Discussion Groups / English Usage / September 2007

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/23/2040906.htm?section=justin
   Health Minister Daniel Andrews says it has been a bad winter for
illness and all hospitals have been feeling the effects of that.
   "There are substantial pressures in our health systems, and let's be

<quote>
Last month Gary was in hospital for an operation. Liz didn't know
this, so she didn't go to visit him. They met a few days ago. Liz
said: If I had known you were in hospital, I would have *gone* to

What is it with the increasing number of people who think that leaving
the final "s" off of the possessive form of "Jesus" (which you can
certainly do if you want to) means leaving off the final syllable when
you speak the word?  It's bizarre.  You wouldn't say that you were

This might be of interest to you.  The "Orlando Sentinel", on the
Editorial Pages, accepts "My Word" columns from experts or people with
a vested interest in various local issues.  A bit more formal than a
"Letter to the Editor".

A headline in today's Chicago Tribune read:
       Illinois' students failing to keep pace
I was surprised to see the apostrophe.  Is it required?  I'm thinking that
the place name often is used as an adjective, so that we get usages like

A bit of a syntax question...
...when defining criteria by which to filter a search, do you filter
"on" that criteria or do you filter "by" that criteria?
Enquiring minds want to know.

I was having a conversation with my daughter recently, and I asked if
she "waited dinner" for someone, meaning, did she postpone serving
dinner until they arrived. She thought I had missed a word (ever
vigilant, as she is, for the onset of senility in her parents), but, to

If Carl is female, what's her brother's name?
---
Adrian Bailey, T.O. Panellist

Could anybody tell me how to phrase a polite reminder to include in
the invoices I send out to the clients. The bigger picture is I am a
translator and would like to make sure that the invoice is paid
within, say, 14 or 21 days.

I've seen several of these, but only recently stumbled across:
http://www.hps.com/~tpg/ukdict/index.php
I don't think I've ever seen anything quite so off the mark. I'll
leave the BrE speakers to comment on the following selection of

"Having Anna with us soon changed the way Jack and I rubbed along
together, this was one of the first changes I observed."
Later:

DAN RATHER MAY SEEK TO DEPOSE PRESIDENT BUSH IN LAWSUIT....
Headline on Drudge. It seems that Rather may call Bush as a witness
in a possible law suit, rather than deposing Bush from office?

Does Marta have a first name?
Has Solo a Hope for Sunday?

"A va napola".  Woss this mean, please?  I found it in Episode 5,
Series 1 of /The Sopranos/.  Tony says it to his daughter.
     Googling turns up little, including:
     A va napola, you lousy f.ck! BLAM! to his stomach. BLAM! to his

Sometimes the music in commercials sounds really good*, although too
short. I just discovered (probably last) that all of this stuff can be
found on-line, at YouTube or elsewhere. One example is
http://www.charchaa ...