←
→
bugshaw: (NZkiwi)
Add MemoryShare This Entry

Christmas Eve

posted by [personal profile] bugshaw at 07:13pm on 24/12/2004
It's Christmas Eve, and here am I checking my spam while doing laundry at the hotel ;-(

Nah, we've had a very busy few days so it's quite nice to have an evening off.

We are currently at Wairakei, being astonished by the geology. There is lots of past and present volcanic and geothermal activity, with bubbling springs and steaming hot rivers and fumaroles belching sulphurous gases. This is a place where you can fart in a hot tub and no one notices! Bit worried by the film at the Volcanic Activity centre, which said the last big eruption in this area was on a Chrstmas Eve... Wah!

Question of the day. Which of these is correct:
i) A herd of cows on its annual migration
ii) A herd of cows on their annual migration
?

This is a lovely place.
←
→
There are 8 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] hawkida.livejournal.com at 08:08am on 24/12/2004
Is it "Neither, cows don't migrate"?
[link] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] maureenkspeller.livejournal.com at 09:02am on 24/12/2004
What about transhumance? Though I suppose they might not migrate of their own volition ... but then again, is 'migration' the same as 'gee, we've used up all the grass here and need to find some elsewhere?' I can't believe I'm worrying about this on Christmas Eve.
[link] [parent] [reply]
timill: (Default)

(no subject)

posted by [personal profile] timill at 08:30am on 24/12/2004
Mmmmm... volcanoes.

Either is correct: in the first you're talking about the herd; in the second about the cows. So it depends what emphasis you want.

Of course cows migrate - I learned that in Geography class some 40 years ago.

Perhaps it's only old cows that migrate?
[link] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] ramtops.livejournal.com at 08:51am on 24/12/2004
I am *soooooo* jealous - my current life's ambition is to visit NZ, but lord knows when, or even if, I'll make it.
[link] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] red-cloud.livejournal.com at 09:20am on 24/12/2004
It's the herd (singular) that's doing the migrating. "Of cows" is a qualifier for herd, i.e. if you leave out "of cows" the sentence becomes "a herd on their annual migration" which is clearly wrong. So technically "its" is correct.

But you knew this, you tease!
[link] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] purpletigron.livejournal.com at 01:23pm on 24/12/2004
Hmm. You might just be correct in grammatically precise terms :-) ... but 'a herd on their annual migration' isn't too displeasing to the ear, as we know that 'herd' is a collective noun ... I think.
[link] [parent] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] del-c.livejournal.com at 11:33am on 24/12/2004
Both: the herd migrates annually, and so do the cows. By an astonishing coincidence, they always do this at the same time, so when the herd is on its annual migration, the cows in the herd are on their annual migration.

A busful of tourists is making a three-point turn.
A busful of tourists are drinking themselves into a stupor.

In these two sentences, the tourists would not each be making their own individual three point turns, nor would the bus be knocking back the booze. But for the herd and the cows, no problem either way.
[link] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] del-c.livejournal.com at 11:35am on 24/12/2004
Oh! Merry Kiwi Kwistmas to you both.
[link] [parent] [reply]

September

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
  1
 
 2
 
 3
 
 4
 
 5
 
 6
 
7
 
 8
 
 9
 
 10
 
 11
 
 12
 
 13
 
14
 
 15
 
 16
 
 17
 
 18
 
 19
 
 20
 
21
1
 22
 
 23
 
 24
 
 25
 
 26
 
 27
 
28
 
 29
 
 30