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Misused and abused words / The Phrase

Misused and abused words / The Phrase

Lead/led - "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Let's start with the most common verb form of "lead": It's pronounced leed, with a long e, and it means, more or less, "to guide," "to direct," or "to be first." So far so good. Its past tense is "led," pronounced with a short e. So, "lead"=present, "led"=past. Sounds easy, right?

The reason this gets confusing is that "lead" can also be a noun. With a long e it means "the person in front" or "leash" or "the first card played" or "the distance a base runner is from the base," as well as some others. But it can also be pronounced with a short e, in which case it's the metal that's in a pencil. (Or was, before lead poisoning, but anyway.) So because "lead" can properly be pronounced with a short e, it's easy to think that that's how the past tense of the verb is spelled--but it's not.

Harry leads his year in detentions
Jack has led SG-1 into some interesting situations.
The lead in my pencil needs sharpening.
Why isn't your dog on a lead?
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
Jim led Blair to the temple.

In example:

You Can Lead A Horse To Water, But You Can't Make It Drink ( you can show people how do do things, but people must help themselves ... )
(proverb) says that you can give people what they need to help themselves, but you can't force them to do it; people need to help themselves. Example: "I told her exactly what to do, but she didn't listen to me." Reply: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."

30,354 views 59 replies
Reply #51 Top

English by and English teacher

English by an English English teacher....wot?
End of quote

I suffer with an arthritic condition and am prone to typos as a result... and youre picking on me?  ;P

Okay, okay, i know it's a lame excuse... but it's mine and I'm sticking to it. :w00t:

There is no such thing as 'more pregnant'. Pregnant is an absolute.

Not really so: Ask the decatetramom (octomom plus her prior sextuplets).
That's pregnant and a half, Jafo.
End of quote

Not to mention just plain stupid... aleady having 4 kids through invitro and knowing there's a high chance of multiple births, she still went ahead with it anyway.  Like WTF was she thinking, still living at home with her mother and no partner to help raise these kids?  I mean, it's hard enough being a single parent with two kids, been there, done that, and there she is bringing more into a pretty fucked up World when she already had four... and more than enough to cope with already.

And given that she's had cosmetic surgery to look more like Angelina Jolie, who considers her a stalker, there's something seriously wrong with this woman's head.  I pity those poor kids... without a full-time father... any father at all, they are not going to enjoy the kind of lifestyle or upbringing they deserve by virtue of being born.

Strong views, yeah, but I can't tolerate people having children for having children sake, because with four already that's what it looks like, and those kids will ultimately suffer her selfish mistake.  As far as I'm concerned, sterilise the bitch before her 5 minutes of fame is up, otherwise she will do/try to do it again.

Reply #52 Top

Did you hear? One of the cable channels is offering her a reality show! She's gonna make money off this after all...... :(

Reply #53 Top

Did you hear? One of the cable channels is offering her a reality show!
End of quote

Now who in their right mind would want to give this Angelina Jolie wannabe a show of her own??  I mean, like there isn't enough of this 'reality crap' on TV already!

More to the point, who in their right mind would sit and watch it?  It's not like she's even a real celebrity with a glamourous lifestyle... nope, just a plain, everyday individual with the tedious job of raising 10 kids.  How mundane!  If I wanted to watch stuff like that, I would have video taped the daily bringing up my own kids for a real connection.

She's gonna make money off this after all
End of quote

Personally, I'd put every cent in a trust fund for her kids... otherwise she'd spend it on more 'look-a-like' cosmetic surgery and more invitro to pump out a few more.

Reply #54 Top

Now who in their right mind would want to give this Angelina Jolie wannabe a show of her own?? I mean, like there isn't enough of this 'reality crap' on TV already!
End of quote

$, That's what it's all about. They don't give a crap if sucks or not.

Reply #55 Top

but people must help themselves ...
End of quote

All in all whoever and whatever be the idea behind whats what. People are people and they do what they want to do. But then again some do as what other people want them to think they are doing and such the like to fame and fortune.

Question's are: Do they really know how? or what? Like where is the line drawn in the sand for this type of thing?

:star:  

Reply #56 Top

Quoting BONEHEADdb, reply 4

Now who in their right mind would want to give this Angelina Jolie wannabe a show of her own?? I mean, like there isn't enough of this 'reality crap' on TV already!

$, That's what it's all about. They don't give a crap if sucks or not.

End of BONEHEADdb's quote

And that's why the World is in an economic mess... companies putting out crap purely to profit themselves and not giving a shit.  As for TV locally, I can count on the fingers of one hand how many quality TV shows there are... stuff I'd actually sit and watch, that is. About 90% these days is mundane reality crap (ooh how I hate all those 'vote 'em off shows) and lifestyle shows aimed at getting people to buy stuff... in other words, huge product advertisements.

