10% of college grads believe Judge Judy sits on the Supreme Court

a reply to: Aazadan

One ought to speak precise, formal English with persons one does not know, or is performing a business transaction with.

When familiarity is achieved, one can work out with ones conversation partner, what the parameters of ones less formal, more comfortable manner of communication might turn out to be. Until then, some decorum and precision would be advisable.

originally posted by: Blackmarketeer
Here's the thing about a lot of polls conducted on college campuses - college kids will go out of their way to give bogus ridiculous answers just to mess with the pollsters. When I was in college pollsters would set up in the food courts or in town near the favored drinking establishments. No one ever took the polls serious, mix in polling in a pub and you'll get answers like these.

Thank you, I was coming to say exactly the same!
I have experienced the same and I know students still do it now.

And I disagree with those that said that you don't need intelligence to get a degree, you do need intelligence and the ability to work really hard or many wouldn't fail or drop out. To get a degree is not easy, it requires hours and hours of dedication.

a reply to: TrueBrit

That goes both ways, like I said languages evolve and in the context of money or time a couple no longer means precisely two. It's an issue on both sides of the conversation. The lesson is that if you want $2 back you should specify that you want $2 back in change rather than a "couple of bucks".

a reply to: Aazadan

No, that's incorrect. A couple always means two. There are too many physical representations where a coupling is always two, I challenge you to show me a physical representation where a coupling is anything other than two.

You seem to be confusing a couple with a few. A few means two or more. It makes zero sense to have a coupling which can mean more than two. We already have a term for that.

A coupling means two, period.

Everyone I've ever known understands this until these 5, precisely 5 individuals I've encountered in the last couple of months, that would mean two months.

It's absolutely ridiculous to evolve this term to mean more than two. There is no reasoning behind it.

a reply to: xuenchen

If the universities and colleges had kept the idea that a broad Liberal-Arts & Humanities background (first two years of college - required courses in things like Western Civ, history, literature, various STEM classes, etc) IS REQUIRED before declaring a major, if that curriculum had not been axed, more of them would know it. As it is, they are churning out 'vo-tec' students who don't have a clue.

When schools teach only "technical skills" and leave out world history, philosophy, and other such necessary requisite foundations, that's what you get.

Bring back required coursework for 1st and 2nd year students - make them finish those BEFORE they can even declare a major - but that's not the way it is anymore.

Sad.

originally posted by: pl3bscheese
a reply to: Aazadan

No, that's incorrect. A couple always means two. There are too many physical representations where a coupling is always two, I challenge you to show me a physical representation where a coupling is anything other than two.

Incorrect. In the contexts of money and time, couple no longer means exactly two. It means an imprecise but small amount, for what it's worth few means the same thing but is more than a couple.

www.merriam-webster.com...

Read number 4 in the definition.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Thank you for being someone who understands this concept. Far too many people in general (and the majority of posters on this website) believe college education is ideally just job training, and that it shouldn't teach other concepts.

a reply to: Aazadan



Thanks for being here.