When asking for a beer the word "please" comes in to play if you are polite.
Also i was brought up to say may rather than "can". The answer to can I get a beer is "this is a bar, so yes....next please" or alternatively"no I'll need to get it for you....next please". Do you now see why some of us more ancient folk find it grating?
Surely the same applies for "may I have". "This is a bar, so yes you may".
If we are going down that route surely the only acceptable form of address that would not allow any room for "confusion" (or extreme pedantry) is "I would like you to pour and sell me a pint of Old Duck's Fart now, please"?
It's like quiz questions in the vein of "Can you name three Tour de France winners". Technically the answer NO is a correct answer, isn't it?
The sloth who was driving a Red Honda Jazz on the A227 from Borough Green To Tunbridge about 2 hours ago. The speed limit is 50 (which means you can do 60, anyone who says but 50 is the limit, can do one) You were travelling at between 25 and 30 mph all the fucking way, there was approximately 30+ cars behind you, so either speed up or pull over in one of the lay-bys and let us pass. Or maybe because you have to go slow y0u should review whether you should be driving. Oh yes Ive not even mentioned the cyclist that you nearly knocked of because you didn't see him, and gave him about 1 inch of room......blind tit!
Pillocks who ignore the stop/give way lines at junctions, drive halfway across the junction then slam on their brakes to check to see if any cars are coming before proceeding with their manoeuvre.
Greenie and Fiiish, that is every day down here, no word of a lie.
I have mentioned it before, but in Portugal they have traffic lights that go red if you are exceeding the speed limit in some places. It's clearly marked when they are coming up. Often when you come into a village where the speed limit drops from 90kph to 50kph. Numpties drive along at 60kph in the 90kph bit, for miles and miles and then come to the lights at exactly the same speed, turning them red, which they then completely ignore and drive through. That's when I yearn for a James Bond style motor with rocket launchers behind the headlights...
Seriously think we need to have a thread dedicated to Driving on here... the amount of driving incidents that make it into this thread are amazing
Can't be trusted to play nicely. Cyclists v motorists always kicks off
Then those who've have points for speeding v those who call vehicle excise duty 'road tax' v the clarkson fan club v those who think top gear is the work of Satan
Pillocks who ignore the stop/give way lines at junctions, drive halfway across the junction then slam on their brakes to check to see if any cars are coming before proceeding with their manoeuvre.
Utter clowns.
Not clowns....that's going to kill or maim cyclists and bikers on a regular basis. Not funny.
Pillocks who ignore the stop/give way lines at junctions, drive halfway across the junction then slam on their brakes to check to see if any cars are coming before proceeding with their manoeuvre.
Utter clowns.
And the pillocks who think the cycle lane on the main road, is the stopping point when coming out of a side road.
Pillocks who ignore the stop/give way lines at junctions, drive halfway across the junction then slam on their brakes to check to see if any cars are coming before proceeding with their manoeuvre.
Utter clowns.
And the pillocks who think the cycle lane on the main road, is the stopping point when coming out of a side road.
I'm always so tempted to give their bumper a solid kick as I go by.
Personalised number plates that make no sense! I moved to Essex last year - the UK capital of personalised number plates (no offence meant) but every one has rubbish like my mate's K3V JU (Kevin and Julie!)
Personalised number plates that make no sense! I moved to Essex last year - the UK capital of personalised number plates (no offence meant) but every one has rubbish like my mate's K3V JU (Kevin and Julie!)
My pal, who's called A408 DMV, managed to get an exact match
I love cricket & especially Ashes series, but if I hear one more effing Aussie begin a sentence with "aw look mate" I think I will bloody scream. It is right up there with "can I get" when ordering food, or the morons who intersperse each sentence with a half dozen uses of the word like.
Couldn't agree more about the can I get thing.
But then I thought, Marvin Gaye would've sounded a bit of a berk singing May I Have a Witness.
I've heard a lot of people say this, but I don't really understand it. Is it that you think it should be "Can I have..."?
That seems strange to me - you go up to the bar to get a beer, not to have a beer. The having denotes possession, the getting denotes receiving - I can't understand why it would be better to say "Can I possess a beer?" rather than "Can I receive a beer?"
Do explain it to me though, I could be persuaded.
Why would I want to? You carry on getting mate. You can get me one whilst you're there. I'll happily have it.
So... I know you're framing that in the context of a joke, but surely the subtext there is that I am right? 'Get' is an acceptable verb for when you're purchasing it.
I love cricket & especially Ashes series, but if I hear one more effing Aussie begin a sentence with "aw look mate" I think I will bloody scream. It is right up there with "can I get" when ordering food, or the morons who intersperse each sentence with a half dozen uses of the word like.
Couldn't agree more about the can I get thing.
But then I thought, Marvin Gaye would've sounded a bit of a berk singing May I Have a Witness.
I've heard a lot of people say this, but I don't really understand it. Is it that you think it should be "Can I have..."?
