A rave review of Charlbury on myLondon

Tue 19 Nov, 21:46

If this Forum has a flaw, it's that we can't insert pictures. Because if we could, here's the picture Miranda's article would be accompanied by.

And that, Hans, sums up the limitations of the STEM argument. Yes, without STEM we wouldn't have the ability to encode references in running gags about Molesworth. But without Molesworth and his like, would life be worth living? And, of course, it's only because our ancestors a century or two back learned Classical Greek and Victorian German that we acquired the skills to encode references. 

Tue 19 Nov, 10:05

A focus on STEM topics might be more useful for individuals and society. 

Tue 19 Nov, 08:51

Copilot:

Charlbury: A Haven for Gerund Enthusiasts

Nestled in the heart of Oxfordshire, the quaint town of Charlbury is known for its picturesque landscapes, rich history, and a community that shares a unique passion for the English language. Among the many linguistic interests that flourish here, the knowledge and use…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 19 Nov, 08:08 (last edited on Tue 19 Nov, 08:11)

Michael, I almost cited you in my earlier comment as the-man-most-likely-to-know. I've never heard of an "imperfect adjective", and will investigate. Meanwhile I stand by my gerundive suggestion.

A gerundive, if my failing memory serves me, is the adjectival version of a gerund - in other words when a present participle (in English) is used as an adjective "indicating necessity, obligation, or propriety". Cato's Carthago delenda est is the example I was taught. 

Tue 19 Nov, 06:58

Stephen:

Are you sure your example is a gerund? It read to me, he said smirking, more like an imperfect adjective.

Tue 19 Nov, 06:53

"Quaint" here doesn't come from a tourist. It's been scraped, or churnalised or whatever the right adjectival participle would be, from the Michelin Guide. Which describes the town as "quaint".

And that really does gast my flabber. Charlbury's pretty, a lot of its buildings are old, several are still a bit shabby  - but Charlbury's not quaint. You might call a few of our prettier neighbours (like Bibury or Burford) quaint - but not Charlbury.

I can see why the churnalisers do it: they're all about cheese-paring. But Michelin's all about exercising fine judgement: the only cheese they'd ever pare would be a full bodied Comte - or in England, a farmhouse Lancashire or a Rollright they've just rolled out.

Yet Michelin calls us "quaint". Which is like us calling Michelin "A book about where Jeremy Clarkson's grabbed a few sausage rolls lately". Perhaps we should call Michelin "Jeremy Clarkson's food guide". 

That'd teach them.    

Mon 18 Nov, 15:51 (last edited on Tue 19 Nov, 09:45)

Apparently Gerunds act like nouns, but they look like verbs, as in "Everyone enjoyed Adrian's show-dancing". Do I get a prize for linking two Forum threads?

Mon 18 Nov, 12:50 (last edited on Mon 18 Nov, 15:58)

John, in Latin we were always taught that "a GerundIVE is a passIVE adjectIVE!" 

After reflection, you are absolutely correct! 

Mon 18 Nov, 06:52

Isn't it a gerundive?

Sun 17 Nov, 23:57

I feel an acronym coming on:

F O B T E L

You may message me privately with your answers.

Some Anglo-Saxon knowledge may be required, and there is a Present Participle. Or more probably a Gerund.

Have fun!

Sun 17 Nov, 19:19 (last edited on Sun 17 Nov, 19:24)

"Quaint" - is often the adjective of a tourist. What a dull representation of Chorlbury!

And to Clive, it's a safe bet about the flocking of Londoners this winter - it's called Little Mavis and Little Billy etc. coming down from London for Christmas! The names are random! You could indeed insert any names you like!

Sun 17 Nov, 11:46

It’s a rewriting of the Mirror piece (the Mirror and MyLondon are from the same vampire press group, Reach) which in turn was influenced by the Telegraph article – what commentators call “churnalism”. Certainly the Oxford Mail now uses ChatGPT to write its articles and it wouldn’t surprise me if Reach does too.

Sun 17 Nov, 11:07

Has anyone made out the aerial view Photo? Is it Charlbury? Where did all those weird tree shadows appear?

Sun 17 Nov, 10:23

Yes I agree, it has the wooden writing style of AI. Is this forum scraped for Charlbury content?

Can we experiment with‘interesting facts’ about Charlbury and see if any get picked up in future bot articles?

Sun 17 Nov, 07:56

It also reads like it was 'written' by ChatGPT. Which it probably was. Perhaps the robots will invade next!

Sat 16 Nov, 20:38

To give a flavour of the accuracy of the report:

... over 100 of Charlbury's traditional brick buildings are listed  ....

Brick?  Oh aye ....

Sat 16 Nov, 16:40

I spotted this rave review of Chartlury on a site called MyLondon, whatever that is.  You should be able to read it if you follow this link.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/tripideas/the-quaint-cotswolds-town-70-minutes-from-london-named-one-of-the-best-places-for-a-winter-break/ar-AA1tn6xP?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=3ea6ee7542bf4b79ad3fd4c96f520348&ei=32

I'm sure we all look forward to floods of Londoners descending on us this winter!