Good Or Bad Grammar?

[Daij]

Is it good grammar to end a request for something with the term, "as far as conveniently possible."
I heard that today and felt it was the most cumbersome phrase I'd ever heard. But is it grammatically correct?

[jno]

Quizmonkey, anticipate is correct. The thanks are anticipating the assistance.

If you can say "as soon as possible", you don't have to add an "is".

[kevanswerbank]

'...if you will' springs to mind.

[Quizmonkey]

No, Jno, it's not correct. One of the commonest errors in English, in fact. Most people think it's synonymous with 'expect' whereas it actually means to see something coming and do something about it.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100154915/expecting-the-misuse-of-the-word-anticipate-the-real-rules-of-the-english-language/

[Obiter]

In which case jno is correct. You see the help coming and you do something about it, i.e. thank the person.

[Quizmonkey]

Haha, nice try, Obiter.

[jno]

Obiter has said exactly what I meant. The writer is not just expecting assistance, he's acting on the expectation by offering thanks before it's actually been given. The normal thing is to say thanks afterwards.

As in your link: "it conveys the meaning of acting in expectation of an event."

[boxtops]

I do dislike TIA - what happens if nobody helps? I'd far rather say "I look forward to your response" then thank them when they've actually done something helpful.

[Obiter]

One of the downsides of the abolition of grammar schools is the demise of the teaching of Latin. Even a small competence in that would remove the necessity for such queries.