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/lit/ - Literature

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18895849 No.18895849 [Reply] [Original]

Imagine writing for a living and not knowing the difference between "could" and "couldn't"

>> No.18895851

>>18895849
>Imagine writing for a living
Sounds gay

>> No.18895856

both are applicable here, dumbass

>> No.18895860

You're retarded but hopefully you can understand: not every word, phrase, and sentence in a piece of literature needs to be semantically correct. Google what a usage dictionary is. Get one. Look up the phrase "could care less".

>> No.18895882

>>18895856
Could and could not are diametrically opposed in meaning. How could both apply, you fucking retard?

>> No.18895907

>>18895849
you're just autistic https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/could-couldnt-care-less

>> No.18895912

you're all retarded, just ask OP for the full paragraph

>> No.18895922

could care less doesn't exist outside of burgerland

>> No.18895984

>>18895922
this, I'm a slav and "could care less" sounds nonsensical to my L2 english speaker ears

>> No.18895994

>>18895849
Us Americans must be better able to use context than eurofags.

>> No.18895995

>>18895849
Imagine not knowing what voice is.
Go back to your cookie-cutter YAs full of as-sentences and She was x

>> No.18895997

maybe the character is a dumb whore

>> No.18896024

>>18895907
>There have been numerous theories about why people began to drop the negative particle, including... lack of education
really got me thinking

>> No.18896046

>>18895922
>>18895984
it's an ironic modern twist on the original idiom, mostly becoming a version of it, except if taken literally it could also mean that she does care (and could care less)
regardless of how it's used, it's as trite as the original and only a 20-something cretin would include it in their work

>> No.18896052

>>18896046
you're a retard
it's a common figure of speech
to omit it would be like omitting 'hey' or 'okay then'
I guarantee you're one of those obnoxious posers who writes in fucking 19th century style

>> No.18896054

>>18896046
it's not really an idiom

>> No.18896059
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18896059

>>18896052
>to omit it would be like omitting 'hey' or 'okay then'
Do burgers really?
Don't tell me that dialogues take up more than 10% of your work too

>> No.18896076

>>18896052
just use the “I don’t / didn’t care” and avoid coming off as a retarded zoomer

>> No.18896082

>>18895849
>makes an issue out of semantic details instead of interpreting the obvious meaning behind the words and moving on

I could care less OP

>> No.18896105

>>18896082
It's just annoying because as I mentioned, this guy writes for a living. He literally has one job and he doesn't know the difference between could and couldn't. It's just cringe. It frustrates me that this guy made millions and he's shit at his job.

>> No.18896121

>>18896046
Let's not pretend people are being stupid """ironically""". They just don't know any better.

"Could" and "could not" mean the same thing now. "Literally" and "figuratively" mean the same thing now. What's next? "Yes" and "no" mean the same thing? "Up" and "down"? "Left" and "right"?

>> No.18896138

>>18896059
yeah god forbid people speak right?
no ones gonna read your turgid tome of self-indulgent autofellatio turbopseud

>>18896076
yeah no one should say anything different right? you can't write for shit.

>> No.18896157

>>18896046
It's not a twist on anything. People are just retarded and don't understand they're speaking incorrectly.

>> No.18896173

>>18895849
This is from American Psycho, correct? Since an editor didn't fix that I feel like he should be given the benefit of the doubt here. Considering the narrator, it could be on purpose in order to convey ambiguity towards his thoughts, since you can't know if it's a deliberate error or not.

>> No.18896228

>>18895984
It is nonsensical but there are many Americanisms which are actually nonsensical. In America, use of the English language is highly liberalized and open to contextual interpretation. Basically, if you know what the person means or wants to say, then it’s fine.

>> No.18896230

Depending on what book that's from, slang like that might be out of place. But in general, just accept that set phrases can have non-literal meanings

>> No.18896242

>>18895849
>Anaholian

>> No.18896624
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18896624

>>18896138
>thinking that "I could care less" is an original way phrase

>> No.18896797

Imagine being so pedantic you get mad over this

>> No.18897191

>>18896624
go back to twitter, coon.

>> No.18897198

>>18897191
Have never had an account.
What is a coon? Something from the vocabulary of a person who uses "could care less"? Sounds like one.

>> No.18897207

>>18897198
ok ESL fag
sorry if you cant understand language that hasn't been covered in Pimsleur

>> No.18897236

>>18897207
It seems that you are living in a country with niggers. My apologies.

>> No.18897878
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18897878

>>18895856
do Americans really?