religious malcontents, the spelling of words was far from fixed. Hell, Shak(e)spear(e) couldn't even decide how to spell his own name!

Two nations divided by a common language.
 
Nod said:
Two nations divided by a common language.
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That was one of Wilde's.
Soddin' wasn't / Pythonesque ;)

Or maybe it was George Bernard, that said that, but I can't be Shaw :D
 
I see you as much more the Wilde type... Especially in your pink plumage!

Unfortunately my dear sister sold off all Mum's reference books before I had had my pick of them so am missing the Oxford dictionary of quotes and a couple of other learned tomes which may have given a more accurate attribution, although a quick Google suggests that even they can't decide for sure.
 
Nod said:
, although a quick Google suggests that even they can't decide for sure.
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I don't need to Google stuff, that's for the great unwashed :D

(But you are right of course every reference I found came up with the "unsure of source")
 
I showered last month even though it wasn't my birthday!
 
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