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Letter "T" » the Romans
«English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin -- a language with which it has precious little in common. In Latin, to take one example, it is not possible to split an infinitive. So in English, the early authorities decided, it should not be possible to split an infinitive either. But there is no reason why we shouldn't, any more than we should forsake instant coffee and air travel because they weren't available to the Romans. Making English grammar conform to Latin rules is like asking people to play baseball using the rules of football. It is a patent absurdity. But once this insane notion became established, grammarians found themselves having to draw up ever more complicated and circular arguments to accommodate the inconsistencies.»
Author: Bill Bryson
(
Writer)
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Keywords:
absurdity,
accommodate,
accommodates,
air travel,
become available,
circular,
Coffee and,
common language,
conform,
conform to,
confusing,
draw up,
forsake,
grammar,
inconsistencies,
infinitive,
infinitives,
instant coffee,
Latin,
patent,
patented,
Romans,
Rules of,
simple language,
split,
Take One,
terminology,
the Romans
«The reason the Romans built their great paved highways was because they had such inconvenient footwear»
«If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found the time to conquer the world»
«BEN: You lucky, lucky bastard. BRIAN: What? BEN: Proper little jailer's pet, aren't we? BRIAN: What do you mean? BEN: You must have slipped him a few shekels, eh? BRIAN: Slipped him a few shekels? You saw him spit in my face! BEN: Ohh! What wouldn't I give to be spat at in the face! I sometimes hang awake at night dreaming of being spat at in the face. BRIAN: Well, it's not exactly friendly, is it? They had me in manacles! BEN: Manacles! Ooh oooh oh oh. My idea of heaven is to be allowed to be put in manacles... just for a few hours. They must think the sun shines out o' your arse, sonny. BRIAN: Oh, lay off me. I've had a hard time! BEN: You've had a hard time?! I've been here five years! They only hung me the right way up yesterday! So, don't you come 'rou-- BRIAN: All right. All right. BEN: They must think you're Lord God Almighty. BRIAN: What will they do to me? BEN: Oh, you'll probably get away with crucifixion. BRIAN: Crucifixion?! BEN: Yeah, first offence. BRIAN: Get away with crucifixion?! It's-- BEN: Best thing the Romans ever did for us. BRIAN: What?! BEN: Oh, yeah. If we didn't have crucifixion, this country would be in a right bloody mess. BRIAN: Guards! BEN: Nail him up, I say!»
Author: Monty Python
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Keywords:
all right,
Almighty,
arse,
bastard,
ben,
bloody,
Brian,
crucifixion,
crucifixions,
friendly,
get away,
God Almighty,
guards,
hard time,
hung,
jailer,
lay off,
mess,
nail,
offence,
off guard,
Oh Yeah,
PET,
proper time,
put in,
Romans,
shekels,
shines,
slipped,
slip away,
slip off,
sonny,
spat,
spit,
the right way,
the Romans,
yeah
«They (the Romans) make a desert, and they call it peace»
«As the counterpart of Zeus for the Greeks or Jupiter for the Romans, Indra is the god of the thunderstorm, who vanquishes drought and darkness. »
«There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry.»
Author: Benjamin Franklin
(
Inventor,
Philosopher,
Printer,
Scientist,
Statesman,
Writer)
|
Keywords:
agriculture,
cheating,
commerce,
conquered,
continual,
god of war,
hand of God,
industry,
miracle man,
neighbors,
plundered,
plundering,
plunders,
receives,
robberies,
robbery,
Romans,
the Romans,
The Third,
three-way,
thrown,
virtuous,
war god,
wherein,
wrought
«'Tis pride, rank pride, and haughtiness of soul; I think the Romans call it stoicism»
«Another such victory over the Romans and we are undone.»
«Oh Tiber! father Tiber! / To whom the Romans pray, / A Roman's life, a Roman's arms, / Take thou in charge this day!»