Explanation of a silly sentence...

[ll_billym]

Can someone explain the 'Scrabble' sentence in the link below to me please by putting it in different words or however makes sense. The other sentences I can make sense of but not that one. Thanks. http://www.futilitycloset.com/2008/11/19/what- 3/

[MalcolmY]

This may go some way to explaining it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_while_John_ had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_had_a_ better_effect_on_the_teacher

I can explain this one by putting in a few extra words and changing others, thus:
(In an essay) John had had (the word) HAD but James had had (the words) HAD HAD. (Full stop)
(James's words) HAD HAD had had a better effect ,etc.

If you are still confused try changing some of the hads to used:

In an essay, John had used the word HAD but James had used the two words HAD HAD. The words that James used had had a better effect...

It's supposed to be clever and to illustrate how it is possible to repeat one word many times in a sentence and maintain grammatical sense. On the other hand it can also demonstrate the need for punctuation to convey clear meaning.

I think it was Stephen Fry who wrote a sentence containing 7 consecutive prepositions. It concerns a small boy whose mother had brought upstairs a book on Australia from which to read him a bedtime story. "What have you brought a book to read out of on down under up for?"

[bednobs]

that is a brillant explanation. i wish i could give you some stars

[mollykins]

should it be a why not what in your last sentence malcolm.

why have you brought a book to read out of on down under up for?

[another-view]

What is better.

"What have you done that for"
"Why have you done that for"

What sounds better.

[mollykins]

thats sentence is completely diferent though.

[another-view]

It is still a sentence that demonstrates what...for and why...for

[jno]

'why for' isn't English, at least standard English; 'what for' means 'why'.

Churchill once said, when someone criticised him for ending a sentence with a preposition, 'This is the sort of English up with which I will not put'.

[scotman]

If you put 'why' then surely you remove the final 'for'

[joggerjayne]

My current bugbear is "whence"

As in ... "Go back from whence you came"

Or, worse ...

"Go back to whence you came"

Which are both painful.

... because "whence" means "from where"

So the above sentences should simply be ...

"Go back whence you came"

It's one ot those things that grates.

Sorry to interrupt.

JJ x

[ChuckFickens]

LOL, it's a simple one, but it grates on me when people say "PIN number"....

So that will be your "personal identification number number" then!!

[joggerjayne]

Great example, Chuck x

[ll_billym]

Ok, stars for Malcolm. Only two though as he didn't explain the scrabble sentence but I did work it out by substituting words.

Hey Chuck those same people use their PIN numbers in the ATM machines.

[squarebear]

Indeed, I remember being on a YTS scheme as a lad. That's a youth training scheme scheme.