From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Sun May  1 23:39:23 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Sun, 01 May 2011 23:39:23 -0000
Subject: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
Message-ID: <ipkqvb+5bl3@eGroups.com>

Just on the off chance that someone from the UK, or possibly the EU, is reading this thread, please explain something to me?

Why do you still use an antiquated measurement of weight as obscure and useless as STONES? (14 pounds, 6.4kg)

If you ask anyone their weight, they will answer in Stones? Do you have bathroom scales that weigh in Stones? Can you buy any commodities that are officially sold in Stones? A stone of oranges? A stone of mince? A stone of rocks?  

If find it odd that people can know their weight in Stones, but not have a clue what that is in pounds or kilos without stopping to convert it? 

So, could someone explain to me how and why this unit of measurement continues on in the modern world? 

Just curious, slightly frustrated, but mostly curious.

Steve/bboyminn




From geoffbannister123 at btinternet.com  Mon May  2 07:15:09 2011
From: geoffbannister123 at btinternet.com (Geoff)
Date: Mon, 02 May 2011 07:15:09 -0000
Subject: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <ipkqvb+5bl3@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <iplllt+r5nb@eGroups.com>

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:

> Just on the off chance that someone from the UK, or possibly the EU, is
reading this thread, please explain something to me?
>
> Why do you still use an antiquated measurement of weight as obscure and
useless as STONES? (14 pounds, 6.4kg)

> If you ask anyone their weight, they will answer in Stones? Do you have
bathroom scales that weigh in Stones? Can you buy any commodities that are
officially sold in Stones? A stone of oranges? A stone of mince? A stone of
rocks?

> If find it odd that people can know their weight in Stones, but not have a
clue what that is in pounds or kilos without stopping to convert it?

> So, could someone explain to me how and why this unit of measurement continues
on in the modern world?

> Just curious, slightly frustrated, but mostly curious.

Geoff:
Yes, we do have bathroom scales which read in stones and I don't recall seeing
one over here which reads in pounds. It is easier a darn sight easier to
visualise
the physical size of someone who says they are 10 stone 6 rather than someone
who is 130 lbs. It's only used in that context.

BTW, verbally you usually give your weight with stone as a singular - i.e. I am
9 stone exactly - a bit of a lightweight.
:-)







From md at exit-reality.com  Mon May  2 11:19:29 2011
From: md at exit-reality.com (Child Of Midian)
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 07:19:29 -0400
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <iplgn0+pcpl@eGroups.com>
References: <ipkqvb+5bl3@eGroups.com> <iplgn0+pcpl@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <001501cc08ba$ce1873b0$6a495b10$@com>

Easier for you to visualize maybe but for me, no idea what 10s 6 means or
looks like. You tell me 130lbs and I can easily visualize that, especially
if I know the persons height. It's all relative to what you are used too. 

md

-----Original Message-----
From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
[mailto:HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Geoff
Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 1:50 AM
To: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?



Geoff:
Yes, we do have bathroom scales which read in stones and I don't recall
seeing 
one over here which reads in pounds. It is easier a darn sight easier to
visualise
the physical size of someone who says they are 10 stone 6 rather than
someone 
who is 130 lbs. It's only used in that context.




From fenneyml at gmail.com  Mon May  2 13:09:24 2011
From: fenneyml at gmail.com (Margaret Fenney)
Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 09:09:24 -0400
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <001501cc08ba$ce1873b0$6a495b10$@com>
References: <ipkqvb+5bl3@eGroups.com>
	<iplgn0+pcpl@eGroups.com>
	<001501cc08ba$ce1873b0$6a495b10$@com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=oNReTHwcBNHmCjxea=wLAi_d_UQ@mail.gmail.com>

I'm from the US but I would like to point out that most of our measurement
units are at least as "antiquated" as stone and make just as much sense -
inch, foot, yard, ounce, cup, etc.  We refuse to use the metric system which
is far more sensible since the units have consistent relationships.

Margie

>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




From HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com  Mon May  2 18:22:47 2011
From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com (HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com)
Date: 2 May 2011 18:22:47 -0000
Subject: Weekly Chat, 5/3/2011, 1:00 pm 
Message-ID: <1304360567.98.28543.m3@yahoogroups.com>

Reminder from: HPFGU-OTChatter Yahoo! Group
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/cal

Weekly Chat
Tuesday May 3, 2011
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)
Location: http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Notes:
Just a reminder, Sunday chat starts in about one hour.

To get to the HPfGU room follow this link:
http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Create a user name for yourself, whatever you want
to be called.

Enter the password: hpfguchat

Click "Join Chat" on the lower right.

Chat start times:
11 am Pacific US
12 noon Mountain US
1 pm Central US
2 pm Eastern US
7 pm UK




All Rights Reserved
 Copyright  2011 
 Yahoo! Inc.
 http://www.yahoo.com

Privacy Policy:
 http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us

Terms of Service:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://archive.hpfgu.org/pipermail/hpfgu-otchatter/attachments/20110502/fe4eaeb7/attachment.html>

From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Tue May  3 00:11:49 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Tue, 03 May 2011 00:11:49 -0000
Subject: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <iplllt+r5nb@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <ipnh85+m16p@eGroups.com>



--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff" <geoffbannister123 at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn@> wrote:
> 
> > ... someone from the UK, or possibly the EU, ...
> >
> > Why do you still use an antiquated measurement of weight as
> > obscure and useless as STONES? (14 pounds, 6.4kg)
> 
> > ...
> 
> > Just curious, slightly frustrated, but mostly curious.
> 
> Geoff:
> Yes, we do have bathroom scales which read in stones and I 
> don't recall seeing one over here which reads in pounds. ...
> 
> BTW, verbally you usually give your weight with stone as a 
> singular - i.e. I am 9 stone exactly - a bit of a lightweight.
> :-)
>

Steve responds:

9 Stone, so you are 126 pounds. Boy, you are a light weight ;) .

Given that you bathroom scales actually do read out in Stone, that explains a lot.

