Assume v. Presume

Trev said:
It's all in the accent.
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I don't think nucular is in the accent, it's just wrong. The word is nuclear. It's not as though there is a different spelling for the British and American versions (as in Aluminium and Aluminum) [Damned spell checker underlined aluminium and wants to change it - bog off!]:D)
 
If you ever meet an American, ask him to repeat after you:

Helium
Lithium
Beryllium
Chromium
Uranium
Gadolinium
Aluminium​

...even a thick one should see the pattern.
 
prpr said:
Doesn't in my browser. Suggest you get a proper British dictionary... or a better browser.
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The last version of Firefox that works for me gets the spellings wrong. I can't be bothered to work out how to change the dictionary as: a) I usually use a different browser that doesn't spell check (but it wouldn't access a website I wanted so I switched to Firefox, and then came to the forum), b) I usually ignore spellcheckers or, if I don't, I double check some other way. I thought it was annoying because it flagged up the very thing I was trying to point out.

Chrome - no thanks, too much Google stuff has to be prevented from running.
 
Here's an interesting one I've been meaning to mention for a while.
Here in Yorkshire, when I happen to visit a bakery, I notice that people ask for a "sausage roll" with the emphasis on "sausage" whereas I would put it on "roll".. Seems to be a consistent regional thing... what about other parts of the UK?
 
The placement of emphasis in words and phrases is a characteristic identifier of regional accents. The Welsh tend to stress the second syllable (with a slight hesitation). Bristolians very nearly omit the last syllable altogether ("Bristo' ").
 
af123 said:
I notice that people ask for a "sausage roll" with the emphasis on "sausage" whereas I would put it on "roll".. Seems to be a consistent regional thing... what about other parts of the UK?
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I think it is the same emphasis on both words here.
Black Hole said:
Bristolians very nearly omit the last syllable altogether ("Bristo' ").
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Thought I'd heard something similar on holiday in the Devon/Cornwall area - although that was many years ago.
 
I haven't noticed that, af123, but never go into places where people ask for sausage rolls.
 
When I was in Canada (1987), it was never understood that I wanted cider unless I said "APPLE cider" (with the emphasis on "apple").
 
Mike0001 said:
My wife is worse than me.
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Trev said:
Off topic a bit, but this IS The Arms.
Had the argument with my wife a couple of days ago about it, so is a genuine question, not a 'pick up'. Should it be 'me' or 'I'? I reckon 'I'. My usual test is to 'complete the sentence' and in this case a full sentence would be "My wife is worse than I am." and 'me' fails the test, but 'me' does not sound wrong without the added 'was'. HWMBO can usually pick up a misplaced 'I' or 'me' at a thousand paces.
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You're right, to be strictly correct it should be "I".

The reason "me" does not appear obviously incorrect is because of commonality of usage (including by I).
 
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