Re: Interesting archeological discovery - Emperor Qin's tomb

From: Alan Crozier (name1.name2_at_telia.com)
Date: 01/22/05 

Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 00:44:48 GMT

"I.E_Johansson" <inger_e.xjohansson@telia.xcom> wrote in message
news:GlgId.128309$dP1.460197@newsc.telia.net...
> Alan,
> it wouldn't be formed same way in American English as in British English -
> as so many scholars lately noted here and elsewhere the language grammars
> aren't the same neither is the spelling nor everything else.

Nice try, Inger, but I've already told you that the question *would* be
formulated in exactly the same way in the whole English-speaking world. You
are wrong and you're not fooling anyone.

There's a fictitious character called Basil Fawlty, a hotel owner who gets
into constant trouble because he can't admit to making a mistake. So he
usually finds an excuse or tells a lie, and one lie leads to another. It's
very funny.

There's an episode in which he misunderstands the behaviour of a group of
people in one of the hotel rooms. Basil thinks they are engaging in
disgusting sexual behaviour and tells them that they can't stay in the hotel
because all the rooms are taken. His wife Sybil explains to him that the
guests are all members of one family who have come together for a wedding,
and that their behaviour is perfectly innocent. Basil wonders how he can get
out of the embarrassing situation. Sybil has a simple answer: "Tell them you
made a mistake."

This is a totally new idea to Basil, but he can't think of anything better
and he's in a hurry. As he rushes upstairs he rehearses the words, which are
evidently unfamiliar to him: "I'm so sorry I made a mistake, I'm so sorry I
made a mistake, I'm so sorry I made a mistake". But when he finally opens
the door of the hotel room he has found the solution. He announces: "I'm so
sorry, but my *wife* has made a terrible mistake."

Mr Lloyd agrees: "Yes, I think she probably did."

I don't know what made me remember that episode now.

Time for bed...

Alan

Alan Crozier
Lund
Sweden

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