>You have proven my statement. :o) I am 'educated', but obviously not 'well-educated.' :o) As to 'Pratt,' I've never heard that term before.

My interest in Eng lang and grammar does stem from going to a grammar school, but it's not cos I'm an English "scholar" - I just take a great interest in languages. I only studied English to age 16.

I do remember in infant/elementary school once when i wrote something like "I could of done that" (because of my accent). The teacher corrected it with "have" and my interest was sparked from that moment on. The primitive grammar chip in my head (only running on an 8086) reasoned "Yes, you pratt, 'of' means 'belonging to' where this is a 'doing word'". That's a mistake I still seeing MANY adults make and I can't understand how their sophisticated adult brains can't perceive the fundamental error.

>
>
>>>Me too. I thought it was a silly humourous statement. Terry's command of the English language is so far advanced from mine though that he grasps understandings from words that I don't.
>>
>>Aw, now you're just trying to get round me with flattery! :-)
>>
>>>I think the word may have a different connotation to it in England than it does here in the states.
>>
>>from that which it has here in the States Sorry - being a prigg!

To be quite honest I'd probably have phrased that concept just as you did. That's why I jokingly crossed out the priggish correction - cos that WOULD be priggish :-) But if I were writing that statement in, say, a technical doc., or as part of the narrative of a novel, I'd have phrased it more carefully :-)

>>
>>Here, we use a lot of English words differently than from their original meaning which is incorrect I know, but habit.


Now we HAVE discussed that, haven't we? That's a US thing :-)

>>
>>Just HAD TO!!!!
>>
>>BTW, do you lot use the expression "pratt", meaning an "pathetic idiot"? Many people here with the surname Pratt (like the dr in ER) would have it chaged by deed poll.
>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I'm sure you did but Alex has already got me down as Terry the prig (I've been called some names in my life but never that)
>>>>>
>>>>>>I apologize. I meant it entirely in jest and good humour...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Then I apologize. It was not meant that way. It is not a word I'm that familiar with. Hadn't seen it in years. "Priggishness" sounded funny. No harm meant.