madamekelly

I once mentioned to a new friend from New York that I had watched Mt. St. Helens blow her top. She looked me in the eye and asked how did I avoid getting blown up by the volcano! (I lived in Vancouver, WA at the time and watched it from our back patio.) Lol!

gale

I've had no problems giving change with dollars (even when a total is something like 18.03 and I give $20.05) so I think everyone around here has seen that. But a few years back when I used to pay with a check, I wrote one check for $10 over the total so I could get some cash and the cashier had to get the calculator out to figure my change.

I knew someone from New Mexico who tried to order something over the phone only to be told the company only ships to the United States. Then they would not believe her that New Mexico IS part of the United States.

cricket_iscute

I asked an 30-something English teacher at a local high school to clear up when "bring" should be used and when "take" should be used. She said she didn't know; they don't teach that kind of stuff in school anymore. This woman had just completed her master's degree in English (not English literature). I asked how she grades her student's papers when grammar and spelling are involved; she said she just skips that part.

Do any of you know about bring and take? If I say I'm going to take a book to school with me, doesn't that mean I was not at school when I said this, but that I am headed for school? And if I am at home and ask my husband to stop at the store on his way home and bring milk home, don't I use "bring" if the thing to be brought is at the store currently? Doesn't the choice of which word to use depend on the location of the person who uses it? (I hear this mistake on the local news all the time.)

I was able to get an answer from a retired teacher for the difference between fewer and less. According to her, I am less tired IF I CANNOT COUNT OR MEASURE IT, and have fewer flowers IF I CAN COUNT THEM.

Cricket

ube quilting

Just a day ago, having a fun time, ragging on each other during lunch break at work: During our conversation

Eve1 said "I took a selfie of myself".

I chuckled and said "that was redundant."
Eve2 asked " What does that even mean, don't be usen those big words around me."
Eve3 piped in and said " It's something you say over and over and over."

I was, and stayed speechless.

They do walk among us. it is a lesson in patience for the rest of us users of big words.
peace

ptquilts

When we used to go on vacation in Canada, we would change money at a bank in the US. One time the exchange rate was 80%. We had $100 to change. We watched a teller (not a young one either) use her calculator to figure out 80% of 100. Yep, she came up with 80!! What a shock!

nativetexan

OH Cricket_is cute, bring and take being misused gives me headaches every time I hear it. Even 1960's movies have people saying bring or brought when it should be take or took. Now, I looked that up the other day on Yahoo and got several answers. None good. Even went to say The English in England say "take", we say "bring". NOT!! I was taught in Texas schools to say Take when I have what ever it is I'm talking about. Bring when I want something. sigh.

Anyway, I was at Arby's and gave money to the clerk, including some change. The clerk couldn't figure it out and called her/his manager. The manager got it wrong tooo!!! I had to tell her. Sigh! I finally got the correct change but it was a struggle. I try not to confuse them anymore.

cricket_iscute

Thanks, nativetexan. So it is the item's location, not my location, that determines the usage of bring or take.

DebbE

Grannie Cheechee, I'll have to remember your example the next time I run into that situation -- it happens a lot more often than one would think!

cathyvv

Very good. You're an educational customer. The owner should pay you to eat there!

cathyvv

My grandson (then 8) once (only once!) told me he'd show me how smart he was.

I said, "Ok, show me."

He then asked me to give him the calculator so he could show me how smart he was.

After suppressing a big, hearty laugh, I responded by saying, "That won't show me how smart YOU are. It'll show me how smart the calculator is."

He left the room without another word.

The rest of the story: He has Aspergers Syndrome and truly is very smart. Mom and Dad thought he 'learned things differently', that he didn't need to do all the work other kids needed to do to learn. Since I was not a 'true believer' in undemonstrated abilities, I wrote down some simple math and addition problems for him to add and subtract.

Again, he asked for the calculator. Again, he was told no. He confidently began adding the two numbers, which were hundreds, from left to the right, and insisted that his answer was right. After wrangling over whether his answer was right or wrong, I handed him the calculator and he 'figured' out that he was wrong.

The same thing happened with subtraction.

It took me 1.5 days to teach him how to do addition and math, and, like with most kids, it required repetition, repetition, repetition.