Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 28, 2012

Good call, Brad. You need to start doing that more often anytime TJ proposes a hair-brained scheme of any kind. You would have more to worry about if it were Christmas or Toni’s birthday.

With all the crap in the stores, in newspapers, magazines, and on radio & television, how could you forget it, Brad? You’re always parked in front of the tube…

Brad would be the April Fool if he goes along with another one of TJ’s ideas.

Brad always starts out saying “NOT LISTENING,” but in the end, he generally goes along with TJ’s schemes.

Been so busy with my last semester of nursing school that I haven’t had much time to read or post on this site. I managed to miss the hubub over Gunther calling Leslie a “greaseball” and Luann idly suggesting that Gunther may be gay, neither of which I found offensive. I mean, it’s Luann. She’s always saying or doing something dumb. It would have been offensive if Delta or Miss Phelps said it, but Luann or Tiffany… not so much.

Then I got to part II of the “TJ’s working at WW” saga. D*mn, Greg! That’s… um… some revenge you’re having TJ take. All to avenge Brad and Toni, right? Right? I did like the part where Ann was trying to upsell like TJ did but couldn’t do it.

It’s… um…. good? that Brad has such an… um… persuasive friend. You know… in the comic strip world, where sexual harassment leads to promotion (look at Ann Eifel).

Greg has lost it. Birthday 2 days ago. Or this strip on 2-15-12. But Brad is a comic. Yesterday could be today. They also have school on Saturday’s.

okay, greg, i’ll bite…

Gee G…. If its like, really 6 weeks after V-day, she would have said something by now…. Something like… “not tonight G, maybe um, another time… I’m busy Dirking my um, laundry…”Bahahahah…!!!!

Don’t do it, Brad! I’ve never trusted that sneak!

“When you’re in love with a beautiful woman, you go it alone…”

I don’t care all that much about Valentine’s day, heh.

Well. um, gee I dunno.

For a “clever” effect, maybe?

No,no,no,no, LISTEN to the JACKASS, Brad.Hell, your Girlfriend DID a couple of months ago and it damned near COST her job.

Yeah, just FORGET about ALL those times Old Smiley made YOU, Your Girl and Your Family look like Morons.

Remember: BAD ADVICE! Its the American Way!!!

TJ. What I wouldn’t GIVE to get My hands around that guys throat for 30 seconds…..,

Brad, do not listen to TJ’s half-baked Valentine’s Day gift advice! He may have Annie Awful where he wants her, but his record otherwise is disastrous! Look forward, not backward!

Erm…you totally missed the point here. Written comments are not the same as spoken ones. For that reason, in many instances like this, “um” is actually used for effect, to convey an attitude, not as a verbal tic or filler. .By stating “D*mn, Greg! That’s…um…some revenge you’re having TJ take”, that implication is that tongue-in-cheek SS isn’t exactly blown away with what Greg’s served up as Ann’s comeuppance. She’s also sceptical about TJ’s motivations. Try substituting an eyeroll or arched eyebrow instead of “um” and all will be revealed.

I’m trying to remember the last time Toni was in the strip— was it before or after February 14th? Anyway, if she was upset about Valentine’s Day, I’m sure she would have mentioned it to Brad by now. Unless, of course, they have not seen each other since then.

There is only one way that TJ’s so-called “perfect” plan will lead – DISASTER. Brad should NEVER listen to him when the subject is the relationship with Toni.

It makes full sense to me that Brad let Valentines Day slip by. Sure, it’s all over the media, but before you’re attached, it makes as much coherent sense to a man as jewelry ads or makeup. Girl stuff. Noise. Ignore. Skip ad. All of us guys saying the penalty for forgetting is dire (true) have already had that experience. Brad never had a girlfriend before. .Early days of Internet I used to warn friends about the impending unholy day of obligation and saved a few hides.

Well. Um, sometimes people forget what they were going to say, you know?

Brad it’s okay, not all girls love valentine’s day.

TJ’s washing dishes. He’s so tidy. And a snappy dresser. And he likes interior decorating.

Such a good roommate.

Question – What was the strip doing back then? Did they leave Toni and Greg completely out?

Has anyone else noticed that Brad has been wearing the same shirt since high school? Or does he have a closet full of them, like Orphan Annie had red dresses?

A “year” of Gunther, Rosa, and Les…now this. {double facepalm}

Right at “I have a perfect plan” Brad should be threatening TJ with eviction. It’s surprising that TJ doesn’t mentally review his track record and slam on the brakes. If he wasn’t Brads best friend, he could be his worst enemy. He wouldn’t even have to change any of his actions.

“I have a perfect plan” – Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

So how do you know TJ is talking foolishly? His lips are moving. Oh, wait – this is 3 panels, not a movie …. And RUN Brad – you need time to think.

Gettig to not look forward to reading this comic. Used to love it and first thing I would do/ wonder if some one else is writing it

lame thread. let’s get back on it, evans. you almost lurched into a good storyline there, last week.

