Comments on: Links for June 11, 2008

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 01:01:22 +0000

No grammarian here, but I want you to know that I actually have met the Buffalo buffalo to whom your link refers. And I have a membership to their zoo home!!!

By: Melissa Wiley

Melissa Wiley — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:37:06 +0000

LOL Kathryn!!! Well done!

The answer I’ve heard to this riddle is this: The owner of a quaint English pub, the Bull and Thistle, commissioned a painter to make him a sign. After some discussion, he decided he did not want hyphens between BULL and AND and AND and THISTLE.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:35:04 +0000

Oh bother! Two too many ands …it should be an ‘ “and” and’ less. Screen too small and I lost count.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:26:42 +0000

I have twelve.

The sentence Patience wrote has “and” and “and” and “and” and “and” and “and” and “and” and “and” and the overall effect is very repetitive.

And try typing that on an iPod touch!

By: patience

patience — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:34:38 +0000

Sorry, I suppose actually you have to have no breaks between the Ands? In which case you just need several people named And, as in “There once was a family who named both their children And - And and And, and you may imagine the confusion which resulted from this.”

Not an interesting or inventive sentence, but it does the job.

By: patience

patience — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:30:44 +0000

Mr And and Mrs And went to And Village and visited their And relatives.

By: Melissa Wiley

Melissa Wiley — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:38:03 +0000

ROFL. A hint: unlike the buffalo sentence, this one has other words in addition to and. It’s a long sentence in which “and” can be used correctly five times in a row.

Another hint: I heard it as part of a story about an English pub sign. There are other ways to make it work, though.

You’re on the right track, though, Karla. It’s used as a noun and a conjunction only. Not a verb.