Quote:
Originally Posted by mugaliens
I'll be blunt: Using the term "maths" is an incredibly lazy, and grammatically improper shortening of the term Mathematics.
Except in Britain, where it's origens date to 1911, so no foul on those of you across the pond.
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So you use the wrong form of "its/it's" in a sentence immediately after a complaint about something being "grammatically improper"? Everyone seems to think it's just Gillian who gets irritated by this, but I am just as bad.
(I was going to complain about something else you said, too, but on rereading, I realise you hadn't said it after all. So consider yourself shouted at, then abjectly apologised to!)
I teach (British) English to foreign students, and sometimes, for light relief, I get them to discuss differences between UK and US English. I particularly like the fact that in a restaurant, you pay the bill with a cheque in the UK, and you pay the check with a bill in the US.
Little moments of delight in a hard-working teacher's daily life...