Words

[Zeb_Carter]

Drug is a noun not a verb. I was asked, by a writer much much better than I will ever be, to proof read their stories for spelling and other errors. One of the first ones I mentioned was their use of the word “drug” instead of “dragged.” They were surprised and said it was in common use in the US but they now appreciated that grammatically it was wrong. They now use “dragged.” Although in 44 years of visiting the US I’ve never heard the word “drug” used as a verb and I’ve visited twenty states.

I hate sports commentators who say “he run well” or “he run a good race” or “he run the length of the field.” The word is ran.

“Two time or three time Olympic/World/Wimbledon champion instead of double or triple is another one.

I think that one of the reasons why the language has degenerated is because the standard of education is much worse than when I was at school back in mediaeval times. As schoolchildren are taught badly and they then grow up to be teachers it gets worse with each generation. Errors aren’t picked up because the teacher doesn’t realise they are wrong.

It particularly grates when you see stupid and illiterate mistakes in newspapers. The people there are supposed to be educated and often have degrees in English and yet they can’t get, often simple, things correct.

You must have missed the states of Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi and Georgia where 'drug' is used to describe the dragging of things and people.

 

[Oblimo]

I remember Stephen King relaying how the man who ran him over has told the police he was driving to get ”one of them Marses bars they got up on over at the store.”

In King’s likely apocryphal retelling, he was told of the drivers testimony while still being touch-and-go at the hospital, and said that he had been killed by one of his characters.

My take-away is the amazing colloquialism, “Up on over at.” Isn’t it beautiful?

 

[Oblimo]

Bob laid down. Fine with me, but Bob laid down what? His briefcase? His weary head?

Bob lay down. Yes, perfect. Enjoy your past-tense reclining, Bob.

Bob lied down. Like fingernails on a fucking chalkboard, and I see it all the fucking time.

Bob lied, “the past tense of to lie, as in, to recline, is lied.”

Fuck you, Bob! It’s lay!

 

[KeithD]

You can drug (verb) someone by administering drugs to them. "Drug" as the past tense of "drag" is also fine use of dialect to help establish character in dialogue. And, oh, "proofread" is one word, not two.

 

[Polyacrylate]

This is a little off topic from the 'drug' vs 'dragged' conversation, but something I find off-putting in erotica is using 'that' when 'my' would be a more correct word.

"Suck that cock" versus "Suck my cock."

"Fuck that pussy" versus "Fuck my pussy." Or even just "Fuck me."

I'm not sure why I have an issue with using 'that' in this context, but I find it really irritating, especially if it is supposed to be used in an intimate context. It doesn't bother me nearly as much if a porn star says it as it does when a virginal, innocent character does.

Of course, I'm as bad as the next person when it comes to proof reading, and I treat complete sentences with indifference in non-technical communication (especially in first person narratives), so who am I to judge?

 

[ElectricBlue]

"Suck that cock" versus "Suck my cock."

"Fuck that pussy" versus "Fuck my pussy." Or even just "Fuck me."

I'm not sure why I have an issue with using 'that' in this context, but I find it really irritating, especially if it is supposed to be used in an intimate context.

I get that. I find it distancing when someone mentions "the cock" instead of "his cock," or "the breasts" instead of "her breasts." It's as if there are strange, disembodied body parts wandering around the landscape.

It's the same when someone refers to their own cock as "him" instead of "me" - again, it's as if there's some other animate thing bolted on at the groin. It's strange, but there it is, a quirk of writing that seems a bit odd to me.

 

[LightningSeed]

It's strange, but there it is, a quirk of writing that seems a bit odd to me.

Absolutely agree.

 

[KeithD]

This is a little off topic from the 'drug' vs 'dragged' conversation, but something I find off-putting in erotica is using 'that' when 'my' would be a more correct word.

"Suck that cock" versus "Suck my cock."

"Fuck that pussy" versus "Fuck my pussy." Or even just "Fuck me."

As usual, it depends. It's a colloquialism. If you have one character using this, it's a way of establishing character. If you have all of the characters using it, it's an author's quirk and probably should be curtailed.

 

[NotWise]

I get that. I find it distancing when someone mentions "the cock" instead of "his cock," or "the breasts" instead of "her breasts." It's as if there are strange, disembodied body parts wandering around the landscape.

It's the same when someone refers to their own cock as "him" instead of "me" - again, it's as if there's some other animate thing bolted on at the groin. It's strange, but there it is, a quirk of writing that seems a bit odd to me.

"That" seems to be common in porn flicks where the actors are clearly ad libing their lines.

Regarding the cock as a separate being, I've heard and read of women referring to it that way more often than men referring to themselves that way. It also seems to be common (even outside erotica) for women to refer to their breasts as if they were separate beings -- "The girls," for instance.

 

[Bramblethorn]

It's the same when someone refers to their own cock as "him" instead of "me" - again, it's as if there's some other animate thing bolted on at the groin. It's strange, but there it is, a quirk of writing that seems a bit odd to me.

I get a similar feeling with constructions like "my eyes watched him undress... my hands tied my shoelaces... my feet walked to the supermarket". It feels like the person has fallen apart into a bunch of autonomous body parts.