This started with a young Irish video blogger, who was rambling on about assorted things, among them why girls like this body type or that body type, then on the course of the rant, he gave his weight in Stones, then hesitated as he tried to work it out in pounds or Kilograms. Eventually he gave up and moved on with his rant.

If found this stunningly confusing. How could he know is weight in Stone, but not kilograms. I assumed he would have to weigh himself on a kilogram/pound scale and convert it to Stone.

But if most scales for personal use actually read out in Stones, that is more understandable. 

Still, I find it baffling that this continues to hold. I think it was outlawed in 1984 for commercial use, so you can no longer buy a 'stone' of oranges or apples. At least, not officially. 

And given the near complete conversion to metric, though I know there are some cultural hold outs, I would assume 'Stone' would fall by the wayside. 

I also know that the use of "Stone" extends beyond the UK. I was in Germany a few years ago, and picked up a magazine. By chance it had some personal adds in back, and I noticed many people gave their weight in 'Stone'. Though it took me a while to figure that out. 

Given that "stone" is an Imperial measurement, I find it odd that other countries use it.

Is this just random cross cultural contamination, or are there more commercial more official reasons for the use in other countries.

I suspected, it might be hold over from athletic competition. 

One odd fact, just by coincidence, it turns out that a gallon of dry sand weighs 14 pounds. So, quite ironically, a gallon of sand is a 'stone'. 

Again, just curious.

Steve/bboyminn





From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Tue May  3 00:19:40 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Tue, 03 May 2011 00:19:40 -0000
Subject: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <ipnh85+m16p@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <ipnhms+9btb@eGroups.com>

One additional point to confuse things even more. How much a stone weighs depends on what you are weighing. 

A 'Stone' of wool can either be 14, 15, or 24 pounds.

A "Stone' of Beef or mutton is 8 pounds; not idea on pork. 

Dry goods and spices (flour, sugar, etc...) typically 8 pounds per 'Stone' also. 

A "Stone' of wax is 12 pounds. 

Which makes me wonder, how did a "Stone" of people become 14 pounds? 

Again, just curious.

Steve/bboyminn




From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Wed May  4 07:13:45 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Wed, 04 May 2011 07:13:45 -0000
Subject: Catagorical or UNCatagorical - The Grint Denial
Message-ID: <ipqub9+lbup@eGroups.com>

A few days ago a made a post about an alleged photo of Rupert smoking pot. Personally, I thought is was some random red head, and that is where the similarity ended. 

Now Rupert's representatives have said -

""This is categorically Not Rupert Grint. It is an impersonator/lookalike." 

I'm sorry, but is that the right way to say it? 

Doesn't "categorically" mean this statement is true within certain qualifiers or within limited context? 

Shouldn't it be '...UNCategorically not Rupert...', meaning this is absolutely and without qualification not Rupert. 

Something that is 'categorically' true is true within certain limitations and definitions.

Something that is 'uncategorically' true is absolutely and without qualification true.

Or, do I have this backwards? 

Not that it matters; just curious.

Steve/bboyminn





From dumbledad at yahoo.co.uk  Wed May  4 14:45:38 2011
From: dumbledad at yahoo.co.uk (Tim)
Date: Wed, 04 May 2011 14:45:38 -0000
Subject: Spoiler alert
Message-ID: <iproqi+us9l@eGroups.com>

Hi All,

Given the huge efforts we put in over on main to avoid spoilers when the books came out these did make me smile:

http://jasoneppink.com/spoiler-alert/

Cheers,

Dumbledad




From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Wed May  4 23:31:10 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Wed, 04 May 2011 23:31:10 -0000
Subject: When does a kid become a grownup?
In-Reply-To: <io7f9r+gspi@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <ipsnju+jjmb@eGroups.com>



--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
>...
> 
> Carol responds:
> 
> Let me put it another way, then. Theory and legal aspects aside, are the young people you (plural) know (personally and well) mature enough to face the responsibilities (voting, taxes, earning a living, etc.) that our society thrusts upon them? If so, should we credit the parents or the schools? If not, is the problem prolonged adolescence, poor parenting, the school system, video games, or what? ...
>
>
> Carol, worried for the future of the country if things don't change soon
>

Steve:

Well you must know you are asking the unanswerable question. For every real and true response, there are a long list of exceptions.

In the end, it is as simple as this -

If they must, they will ... or not. 

Credit and blame fall on both the parent and school, and very much on the child. 

The best teachers in the world can't teach a student who refuses to learn. And the best teachers in the world can't override bad influences at home. Conversely, the best parents in the world, can't make up for a bad school filled with bad teachers and administrators. And, yes, I do include administrators in this. If it frequently their policies more than the quality of teacher that restricts the learning environment. 

To learn -

- Teachers must teach. But they are not baby sitters, and they need some authority to enforce discipline in the classroom. 

- But Students have an obligation to learn, and a need to understand that obligation.

- Administrators can't put road blocks to creative teaching just to over their butts.
 
- Parents have to take an active role. A parents goal is not to be a buddy to their kids. In a sense, like it or not, they have to be the bad guy. They have to set boundaries, they have to enforce discipline, they have to instill values, and they have to demand excellence. 

