# Painful confession time: Things you \*ought\* to know but \*don't\* **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 30, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836 "2010-04-30T06:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/41 "2010-05-01T06:10:58Z")
Lay vs. Lie. I read the rule, THINK I’ve got it down, and then when it’s time to use one or the other, have no clue which one is required. Grrrrrrrrr… ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/42 "2010-05-01T06:12:56Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Being in the field I am, and the part of the world I’m in, and the relevance of recent events, I really ought to be able to tell you all about the [1997 Asian Financial Crisis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_financial_crisis), but offhand I just have the vague recollection that Thailand torpedoed its own currency somehow, “hot money” bailed out of the region, and northeast Asia wasn’t affected so badly because its markets weren’t as open as its neighbors to the south. this is why the financial community needs regulation and oversight. Seriously. My new position will require me to spend a lot more time in Taipei. I’ll buy the beers and explain what it was like and why it’s important. I should understand driving directions when someone uses compass points but it doesn’t really work. Eg, turn south makes no sense but ‘turn right’ or even ‘head towards insert landmark here’ does. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/43 "2010-05-01T13:20:07Z")
My reserve unit got activated and sent to Kuwait for Gulf War I, but to this day I have very little “Big Picture” idea of what was going on. I probably know more about the War of 1812 than the one I actually participated in. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/44 "2010-05-01T13:55:06Z")
The lay/lie/laid/layed thing is a mystery to me as well. And I’ll add the than/then thing as well. > [@](#): > > I’m an editor, but I’m still confused by the terms i.e. and e.g. But this one I can handle. You use i.e. when there is only one example that matches the description. You use e.g. when there are several examples. For example: James Cameron directed the best-selling movie of all time i.e. _Avatar_. James Cameron has directed several very popular movies e.g. _Avatar_. In the first statement _Avatar_ is the only movie that is the best-selling movie of all time. But in the second statment you could have substituted _Titanic_ or _The Terminator_ as the given example. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/45 "2010-05-01T15:24:51Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > When I used to tutor Con law I saw a lot of light bulbs go on just by telling them “You know how the Supreme Court can strike down a law that Congress passed? This was the first time that happened.” 🙂 And you can also raise one finger in the classic Cathy pose while saying “It is a _Constitution_ we are expounding!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/46 "2010-05-01T17:25:22Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > I wrote for a jewelry trade magazine for years but could never keep straight the difference between karats and carats (I think karat is for gold, as in 14k, but I may never know for certain). > > One of my friends has a phone number that I have looked up about 200 times–sometimes 2 or 3 times in the same day–because I can never remember it. I _almost_ know it but not quite. > > I’m frequently not sure how old I am. I know the date I was born and today’s date, so I can do the math when I need to… > > I have to stop and think which hand is my right hand. Sometimes I pretend I’m about to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and the hand I put over my heart is my right. In the car it’s better to tell me to turn north than to turn left–I’m pretty good with compass directions. I taught my daughter to make an “L” with her hands… Palms away from face. The L facing correctly is the left hand. I have never been able to figure out pronounciation guides in dictionaries. Consequently, I know a lot of “big words” but no idea how they are correctly pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/47 "2010-05-01T19:05:34Z")
Ask me pretty much anything about pre-World War One British history and I will almost certainly draw a blank. I know various details, but have never been able to put together a comprehensive picture of British history the way that I have with North or South American history. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/48 "2010-05-01T19:23:07Z")
I also can’t tell my left from right. If I need to know, I start “writing” in the air - the hand that writes is right. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/49 "2010-05-01T19:26:31Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > I don’t know how to unhook a bra with one hand. I don’t know how to drive stick. I don’t know how to tie a tie. I don’t know how to replace a tire, and I am only 50% sure I know how to check the oil. > > Long story short, I need to turn in my Man Card. I’m in the same boat. Except I can tie a tie. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/50 "2010-05-01T19:43:50Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > I also can’t tell my left from right. If I need to know, I start “writing” in the air - the hand that writes is right. Count me in. I mean, I _know_ my left from my right, but I have to think about it for a second. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/51 "2010-05-01T19:47:06Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > I also can’t tell my left from right. If I need to know, I start “writing” in the air - the hand that writes is right. I do the same thing- that is, thinking of which hand I write with. I don’t have to physically write in the air with it, though. