Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 6:00 pm  

What about the spoken word, especially 'bath'?

Why do some people insist on referring to it as a 'baath', when they'd never dream of sending anything on a 'vaan' or cooling themselves with a 'faan'?

[Kosh]

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:24 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

What about the spoken word, especially 'bath'?

Why do some people insist on referring to it as a 'baath', when they'd never dream of sending anything on a 'vaan' or cooling themselves with a 'faan'?

Phonetically it's more like 'barth'. The same reason why some folk travel to work on the 'buzz'. Your regional variation, innit.

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:50 pm  

Rooster Booster wrote:

... I'm not mocking (exam joke, sorry) nor suggesting FA is wrong, but I am truly wondering why and where it's O-Level?.

It's not. It's O-level.

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:57 pm  

tb wrote:

Compound adjective. The hyphen is essential.


(unless you're exclaiming in surprise at discovering some level English, of course. "O, level English!"

No, that would be "Oh, level English", shurley?

"O" on it's own in would be used in an entreating context, as in "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt". "Oh" tends to suggest surprise, etc.

If you were addressing level English directly, you might or might not use a comma. For example
"O Hamlet, speak no more!"
"O, speak to me no more!"

Both usages are admirably exemplified in one of the most beautiful passages of English conversation ever written, between Hamlet and Gertrude, in the following exchange:-
Gertrude. O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.
Hamlet. O, throw away the worser part of it,
And live the purer with the other half

Unless you're American, in which case you'd say "Oh! Carol".

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:35 pm  

tb wrote: Compound adjective. The hyphen is essential. The BBC suggest compound adjectives "normally" have hyphens between them. Not as essential as you claim. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... v224.shtml

tb wrote: Compound adjective. The hyphen is essential. The BBC suggest compound adjectives "normally" have hyphens between them. Not as essential as you claim. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... v224.shtml

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:39 pm  

Who cares about a low grade examination? It should be semi-literate.

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:43 pm  

Kosh wrote:

Phonetically it's more like 'barth'. The same reason why some folk travel to work on the 'buzz'. Your regional variation, innit.

Or in London, BARF.

Water and other words that have a T in the middle (or should that be int middle to you lot?), we often drop the strong T sound in Lunden especially when said quickly.

war~ar

or

ba~ar (you spread on bread)
le~er (you write and post)

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:44 pm  

Dally wrote:

Who cares about a low grade examination? It should be semi-literate.

Do they still have the S Level in Scotland?

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:52 pm  

Rooster Booster wrote:

Do they still have the S Level in Scotland?

No idea. Only been over the wall once. Came back next day.

Re: O Level English : Sun Nov 25, 2012 10:12 pm  

Dally wrote:

No idea. Only been over the wall once. Came back next day.

Was that for good behaviour?