One of my grips is that parents seem afraid to talk to their kids. So, they just go through life on autopilot assuming their kids are absorbing values by osmosis. Parents need to draw a line in the sand, to say this is the limit of this type of behavior. If you never say it, then kids just make up their own rules. True, just because you draw the line doesn't mean you kids will toe it, but at least they know where the line is.

All the problems I see with kids are because those kids have been cast adrift to fend for themselves in the world. No framework to understand life, or relationship, or drugs, or alcohols, or the demands of the future. 

Your kids are teaching your kids to drink, when it should really be the parent who established a reasonable framework for an activity the every kid is going to have to face. If kids teach kids, then kids learn dangerous irresponsible behavior. If competent adults teach kids, then whether the follow or not, are least they have a logical framework to guide them. 

In the end, for good or bad, at some point, kids have to find their way in the world and truly fend for themselves. How well this works hinges greatly on the framework and foundation they have laid, or that has been laid for them. 

If you build your life on a crappy foundation, then you can expect to have a crappy life. Simple as that. 

Steve/bboyminn




From geoffbannister123 at btinternet.com  Thu May  5 13:35:38 2011
From: geoffbannister123 at btinternet.com (Geoff)
Date: Thu, 05 May 2011 13:35:38 -0000
Subject: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <001501cc08ba$ce1873b0$6a495b10$@com>
Message-ID: <ipu93a+l53a@eGroups.com>

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Child Of Midian" <md at ...> wrote:

Geoff:
> Yes, we do have bathroom scales which read in stones and I don't recall
> seeing one over here which reads in pounds. It is easier a darn sight easier to
> visualise the physical size of someone who says they are 10 stone 6 rather than
> someone who is 130 lbs. It's only used in that context.

md:
> Easier for you to visualize maybe but for me, no idea what 10s 6 means or
> looks like. You tell me 130lbs and I can easily visualize that, especially
> if I know the persons height. It's all relative to what you are used too. 

Geoff:
Precisely. Give me a weight in lbs and I then spend time converting it to stones
to give me an idea of they might look like.




From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Fri May  6 11:26:20 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 11:26:20 -0000
Subject: When is a Stone not a Stone, and Why?
In-Reply-To: <ipu93a+l53a@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <iq0lss+7cdg@eGroups.com>

Thanks again Geoff for being our resident expert in all things British.

Just out of curiosity I went to the Argos website and looked as scales

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8303572/Trail/searchtext>SCALE.htm

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/8321798.htm

Darned if they don't all read out in Stone. But, it would seem you would have to give your weight in fractions of a Stone like 1.5 Stone or 1.25 Stone. ...or not. 

I just find it odd that people would still used such an odd and large unit of measurement. Of course, I suppose it is no more odd that 12 inches foot or 36 inches in a yard. Still it seems such a large unit, 14 pounds. What could be reasonably and practically measured in such a large unit? 

There was a big push in the USA to switch to metric, though that was well over a decade ago. They were going to convert road signs to Kilometers. The people raised such a holy stink they were forced to back down. 

I tried to convince people that is was no big deal. For example, if you were going to make a coffee table and you wanted it 'this' long by 'that' wide, you just measured in a mm or cm instead of inches. It didn't matter so much what the numbers were, as long as it ended up the size you wanted.

Sadly, no one was buying it. They accused the government of trying to cramp the metric system down our throats. 

The only concession was that most scientist converted to metric, but the population resisted tooth and nail. Oh yeah, and you can no longer buy soda in quarts or liquor in 'fifths'. It is all in liters now. 

In the end, if I had known that the typical bathroom scale read out in Stone, it would have made a lot more sense. 

Steve/bboyminn




From justcarol67 at yahoo.com  Sat May  7 17:57:30 2011
From: justcarol67 at yahoo.com (justcarol67)
Date: Sat, 07 May 2011 17:57:30 -0000
Subject: Catagorical or UNCatagorical - The Grint Denial
In-Reply-To: <ipqub9+lbup@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <iq416a+7jv3@eGroups.com>



"Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:
>
> A few days ago a made a post about an alleged photo of Rupert smoking pot. Personally, I thought is was some random red head, and that is where the similarity ended. 
> 
> Now Rupert's representatives have said -
> 
> ""This is categorically Not Rupert Grint. It is an impersonator/lookalike." 
> 
> I'm sorry, but is that the right way to say it? 
> 
> Doesn't "categorically" mean this statement is true within certain qualifiers or within limited context? 
> 
> Shouldn't it be '...UNCategorically not Rupert...', meaning this is absolutely and without qualification not Rupert. 
> 
> Something that is 'categorically' true is true within certain limitations and definitions.
> 
> Something that is 'uncategorically' true is absolutely and without qualification true.
> 
> Or, do I have this backwards? 
> 
> Not that it matters; just curious.
> 
> Steve/bboyminn
>
Carol responds: 

Yep, you have it backwards. "Categorical" means "absolute" or "unqualified." (Remember the categorical imperative from your college philosophy class?) So "categorically" means "absolutely."

IOW, according to your source, it's definitely not Rupert.