Face it. Toni is just one of those potentially great women who settle for, and are dragged down, by poor choices in men. Maybe it’s a self image thing, but she’s the kind of lady who would turn down a promotion because it might hurt her man’s ego. I don’t believe that there are any real “role models” in this strip……….Greg is captain of The Ship of Fools.

First, Mojitobaby, thanks for putting Mordock on decaf for the week— it appears to be working.Second, Laughed out loud to see Brad plugging his ears, knowing full well he’ll cave. Let me guess— the plan is to have a double holiday April 1st, at which he’ll pretend it’s Valentines Day. And Toni won’t know if it’s a prank.

I’m betting that TJ tells Brad to ask Toni to marry him for April Fools Day, then, if she says “no” he can say “April fool’s day!” but if she says “yes”, he says “yay” :P :D

It’s not a habit so easily broken – when someone pauses in such a way he’s engaging what the Jungians call Introverted Thinking and apparently it is impossible to think and speak coherently at the same time when that happens.What is often not brought out at the speech clubs is that you have to make dramatic pauses out of those times. One of my fellow clubbies, who’s struggled with the problem of using such words for 30 years, expressed his amazement that I could speak with nary a word of that kind. One reason is that I’ve learned to use those pauses for thought to my advantage – when I don’t know what to say, I say nothing but collect my thoughts until I can.

So when did this become an English class, I thought it was a comments section. Unless you are an English teacher speaking to your English class, or your own child, it’s rude to tell someone how they should be speaking or writing.

So, what did Toni give Brad for Valentine’s day?

he’s right, he shouldn’t listen, but he will…. :)

Ah, April 1st. The reason plastic dog poop exists.

You most definitely ARE missing the point, primarily because your premise is flawed at the outset. Firstly, you continue to overlook the fact that is this is not a speech club, secondly, no one has asked you to break them of the habit of using verbal tics, and thirdly, you seem unable to grasp that while they may lack an etymological source, “um”, “er”, etc., are valid interjections; as such, they are often used in both oratory and the written statement, simply because they can convey meaning and emotion in a unique way. This is something most humans are able to grasp; ‘bots, however, may have trouble with the concept.. Since “um” is most deliberately not being used as either filler or a hesitation device here, but is deliberately inserted for effect, it is most definitely not “meaningless". Since its insertion correctly conveys the effect the writer intended, it’s not being used “incorrectly”. .Perhaps you might want to take a blue pencil to ee cummings and take him to task for his egregious misuse of capitals and punctuation? But before you do that, you might want to do some more research about what is actually considered acceptable in a grammatical sense, then reconsider that limb you’re on. Oops, too late! Looks like you’ve already sawn right through it..http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/interjections/list-of-interjections.html.http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/wmbaskervill/bl-wmbaskervill-grammar-parts-interjections.htm

From a grammatical standpoint, ee cummings is a bloody nightmare, so it’s clear you plan to employ a sliding scale of what’s grammatically acceptable. Secondly, “utterings” are a form of oratory, comments here are in the written word. Do, please, try to keep the format straight. .Whether his verses are racy, or not, and would be deleted from this forum, or not, is not germane to the argument. However, the fact that you’re inserted that into the debate tells me that you’re either compelled to display what Henry Adams was pleased to term “inert facts”, or you’re trying a poor attempt at misdirection because you have no rebuttal.

Again, whether anything ee cummings wrote is objectionable and would be deleted here is irrelevant – but obviously you have no familiarity whatsoever with the vagaries of this forum. Since you insisted at the outset on attacking the grammatical form, rather than its content, that’s a very poor attempt on your part to shift the argument. Yes, definitely due to a lack of rebuttal. Red herring cleanup on aisle 3! .And sadly, again, you still insist on defining interjections like “oh”, “ah” and “um” as a “crutch words”, when they most certainly are not when they’re being employed in written form.

O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!So which is that sloppy Will Shakespeare, exactly – a crutch word addict or a 14 year old girl? Certainly not a poet,? Pshaw! The very idea!

I bring a sharpened épée in here and all you can do is yell “catfight”? .En garde, sirrah! Have at thee!

“O” and “um” are not comparable, since “O” is not a crutch word.

By your definition it most certainly is. Sorry, you can’t play favorites over which interjections make a “grammatical” cut when they’re all sounds. By your previous ruling, any word and/or sound that does not have an independent grammatical or legitimate linguistic meaning must therefore be “filler”, and is therefore a “crutch word” by default. “O” is a letter – the fact that it can be used to convey an emotion, mental attitude, or state makes it an interjection – just like “um” and “er”. .Please, do some research before you embarass yourself further. I can recommend Felix Ameka’s excellent 1992 work, The Semantics of Onomatopoeic Speech Act Verbs.

Move over, Gunther…with my simple vocabulary and aging mind, this is one battle I will stay out of.

