That'll Teach her...

[LizSara]

On a bus this morning i saw an advert against domestic violence. the strapline was:

'That'll teach her to answer back'

Now i'm curious, surely that (being some form of DV) will teach her NOT to answer back?

Am i gramatically incorrect or are they?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. ~ Nietzsche"
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[ascotta]

It (not in my opinion) will teach her "what happens" to "when she" answers back.

We tend to be "last pot" in our house.

I.E the arguement never really finishes somebody has to have the last pot. Which gets even more amusing as the insults fly between Mrs ascotta and myself. My son usually wins with "shut it baldy".

[blue] A perspective from the other side!![/blue]

Cheers
Scott

 

[Opieo]

I would tend to think that, being an advert against domestic violence, using the phrase "That'll teach her to answer back" is an attempt at motivating woman.
If it is happening to them, they should speak up and tell people about it. And I believe that is what the avertisers want to instill in the women, a sense they that do have a way out.

~
Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

 

[MadMichael]

I see it as sarcasm, similar to 'Well, that'll help!' said to someone who makes a totally inappropriate suggestion.

 

[LizSara]

Don't get me wrong i understand what it's trying to say, i just have always thought phrases like that look and sound wrong somehow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. ~ Nietzsche"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> Am i gramatically incorrect or are they?
From a grammatical point of view with respect to the advertisement and the alternative, neither is wrong. There is nothing wrong with "That'll teach her to answer back", nor is there a problem with "That'll teach her not to answer back". Negation via sarcasm is a common linguistic tool.

However your question Am i gramatically incorrect or are they? could use a little work with both spelling and capitalization.

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[LizSara]

However your question Am i gramatically incorrect or are they? could use a little work with both spelling and capitalization

Is a typographical error the same as a spelling mistake? Where is it stated that i have to use a capital I in my text because i never have done before?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. ~ Nietzsche"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[MeGustaXL]

<duck>
Shouldn't it say:

That'll sure learn 'er

</duck>

Chris

So you ride yourselves over the fields,
and you make all your animal deals,
and your wise men don't know how it feels...

Ian Anderson

 

[Welshbird]

Ad-speak often has very little to do with grammar and I've always thought that was a reasonable thing. After all, copy-writers (and I was one for a while) need to get the message across in a meaningful way that is instantly understandable and memorable.
e.g.
Often grammar doesn't get a look in.
which obviously really should be
Often grammar is considered unimportant.

D'ya get me?


Fee

"The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea." Isak Dinesen

 

[CajunCenturion]

==> Is a typographical error the same as a spelling mistake?
From the perspective of the reader, how the error came to be is unknown. What is known is that the word, as it appears in text, is misspelled, or misspelt if you prefer.

==> Where is it stated that i have to use a capital I in my text because i never have done before?
The personal pronoun 'I' should always be capitalized. Here are a couple of resources that support that rule.

http://www.lovetolearnplace.com/Grammar/pronouns.html

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/grammar/archive/capital_letters.html

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[p5wizard]

The personal pronoun 'I' should always be capitalized.

That is one of the first rules of the English language I learned in high school...

p5

 

[Stella740pl]

That is one of the first rules of the English language I learned in high school...

I thought they teach it much earlier than high school?

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I can't even remember not knowing that "I" should be capitalized. That must have been taught to us in grade school when we first started writing.

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[p5wizard]

Not as a third language though, that was 2nd form in high school...

p5

 

[Stella740pl]

It used to be a third language for me, too (it is effectively second now that I live in USA for about 13 years). The second language started in the 2nd grade, the third (English) in 5th or so - and continued through all middle and high school and a couple of years into higher education. So as far as I can remember, the rule on capitalizing 'I' was studied much earlier than that - for me.

 

[p5wizard]

Well, not all education systems are alike.

For me (BE) 2nd language (French) from 5th grade, 3rd (English) from 2nd form, 4th (german) from 5th form...

p5

 

[AnotherHiggins]

As for the original post - I can see what you're saying. Now that I think about it, "That'll teach her to answer back" feels a bit like "I could care less".

That having been said, "That'll teach her not to answer back" doesn't sound right at all. I would read that as a declarative statement. Something like, "Ignoring her pleas will teach the dog not to beg".

"That'll teach her to answer back", on the other hand, is clearly menacing and would be read with a different tone/inflection. Something more like, "Beating her with a lead pipe will teach that dog to beg".

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[SamBones]

I always thought it was inconsistent that "I" is always capitalized and "you" is not. Seems rather self centered and arrogant to me.

 

[ESquared]

>>
[ul]Is a typographical error the same as a spelling mistake? Where is it stated that i have to use a capital I in my text because i never have done before?[/ul]
<<

Twice in there.

 

[AnotherHiggins]

BTW - we had a poster appear in one of the stalls in the men's room - right over a toilet - that read, "Love shouldn't hurt". It had little tear-off sheets with the phone number to a support line for abused.... spouses of both genders, I suppose.

I'm sure there are men who are beaten by their wives, but the men's room still struck me as a very odd place to hang the poster.

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