Carol, who doesn't know whether it's Rupert or not and is only responding to the definition question




From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Sat May  7 20:26:22 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Sat, 07 May 2011 20:26:22 -0000
Subject: Catagorical or UNCatagorical - The Grint Denial
In-Reply-To: <iq416a+7jv3@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <iq49te+ebnq@eGroups.com>



--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> 
> "Steve" <bboyminn@> wrote:
> >
> >...
> > 
> > Now Rupert's representatives have said -
> > 
> > ""This is categorically Not Rupert Grint. ..." 
> > 
> > ...is that the right way to say it? 
> > 
> > Doesn't "categorically" mean this statement is true within certain qualifiers or within limited context? 
> > 
> > Shouldn't it be '...UNCategorically not Rupert...', meaning this is absolutely and without qualification not Rupert. 
> > 
> > ...
> > Or, do I have this backwards? 
> > 
> > Not that it matters; just curious.
> > 
> > Steve/bboyminn
> >

> Carol responds: 
> 
> Yep, you have it backwards. "Categorical" means "absolute" or "unqualified." (Remember the categorical imperative from your college philosophy class?) So "categorically" means "absolutely."
> 
> IOW, according to your source, it's definitely not Rupert.
> 
> Carol, ..
>

Thanks, it turns out you are right, though I have to say, to me, it doesn't make logical sense. 'Categorical' to me implies categories, which in turn imply limitations. But apparently, as you say, "Categorical" does mean absolute. Who knew? 

And, I don't think anyone ever really thought it was Rupert in the photo. But I think it does say something about our society when any Red Head can be assume to pass for any other Red Head. That's like saying all black people look alike. Which makes as much sense as saying 'All (fill in the blank) look alike'. 

Steve/bboyminn





From n2fgc at arrl.net  Sat May  7 20:41:20 2011
From: n2fgc at arrl.net (Lee Storm (God Is The Healing Force))
Date: Sat, 7 May 2011 16:41:20 -0400
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Catagorical or UNCatagorical - The Grint Denial
In-Reply-To: <iq49te+ebnq@eGroups.com>
References: <iq416a+7jv3@eGroups.com> <iq49te+ebnq@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <F506DCD94DE741B3A334E4EBB3DC2487@Dobby>

[Steve B]:
| But I think it does say something about our 
| society when any Red Head can be assume to pass for any other 
| Red Head. That's like saying all black people look alike. 
| Which makes as much sense as saying 'All (fill in the blank) 
| look alike'. 

[Lee]:
Or that all blind people in a given city should know one another (Gads--I
always hated that one!)...or all Fill-In-The-Blank people in a given area
should know each other.  A bit of stupidity, IMHO.  But, as the story in
the Twilight Zone said, "People are alike all over."  Smile,

Lee
(Who may sit down and read the Twilight Zone Companion Book.)




From HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com  Mon May  9 17:55:54 2011
From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com (HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com)
Date: 9 May 2011 17:55:54 -0000
Subject: Weekly Chat, 5/10/2011, 1:00 pm 
Message-ID: <1304963754.20.83208.m4@yahoogroups.com>

Reminder from: HPFGU-OTChatter Yahoo! Group
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/cal

Weekly Chat
Tuesday May 10, 2011
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)
Location: http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Notes:
Just a reminder, Sunday chat starts in about one hour.

To get to the HPfGU room follow this link:
http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Create a user name for yourself, whatever you want
to be called.

Enter the password: hpfguchat

Click "Join Chat" on the lower right.

Chat start times:
11 am Pacific US
12 noon Mountain US
1 pm Central US
2 pm Eastern US
7 pm UK




All Rights Reserved
 Copyright  2011 
 Yahoo! Inc.
 http://www.yahoo.com

Privacy Policy:
 http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us

Terms of Service:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://archive.hpfgu.org/pipermail/hpfgu-otchatter/attachments/20110509/000cf458/attachment.html>

From bboyminn at yahoo.com  Fri May 13 20:39:27 2011
From: bboyminn at yahoo.com (Steve)
Date: Fri, 13 May 2011 20:39:27 -0000
Subject: On The British: - Hot and Cold -
Message-ID: <iqk4tv+crgq@eGroups.com>

Perhaps our resident expert can confirm or deny this assertion.

I've been told that the British buy their gasoline (and similar fuel) by the Liter, but they measure its consumption in Miles Per Gallon. Though, I'm not sure what size their gallons are. 

However, I recently learned from Stephen Fry (yes, that Stephen Fry) that the British measure warm weather in Fahrenheit, but cold weather in Celcius. A warm summer's day is 85??F to 90??F, but a cold winter's day is -10??C. Though were I'm from -10??C is balmy. 

Moving back to Gallons, it is odd so much of the Imperial measurement carried over to the USA, but for some odd reason, we ended up with a different sized Gallon. 

Before Metric, was the Imperial Gallon the Euro standard, or was it unique to the UK? Just curious on this point.

On the issue of Gallons, from Wikipedia -

The imperial (UK) gallon was legally defined as 4.54609 Liters. 

Then the variation between USA Wet Gallons and Dry Gallons -

The US liquid gallon is legally defined as 231 cubic inches,[4] and is equal to exactly 3.785411784 litres or about 0.133680555 cubic feet. This is the most common definition of a gallon in the United States. The US fluid ounce is defined as 1???128 of a US gallon.

The US dry gallon is one-eighth of a US Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches, thus it is equal to exactly 268.8025 cubic inches or 4.40488377086 Liters. You don't see Dry Gallons used that much, dry measurement jump from dry quarts up to Pecks and skip Gallons. 

It gets even more confusing as the UK ounce is actually 4% less than the USA ounce, but the UK Gallon is bigger. So, if I remember right, it is 19 UK ounces to a US pint. ...or something like that. 

Still ... summer and winter temperatures? Any truth to that? 

