THE BORE

General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: recursivelyenumerable on May 18, 2010, 09:31:12 AM

Title: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: recursivelyenumerable on May 18, 2010, 09:31:12 AM: It always feels awkward to me when I use it. Actually, it always feels like the English language is just missing a possessive pronoun. It makes me want to go file a bug against English.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 09:40:33 AM: Yes, it is.

"Someone whose..."

and

"Something that's..."
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: brob on May 18, 2010, 09:46:05 AM: Not smart enough for this thread... :derp
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Reb on May 18, 2010, 09:52:29 AM: Quote from: Brobzoid on May 18, 2010, 09:46:05 AM
Not smart enough for this thread... :derp

Someone whose confused.

spoiler (click to show/hide)
:teehee
[close]
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 09:55:30 AM: Quote from: jarosh on May 18, 2010, 09:41:22 AM
yes, i hate that. i always have to force myself not to say/write "which's" or "whiches". lol. as odd as that would sound it still feels more logical.

Quote from: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 09:40:33 AM
Yes, it is.

"Someone whose..."

and

"Something that's..."
ouch. i think you might be missing the point:

"this is a person whose nose is..."

"this is an object whose properties are..."

that's what he's talking about.

in your example it's not WHOSE at all, it's "who's".

An object is not a "who" though.

"Someone whose car is fast."

"A car that's windshield is busted."

You wouldn't say "A car whose windshield is busted." anymore than you'd point to a car and say "Who is that?" but you also wouldn't say "A car what's windshield is busted." because then you'd sound like a Brit.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:00:20 AM: I'm using the possessive form of that, not that is. No way am I dropping "whose" into a conversation about inanimate objects, that's how furrydom starts.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:05:05 AM: Quote from: jarosh on May 18, 2010, 10:03:26 AM
Quote from: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:00:20 AM
I'm using the possessive form of that, not that is. No way am I dropping "whose" into a conversation about inanimate objects, that's how furrydom starts.
that's all nice and dandy, but english doesn't have a possessive form of "that" :P

:patel
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:08:08 AM: Hey, I come from the South, or close enough to it, so you guys should all feel lucky that I can even form complete sentences.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:14:13 AM: Quote from: Ruzbeh on May 18, 2010, 10:13:09 AM
Quote from: Borys on May 18, 2010, 10:08:16 AM
How can a swis teach americans english language ???

Scary shit. Great Rumbler got massacred.

Yes, pardon me for not subscribing to the anthropomorphism of inanimate objects!
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:16:24 AM: Someone bring me succotash! I hunger!!
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:22:55 AM: I'm just a modern-day William Shakespeare, making up awesome words whenever it pleases me to do so.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:24:24 AM: Quote from: jarosh on May 18, 2010, 10:23:31 AM
oh man southerners turn me on so much :drool

spoiler (click to show/hide)
:hump :interracial
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:-*
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Don Flamenco on May 18, 2010, 10:24:40 AM: Proper when referring to transexuals, I suppose? Though they probably don't like being called "things."
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 10:24:56 AM: Then you must like Kentucky-Bore alot*

*
spoiler (click to show/hide)
And since Archie and I are from Georgia, even further south, we must get alot of love :hump
[close]
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 10:30:36 AM: Y'all ain't heard a South'ner talkin' good 'til you heard me wax philos'phical 'bout thangs.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Mupepe on May 18, 2010, 10:33:22 AM: Quote from: jarosh on May 18, 2010, 10:27:52 AM
whenever i talk to my friend from texas i make him say "y'all" over and over. gets me insta-hard :omg
You never make me say "ya'll" :'(
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Himu on May 18, 2010, 10:35:39 AM: As someone from Texas I don't see the problem. "who's" for who is, "whose" for...well, whose.

Obama is someone who's cherry plumb cake fell out of his ass.

Obama is someone whose balls drop regularly.

Which is the correct one?

You wouldn't say Obama is someone who's balls drop regularly because that essentially means "Obama is someone who is balls drop regularly" which makes no sense. Thus, I use whose. It's the only thing that makes sense to me there so it has never felt awkward to me and I don't care about analyzing the English language.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Himu on May 18, 2010, 10:36:32 AM: Quote from: Rob Thomas on May 18, 2010, 10:33:22 AM
Quote from: jarosh on May 18, 2010, 10:27:52 AM
whenever i talk to my friend from texas i make him say "y'all" over and over. gets me insta-hard :omg
You never make me say "ya'll" :'(

I didn't realize ya'll was bad until the internet was invented :'( YOU CAN TAKE MY GRAMMAR, BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE MY PRIDE OKAY?
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Don Flamenco on May 18, 2010, 10:40:37 AM: y'all is infectious. I lived in Arizona for a few years, but the midwest for the rest..."y'all" still slips out every once in a while. :'(
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Himu on May 18, 2010, 10:41:51 AM: Don't take away my ya'll :(

DON'T
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Himu on May 18, 2010, 10:46:08 AM: Oh, I see. No, it's not awkward. It's just a word to me.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Himu on May 18, 2010, 10:52:33 AM: :himu
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Flannel Boy on May 18, 2010, 11:28:48 AM: There tends to be a lot of "folk belief" regarding English usage (e.g. prohibitions against starting sentences with conjunctions or ending them with prepositions). "Whose" can be be used with inanimate antecedents.

"a car whose windshield is busted"

Alternatives:

A car with a busted windshield. . . . (This does not convey the same meaning.)
A car, the windshield of which is busted. . . . (This is formally correct, but very awkward.)

