"Can I get.....?"

jonbeeza said:
I don't like the way they say freakin, or fricken. I'm sure we all know it's Frigging ( hope I am allowed to say that ? ) I think traditionally said to a female, who was annoying you. Possibly to go away and do something more useful with herself. But I could be wrong :oops: :$
Click to expand...
They all mean exactly the same originally as a means of showing annoyance and all derived from the F word.
 
nilagin said:
Not necessarily. It depends on the context in which it's being used. Compared to, used when implying similarities. Compared with, to point out differences.
Click to expand...

Yes - that does make sense. However, 'compared to' is usually used to point out differences. I don't think I have ever seen it used to show similarities.


Steve.
 
mex said:
In a shop yesterday, mother to child " you don't deserve NOTHING!!",
Click to expand...

This and the previous post about F words reminds me of a bit in David Niven's book where he was writing about a Hungarian director, Michael Curtiz, who they were working with who didn't have a full command of the English language.

Niven and Errol Flynn were laughing at his command "bring on the empty horses" meaning horses without riders.

Curtiz turned to them and shouted "You think I know f*ck nothing - well you're wrong. I know f*ck all!"


Steve.
 
Last edited:
Steve Smith said:
Yes - that does make sense. However, 'compared to' is usually used to point out differences. I don't think I have ever seen it used to show similarities.


Steve.
Click to expand...
I must admit, until I looked it up, I'd only been aware of people using it to show similarities.
 
camerassassin said:
As I explained to school kids who wanted to go to the loo during class times

Kid waving hand in air " please Miss , can I go to the toilet ? "

Me " I don't know can you ? "

Stunned silence , and kid is frantically waving paw

Kid " Please Miss ? "
Me " I realise that you probably do know how to go to the toilet - but the question is will I permit you to go . The question is May I go to the toilet ? "

Kid sits and thinks

Kid " Please Miss may I go to the toilet "

Me "Of course you may - you have my permission. "

Once that happens once or twice the whole class knows how to ask for permission to leave the room.
Click to expand...

Bet you were a lovely teacher.

In fact you are incorrect and the child was correct. It's a widely held misconception that in standard English using "can" to ask for permission is wrong. It's just a matter of whether you prefer formal or informal. Check the OED.
 
Last edited:
Double negatives have been a part of the language (and plenty of other languages) to provide emphasis for centuries and the OED doesn't seem too fussed either, pointing out that it's only under the current rules of standard English that they've become frowned upon. Even then, they provide an example of a perfectly acceptable double negative.
 
Steve Smith said:
American nonsense I think.

"Can I get?" is most definitely wrong - as are:

"I could care less".
"My bad".
"That's a big ask".
"I will be with you momentarily".
Click to expand...
I really don't understand how they can use that expression and believe that it makes any sense - surely its the complete opposite of the "I couldn't care less" that they actually mean :thinking:
 
I know. But it's so widely used that they must think it's correct.

And on the subject of double negatives, here is a nice multi-negative line from a Dilbert strip from a few years ago:

"Employee election to not rescind the opposite action of declining the reverse inclination to not discontinue employment with the company"


Steve.
 
Last edited:
Theres usually a bit preceding as in

"As if I could care less"
 
There isn't. I have only heard it as "I could care less what you think" or "I could care less what you do" or something like that.

I have never heard "as if" preceding it.

Perhaps that's the origin of it but laziness has abbreviated it.


Steve.
 
jakeblu said:
Theres usually a bit preceding as in
"As if I could care less"
Click to expand...
I always thought it was I couldn't care less,
But you also makes more sense than just I could care less.

Simon N. said:
Damn Yanks!
Click to expand...
I said that to an American friend once, he just smiled and said wrong freakin side ;)

jonbeeza said:
( hope I am allowed to say that ? )
Click to expand...
Probabley not, but you're safe enough as long as a passing mod doesn't spot it :D
jonbeeza said:
I think traditionally said to a female, who was annoying you. Possibly to go away and do something more useful with herself. But I could be wrong :oops: :$
Click to expand...
That's the way I understood (understand) it too ;)
 
Wozzaaah said:
CAN I GET...??!! :bat:
Since when do we say "can I get...?"
No, you can't get, you can ask the person serving to get, once they've got and they give to you, you then "HAVE", so therefore the question is..........?
Click to expand...
I've done this but only when asked "What can I get you?," to which I have replied "Can I get...?" instead "Could I have...", "could I order..." or "can I have...?" Even then, I should probably say "I would like to order...."

nilagin said:
Can I go? May I go? Both mean the same thing.
Click to expand...
Can = possibility/ability
May = requesting permission
 
mex said:
In a shop yesterday, mother to child " you don't deserve NOTHING!!", I was tempted to ask the child's mother if he did not deserve nothing, did he deserve everything?
Click to expand...

My missus has a habit of saying Nothink, I always say do you mean nothing! She tells me to Fr** Off, and I say I can't I'm not a female. Not sure if it's double G or one G, dictionary seems to recognise both!

I bet everyone is being careful with their choice of words, on this thread :)
 
omens said:
I've done this but only when asked "What can I get you?," to which I have replied "Can I get...?" instead "Could I have...", "could I order..." or "can I have...?" Even then, I should probably say "I would like to order...."


Can = possibility/ability
May = requesting permission
Click to expand...

