Killvion are just very good with spelling. I mean, do you know how many living cells make up Killvion? That's a lot You're using Valve as in the company Valve. Not just Gabe, Mike, Doug and everybody else. You can't walk up to the janitor there and say, "Hey, why did you fuck up Portal 2?" You can however, walk up to the current representative(s) of Valve and ask them that question. At that moment you're talking with Valve, not Gabe or Mike. As long as they're working and representing Valve, you're talking with Valve Corporation, a singular unit that ships games.
Here in the Netherlands we call this a "personification". You grant a thing, like a company, features of a person (being able to say/do something). Easiest example in the current situation would be: "Valve said they would release Halo 8 in 2024". Valve is a company and can't speak. The people that work for Valve however do have this magical ability and they do it. However you're talking about the company and not about it's employees. Because you "pretend" that the company is a human and can therefore speak, you will grammatically treat it like a person. A person is singular, and that's why we use a singular verb after a company. I took the liberty to freely translate my study book for Dutch grammar. Yep, it's that awesome...
We dont take English so seriously over here in England hehe What your saying is all perfectly correct of course
But it's true, it's kind of grammar slang. Since we can understand each other by missing words out and using slang, it just becomes a habbit. I'm sure it is the same with other languages. *Checks to make sure I have put all the gammar in properly*
Yeah of course it's the same here, if you'd learn Dutch, you'd still be flabbergasted by our slang and way of writing. But I just want to learn what's slang and what is just correct.
There's an easy way for that, Killvion. Just use the expression in question in one of your english lessons, depending on the reaction of your teacher you should be able to find out wheter it's slang or not.
From what Kilvion has said to me before he knows English better than his teachers; certainly the way he expresses himself on the forum/steam chat and in mumble you would never really guess that English is not Kilvions first language, except the accent.
I'm usually told that I have a American accent And about the teachers thing, it's not that I'm better than my English teacherS, but only the current one. All the other ones are better than me, because they seriously studies the language in University. However the woman that is in charge of preparing me for my final exams is really rather... stupid :roll: If, e.g. we are reading a text with the whole class, and in that article there is a word we don't know, she won't know either... And in some occasions I do know them, and she doesn't. That's just not acceptable in my eyes. The teacher should have quite a higher level than the students... Oh, while we're at it. Can someone please explain me the correct use of the apostrophe, without just giving an wikipedia link.
It is generally used as a break in the sentence to give the reader a chance to catch his breath, but is intended to be a smaller pause than a full-stop. Surely you didn't need me to tell you that?
Lmao, yes thats a comma 300 xD He means using things like: isn't, can't, Alias' etc Im probably the worst person to ask as my English skills are shocking. Well the one inbetween words is pretty easy, its just used to cut down the word. However if you were writing an essay or something thats for a formal read. "I didn't think that it was a good idea" < Pretty informal and should only be used when talking on here and in convocation etc "I did not think that it was a good idea" < Correct way if you're doing formal writing. So yeah, the comma is just joining 2 words together by taking out some letters. Do not = don't < bye bye 'o'
Oh dam dam dam my bad The APOSTROPHE is used when 2 words are shortened and joined together, like do not becoming don't. Or it is used when talking about possessions or someone's something, like Kilvion's accent. It is also used when making a word a plural that already ends in an s. For example James's computer. Some argue that (and this is my preference, as i have a name than ends in an s) that you only need the apostrophe, and not the extra s. So it would be James' computer. Edit: Ninja'd
Yeah it was only about the possession thing, I get when to use the apostrophe when shortening words But things like: a few days' holiday. "days" does not own "holiday"... so it's not about someone's possession. The case of: "The party will be held at St. Bavo's in Haarlem" But it is: "The problems of the unemployed." Not "The unemployed's problems", while it are their problems. Or, "In the name of love" but not "In love's name". However it is in God's name and for heaven's sake... And why is there an apostrophe after "a friend of my mothers'." but not after "a friend of mine/yours/his/theirs etc etc Is there any logic in all this?
Doesn't that have to do with another S? Like a few days when multiple would be dayss or something? Like a friend of my motherss, but you can't have that extra s so it's an '?