LNH/ACRA: Alt.stralian Yarns #4: Reading Clocks

[Tom Russell]

Mitchell wrote:

> Really? Awesome! I feel so old-school, yo. I actually got my
> inspiration for that from Adam Roberts (A.R.R.R. Roberts), probably in
> particular from _The Va Dinci Cod_. I don't suppose you could name a
> wReam/Russel story where this is shown? You've piqued my interest now.
> =)

I don't remember ever using it myself. :-)

I should have, though.

> > I think Tom and Arthur and Rob should all move over to this part of the
> > world so we don't have to worry about this every year. :)
> Addressed to the above mentioned: Start swimming. Right now. Go.
> And that should have been 'Tom, Arthur and Rob'. Or possibly 'Tom,
> Arthur, and Rob', although I think that the second comma is an uncommon
> American convention. I don't know why, but the two 'and's just stuck
> out to me when I re-read this. =S

Grammatically speaking, one should usually list things as "name comma
name comma and name" (or, for that matter, "name comma name and name"),
but I think the use of "name and name and name" evokes the actual act
of listing something, in which each "and" serves as a de facto
comma/incantatory word.  It's also more commonly used in casual
conversation, and evokes that casuality.

I can't say for sure, but I think it was the latter Martin was going
for. :-)

> > Martin
> ~Mitchell
Tom