Obviously not enough of it. “Like”, btw, is generally considered to be a secondary interjection, if it is one at all, since it already has an independent semantic value..Let’s recap, shall we? .First, you assumed that the original poster was somehow “afraid of being interrupted” and was somehow keeping a written flow of speech going using “vocalized pauses”. This is a patently absurd notion in itself, but was made even more so by the realization that this fallacy initially arose because you were incapable of grasping the notion that a written comment and oratory are not one and the same thing, nor are they delivered in the same manner..When several posters (you were first, Mordock, I have civet coffee for you!) pointed out the absurdity of your premise, you attempted to retreat to the grammatical high ground by claiming that one can convey one’s point without resorting to grammatically “incorrect” and “meaningless” fillers. Then, for good measure, you corrected their grammar – because you know that this forum is exactly like the Toastmaster’s Club, which will helpfully work to rid errant speakers of their flaws. Again, written/spoken – big disconnect on your part..When you were directed to several grammatical sites that clearly recognize not only the existence, but the use of, interjections, you tried to go back to the verbal “crutch word” argument – but again, that won’t fly as this is the written word, which you seem to have some trouble comprehending. Then, in a last-ditch attempt to save some semblance of face, you’re now trying to cull a list of “acceptable” interjections among those sounds that have no semantic value or definitin in themselves, using no fixed standard other than that they’re ones that you might personally employ..Keep digging. The only good thing about the hole you’re in is that you may be having sesame noodles for lunch/dinner.

I obviously have too much time! I read ALL the comments on English grammar! AND I laughed the entire time! (Maybe I was actually giggling or snickering or chuckling – it’s a little hard to tell since I was by myself and it’s sort of subjective…)

Listen to him Brad…. Oh by the way dump that blonde bimbo Toni

Change in language is inevitable, and this makes complaints against language change both silly and futile. All languages change all the time (except dead ones). Language change is just a fact of life; it cannot be prevented or avoided….Indeed, the changes going on today which so distress some in our society are exactly the same in kind and character as many past changes about which there was much complaint and worry as they were taking place, but the results of which today are considered enriching aspects of the modern language.

-Lyle Campbell, Historical Linguistics: An Introduction.Shakespeare invented approximately 1700 words that have now pervaded the lexicon -and there is no doubt in my mind that when he did some disgruntled pro-stultificationist at the back of The Globe was outraged at the effrontery of how he was massacring and debasing the language..And to quote Nash’s poem, thinking that it’s a cri de coeur for grammatical perfection is just beyond delicious as far as irony goes. While one of Nash’s pet peeves about said debasement was the rise in bureaucratic euphemisms, he not only deliberately misspelt words for effect (using them rather like…um…interjections), he outright made them up to finish the rhyme. Language is dynamic – it either progresses and changes, or it dies. And English has never been guilty of stagnation, nor has it ever, even in its orgins, been pure. .People respond to the vitality of living things, especially when employed for humorous effect. Which is probably why that, (with the possible exception of Robert Frost) Nash was the only American author in the first half of the 20th century to make a living from his verse.

Excellent point. (No, not the épée! That’ll teach you to look before sitting down.) .Will Rogers never fumbled for a rope, let alone a word, so his use of interjections would have been purely for effect, as were Sideshow Starlet’s. And I’m equally sure the Toastmasters would have helpfully given him his tally at the end of the evening, so that he could do something about getting rid of them.

Yes filler words are inappropriate when writing formal English. For example reports for work or school, or letters and essays for publication. But this is far from Formal English Composition. This is er, um, uh, Oh I know what to call it. It’s cracking wise about a comic strip. It’s only slightly more formal than texting. ROFLMAO.TTFN.

Protracted commentary discoursemanshipisms.

Speaking of The Bard, one of my favorite memories of Senior English Class was the day we were reading one his plays in class. Hamlet if I’m not mistaken. Each of us would read a passage until the teacher was satisfied and would tell the next student to start. The teacher, Miss Masel Turner, would sometimes ask the reader to comment on the passage. My passage had to do with Hamlet being told some information that was untrue. Miss Turner asked me what I got from the passage. Being the sixties and me being a trouble maker I replied that “Just because someone important tells you something, it ain’t necessarily so.” Now I knew I was quoting “Porgy and Bess” but I think my mistake was in not saying it with a “Porgy” accent. Miss Turner clutched her chest because I had dared to say “ain’t” in her English Literature class. She returned to her desk and quitely considered her failure in teaching me proper grammar. Poor Miss Turner. I felt kind of bad for her. Actually she was a wonderful teacher and I did enjoy her class even if I didn’t show it that day.

Dictionary.com…ain’t – Usage note As a substitute for am not, is not, and are not in declarative sentences, ain’t is more common in uneducated speech than in educated, but it occurs with some frequency in the informal speech of the educated, especially in the southern and south-central states.

Gotta love Mojito. She reminds me of my wife………never use 5 words when 500 will suffice.

TJ, leave Brad alone and focus on torturing Eiffel instead.

Nicely done Dave, nicely done.

Valentime’s day isn’t about tender expressions of love. It’s about commercialism, it feels really forced. Besides, no one wants tender expressions of love from someone they’re not in love with anyway, it’s not that “females want it.” Sometimes guys are in love with women and try to be very nice to them but the woman is just not interested and then the guy thinks she’s a “b*tch” for not responding to those nice expressions. It happens the other way around too.