O/T: Grammar pendantry

[Robot Chicken]

Here are a couple of classics:
"Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?"

Now punctuate this sentence properly:
Smith, where Brown had had had had had had had had had had had the examiner's approval.

 

[m20gull]

Here are a couple of classics:
"Wouldn't the sentence 'I want to put a hyphen between the words Fish and And and And and Chips in my Fish-And-Chips sign' have been clearer if quotation marks had been placed before Fish, and between Fish and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and And, and And and and, and and and Chips, as well as after Chips?"

Now punctuate this sentence properly:
Smith, where Brown had had had had had had had had had had had the examiner's approval.

Smith, where Brown had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had the examiner's approval.

 

[swiss tony]

The word 'lot' is the important one. As there is only one lot, it should be singular.

Therefore, 'there is a lot of students'. Or you can say 'there are lots of students', or better still 'there are many students' as the word 'students' then becomes the subject.

Gwylan: for the sake of this phrase, the words 'lot' and 'group' mean the same thing. Therefore, the rule applies to both.

Thanks for that Large One. Very clearly put and easy to follow. I hear what you say about 'many' being the best choice from a formal point of view but it sounds very stilted and formal- I myself never use the word. I always try and teach my students using phrases that are in common usage as opposed to what the book says. "A lot of" is real English, "many" formal English.

 

[Brightonfan1983]

With the exception of when used as a possessive, then its (without the apostrophe) is used.

What are you saying? That THE DOG'S COLLAR is IT'S COLLAR ?

I hope not...