Ooh la la – a little language problem (From Daily Echo)

Do people from France go on holiday in Eastleigh? There are lots of great charity shops to visit, and of course the Swan Centre and the railway station. Hooray!! Pardon?

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear and things had been going so well. Simon was beginning to expand his horizons, even thinking of learning a new language and then we get this. Is it really true that language tuition in secondary schools has been dumbed down so much since O levels were scrapped that a group of “intellectual” oenologists are unable to make themselves understood? And then, as if to underline the unfortunate image “les rosbifs” enjoy in France, he and his merry band then proceed to live up to the worst of our national stereotypes by engaging in “laddish banter”. I can just imagine. A friend from France informs me that they no longer refer to us as “rosbifs” but “les f***-offs” as this seems to be our national motto on such occasions. The unfortunate passengers forced to share the journey are then mocked for having “grumpy” faces or disapproving of “fun”. In France, as most of the world, adults are treated as adults, rather than the over-prescriptive government we have enjoyed in recent years here. The corollary of this is that we are expected to behave as such when in France. They were probably surprised and shocked to see a group of men in early middle age behaving like adolescents on a school trip. That having been said, I think we gain an insight into Simon’s unrealistic expectations when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex. Just because the object of your attentions doesn’t offer to leap into bed with you at the first opportunity, doesn’t mean that you haven’t made a connection which could, in the fullness of time, blossom.

Harsh words: 0.5 Harshes. Grammar/spelling were fine. I even thought the “Superman” part added to the story, but the image of the coach trip makes me shudder. I would have spent the whole time talking in 1970’s schoolboy French, to distance myself from my fellow brits. Shameful

MrHarsh wrote:
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear and things had been going so well. Simon was beginning to expand his horizons, even thinking of learning a new language and then we get this. Is it really true that language tuition in secondary schools has been dumbed down so much since O levels were scrapped that a group of “intellectual” oenologists are unable to make themselves understood? And then, as if to underline the unfortunate image “les rosbifs” enjoy in France, he and his merry band then proceed to live up to the worst of our national stereotypes by engaging in “laddish banter”. I can just imagine. A friend from France informs me that they no longer refer to us as “rosbifs” but “les f***-offs” as this seems to be our national motto on such occasions. The unfortunate passengers forced to share the journey are then mocked for having “grumpy” faces or disapproving of “fun”. In France, as most of the world, adults are treated as adults, rather than the over-prescriptive government we have enjoyed in recent years here. The corollary of this is that we are expected to behave as such when in France. They were probably surprised and shocked to see a group of men in early middle age behaving like adolescents on a school trip. That having been said, I think we gain an insight into Simon’s unrealistic expectations when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex. Just because the object of your attentions doesn’t offer to leap into bed with you at the first opportunity, doesn’t mean that you haven’t made a connection which could, in the fullness of time, blossom. Harsh words: 0.5 Harshes. Grammar/spelling were fine. I even thought the “Superman” part added to the story, but the image of the coach trip makes me shudder. I would have spent the whole time talking in 1970’s schoolboy French, to distance myself from my fellow brits. Shameful

Pardon?

Pas de problème, mon ami

Myself and my new friends ??? OMG. My new friends and I, surely. There are other grammatical errors, I suggest you ask for some help if you can't find them. Please try to master English before moving on to French. Fowler's Modern English Usage might be worth a look. BTW - I wrote this comment myself. Myself did not write it.

Simon’s columns can sometimes display a very confused approach to spelling and grammar, although I have to say he has improved recently – I think he found the spell-checker on his computer. I think that he adopts an exaggerated version of his own personality when he writes these pieces. If it were not for his history of grammatical “idiosyncrasy”, I would think he was making a subtle joke here. A certain kind of ignorant, self-important saloon bar boor often makes use of the reflexive pronoun in this way, as if “I” were too insignificant a word to completely describe the magnificence of the speaker. The more pompous contestants on “The Apprentice” also use the construction.

Is anyone going to fix the spelling of "beautiful" on his column about the Miss Southampton contest?

MrHarsh wrote:
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear and things had been going so well. Simon was beginning to expand his horizons, even thinking of learning a new language and then we get this. Is it really true that language tuition in secondary schools has been dumbed down so much since O levels were scrapped that a group of “intellectual” oenologists are unable to make themselves understood? And then, as if to underline the unfortunate image “les rosbifs” enjoy in France, he and his merry band then proceed to live up to the worst of our national stereotypes by engaging in “laddish banter”. I can just imagine. A friend from France informs me that they no longer refer to us as “rosbifs” but “les f***-offs” as this seems to be our national motto on such occasions. The unfortunate passengers forced to share the journey are then mocked for having “grumpy” faces or disapproving of “fun”. In France, as most of the world, adults are treated as adults, rather than the over-prescriptive government we have enjoyed in recent years here. The corollary of this is that we are expected to behave as such when in France. They were probably surprised and shocked to see a group of men in early middle age behaving like adolescents on a school trip. That having been said, I think we gain an insight into Simon’s unrealistic expectations when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex. Just because the object of your attentions doesn’t offer to leap into bed with you at the first opportunity, doesn’t mean that you haven’t made a connection which could, in the fullness of time, blossom. Harsh words: 0.5 Harshes. Grammar/spelling were fine. I even thought the “Superman” part added to the story, but the image of the coach trip makes me shudder. I would have spent the whole time talking in 1970’s schoolboy French, to distance myself from my fellow brits. Shameful

I actually enjoyed reading this more than the article. Couldnt have said it any better myself.

Thank you, StEmmo. I am thinking of applying for the job that's going on the Echo.