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Exactly, Malone!
That was my point.

My late husband used to get so annoyed when listening to the radio or watching someone on the television saying something like

It is fairly unique, or
it is almost unique

He used to shout out "it's either unique or it is not unique...it cannot be fairly, or almost unique" and often added "you cannot be fairly pregnant or almost pregnant.. you either are or you are NOT"
Oh dear!

I'm annoyed each week with Jeremy Paxman on University Challenge saying something like "With an average age of 22, let's meet the team...."

Rusty
"Three men in a boat" is delightful. We read it at school and I have re-read it several times. I live not too far from where the story is set .
Off to the land of nod now.... Zzzz

I love "Three men in a boat", but I think "Three men on the Bummel" is less well known. There is a great description of different types of cyclists - it still rings true today!

That probably comes under the "dangling participle" umbrella, Chris!
One of my particular fetishes is split infinitives - and ending sentences with prepositions!

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, I have read "Three Men in a Boat".
A great tale!
It is very humorous and I think you would enjoy it!
The book is by Jerome K. Jerome and is based on the author , Jerome himself, and two friends.
There is also a dog called Montmorency.
They take a fortnight's boating holiday up the Thames.
There was also a film - very popular, as I recall, and also very funny!
Yes, try the book - I can recommend it!
The Eggheads tonight were asked what is 20: 20 vision?
a) the distance from the eye chart
b) the number of letters read
c) the height of the letters
Despite having heard this phrase many times , I realised I didn't know the answer!
And surprisingly, too, the Eggheads needed to discuss it!
But they did come up with the right answer, which turned out to be the distance from the eye chart!
I learn something new every day!

It's more the subject of the sentence shifting, elle - "let's" means "let us" in the second part, but the "average age of 22" refers to the team.

Split infinitives is a bit of a red herring, though - grammarians dislike them because they can't be done in Latin; but how is that relevant to English?

Elle, your 'fetishes' are fine - so long as you know they are... not necessarily correct. (I've consulted three grammar books before typing this!)

Rusty, I should have said that your grammar, or use of English, for the 're-reading again' didn't bother me - I just don't like ambiguity, I wondered how many times you'd read the book.

Chrise, I meant to say that I agree with you on Jeremy Paxman - I wince most weeks.