Recast:
The windshield on that/this/the car is busted. (This is inappropriate if the focus is on the car itself.)
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 12:43:14 PM: Truly southern people use , and I'll just spell it out how it sounds, wallago. (Hint: It means a while ago)

example in a sentence: Hey, did y'all hear about Tony? He got arrested wallago.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Flannel Boy on May 18, 2010, 01:40:48 PM: Quote from: Ruzbeh on May 18, 2010, 12:41:32 PM
Quote from: Malek J. Lumberjack Jr. on May 18, 2010, 11:28:48 AM
A car, the windshield of which is busted. . . . (This is formally correct, but very awkward.)

'A car of which the windshield is busted' sounds better. And I don't think it's awkward at all.

It sounds very awkward out loud. Why use a stilted construction when a more idiomatic alternative exists?
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: cool breeze on May 18, 2010, 01:44:23 PM: Quote from: Genghis Cohen on May 18, 2010, 12:18:54 PM
I like y'all better than "you guys." Say you guys to a group that includes southern women and you'll get some stares. :'(

who says "you guys"? in my head I imagine a white guy saying it as he watches his two roommates play grab ass without him.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Dickie Dee on May 18, 2010, 01:49:58 PM: "that has its" <---- yes/no?
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 01:50:14 PM: Quote
who says "you guys"?

[youtube=560,345]mkB5-BHxKZI[/youtube]

[youtube=560,345]TFYMijdQ_sA[/youtube]
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: cool breeze on May 18, 2010, 01:51:08 PM: that is not suitable evidence!

Quote from: Genghis Cohen on May 18, 2010, 01:45:54 PM
Quote from: Linkzg on May 18, 2010, 01:44:23 PM
Quote from: Genghis Cohen on May 18, 2010, 12:18:54 PM
I like y'all better than "you guys." Say you guys to a group that includes southern women and you'll get some stares. :'(

who says "you guys"? in my head I imagine a white guy saying it as he watches his two roommates play grab ass without him.

Where the fuck are you from?

a mix of east coast america and persia
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: brob on May 18, 2010, 05:19:38 PM: where do 'yous' fit in?
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: CajoleJuice on May 18, 2010, 05:33:57 PM: da two utes
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Donono on May 18, 2010, 07:31:20 PM: Quote from: Borys on May 18, 2010, 10:24:06 AM
Swiss hipster even... smh @ Amerika

[youtube=560,345]xFVdvXGIT34[/youtube]

:rock

Coca-Cola

Sometimes war!

:american
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Fresh Prince on May 18, 2010, 07:37:02 PM: Do people in the south go, 'Dag nab it!'?
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Bocsius on May 18, 2010, 07:42:16 PM: Quote from: jarosh on May 18, 2010, 05:49:03 PM
a bit ot but i was never quite sure of this: is saying "some-n" instead of "something" a southern thing or did that originate somewhere else? for some twisted reason i really love that. that's how i say it, but i don't remember why i started, it's been years.

Where I'm from (North Carolina), people might (mis)pronounce "something" as "SUH-um". Still (barely) two syllables, but all middle consonant sounds removed and "ng" replaced with an "m" ending. It's could be a regional thing, or it could be a "you say po-TAY-to, I say tater" thing.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 07:43:03 PM: Quote from: Fresh Prince on May 18, 2010, 07:37:02 PM
Do people in the south go, 'Dag nab it!'?

That's heard, but usually from old people. You will also hear "dadgumit" as well.

Also, you will hear the word fix used in weird ways.

Example: I'm fixing to go to the store.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Bocsius on May 18, 2010, 07:44:11 PM: Quote from: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 07:43:03 PM
Also, you will hear the word fix used in weird ways.

Example: I'm fixin to go to the store.

Fixed.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 07:47:52 PM: Quote from: Bocsius on May 18, 2010, 07:44:11 PM
Quote from: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 07:43:03 PM
Also, you will hear the word fix used in weird ways.

Example: I'm fixin to go to the store.

Fixed.

:lol yea thats probably more accurate
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: BlackMage on May 18, 2010, 08:11:13 PM: jarosh is a filthy swede and he knows more about english than us. this is terrible
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Brehvolution on May 18, 2010, 09:02:01 PM: Quote from: Great Rumbler on May 18, 2010, 01:50:14 PM
Quote
who says "you guys"?

[youtube=560,345]mkB5-BHxKZI[youtube]

[youtube=560,345]TFYMijdQ_sA[youtube]

Sloth and a PBS kids show? That isn't very compelling evidence. :lol :lol

spoiler (click to show/hide)
;)
[close]
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Diunx on May 18, 2010, 11:15:21 PM: smh, great rumbler aren't you a man that's a writer?
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Fresh Prince on May 18, 2010, 11:21:43 PM: Quote from: BlackMage on May 18, 2010, 08:11:13 PM
jarosh is a filthy swede and he knows more about english than us. this is terrible
Swiss and probably knows more about German than Germans and French than the French. Probably knows more about Italian than the Italians. smh
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Great Rumbler on May 19, 2010, 12:09:47 AM: Quote from: Diunx on May 18, 2010, 11:15:21 PM
smh, great rumbler aren't you a man that's a writer?

I'll refer you to an earlier post I made:

Quote
I'm just a modern-day William Shakespeare, making up awesome words whenever it pleases me to do so.
Title: Re: "Something whose" -- is it awkward?
Post by: Himu on May 19, 2010, 03:23:01 AM: Quote from: Ganhyun on May 18, 2010, 07:43:03 PM
Quote from: Fresh Prince on May 18, 2010, 07:37:02 PM
Do people in the south go, 'Dag nab it!'?

That's heard, but usually from old people. You will also hear "dadgumit" as well.

Also, you will hear the word fix used in weird ways.

Example: I'm fixing to go to the store.

100% accurate