Steve/bboyminn




From geoffbannister123 at btinternet.com  Sat May 14 02:17:38 2011
From: geoffbannister123 at btinternet.com (Geoff)
Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 02:17:38 -0000
Subject: On The British: - Hot and Cold -
In-Reply-To: <iqk4tv+crgq@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <iqkoo2+hrnt@eGroups.com>

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboyminn at ...> wrote:

Ste vet:
> Perhaps our resident expert can confirm or deny this assertion.
 
> I've been told that the British buy their gasoline (and similar fuel) by the Liter, but they measure its consumption in Miles Per Gallon. Though, I'm not sure what size their gallons are. 

Geoff:
We do indeed have to buy our fuel by the litre. You can thank the Blair 
government for that because they thought that metrication was mandatory in 
the EU and it wasn't. Fortunately, that didn't apply to miles anyway and there 
would have been a revolution if we'd gone down that line, I'm still in Toronto 
and ahve just got back there after a few days in the Haliburton Highlands and 
have been busily converting km to miles all day mentally to the benefit of the 
other passengers. I keep all my records in MPG and have written a spreadsheet 
to convert my litres to that. I can't get my head round l/100km yet. All I know 
is that because petrol has just hit 136p a litre (approx 204c) and my diesel
even higher at 142p (approx 213c), the fact that my Vauxhall Astra diesel does
about 49 MPG is very encouraging.

We use Imperial gallons which are 4.544 litres. 8 pints to i gallon.


Steve:
> However, I recently learned from Stephen Fry (yes, that Stephen Fry) that the British measure warm weather in Fahrenheit, but cold weather in Celcius. A warm summer's day is 85??F to 90??F, but a cold winter's day is -10??C. Though were I'm from -10??C is balmy. 

Geoff:
Stephen Fry ain't right.  Weather forecasts have been given in F and C for 
many years but in the last few years, they're all usually given in C. It's only older
folk, myself excepted, who tend to think in F. So a warm summer's day would
probably be in the range 25-30 C (77-86 F) and winter ranges +3- -2 C (37.4-
30.4 F) in the south.

Just for the record, we had the worst winter for 27 years from the end of October 
to the middle of January and, in our area, I found myself walking the dog in -6
on a few occasions. That may not be much to some of you, but since, in the 
coastal town where I live in the South west, we often only experience one hard
frost in a winter, that was incredible. We have then had the hottest April for
40 years. During the last couple of weeks, the temperature in the south has 
been in he range 21-24 C during the day whenthe usual average figure for the 
month is 13.

Steve:
> Moving back to Gallons, it is odd so much of the Imperial measurement carried over to the USA, but for some odd reason, we ended up with a different sized Gallon. 

> Before Metric, was the Imperial Gallon the Euro standard, or was it unique to the UK? Just curious on this point.

Geoff:
No. Most countries on the European mainland have used metric measurements for
a couple or hundred years or so.

This is because Napoleon instructed his advisers to produce a standard set of
measurements to be used in all the countries he conquered at the end of the 18th 
century.

He didn't manage to conquer Britain, which is also the reason why we still drive 
on the left hand side.




From bastiansphillip12 at yahoo.ca  Sat May 14 05:16:35 2011
From: bastiansphillip12 at yahoo.ca (MasterPhillip)
Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 05:16:35 -0000
Subject: Eaton Antique Bookshop- UK
Message-ID: <iql37j+tvh4@eGroups.com>

For People who love books & live in the UK. Go to: Eaton Antique Bookshop . Books Prints Maps Antiquerian Books, Second Hand Books, New Books, Literture, Art, Poetry, Occult, War, Military, History, Science, Etc. Eaton Bookshop Brighton Street Eton Berkshire SL4 6AF England Tel: 01753- 855 534 - Hours : Mon & Wed -11:30 am - 7pm. Tue Thurs Fri Sat & Sun- 10:30am to 6:30pm 


Come visit Eaton Antique Bookshop we have a wide selection of books various subjects cater to all book lovers. Also we are situated in a beautiful part of England near Windsor Castle you can make it a great day out with the family. Lots to see beautiful coffee shops lots of restaurants Hotels etc And you can even walk by the River. There are lots of Pubs & Nightclubs if you decide to stay for a longer period. This is a friendly town with lots of beautiful sights to see.

http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/EATONBOOKLOVERSUK/




From HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com  Sat May 14 17:55:53 2011
From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com (HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com)
Date: 14 May 2011 17:55:53 -0000
Subject: Weekly Chat, 5/15/2011, 1:00 pm 
Message-ID: <1305395753.596.90204.m14@yahoogroups.com>

Reminder from: HPFGU-OTChatter Yahoo! Group
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/cal

Weekly Chat
Sunday May 15, 2011
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)

Notes:
Location: http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574 
Just a reminder, Sunday chat starts in about one hour.

To get to the HPfGU room follow this link:
http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Create a user name for yourself, whatever you want
to be called.

Enter the password: hpfguchat

Click "Join Chat" on the lower right.

Chat start times:
11 am Pacific US
12 noon Mountain US
1 pm Central US
2 pm Eastern US
7 pm UK



All Rights Reserved
 Copyright  2011 
 Yahoo! Inc.
 http://www.yahoo.com

Privacy Policy:
 http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us

Terms of Service:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://archive.hpfgu.org/pipermail/hpfgu-otchatter/attachments/20110514/23fe990e/attachment.html>

From HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com  Sat May 21 17:56:13 2011
From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com (HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com)
Date: 21 May 2011 17:56:13 -0000
Subject: Weekly Chat, 5/22/2011, 1:00 pm 
Message-ID: <1306000573.9.64765.m3@yahoogroups.com>

Reminder from: HPFGU-OTChatter Yahoo! Group
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/cal

Weekly Chat
Sunday May 22, 2011
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)

Notes:
Location: http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574 
Just a reminder, Sunday chat starts in about one hour.

