Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: errore nella frase, ma non riesco a capire...

Una delle parole sottolineate di questa frase è sbagliata
In human beings, as in other _mammals_, hairs _around_ the eyes and ears and
in the nose _prevent_ dust, insects, and other matter from _entering_ these
organs.
è tratta da una serie di esercizi per la preparazione al toefl.
Nelle soluzioni dà come sbagliata la parola "mammals"... ma cosa c'è di
sbagliato?
Negli esseri umani, come in altri mammiferi....?
ciao
Akab

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<comunicazione inutile>
Se fosse stato un esame del Cambridge, avrei detto che l'errore era
"around" (non so se il Cambridge sia così rigido e così British...). Visto
che è "mammals", non so che dire.
</comunicazione inutile>
Ciao, FB
-- 
Nasalization is just a part of life.
(Joey DoWop Dee on it.cultura.linguistica.inglese)

 sbagliato?
Forse deve essere "Mammals".
Ciao
Fabio 

 Forse deve essere "Mammals".
Ma no, non è mica tedesco.
L'unico errore che vedo io è la virgola prima di "and".
-- 
Mary

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Perhaps not everybody approves of it, but I have seen it many times, and
some native speakers prefer to use it even before the last item of (in?) a
list in order to avoid misunderstandings.
Since we do know "mammals" is the mistake, I wonder if it was misspelt.
Bye, FB
-- 
Domanda: "Era il figlio di Iside e Osiride".
Risposta: "Thor".
(quiz televisivo)

Bye, FB
La virgola prima di "and" e' corretta.  That comma has generated an an ongoing
controversy.  Some grammarians think it's ok and some think it's not. 
Personally, I don't like it, but then you all know my punctuation is atrocious.
 I don't see anything wrong with mammals.  It's not misspelled and it should
not be capitalized either.  I wonder if they didn't make a mistake.
bye
ari

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I agree; I don't see anything wrong with the word "mammals". As for the
comma before "and", I think it is partially a matter of taste and partially
a matter of style or syntax. I generally don't use it, but in listing many
items, some of which are a bit complex or compound, the comma before "and"
is just logical for the sake of understanding.
WHERE THE !#@$%!#%@#^@$% is MY DSL???????????????
(An example of bad AmEng.)
-- 
Still on a temporary account. Now I've lost the DSL altogether.
Using DIALUP!

 sbagliato?
Magari era scritto "mamals"? Boh.
Sebastiano
-- 
[Nina is holding Jack at gunpoint]
Nina Myers : You didn't think it would end like this didn't you?
Jack Bauer : This isn't over yet. 

 Jack Bauer : This isn't over yet.
Non c'e' un errore in questa signature?
Ciao
Fabio 

 Non c'e' un errore in questa signature?
L'ho presa da IMDB, non le ho lette tutte prima di metterle nel
"randomizzatore".
Imho manca la virgola tra "this" e "didn't you?" e "didn't you" dovrebbe
essere "did you?", no?
Però trovo la citazione in più siti (ma, IMHO, la fonte del transcript è
unica) e non ricordo l'episodio preciso. Se Nina ha detto la frase in quel
modo, così dev'essere la citazione. Non lo ricordo.
Sebastiano
-- 
[Dr. Cox and Jordan are fighting]
J.D. : [thinks] This is bad. I got to stop this. I got to say something.
[out loud]
J.D. : Banana Hammock. 

 essere "did you?", no?
Era quello che pensavo anch'io.
Ciao
Fabio 

 ari
ciao
Gennaro

 English.
Is it American?
Bye, FB
-- 
Emily: "I'm going to Europe and I'm going to have a marvellous time. I'm
going to get up at ten and have two glasses of wine at lunch every single
day."
Richard: "Only prostitutes have two glasses of wine at lunch!"
(Gilmore Girls, 501)

  I don't see anything wrong with mammals.  It's not misspelled
Maybe it was but the OP didn't realize it.
Bye, FB
-- 
"Is this Miss Prism a female of repellent aspect, remotely connected with 
education?". "She is the most cultivated of ladies, and the very picture of 
respectability". "It is obviously the same person".
("The Importance of Being Earnest", Oscar Wilde)

 Is it American?
Usage here can be either way, depending on the writer. I co-edit a
newsletter with someone who will NEVER put a comma before and, because she
"read somewhere" that it's incorrect. I believe that sticking to "rules"
like that can make your writing more difficult to understand.
For example, the comma before "and" in the following sentence makes it
clearer:
Without the comma:
We had all sorts of wonderful things to eat: there were French crčpes, Nova
Scotia salmon, Thai chicken wings, Chinese sausages, spare-ribs, scallion
pancakes, fried rice and marinated squid from Japan.
With the comma
We had all sorts of wonderful things to eat: there were French crčpes, Nova
Scotia salmon, Thai chicken wings, Chinese sausages, spare-ribs, scallion
pancakes, fried rice, and marinated squid from Japan.
(I was hungry at first; now I have a belly ache. :)
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 Bye, FB
ciao
Gennaro

 Is it American?
The serial comma is used in the US because it clairfies meaning in some 
situations where the absence of the comma can lead to unresolvable 
ambiguity. It is often not used in journalism in the US, however, because of 
a tradition that resulted from the desire to save space in short line-length 
newspaper columns. It is not in common usage in Great Britain. This topic 
has been discussed in this newsgroup in the past. 

 check and quote as soon as I can!
I quote:
~~~
Commas in lists. Americans often put a comma before the 'and':
eggs, bacon, potatoes, and cheese. The British usually write eggs,
bacon, potatoes and cheese.
~~~
C'e' da dire che l'Economist Style Guide non e' affatto una
grammatica ma, appunto, una specie di guida con 'consigli' sullo
stile. Le poche pagine sulle differenze tra British ed American
English sono comunque interessanti! Metre or meter? Spring
onion or scallion?
Nice!
ciao
Gennaro

 ~~~
"Uova, bacon, patate e formaggio." In italiano niente virgola, direi.