Grammar / Spelling / Punctuation Discussion and Appreciation (questions welcome!)

[Skydiver]

There is a town in Wyoming, Buford...population 1. A single person lives there and runs the local gas station, convenience store and repair shop....and it's called a town.

So if a place with only one person could be called a town, anyplace can

slang terms

Burg
one horse town
wide spot in the road
glorified rest area
pit stop

more poetic
Island of civilization

[Goose]

In France, there are six officially designated towns that have a population of... zero! *useless fact*

[SF_and_Coffee]

Roadhouses?

No; that means something different in the US. Here, a roadhouse is usually a bar, often a somewhat rough one. Live music may or may not be featured; ditto for unplanned brawls.

[Skydiver]

Really, unless you're talking about a place like Coldfoot Alaska - the only town between fairbanks and the north sea...so literally only town for hundreds of miles and it's mainly a truckstop, or a few stretches of the desert or places like wyoming where you're 200+ miles between towns, there's not much of the US where you don't have a town of some sort every 30 miles or so. Now, like here in Kansas, some of those may be a half dozen houses clustered around a grain elevator, but technically they are somewhere to stop and get help or at least someone to call for help if you need it. I literally dont' think there's anywhere in kansas where you can drive for more than 20-30 miles without seeing signs of life. (the turnpike is the most desolate stretch of road because it cuts through the flint hills where they just run cattle, but there are still rest stops every 30 miles)

(there's one stretch of I-80 i believe where it's 100+ miles between towns, and you are well warned with signs that you better fuel up before you cross it)

We have a lot of open empty space, but nothing like Australia's outback where there's nothing for hundreds of miles.

Also here, with cell phones, if something happens you're not totally out of touch, although it can get tricky with mountains blocking towers

[Whytewytch]

Hope it's okay to do this, but just wanted to let y'all know I just started a thread called Beta Central. It's a place to offer your beta services and ask for beta help.

[Feast of the Muse]

Hey girls and guys! Just stopped in to say hello, and I miss chatting with you guys. Whytewytch, I think that's a great idea! I've been wanting to try my hand at being a beta.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Hey girls and guys! Just stopped in to say hello, and I miss chatting with you guys. Whytewytch, I think that's a great idea! I've been wanting to try my hand at being a beta.

*GLOMP*

I was getting ready to send out a search party for you! Where've you been? How are you? Welcome back! Don't disappear on us again!!!!

[Feast of the Muse]

Hey Ana! I've been sorting things out so that I can get my butt into the Navy. Now that DADT is just holding for the wait to be over, I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it. I'm back in Nashville and just raring to go. Some friends and I were talking about Dragon*Con (only a month away!!!) and since I'm going as Sam Carter, I figured I'd best get myself back in here and around my fellow 'gaters. I have missed you all!!!

[SF_and_Coffee]

I wondered if maybe your absence was related to your military plans. Any idea when you'll be doing that?

[Feast of the Muse]

Whoa, dude, happy 1500th post!

I'll be enlisting (going to MEPS for processing) as soon as the wait is over. So, 21st September. I have to say, I am happy that I get to go the the Con and that Amanda Tapping will be there. I don't know when I'll get to go to another one.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Wow, I didn't even realize how close I was to 1,500! Thanks!

And, I'm stoked for you! I just hope that once you've gotten through training and whatnot early on -- which I know is going to take up all your time for a while -- you'll find time to still hang out here with us when you have a free hour here and there.

[Whytewytch]

Whoa, dude, happy 1500th post!

I'll be enlisting (going to MEPS for processing) as soon as the wait is over. So, 21st September. I have to say, I am happy that I get to go the the Con and that Amanda Tapping will be there. I don't know when I'll get to go to another one.

Good to see you back. Enjoy basic training! Or try not to hate it too much. My boy just got back from his RT at Whiting Field NAS and was thrilled with the experience. He'll be doing winter RT, as well. You enlist on my b-day!

Glad you like the beta thread idea. Get your butt in gear, soldier! I outrank you now.

[mathpiglet]

Hey Ana! I've been sorting things out so that I can get my butt into the Navy. Now that DADT is just holding for the wait to be over, I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it. I'm back in Nashville and just raring to go. Some friends and I were talking about Dragon*Con (only a month away!!!) and since I'm going as Sam Carter, I figured I'd best get myself back in here and around my fellow 'gaters. I have missed you all!!!

*pounce*

Feast! Great to see you again!

[fems]

Okay, so I have a question. It's one of those things that I never quite seem to get.

Is it supposed to be 'was' or 'were' in the following sentence?

"This area of the base was restricted and only authorized personnel such as himself w... allowed to roam these corridors."

I automatically go for 'was' in this case because to me 'were' just doesn't sound right. I know... that's not a very correct way to decide what words to use but overall that's how I write and basically how I learned English so it's worked for me in the past.

When google-ing I came across something similar and basically the answer is the following:

"Personnel," like "staff," can be either singular or plural, depending on whether or not the group is acting as one or as a group of singular, countable individuals.

But I don't know how that make that distinction. In the case of authorized personnel I'm inclined to say it should be treated as a group acting as one and not a group of singular, countable individuals which basically means it should be 'was' in my example.

Thoughts anyone?

[LizzieAnne]

Hi fems

My first instinct says it's were. It sounds right. It may be my Brit English usage, but for me 'authorised personnel' is plural.

It also has something to do with the situation- 'the roaming' - which is imagined but isn't certain to occur. So were applies. I think.