To get to the HPfGU room follow this link:
http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Create a user name for yourself, whatever you want
to be called.

Enter the password: hpfguchat

Click "Join Chat" on the lower right.

Chat start times:
11 am Pacific US
12 noon Mountain US
1 pm Central US
2 pm Eastern US
7 pm UK



All Rights Reserved
 Copyright  2011 
 Yahoo! Inc.
 http://www.yahoo.com

Privacy Policy:
 http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us

Terms of Service:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://archive.hpfgu.org/pipermail/hpfgu-otchatter/attachments/20110521/8b0dd599/attachment.html>

From justcarol67 at yahoo.com  Mon May 23 20:41:47 2011
From: justcarol67 at yahoo.com (justcarol67)
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 20:41:47 -0000
Subject: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
Message-ID: <iregqb+hcq8@eGroups.com>

Hi, Potioncat and anyone else from below the Mason-Dixon line. I'm editing a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect. I need to know when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made the bed." Is "done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past perfect tense indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past tense, "I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been done ("I done already made the bed")? (I remember once hearing someone in North Carolina say, "It done been settled," meaning "it has already been settled.") Are both these uses correct? Am I missing some other use of "done" in this dialect? I appreciate any help you can give me.

Please don't respond unless you're a bona fide American Southerner.

Thanks in advance,
Carol, who recalls numerous other colorful Southernisms but unfortunately none that can help me with this particular problem




From brighteyes632210 at yahoo.com  Thu May 26 02:33:04 2011
From: brighteyes632210 at yahoo.com (DemonicAngel)
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 02:33:04 -0000
Subject: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
In-Reply-To: <iregqb+hcq8@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <irke50+6oc4@eGroups.com>

I saw your message and had to ask my better half since he was born & raised in central Florida.

We believe the phrase you're looking for would be "The bed's done been made" instead of the correct 'The bed has been made'.

This use of 'done' can vary depending on which southern state the character is from and if they live a large city or in the middle of nowhere. 

Hope this helps.
Nadine 

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> Hi, Potioncat and anyone else from below the Mason-Dixon line. I'm editing a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect. I need to know when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made the bed." Is "done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past perfect tense indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past tense, "I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been done ("I done already made the bed")? (I remember once hearing someone in North Carolina say, "It done been settled," meaning "it has already been settled.") Are both these uses correct? Am I missing some other use of "done" in this dialect? I appreciate any help you can give me.
> 
> Please don't respond unless you're a bona fide American Southerner.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Carol, who recalls numerous other colorful Southernisms but unfortunately none that can help me with this particular problem
>





From onlygoofy at yahoo.com  Thu May 26 13:43:20 2011
From: onlygoofy at yahoo.com (onlygoofy)
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 13:43:20 -0000
Subject: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
In-Reply-To: <iregqb+hcq8@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <irlldo+s3au@eGroups.com>



--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...> wrote:
>
> Hi, Potioncat and anyone else from below the Mason-Dixon line. I'm editing a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect. I need to know when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made the bed." Is "done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past perfect tense indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past tense, "I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been done ("I done already made the bed")? (I remember once hearing someone in North Carolina say, "It done been settled," meaning "it has already been settled.") Are both these uses correct? Am I missing some other use of "done" in this dialect? I appreciate any help you can give me.
> 
> Please don't respond unless you're a bona fide American Southerner.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Carol, who recalls numerous other colorful Southernisms but unfortunately none that can help me with this particular problem
>


onlygoofy now:

I was born & raised in rural middle GA.  Admittedly, I lean to the Southernisms when I visit home and pick up where I left off.  I have used the phrase "It's done been settled!"  but when I tested the bed phrase it came out as "I already done made the bed."  Don't know if that helps or confuses things more.  Grammar is not my strong suit and usually only realize I've slipped into "Southern" when I get a funny look from someone!  

Jenn





From tonyaminton at gmail.com  Thu May 26 21:08:53 2011
From: tonyaminton at gmail.com (Tonya Minton)
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 16:08:53 -0500
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
In-Reply-To: <irlldo+s3au@eGroups.com>
References: <iregqb+hcq8@eGroups.com>
	<irlldo+s3au@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTinKgY8uLPDYoj5RmQnsy+BtuSoSrg@mail.gmail.com>

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" <justcarol67 at ...>
wrote:
>
> Hi, Potioncat and anyone else from below the Mason-Dixon line. I'm editing
a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect. I need to know
when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made the bed." Is
"done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past perfect tense
indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past tense,
"I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been done ("I
done already made the bed")? (I remember once hearing someone in North
Carolina say, "It done been settled," meaning "it has already been
settled.") Are both these uses correct? Am I missing some other use of
"done" in this dialect? I appreciate any help you can give me.
>
> Please don't respond unless you're a bona fide American Southerner.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Carol, who recalls numerous other colorful Southernisms but unfortunately
none that can help me with this particular problem
>

onlygoofy now:

I was born & raised in rural middle GA. Admittedly, I lean to the
Southernisms when I visit home and pick up where I left off. I have used the
phrase "It's done been settled!" but when I tested the bed phrase it came
out as "I already done made the bed." Don't know if that helps or confuses
things more. Grammar is not my strong suit and usually only realize I've
slipped into "Southern" when I get a funny look from someone!
Jenn


NOW Tonya --

Jen says "I already done made the bed"  I would also say.... "I  was fixin
to make the bed" or "I used to could make the bed before I broke my leg."

