I'm an a**hole....

[YellowDuck]

...with a compulsion to point out grammatical errors.

The forum where we are all posting pictures of our bikes should be called "Readers' Rides", not "Reader's Rides".

[TimP]

But I have more than one bike, so when I coined the term (yeah, like I came up with it first. As if.) it truly was this Reader's Rides. Except I only posted the VTR pic. But then the CT70's are in the Avatar. Would it help if I posted an LT pic?

But you're right, of course, it should be Readers' Rides. Then again the interactivity of the web forum constitutes more than reading. How about "Readers'/Writers' Wrides."

You know, the original title, Crotchety Rockets, seems ever more apropos...

[Ancient Priest]

>...to point out grammatical errors.<

That ain't grammar. That's orthography. Grammar is about how the words slot in with each other; their traditional arrangement in phrases and sentences; how they swap paint with each other to make a customarily acceptable show. Orthography is a fancy-arsed word for spelling. Both are going out of style.

There's no logic in them. Reader's Rides signifies one reader. Readers' Rides tells about more than one. Readers'' or Readers''' might let us know more exactly the numbers involved. You're talking about the half dozen guys who own bikes, so Readers''''' Rides. N'est pas?

I like what's happening to English from Black America. Those guys don't say, "I'm going to cut myself a sandwich". Instead, "I'ma fix a sandwich."

Sorry about no bikes. I am not riding these days until this lazy orthopedician gets his saw sharpened and gets me at the top of his list.

[Paddy]

Is it not more specifically a punctuation issue? Orthography seems too broad a subject; a catch-all if you will.
Yes AP, orthography, grammar, sentence structure, what have you. They do seem to be going the way of the dinosaur one twitter (twit?) at a time.
Perhaps you could enlighten us as to the proper use of colons and semi-colons using some plays on words.

[TimP]

Peter! Good to see you in print again. Sorry to hear you're not riding (currently).

I must confess the multiple apostrophes is a novel way of communicating quantity and opens new opportunities for smilies to invade our written world. Consider engine configurations: Inline 4: ||||, V-twin: \ /, flat 6: ---0---, boxer: -0-, Harley at Deal's Gap: ^ (upside down in the ditch:)).

As for colons, Paddy, I'm pretty sure we all use ours the same way. Question: Do a semi-colon and an ileostomy come to the same end?

[KZDon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5O8Yg47lXA

it just seemed to suit the day

[YellowDuck]

Okay, again, just way too much drifting towards discussion of people's rear GI tracts on this site....

Hope you're road-worthy again soon, AP.

[VIslowpoke]

Just my luck, I dropped off of the New Triumph Bonneville Forum on Delphi because the lug nuts there all seemed to be cigar chompin', gun totin', John Wayne wannabees offering their bikes to any one who could out drink them, out eat them and kick their a**es in a gloves off no holds barred back alley fight between real men...

...straight into the den of grammar school teachers cum bikers that is the Cycle Canada Forum.

[Sidecar Bob]

http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/

[TimP]

http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/

Thats a great site, Bob!

Thank's.

[Rocking Couple]

Ya aint' it? lol

oh crap, i was trying to be funny and just now I saw you're's Tim lol

[Sidecar Bob]

Just right for a bunch of grammar teachers ;-)

BTW: I don't know why, but incorrect placement of an apostrophe is the gramatical error that grates on me the most. I've said it before: Online forums are a language based medium of communication so we should try to be as correct as possible in our use of language on them in order for our meaning to be clearly understood.

[yzf1000jon]

Is anal retentive hyphenated??

[TimP]

Is anal retentive hyphenated??

Yes. You should be able to verify it at this companion site http://www.hyphen.org.uk/
but as you will see they haven't yet worked out all the bugs on their site. Perhaps they're anal-retentive.

[Sidecar Bob]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_illiteracy

[stan wagenaar]

Lighten up boys, we ain't polishin' ports or grindin' cams here. Just a bunch of bike nuts fighting off the caybun fever till spring thaw, dadgummit!

[KZDon]

Lighten up boys, we ain't polishin' ports or grindin' cams here. Just a bunch of bike nuts fighting off the caybun fever till spring thaw, dadgummit!

(mark: 7/10 A good effort at light witicism, well designed for the content and context of the thread. -4/10 for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors (1/2 mark off for each error). +1/10 for the creative use of "dadgummit")

Lighten up, boys. We aren't polishing ports or grinding cams, here. [We're] just a bunch of bike nuts fighting off the cabin fever 'til spring thaw, dadgummit.

[daddymakk]

A debate about grammar, punctuation and orthography is enough to make me want to get on my bike and ride away from it.
The OP is right, it should be Readers' Rides.

[Sidecar Bob]

Where's Peter when you need him????????

[KZDon]

Where's Peter when you need him????????

Feeling unpostworthy in Alberta, and otherwise wishing his knee replacement didn't hurt...but he tells me he lurks regularly. I was channeling him when I wrote my earlier post.

[yzf1000jon]

We're motorcyclists typing on computers, be glad you can even understand us, never mind our punctuation. By the way go read this book, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eats,_Shoots_&_Leaves, fun-nee!

[KZDon]

It's on my shelf.

[Sidecar Bob]

Should be required reading

[Ancient Priest]

back when YD started it last May. Damn, you guys are funny! I mean funny-weird, together with funny-hilarious.

With all the slights and insults I've tossed out, I couldn't believe there'd be any call to hear more from me. So remorse set in and I faded. But contrition will sooner or later seek expression. This is another year, hardly started yet. The best of it is straight ahead. Peace to all you princes of the motorcycle and connoiseurs of the written word. Peace particularly to hardworking, under-recognised Uwe, who I think deserved more loyalty than I have showed him.

I am at Lacombe in Alberta. Halfway between Calgary and Edmonchuk. The only Priest in the Lacombe telephone book. Phone ahead and we can dump out the garbage. We have beer, space, East Indian curry (which I am lately getting lots better at) and Charlie, the boss dog, likes to piss on Avons and Dunlops.

[TimP]

Good to hear from you, Peter. Yeah, we're funny-weird. Quite likely funnier-weirder with you rattling about. Don't worry about Uwe. He's busy holding Neil's pants up while Neil pulls his down, but he knew that would be the case when he took the job. Kind of. Funny-weird, all right.

[yzf1000jon]

I am at Lacombe

Come out to the snow rally at Lincoln Hall (by Gull Lake) this saturday, I'll have to buy you a dessert or something. The in laws live 2 miles up the road from there, and I need to flog the atv's through some snow now that I don't have to work in it.

[Ancient Priest]

You mean Saturday the twentieth? Today is Monday.

How are you recognisable? Wear a rose in your helmet? I am an old guy with a beard who always says fuck, driving an '84 GM half-ton.

Oh, and a black hat...

[yzf1000jon]

You mean Saturday the twentieth? Today is Monday.

How are you recognisable? Wear a rose in your helmet? I am an old guy with a beard who always says fuck, driving an '84 GM half-ton.

Oh, and a black hat...

Hahaha, other than the black hat, that describes most of the older farmers from around the area! (their hats are usually white and the trucks are newer). Yes the twentieth. pm me and I'll send you a pic. With the warmer weather I'll most definitely be there, my atv's need a good midwinter thrashing.

[yzf1000jon]

No rose on the helmet (and not much hair on my head) but I will be wearing bright orange rubber boots! That and an old firstgear Kilamanjaro jacket and pants. See you there, maybe.