Teeth, Braces, and the English Language or Variations there of.

[June Ewing]

No: HPFGUIDX 190315

> June:
> Her parents wanted her to carry on with her brace, which means
> she has them already .... If it was past tense she would have
> said I had braces ... and if it was future ... it would have
> been more like "My parents wanted me to have braces" (or get
> braces).

> Steve responds:
> Yes, if we assume prefect and proper English, but in everyday
conversation people do not speak in perfect and proper English.
> In many cases the intentionally use grammatical errors.
<snip>
> So, yes in proper perfect English, it is stated in the present
tense, but that does not necessarily mean it was intended in the
present tense. Which is why I asked about common UK English speech
in everyday usage. We have people who live or have lived in the UK
here in the group, and I wonder if, in common language, it was fair
> or even possible to assume future tense in Hermione's statement?


June:
Not everyone uses poor English, why assume they do, you can just
as easily assume the use good English. I think it is silly to make
an assumption based on the fact that you don't want something to
be true. The logical thing is to take it at face value until you
know that the person you are talking about is using poor grammar.
I myself don't see J.K. Rowling as someone with limited grammar
skills and believe that she has very good English having seen her
in a few interviews, but if you want to go with the assumption that
she has poor grammar, that is your right and you may do that. I
myself do understand that a lot of people do not use proper English
all the time. For instance, I use proper English when talking to
people who could better my situation (bosses who can promote me
etc.), I use proper English when at an event where I am to be on my
best behavior, however get me at a party with friends and my words
are ain't got and radical and words like that.

I wrote at one of the colleges at UofT and I believe that one place
it is very important to use proper grammar is when you are writing
a publication that will be read by many people. I beleive most
writers feel that way and as I said, I have seen J.K. Rowling in
interviews and she comes across as very educated, so I would not
assume that she is using poor grammar in her books. Besides, you
know what happens when you assume.