Important notice from the GRAMMAR POLICE. Plz read. This means you.
Jelenedra:
*laughs* I just noticed it. It messed with my head. Couldn't decide if he was some sort of slug boy, into tentacle pr0n, or really, really surprised. =p
Tyyppi:
I actually know where that avatar is originally from. It's from Uzumaki. It's a Japanese horror comic where some really fucked up shit happens, like people turning into snails and then some people start eating those snails. Fun!
GelatinousSubstance:
Mmm, giant escargo... sounds yummy.
Liz:
Quote from: Tsarina on 2009 June 29, 17:00:58
Quote from: Liz on 2009 June 29, 16:13:25
Quote
No one will ever fuck, you ugly shit; remember that.
I lol'd.
Thank you for answering my question, Liz. I thought 'one shit' was similar to asking for 'a water' which is, as far as I know, wrong. Or am I mistaken again?
The question of "a water" is an interesting one to me. It may sound incorrect, but then it's fine to ask for a lemonade, an iced tea, or a grape juice, isn't it? Asking for a water skips the signifier, the "glass of". Ordering with a signifier would perhaps be more proper, as it can assist in alleviating certain ordering confusions (A beer? Do you mean a bottle of beer, can of beer, or a glass of what's on tap?), but I don't see why grammar would insist you include it for water when it seems perfectly permissible to omit it for other beverages. "A water" sounds more peculiar to our ears because we know water as a substance that doesn't come in individual units. However much water there is, a few drops or an ocean full, you still only have one "body" of water; it's all "some", which leads many to feel one ought to order "some" water when thirsty. Certainly, one can also order "some" lemonade, tea, or grape juice, but "a" should suffice when naming one's beverage of choice, even if that choice is water. I personally prefer to include the signifier and ask for "a glass of iced water", finding it less open to interpretation (no bottled silliness, thanks, and yes, I do want it cold), but if one chooses to omit that signifier and simply order "a beverage" instead of "a cup/glass/mug/pitcher of x", I see no reason "a water" shouldn't be every bit as permissible as "a glass of cold gravy with a hair in it".
When it comes to "one shit", appropriate use would depend on context, wouldn't it? Are you referring to one pile of shit, one piece of shit (maybe in a larger pile of shit), or perhaps one act of shitting (taking or giving a shit)? It's clumsy and awkward to tell your mates you're off to take one shit when "a shit" is correct (certainly no need to specify that you'll only be using the facilities once while you're gone), but if your physician asked you how many times you'd moved your bowels today, you might tell her you had one shit (two or more, of course, if your bowels are more active on the day in question). To whether one would need to refer to one pile or piece of shit, "some shit" would be correct when referring to the substance itself in any quantity, but there may be situations in which the quantity and/or arrangement of said substance is relevant. Perhaps someone inexperienced or uncontrolled in defecation made use of the nearest loo? There could be shit scattered all over the bathroom while one lonely, little shit made it into the bowl (of course that nasty shitter forgot to flush, and you just know he didn't wash his hands). There is one shit in the bowl. Still, unless there is such specific need to quantify shits in such a manner, "some" or "a" should be, in most situations, more than sufficient to the task.
Immortelle:
But we much all remember that the word shit was most likely introduced into todays vernacular by the lowest common denominator, who do not know jack shit about grammar, and nor would they give a shit anyway.
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