That seems strange to me - you go up to the bar to get a beer, not to have a beer. The having denotes possession, the getting denotes receiving - I can't understand why it would be better to say "Can I possess a beer?" rather than "Can I receive a beer?"
Do explain it to me though, I could be persuaded.
I've tried this one before. I agree with you on "can I get", but you won't make any headway. People who hate "can I get" see "get" in that context as a synonym for "fetch", which, to be fair, would sound a bit silly.
By the way, "have" may also denote consumption.
In any case, there are two commonly used phrases for the same thing. I don't understand why one of them has to be 'correct' and the other 'wrong'
I thought that as well, and that's even stranger - why would you go to a bar and effectively say "Can I drink a beer?"?
For the record, I'm easy with 'get' or 'have', but I just don't get (or should it be have?) why people get(have) angry about it one way or the other!
Not at all. I'm framing it in the context of responding to a stranger who doesn't know how to use the language and thinks that they're clever, when they aren't. I don't know you and really don't want to interact with you.
Sorry mate, my mistake - didn't realise you were a knob.
Are a knob! Are a knob! You aren't very good at this language lark.
Oh dear. That's poor and pretty embarrassing for you seeing as this is a discussion on language and you're playing 'oneupmanship' games. He was correct to say 'were' because he was referring to the past when he said he 'didn't realise'. He could have further clarified by adding something like 'now I realise you are a nob' but it would've been redundant as this realisation was inferred by his statement. First rule of correcting people: don't be wrong when you do it.
I don't recall ever being so embarrassed.
If the quality of wit you're displaying here is your usual standard, I seriously doubt that.
Not sure what I've done to upset you mate, but whatever it was it was worth it.
Young Spanish wankers who think it's funny to spray some sort of air gun that shoots 20 odd bullets at once at a queue to a club in Spain (that they failed to get in) that I was in.
Ended up in my mate, that lives here, getting shot in the leg and back. Massive holes where he was shot, disgraceful.
Granted we got free drinks all night in the club and he was fine because he was drunk and just cleaned all the blood off ... so all's well that ends well, but still, that's beside the point :-)
Personalised number plates that make no sense! I moved to Essex last year - the UK capital of personalised number plates (no offence meant) but every one has rubbish like my mate's K3V JU (Kevin and Julie!)
My pal, who's called A408 DMV, managed to get an exact match
Surprised, no one has been snapping up, VA11EY • Only £599 with DVLA.
Personalised number plates that make no sense! I moved to Essex last year - the UK capital of personalised number plates (no offence meant) but every one has rubbish like my mate's K3V JU (Kevin and Julie!)
My pal, who's called A408 DMV, managed to get an exact match
Surprised, no one has been snapping up, VA11EY • Only £599 with DVLA.
Proof that Charlton fans are not cockwombles/are tight/skint...
You know, the ones with the secret trapdoor that swallows up their mobile phone and house keys, which means they never answer your calls or you're kept standing in the f*****g rain while they faff about trying to open the door.
Comments
If we are going down that route surely the only acceptable form of address that would not allow any room for "confusion" (or extreme pedantry) is "I would like you to pour and sell me a pint of Old Duck's Fart now, please"?
It's like quiz questions in the vein of "Can you name three Tour de France winners". Technically the answer NO is a correct answer, isn't it?
:-)
The speed limit is 50 (which means you can do 60, anyone who says but 50 is the limit, can do one)
You were travelling at between 25 and 30 mph all the fucking way, there was approximately 30+ cars behind you, so either speed up or pull over in one of the lay-bys and let us pass. Or maybe because you have to go slow y0u should review whether you should be driving.
Oh yes Ive not even mentioned the cyclist that you nearly knocked of because you didn't see him, and gave him about 1 inch of room......blind tit!
Utter clowns.
People that continuously drive below the speed limit in excess of 5 mph under.
I have mentioned it before, but in Portugal they have traffic lights that go red if you are exceeding the speed limit in some places. It's clearly marked when they are coming up. Often when you come into a village where the speed limit drops from 90kph to 50kph. Numpties drive along at 60kph in the 90kph bit, for miles and miles and then come to the lights at exactly the same speed, turning them red, which they then completely ignore and drive through. That's when I yearn for a James Bond style motor with rocket launchers behind the headlights...
Then those who've have points for speeding v those who call vehicle excise duty 'road tax' v the clarkson fan club v those who think top gear is the work of Satan
She didn't like being told to fuck off.
You had a bivouac and then you got a Marquee ?
You have become two Tents.
Ended up in my mate, that lives here, getting shot in the leg and back. Massive holes where he was shot, disgraceful.
Granted we got free drinks all night in the club and he was fine because he was drunk and just cleaned all the blood off ... so all's well that ends well, but still, that's beside the point :-)
(Actually that's quite a good one)
Anyway, you know I'm joking & I hope your mate is still fine when he sobers up.
You know, the ones with the secret trapdoor that swallows up their mobile phone and house keys, which means they never answer your calls or you're kept standing in the f*****g rain while they faff about trying to open the door.
Sort it aht girls!
Yep all ok this morning.