That may be how you use those words, but the OED disagrees. Quote from OED definition of Can

"To be allowed to, to be given permission to; = may"
 
Funny isn't it, ( isn't it looks a little suspect ! ) we all have our own ideas on what's right and wrong. But how many of us really know, how to use the basic English language properly? I know I am certainly guilty here, but my defence is I left school early to take up work at fifteen :wacky:
 
There is another bit of Americanism I don't like in the bottom right corner of every post on this forum.

They are numbered with a # instead of No. or Number.

Gggrr!!!!



Steve.
 
jonbeeza said:
But how many of us really know, how to use the basic English language properly?
Click to expand...

Simple. Whatever I think is correct, is correct. Any evolution of the language before I learned it is fine, any evolution after that point is not.

I'm sure we all have our own similar views!


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
There is another bit of Americanism I don't like in the bottom right corner of every post on this forum.
Click to expand...

I quite like the number short-hand, though I was a programmer years ago so using crunch to indicate 'number' seems logical. One Americanism I use that confuses lots of people here is that I write documents about a computer 'program' and a 'programme' of projects. The American spelling is only applied to computing because that's an industry standard. I'm beginning to suspect that I'm the only person who knows about that one, though.

On Americanisms, I used to work with a chap who, if you mentioned "America" would immediately ask whether you meant north or south. US-isms doesn't sound right, though.
 
Language is evolving like it or hate it, it will continue.

How do you greet your friends?
Hi? (Good) Morning? etc or do you say something like

What ho! Good morrow, noble squire. Pray tell- how fare thee on this day of providence?

:D
 
Cobra said:
What ho! Good morrow, noble squire. Pray tell- how fare thee on this day of providence?

:D
Click to expand...

Is there any other way, sir?
 
This year I discovered another use for the # symbol.

Americans use it instead of lb for pounds weight. e.g. 325#

Cobra said:
What ho! Good morrow, noble squire. Pray tell- how fare thee on this day of providence?
Click to expand...

What ho! sounds like a 1920s greeting, whereas the rest of the sentence could be two or three hundred years earlier.


Steve.
 
Last edited:
Steve Smith said:

What ho! sounds like a 1920s greeting, whereas the rest of the sentence could be two or three hundred years earlier.
Steve.
Click to expand...
According to the bit of cheating I did, What-ho was actually used in medieval times too, surprisingly enough.
 
Steve Smith said:
This year I discovered another use for the # symbol.

Americans use it instead of lb for pounds weight. e.g. 325#


What ho! sounds like a 1920s greeting, whereas the rest of the sentence could be two or three hundred years earlier.


Steve.
Click to expand...

They even call it a lb sign rather than hash.....philistines! :-)
 
omens said:
I've done this but only when asked "What can I get you?," to which I have replied "Can I get...?" instead "Could I have...", "could I order..." or "can I have...?" Even then, I should probably say "I would like to order...."


Can = possibility/ability
May = requesting permission
Click to expand...
As PatrickO has said Oxford English dictionary says can or may mean the same thing in this example. It is just perceived that the use of the word "may" makes it polite.
 
The "problem" with English (and indeed any language) is evolution over time.

eg:

knee used to be pronounce "kuh-nee"
was used to be "wass"
been was written as bin
"ea" was pronounced as "aye" so you have "great" (as we do now) but "meal" would sound like "male"
plurals used to have "n" rather than "s" so instead of knees you had "kneen", and "housen" instead of "houses", but you still have "children" instead of "childs"
 
omens said:
plurals used to have "n" rather than "s" so instead of knees you had "kneen", and "housen" instead of "houses", but you still have "children" instead of "childs"
Click to expand...

That's a German thing. As we got a lot of our language from German, it's no surprise that some of it remains.


Steve.
 
Cobra said:
Language is evolving like it or hate it, it will continue.

How do you greet your friends?
Hi? (Good) Morning? etc or do you say something like

What ho! Good morrow, noble squire. Pray tell- how fare thee on this day of providence?

:D
Click to expand...


I talk or speak the way that suits my surroundings, I will speak like a builder if I am in a rough part of town. I will do my best to use the correct words, as politely as I can with my much older acquaintances. While my close friends will have me talking non nonsensical words, and phrases
 
No wonder I rebelled at school having to ask somebody to have a crap.
 
jonbeeza said:
I talk or speak the way that suits my surroundings, I will speak like a builder if I am in a rough part of town. I will do my best to use the correct words, as politely as I can with my much older acquaintances. While my close friends will have me talking non nonsensical words, and phrases
Click to expand...

life must get really confusing when you meet an elderly builder with whom you are close freinds in a rough part of town
 
jonbeeza said:
I don't like the way they say freakin, or fricken. I'm sure we all know it's Frigging ( hope I am allowed to say that ? ) I think traditionally said to a female, who was annoying you. Possibly to go away and do something more useful with herself. But I could be wrong :oops: :$
Click to expand...

nilagin said:
They all mean exactly the same originally as a means of showing annoyance and all derived from the F word.
Click to expand...

freakin, frikin, and flippin, are all polite synonyms for the F word - like saying sugar instead of s***, 'frigging' on the other hand is a profanity in itsself and refers to the act of female masturbation
 
DavieW said:
A lot of people still seem to pronounce it as "bin".
Click to expand...

murricans, as in

keep in touch with mamakin
let her know where you gone and bin
living out your fantasy
sleeping late and smoking tea
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top