Hope that helps,
Tonya
(Happily a southern transplant)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




From HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com  Sat May 28 17:56:08 2011
From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com (HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com)
Date: 28 May 2011 17:56:08 -0000
Subject: Weekly Chat, 5/29/2011, 1:00 pm 
Message-ID: <1306605368.509.89702.m14@yahoogroups.com>

Reminder from: HPFGU-OTChatter Yahoo! Group
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/cal

Weekly Chat
Sunday May 29, 2011
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
(This event repeats every week.)

Notes:
Location: http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574 
Just a reminder, Sunday chat starts in about one hour.

To get to the HPfGU room follow this link:
http://www.chatzy.com/792755223574

Create a user name for yourself, whatever you want
to be called.

Enter the password: hpfguchat

Click "Join Chat" on the lower right.

Chat start times:
11 am Pacific US
12 noon Mountain US
1 pm Central US
2 pm Eastern US
7 pm UK



All Rights Reserved
 Copyright  2011 
 Yahoo! Inc.
 http://www.yahoo.com

Privacy Policy:
 http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us

Terms of Service:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://archive.hpfgu.org/pipermail/hpfgu-otchatter/attachments/20110528/b14fb28b/attachment.html>

From justcarol67 at yahoo.com  Mon May 30 15:30:26 2011
From: justcarol67 at yahoo.com (justcarol67)
Date: Mon, 30 May 2011 15:30:26 -0000
Subject: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
In-Reply-To: <BANLkTinKgY8uLPDYoj5RmQnsy+BtuSoSrg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <is0d6i+999s@eGroups.com>

Carol earlier:
> I'm editing a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect. I need to know when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made the bed." Is "done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past perfect tense indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past tense, "I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been done ("I done already made the bed")? <snip>
> >
> 
onlygoofy responded:
> 
> I was born & raised in rural middle GA. Admittedly, I lean to the
> Southernisms when I visit home and pick up where I left off. I have used the phrase "It's done been settled!" but when I tested the bed phrase it came out as "I already done made the bed." Don't know if that helps or confuses things more. Grammar is not my strong suit and usually only realize I've slipped into "Southern" when I get a funny look from someone!
> Jenn
> 
> 
> NOW Tonya --
> 
> Jen says "I already done made the bed"  I would also say.... "I  was fixin to make the bed" or "I used to could make the bed before I broke my leg."
> 
> Hope that helps,
> Tonya
> (Happily a southern transplant)
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Thanks to everyone who responded. I've settled on "I done made the bed" for "I've made the bed" and "I'd done made the bed that morning" for "I had made the bed" (past perfect tense, used for flashbacks and other previously completed action. I've read that "done" can also be used with past tense for emphasis as in "he done went to work already."

I'm not having any trouble with "used to could" or "fixin' to," which are consistent and self-explanatory, only (or primarily) with "done." For example, if I were trying to speak Southern, I might say "before I done broke my leg" because it sounds right (always a bad way of determining correctness in any dialect). But since "broke" is simple past tense rather than present perfect or past perfect, it must be wrong. Right?

By the way, the particular dialect that the writer (who, alas, has lived all his life in California!) is trying to imitate is Appalachian (without going all out into expressions that the reader wouldn't understand). Ya see, God done punished the narrator by a-givin' him a hillbilly accent that he hadn't never spoke with afore.

Am I anywhere close to correct here? Not that the accent has to be precisely correct, only consistent and believable (given the willing suspension of disbelief on the reader's part considering the premise). The novel is actually quite entertaining, one of the most enjoyable projects I've worked on in a long time.

Thanks, everyone.

Carol




From fenneyml at gmail.com  Mon May 30 17:07:33 2011
From: fenneyml at gmail.com (Margaret Fenney)
Date: Mon, 30 May 2011 13:07:33 -0400
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
In-Reply-To: <is0d6i+999s@eGroups.com>
References: <BANLkTinKgY8uLPDYoj5RmQnsy+BtuSoSrg@mail.gmail.com>
	<is0d6i+999s@eGroups.com>
Message-ID: <BANLkTimmdLdxHYJFik9SohP8PrTS8p5FFg@mail.gmail.com>

The Appalachian Mountains extend from Alabama and Georgia all the way up
into Canada so there is no "Appalachian" dialect.  I live in Huntington, WV
and have never heard anyone use any of the phrases that you have discussed
except for comedians like Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy.  Even if
you select one state of the Appalachian area, the speech often varies
greatly depending on which side of the mountains are involved.  I believe
that your dialect would be common to areas of Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee
but you're definitely talking Deep South.  Here in WV we speak with a bit of
southern accent but definitely not with such a dialect and we're roughly in
the middle of the Appalachian chain.

