What Tense Formations Should I Use When Discussing Time Travel?

  • Thread starter Thread starter lisab
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the appropriate tense formations to use when discussing time travel, referencing the book "Time Traveler's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations" by Dr. Dan Streetmentioner as the primary resource. Participants humorously explore the complexities of language and grammar, particularly in relation to time travel scenarios. The conversation also touches on the historical context of a 1918 Army literacy test, highlighting its flaws and the absurdity of certain linguistic constructs. Overall, the discourse combines linguistic analysis with comedic elements, emphasizing the challenges of mastering tense formations in speculative contexts.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of English grammar and tense structures
  • Familiarity with speculative fiction concepts, particularly time travel
  • Knowledge of the "Time Traveler's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations" by Dr. Dan Streetmentioner
  • Awareness of historical literacy tests, specifically the 1918 Army literacy test
NEXT STEPS
  • Research advanced English grammar, focusing on subjunctive and conditional tenses
  • Explore the implications of time travel in literature and its impact on narrative structure
  • Read "Time Traveler's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations" for a deeper understanding of tense usage
  • Investigate the historical significance and methodology of the 1918 Army literacy test
USEFUL FOR

Writers, linguists, and educators interested in the complexities of English grammar, particularly in speculative fiction contexts, as well as those studying historical literacy assessments.

Science news on Phys.org
lisab said:
I'm not sure if pernicious pedestrians are translucent :frown:.
I think the answer is dependent on whether or not you're familiar with any ironic blast furnaces.
 
I am definitely illiterate.
 
Last edited:
Borek said:
I am definitely illiterate.
I am illiterate in more languages than you are. (nyah, nyah). I am barely literate in English, but have yet to establish that level of proficiency in another tongue.
 
zoobyshoe said:
I think the answer is dependent on whether or not you're familiar with any ironic blast furnaces.

http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/20000/3000/900/23960/23960.strip.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:
lisab said:
...based on this literacy test used by the Army in 1918:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/09/24/army_literacy_test_used_on_recruits_in_wwi.html

I'm not sure if pernicious pedestrians are translucent :frown:.

No, they are not.

Reasoning:
An infinitesimal titanic bulk is not possible.
Vagrants usually don't posess immaculate cravats.
Laconic messages are never verbose.

Therefore, pernicious pedestrians cannot be transluscent.


There's four versions of the test (starting on page 282) and all four use the same answer key. That way, all four tests can be distributed randomly without making the graders' task more difficult.

There was a serious problem with this test, though, when given in Florida. Deaf and blind men possessing crippled seeing eye dogs invariably failed. But what else is new? Having a hard life was nothing new to those guys.
 
I think there is a contradiction in terms here.
If a pedestrian is translucent, he cannot be pernicious.
 
BobG said:
Deaf and blind men possessing crippled seeing eye dogs invariably failed.

Especially if their blindness was caused by subjunctivitis.
 
  • #10
Be it was subjunctive, this sentence became pernicious. Like my cousin Anemia. Every allusion is an illusive illusion.

Write if you find work.
 
  • #11
jim mcnamara said:
Be it was subjunctive,

And don't forget the extra tenses needed to deal with time traveling:

You can arrive (mayan arrivan on-when) for any sitting you like without prior (late fore-when) reservation because you can book retrospectively, as it were, when you return to your own time (you can have on-book haventa forewhen presooning returningwenta retrohome).
(Douglas Adams, H2G2).

Time Traveler's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations is a grammar book by Dr. Dan Streetmentioner. It is about what tense formations to use when discussing time travel, and is supposedly "the main work to consult on this matter."
However, the book is an exceptionally dull read,and most readers only get as far as the section on the Future Semiconditionally Modified Subinverted Subjunctive Intentional before giving up. Because of this, in later editions of the book all pages beyond this point have been left blank to save on printing costs.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
Replies
8
Views
9K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
6K
Replies
76
Views
43K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 44 ·
2
Replies
44
Views
8K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K