The Lemon Fool

I visit my local shop, I select and place my intended purchase, a singular newspaper on the counter. The young lady scans the said item and says "That'll be £1.60 altogether". Although probably grammatically correct I somehow feel annoyed at the retort, am I alone in assuming this statement should pertain to multiple items? Or am I a grumpy old man making an incorrect assumption about the youth of the day...

Pedants' Place

Calcarius wrote:I visit my local shop, I select and place my intended purchase, a singular newspaper on the counter.

Should there be a conjunction somewhere in your sentence and, possibly, different punctuation?

The young lady scans the said item and says "That'll be £1.60 altogether". Although probably grammatically correct I somehow feel annoyed at the retort, am I alone in assuming this statement should pertain to multiple items? Or am I a grumpy old man making an incorrect assumption about the youth of the day...

I'm unsure it is grammatically correct but can't comment on your age, how you feel, nor how you view the youth of today.

Welcome back.

Perhaps next time, ask "And how much separately?"

Watis

Calcarius wrote:I visit my local shop, I select and place my intended purchase, a singular newspaper on the counter. The young lady scans the said item and says "That'll be £1.60 altogether". Although probably grammatically correct I somehow feel annoyed at the retort, am I alone in assuming this statement should pertain to multiple items? Or am I a grumpy old man making an incorrect assumption about the youth of the day...

What was so remarkable or unique about the newspaper? Or do you mean it was a single newspaper?

The word "altogether" could also refer to the total price of the newspaper plus the 0% VAT chargeable on newspapers. Or you could just put it down to a charming affectation.


GS

I think the young lady has been educated to the modern policy , where the previously sufficient single word is replaced by a verbose two or more e.g. twice has become "two times ", homosexual " same sex ". Using one word , especially a long one, is considered "posh ".

Using one word , especially a long one, is considered "posh ".

Hmm... what would they think of Jacob Rees-Mogg's using floccinaucinihilipilification in a parliamentary debate?

stewamax wrote:

Using one word , especially a long one, is considered "posh ".

Hmm... what would they think of Jacob Rees-Mogg's using floccinaucinihilipilification in a parliamentary debate?

I'd think he was an infantile vainglorious anachronistic narcissist.

John

redsturgeon wrote:

stewamax wrote:Hmm... what would they think of Jacob Rees-Mogg's using floccinaucinihilipilification in a parliamentary debate?

I'd think he was an infantile vainglorious anachronistic narcissist.

John

Funny, that's exactly what I thought when he appeared on R4's Today this morning.


GS

The most entertaining thing about Rees-Mogg is how when he gets a bit too much media attention, Boris gets goaded into reacting with a big speech or article. It's the rivalry of the Toffoons.

I have checked a few online dictionaries and they define "altogether" as "in total" (plus other definitions). If this definition is taken as being precise, then the word can be used for any number of items (from zero upwards) or any amount of substance. Whether this definition should be taken as being precise is another matter.

Did she say "all together" rather than "altogether"? What would the price have been if the newspaper pages had been distributed around the shop?

"Newspaper" can be used as a mass noun as well as a singular noun. Did you buy some newspaper?

Julian F. G. W.

Perhaps most people buy more than one item and she is used to using the same form of words?

In order of annoyance, I would rank it well below that of being referred to as "yourself” instead of “you”.

jfgw wrote:"Newspaper" can be used as a mass noun as well as a singular noun. Did you buy some newspaper?

Easily answered by actually reading the OP ("my intended purchase, a singular newspaper").

Scott.

The young lady scans the said item and says "That'll be £1.60 altogether"

I would be silently thanking her for not prefixing ( the ubiquitous and pathological ) superfluous, leading "So".

malakoffee wrote:

The young lady scans the said item and says "That'll be £1.60 altogether"

I would be silently thanking her for not prefixing ( the ubiquitous and pathological ) superfluous, leading "So".

I'd also thank her for not ending with "today".

Calcarius wrote:I visit my local shop, I select and place my intended purchase, a singular newspaper on the counter. The young lady scans the said item and says "That'll be £1.60 altogether". Although probably grammatically correct I somehow feel annoyed at the retort, am I alone in assuming this statement should pertain to multiple items? Or am I a grumpy old man making an incorrect assumption about the youth of the day...

Perhaps she was saying "That'll be £1.60. All together." and expecting everyone in the shop to chant "That'll be £1.60".

https://youtu.be/0wxp-NxJny8

swill453 wrote:

jfgw wrote:"Newspaper" can be used as a mass noun as well as a singular noun. Did you buy some newspaper?

Easily answered by actually reading the OP ("my intended purchase, a singular newspaper").

Scott.

"A" newspaper is made of "some" newspaper so the answer to my question is obviously "yes". If you buy "a" newspaper, you are buying "some" newspaper. It could be that the lady was referring to the quantity of newspaper comprising the newspaper. (Somehow, though, I very much doubt it.)

Julian F. G. W.

madhatter wrote:Perhaps most people buy more than one item and she is used to using the same form of words?

My original thoughts, she has a stock answer that is wheeled out on every occasion never thinking about its relevance to the conversation.

To add to other suggested annoyances may I add ' Can I get..", as in "Can I get a pint of Carlsberg* please" (*Insert you noun here). If the member of staff says "yes" I half expect the customer to leap over the counter and retrieve their purchase themselves.

All in all, when all is said and done, at the end of the day, it is just an example of one of those meaningless phrases that many of us, being human, like to use in everyday conversation.

John

And after the "that will be" there was a look of horror when I proffered a Scottish banknote this afternoon in deepest Surrey. However my Scottish Plastic (Card) was accepted. And I was helpfully told that if I went to a local bank, they may exchange my Scottish notes for something less sinister. I don't know what the exchange rate would be, but clearly the retailer thought that they were probably worthless. I'm afraid I can't remember whether or not the "altogether" was used, but it certainly wouldn't have applied, in the view of the retailer, to the status of the UK's component countries.

apologies for the preceding post, which, on reflection, was more suited to Bitter Lemons.
And I have to admit, that on the following day, when buying two hot drinks (in different Surrey premises), I tentatively asked if they would accept a Scottish Banknote, and was told "Of course we do". So currently its a score draw.