On Mon, May 30, 2011 at 11:30 AM, justcarol67 <justcarol67 at yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>
> Carol earlier:
> > I'm editing a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect.
> I need to know when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made
> the bed." Is "done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past perfect
> tense indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past
> tense, "I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been done
> ("I done already made the bed")? <snip>
> > >
> >
> onlygoofy responded:
> >
> > I was born & raised in rural middle GA. Admittedly, I lean to the
> > Southernisms when I visit home and pick up where I left off. I have used
> the phrase "It's done been settled!" but when I tested the bed phrase it
> came out as "I already done made the bed." Don't know if that helps or
> confuses things more. Grammar is not my strong suit and usually only realize
> I've slipped into "Southern" when I get a funny look from someone!
> > Jenn
> >
> >
> > NOW Tonya --
> >
> > Jen says "I already done made the bed" I would also say.... "I was fixin
> to make the bed" or "I used to could make the bed before I broke my leg."
> >
> > Hope that helps,
> > Tonya
> > (Happily a southern transplant)
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> Thanks to everyone who responded. I've settled on "I done made the bed" for
> "I've made the bed" and "I'd done made the bed that morning" for "I had made
> the bed" (past perfect tense, used for flashbacks and other previously
> completed action. I've read that "done" can also be used with past tense for
> emphasis as in "he done went to work already."
>
> I'm not having any trouble with "used to could" or "fixin' to," which are
> consistent and self-explanatory, only (or primarily) with "done." For
> example, if I were trying to speak Southern, I might say "before I done
> broke my leg" because it sounds right (always a bad way of determining
> correctness in any dialect). But since "broke" is simple past tense rather
> than present perfect or past perfect, it must be wrong. Right?
>
> By the way, the particular dialect that the writer (who, alas, has lived
> all his life in California!) is trying to imitate is Appalachian (without
> going all out into expressions that the reader wouldn't understand). Ya see,
> God done punished the narrator by a-givin' him a hillbilly accent that he
> hadn't never spoke with afore.
>
> Am I anywhere close to correct here? Not that the accent has to be
> precisely correct, only consistent and believable (given the willing
> suspension of disbelief on the reader's part considering the premise). The
> novel is actually quite entertaining, one of the most enjoyable projects
> I've worked on in a long time.
>
> Thanks, everyone.
>
> Carol
>
>  
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




From donnawonna at woh.rr.com  Sun May 29 22:10:28 2011
From: donnawonna at woh.rr.com (Donna)
Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 18:10:28 -0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)
Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Need help with Southern dialect (American)
References: <BANLkTinKgY8uLPDYoj5RmQnsy+BtuSoSrg@mail.gmail.com>
	<is0d6i+999s@eGroups.com> <BANLkTimmdLdxHYJFik9SohP8PrTS8p5FFg@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4DE2C453.000080.02424@TANK>

I'm from the southeastern corner of Kentucky (Harlan County) and have always
heard the word "done" used in place of have/had.  ("I done made the bed."  
I done fixed supper."  "I done done/did it.".

Donna

-------Original Message-------
 
From: Margaret Fenney
Date: 5/30/2011 1:07:38 PM
To: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Need help with Southern dialect
(American)
 
The Appalachian Mountains extend from Alabama and Georgia all the way up
into Canada so there is no "Appalachian" dialect.  I live in Huntington, WV
and have never heard anyone use any of the phrases that you have discussed
except for comedians like Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy.  Even if
you select one state of the Appalachian area, the speech often varies
greatly depending on which side of the mountains are involved.  I believe
that your dialect would be common to areas of Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee
but you're definitely talking Deep South.  Here in WV we speak with a bit of
southern accent but definitely not with such a dialect and we're roughly in
the middle of the Appalachian chain.
 
On Mon, May 30, 2011 at 11:30 AM, justcarol67 <justcarol67 at yahoo.com> wrote:
 
>
>
> Carol earlier:
> > I'm editing a book in which the narrator speaks a rural Southern dialect

> I need to know when to use "done" with the past tense, as in "I done made
> the bed." Is "done" equivalent to "had" ("I had made the bed"--past
perfect
> tense indicating a previously completed action in contrast to simple past
> tense, "I made the bed")? Or does it emphasize that something has been
done
> ("I done already made the bed")? <snip>
> > >
> >
> onlygoofy responded:
> >
> > I was born & raised in rural middle GA. Admittedly, I lean to the
> > Southernisms when I visit home and pick up where I left off. I have used
> the phrase "It's done been settled!" but when I tested the bed phrase it
> came out as "I already done made the bed." Don't know if that helps or
> confuses things more. Grammar is not my strong suit and usually only
realize
> I've slipped into "Southern" when I get a funny look from someone!
> > Jenn
> >
> >
> > NOW Tonya --
> >
> > Jen says "I already done made the bed" I would also say.... "I was fixin
> to make the bed" or "I used to could make the bed before I broke my leg."
> >
> > Hope that helps,
> > Tonya
> > (Happily a southern transplant)
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> Thanks to everyone who responded. I've settled on "I done made the bed"
for
> "I've made the bed" and "I'd done made the bed that morning" for "I had
made
> the bed" (past perfect tense, used for flashbacks and other previously
> completed action. I've read that "done" can also be used with past tense
for
> emphasis as in "he done went to work already."
>
> I'm not having any trouble with "used to could" or "fixin' to," which are
> consistent and self-explanatory, only (or primarily) with "done." For
> example, if I were trying to speak Southern, I might say "before I done
> broke my leg" because it sounds right (always a bad way of determining
> correctness in any dialect). But since "broke" is simple past tense rather
> than present perfect or past perfect, it must be wrong. Right?
>
> By the way, the particular dialect that the writer (who, alas, has lived
> all his life in California!) is trying to imitate is Appalachian (without
> going all out into expressions that the reader wouldn't understand). Ya
see,
> God done punished the narrator by a-givin' him a hillbilly accent that he
> hadn't never spoke with afore.
>
> Am I anywhere close to correct here? Not that the accent has to be
> precisely correct, only consistent and believable (given the willing
> suspension of disbelief on the reader's part considering the premise). The
> novel is actually quite entertaining, one of the most enjoyable projects
> I've worked on in a long time.
>
> Thanks, everyone.
>
> Carol
>
>
>
 
 
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
 
 
 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]