"Different than"..."Very unique"...yikes !!!

[SantaMufasa]

This "Most Pet-iful" of all my peeves could have fit right in on Tracy's "Pet Peeve" (thread1256-991707) or even John's "Than vs. Then" (thread1256-1070703), but the "different than"/"very unique" abuses irritates me so much, I thought they deserved a thread of their own. These mistakes rile me every bit as much as the "Bill treated Nancy and I to dinner" pandemic.

"Than" is a type of conjunction that follows comparative adjectives or comparative adverbs and precedes the object of comparison. For example, "He is older than I am" or "That is easier said than done." Following this standard mode of use for "than", if we use it with the adjective, "different", then we would need to say, "Peas taste differenter than beans," or "This is differenter than what I expected."

Since "differenter" is unusable, "differenter than" is equally unusable. Things are simply "different from" other things.

Nearly the same problem exists with "unique": Things are either "unique" or "not unique". "Unique" means one of a kind...they are incomparable. Something cannot be "very unique" or "slightly unique". If so, then we could say that "This is uniquer than that," or "This is the uniquest of all."

Let's eliminate "different than" in favour of the correct "different from"; and if something is "unique" we don't need to make it "uniquer" by saying it is "very unique".

[now climbing down from his soap box]

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

Do you use Oracle and live or work in Utah, USA?
Then click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips.

 

[SilentAiche]

AnotherHiggins,

It was Tony who tought me how to do the basic Smilie on AOL. I need to experiment with ROFLMAO, etc., to see how it works. I need them often around here.

BTW - "Sir Wizard Raleigh" was meant as [red]your[/red] nick, not mine.

Tim

TTNC - cool idea!

[blue]_____________________________________________________
If you need immediate assistance, please raise your hand.
If you are outside of Raleigh, raise your hand and say[/blue] [red]Ooh! Ooh![/red]

 

[ggauthier]

Dictionaries are authoritative but not authoritarian. Languages would absolutely die (if we agree that they are alive to begin with) if dictionaries were the sole source of words and acceptable use.

A word is not less of a word just because the entry is in m-w but not in the oed. A word is a word prior to being in *any* dictionary.

The same is true for acceptable use. The use of a word will be common before it is reflected as such in dictionaries.

In yesteryear "unique" was limited to essentially "one of a kind." Today it is in flux. In ten or twenty years? Who knows, but the meaning is capable of changing. That is part of what makes language so wonderful.

 

[CajunCenturion]

SilentAiche - Putting smileys here is very easy. All you need to do is surround the smiley 'name' in square brackets. For example:

[ignore][/ignore] ==>
[ignore][/ignore] ==>
[ignore][/ignore] ==>

To see all of the smileys registered for TGML, click on the Emoticons/Smileys link underneath the posting block. This will bring up a popup window showing all available emoticons.

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
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[tsdragon]

Instead of a TTNC, why not make it TTES (Eastern Shore) or TTMA (Mid-Atlantic)? Then you could also pick up people from Virginia, like me. I'm actually close enough to visit NC or SC on a weekend.


Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[SilentAiche]

CC,

I'm not sure how this dilemna started - I joined TT while at work at my former job, where we used Netscape. The emoticons worked fine there. At home, while using AOL, the emoticons opened a whole new window. Kinda sucked.

Tony mentioned at one point how to do it right, but only with the basic "smiley" (BTW- I just realized I routinely spell Smiley wrong). Anyway, perhaps it has to do with my internet experience. I tried to reach TT via AOL but the connection just Hoovered (er, sucked). Then, I minimalized AOL and cranked up Internet Explorer (a MS invention). That worked for seversal weeks, but lately I get a 404 error message. So, we are this evening conversing via NetScape 7.0, which doesn't give me error messages.

Tracy, I like the TTMA idea, especially if it means some Virginian will buy me a beer...

Tim

[blue]_____________________________________________________
If you need immediate assistance, please raise your hand.
If you are outside of Raleigh, raise your hand and say[/blue] [red]Ooh! Ooh![/red]

 

[sha76]

Another one to add to the list: there is now a perfume 'Very Irresistible'. I just couldn't buy, even if it smells divine I'd be annoyed every time I looked at the bottle!

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[CajunCenturion]

SilentAiche - The AOL/Emoticon issue has brought to the attention of Site Management.

Good Luck
--------------
To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[SilentAiche]

CajunCenturion,

Are you kidding? My stupid little problem went to the top? THank you.

Now, (come on, ya'll, this can't be unexpected...), there's something really funny about being reported to [blue]Sight[/blue] Management by [blue]SeeSee[/blue].

(apologies, Cajun - I have no self-control)

Tim

[blue]_____________________________________________________
If you need immediate assistance, please raise your hand.
If you are outside of Raleigh, raise your hand and say[/blue] [red]Ooh! Ooh![/red]

 

[tsdragon]

Don't you mean "[blue]Eye[/blue] have no self-control"?

Tracy Dryden

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons,
For you are crunchy, and good with mustard.

 

[SantaMufasa]

No...it's "Aye, have no self control"

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)

http://www.dasages.com

Do you use Oracle and live or work in Utah, USA?
Then click here to join Utah Oracle Users Group on Tek-Tips.

 

[PaulTEG]

Dave, you can still type, its voluntary ... all control is your own ...

--Paul ;-)

cigless ...

 

[SilentAiche]

Urr,


Where to start...

Perhaps with the [blue]Eyes[/blue] of March, which did in the great [blue]See[/blue]zar.

Or perhaps, [blue]Eye halve no self-control, thus aye wink twice as often...[/blue]

Uh, not shore where to go from here: how about this: is it a coincidence that [blue]Navel[/blue] officers are called [blue]mid[/blue]shipmen? Members of the Wavy? Is this a current event?

OK, I'll quit now...

Er,
uh,

Henry IX





[blue]_____________________________________________________
If you need immediate assistance, please raise your hand.
If you are outside of Raleigh, raise your hand and say[/blue] [red]Ooh! Ooh![/red]