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Thread ID: 93467	2008-09-17 21:52:00	Another aircraft taking off type problem	Thomas01 (317)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
706027	2008-09-17 21:52:00	I was amazed to see the many replies to my simple new thread (aircraft taking off from a conveyor belt) last week, and I cannot resist throwing another into the forum. This was one I used to use when I was a teacher. It kept many better classes arguing for ages. I first saw the problem in a 19th century STRAND magazine. Two little boys were looking at a very exaggerated picture of a circus elephant balancing on its trunk. The first boy says. "Bert, do you believe that?" The second lad looks and says "I don't fink there ain't nufin what an elephant can't do!" The question is what did the second boy really think? I just hope it causes you as much brain fag as it has me over the years. Tom	Thomas01 (317)
706028	2008-09-17 21:58:00	Hmm, with a remark like that, and being a small boy, "thought" was probably not yet on his CV.	R2x1 (4628)
706029	2008-09-17 23:13:00	Was the first boy Ernie? :confused:	dolby digital (5073)
706030	2008-09-18 00:26:00	Two double negatives. Split up and rewrite the statement: "I don't fink there ain't nuffink that an elephant can't do" ["ain't nuffink" = "is not nothing" = "is something/anything"] Therefore (improving the grammar a tad): "I don't think there is anything that an elephant can't do" Then: "I think there is anything that an elephant can do" In other words, using good (better) grammar, the speaker thinks an elephant can do anything. But other than that R2x1 is closer to the truth: little boys aren't capable of coherent thought - in fact, as the aircraft thread has demonstrated, some big boys aren't either... :D I might have posted this before: How do you get down from an elephant? You don't, you get down from a goose. :banana:banana:banana	johcar (6283)
706031	2008-09-18 01:43:00	Two double negatives. Split up and rewrite the statement: "I don't fink there ain't nuffink that an elephant can't do" ["ain't nuffink" = "is not nothing" = "is something/anything"] Therefore (improving the grammar a tad): "I don't think there is anything that an elephant can't do" Then: "I think there is anything that an elephant can do" In other words, using good (better) grammar, the speaker thinks an elephant can do anything. Mmmm.....maybe not. :D "Don't think" has a common meaning which is the reverse of the literal words. Usually we interpret "I don't think" as "I do think..." However, if you take the words literally, they plainly mean "I do not think (believe, hold the view, opinion etc)" that X is possible. So.....the boy is saying he doesn't think the elephant can do anything. However - the question is what did the second boy really think? If we accept the common reverse meaning of the phrase "don't think" as a kind of positive negative, then Johcar is correct. Of course this might be completely off beam and the elephant is balancing on a piece of luggage = trunk. Just hope it isn't sapient pearwood. :D	Winston001 (3612)
706032	2008-09-18 03:39:00	Quick, count the legs (from a place of safety).	R2x1 (4628)
706033	2008-09-18 07:28:00	Two double negatives. Split up and rewrite the statement: "I don't fink there ain't nuffink that an elephant can't do" ["ain't nuffink" = "is not nothing" = "is something/anything"] Therefore (improving the grammar a tad): "I don't think there is anything that an elephant can't do" Then: "I think there is anything that an elephant can do" In other words, using good (better) grammar, the speaker thinks an elephant can do anything. If you make the first two negatives cancel each other out, you are left with "I think there is nothing that an elephant can't do" (isn't that the way it is usually done?) - so he is saying what he intended, which is quite often not what happens when people talk like that.	Greven (91)
706034	2008-09-20 06:50:00	If you make the first two negatives cancel each other out, you are left with "I think there is nothing that an elephant can't do" I agree Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
706035	2008-09-20 17:37:00	I agree Cheers Billy 8-{)Ditto. Although the plane won't fly. ;)	Greg (193)
706036	2008-09-20 21:31:00	Ditto. Although the plane won't fly. ;) I'm beginning to regret ever starting this thread. Talk about getting confused.	Thomas01 (317)
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