I watch just 5 hours of TV a week now... actually, 3.6 hours when you take out the ads and station promos.

Reply #57 Top

     It's all about money. Always has been, always will be. Decatetramom knows this. Look at the bucks she's raking in. So far others are picking up the tab on what the babies need. What is really a shame is how these children will view the world they've been born into. I wouldn't want to see them hurt, god forbid but......who is really going to be there for them. Will their mom? Probably but not in the way a 'normal' mother should be. I know that sounds harsh but you have to remember how she brought them into this world. Certainly not in the conventional way. I'm convinced she did for the money what with six kids already and her fifteen minutes. Tell me she actually cares and I'll eat my hat!!

     And as far as reality shows go...there's only one reality and that's the one we're living right now. No jobs...no place to live...people going hungry...swine flu pandemic killing people all over the world...health care so expensive it's beyond the reach of people with meager means...this is reality not that bullshit those greedy dipshits put on the boobtube. What makes it so damn irrational is that they know this and just don't give a damn!!

Reply #58 Top

The prime motivator for 98% of everything that happens is MONEY.

Reply #59 Top

Tell me she actually cares and I'll eat my hat!!
End of quote

I can't... and that's why I believe those kids should be adopted into warm, caring, two parent families who will love them for who they are, not the cash cows their mother sees them as.  That may sound harsh, but I just don't see them getting the kind of nurturing, love and care all kids deserve... and should get if they are to become decent, respectable adults.

Sadly, however, the 'mother' will hang onto them for grim death and, devoid of a proper upbringing, an education in morals, scruples  and principles, I see some of these kids devolving into lives of crime to get by/ahead.  I hope that I'm wrong, but the odds against it are not good.

And as far as reality shows go...there's only one reality and that's the one we're living right now. No jobs...no place to live...people going hungry...swine flu pandemic killing people all over the world...health care so expensive it's beyond the reach of people with meager means...this is reality not that bullshit those greedy dipshits put on the boobtube. What makes it so damn irrational is that they know this and just don't give a damn!!
End of quote

This is why I rarely watch television any more... there's too much bullshit and bad news on it.  Nope, I don't even watch the new/current affairs anymore... 99% is too depressing, and the other 1% is about how the rich and famous live, which is also depressing when so many are living below the poverty line while they live in luxury and greedily horde their billions.

As for the reality show, well they are 100% bullshit and spit in the faces of decent folk who, though no fault of their own, are struggling to make ends meet.  The trillions spent producing this crap is a disgrace... an insult to humanity, nothing more.  And to add insult to injury, most if not all participants (supposed contestants) are wannabe actors who can't get jobs anywhere else, so many of these 'reality' shows are founded entirely on bullshit.  It's all staged, yet the producers sell it as 'rea'l and expect viewers to believe the scenarios and that the competition is real.

A classic example of bullshit was The Bachelor a while back starring Aussie tennis star, Mark Phillipousous.  Yeah, right!  There was no way on earth he was going to marry one of those wannabe actresses, but the producers still churned it out and expected people to watch/believe it.  Oh, and to answer any questions that may arise, concerning my knowledge of it, I caught the tail end of it some nights while waiting for Stargate to start... which is another pet peeve of mine... program schedules never running on time because of excessive ad breaks/station promos running over.

Another thing that gets up my nose big-time about late night TV here is the highly repetitive inclusion of mobile phone sex ads trying to sell videos and etc... not to mention the constant/too frequent 'preamature ejaculation/erection problems' ads.  After 11.30pm they come back to back throughout the night until the early hours of the morning...usually stopping around 5.00 - 6.00am before the kids get up.  YUP, wall to wall 20 - 30 second sex ads that go for that too often are epeated 2 or 3 times per 4-5 minute ad break, which usually is scheduled about every 10 - 12 minutes apart.... and all aimed at selling porn and peddling pills.

So how does this relate to the OP/remain on topic?  Like um, the word 'reality' when used to describe total bullshit shows with wannabe actors.  However, it's the too frequent use of "premature ejaculation" ... "erection problems".... "get 'blah-blah' stripping on your mobile phone".  Now that is more than an abuse of words and phrases.  HELL-O-OO-O!!!!   "Like I didn't hear it 30 seconds ago, or the other 200 times the ad played since 11.30pm.... and it's now only 2.00am!!"

The prime motivator for 98% of everything that happens is MONEY.
End of quote

And none these pill peddlers, moblie phone sex merchants or reality (?) producers will be getting ANY of mine... not after they've repeadtedly insulted my intelligence to such a degree I feel like I want to go out and strangle the bastards.