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/52 "2010-05-01T20:30:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > I’ve studied Latin on and off for years, and intensely for about a year, and I’m still confused on what exactly the deal is with the Perfect Passive Participle. Texts invariably define it as coupled with some form of the verb ‘to be,’ but if that’s the case, then it would only be the PPP in the nominative, right? But no, later you get the PPP presented without ‘to be’ in all cases, and it’s supposed to indicate time before the time of the main verb. Well, isn’t that what’s happening when you attach the present form of ‘to be’? It would be something that happened to the subject before the present? So, why don’t they explain it that way? And when exactly is it okay to treat it as just an adjective describing a state at the time of the main verb? The rule of thumb translation on the PPP is “having been x’d”. And it is an adjective, and I have no idea why people are talking about to be. Example: puerum a parentes quaesitum loquor. Which translates to: I am talking to the boy having been looked for by his parents. Or colloquially: While the boy was looked for by his parents, I talk to him. Here, quaesitum modifies puerum. You can see that they are both in the accusative. Another, less stilted example: Caeser a senatoribus interfectus, Augustus princeps factus est. which means: Caeser having been killed by the senators, Augustus became the “first man”. or colloquially: Because Caesar was killed by the senators, Augustus became the “first man”. “Because Caeser was killed by the senators” is a participial phrase. ---
**Author:** ![hougaswd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@hougaswd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hougaswd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/53 "2010-05-02T01:04:40Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Count me in. I mean, I _know_ my left from my right, but I have to think about it for a second. Same here. Also, I have problems remembering the date. I have to initial and date documents a lot at my job. Even after 20 or more times in a day, I have to think about it. Walt ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/54 "2010-05-02T01:16:05Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Percentages. Goddamn fucking percentages. Whenever I see something labeled “30% off!” in a store, I’ll stand there for ages trying to puzzle it out before giving up in disgust and whipping out my cell phone calculator (unless it’s stupidly obvious, like 30% off of 100). I have a friend who, when faced with the same situation, will think for about five seconds, then have it completely figured out. I feel like a failure whenever I watch her do this. I can do rough estimates of easy numbers. That’s good for figuring out sale prices and tips. But when I have to be specific? Ugh. The only studying I did for my SATs was the night before trying to teach myself how to do them. I took AP calculus and aced it. I had over 100% average in my pre-calc class. Never had a problem with algebra, imaginary numbers, graphing, sin/cosine/tangent/secant/etc, square roots, base-not-ten, integration, a train leaving…, etc. But you give me “What percentage of 232343 is 3432?” or “what is 12% of 342343?” and I can’t do it accurately, even with a calculator. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/55 "2010-05-02T01:21:18Z")
> [@hougaswd](#): > > Same here. > > Also, I have problems remembering the date. I have to initial and date documents a lot at my job. Even after 20 or more times in a day, I have to think about it. > > Walt Oh, yeah, me too. Fortunately, if I ‘hover’ my mouse over the time on the task bar at the bottom of my computer, it’ll give me the day and date, too! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/56 "2010-05-02T02:04:39Z")
Since I work at home, alone, and work 7 days a week . . . I often have trouble remembering what day of the week it is. Especially since I got Tivo; now I don’t even know when my programs are on. And I do a great deal of work in Photoshop . . . but I’ve totally forgotten how to work with channels; I once knew, but it’s been several years. And every time I have to create a mask, I have to look up how to do it, then give myself a :smack:, cause it’s really simple. On the other hand, I can do most of the things you guys can’t . . . well, except for the bra thing. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/57 "2010-05-02T04:08:34Z")
My knowledge of geography is horribly deficient; I could find the continents on a globe, and lots of countries, but not nearly enough. Norway? Sweden? Finland? Which is which? South America…Chile’s on the water…right? It’s horribly embarrassing and I feel like a complete moron so I always artfully dodge any question concerning geography of any kind. Or just nod, like “of course I know where that is.” I learned most of it in school but I’ve never applied it and it never stuck; it went into some “discard” file in my brain. It’s like a foreign language to me; if it doesn’t have any practical daily use, I’m gonna lose it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/58 "2010-05-02T04:38:56Z")
Despite having a BA in philosophy from a school with a half-decent department, I’d be hard pressed to discuss the philosophies of any particular writers, at least beyond two or three bullet points. Even the ones I’ve read relatively in-depth. I can generally discuss the IDEAS themselves, but I almost invariably need wikipedia to remember what ideas attach to which writers. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/59 "2010-05-02T05:04:25Z")
I’m an engineer (well…I have an engineering degree) yet I couldn’t tell you any of Maxwell’s equations. In fact, basic physics equations (like F = ma, X = 1/2at[sup]2[/sup] + vt + x[sub]0[/sub]) are about all I can pull from memory) ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836/60 "2010-05-02T05:13:31Z")
I have worked in the same building for 5 years as of next week. I work full time, plus overtime. I don’t go down to pharmacy every day, but some days I go several times. So lets average it to once per day. EVERY SINGLE TIME I come back upstairs from the basement,through a door which is basically at an intersection of two wings I have to physically check which direction to turn. Left or right. Even thinking right now I am completely confused as what direction I would turn. Outside of the hospital I am very good with directions, know which way to turn, can always get north/south eas/west right, and I don’t usually get lost in other buildings. I blame all the lead and asbestos in this building. It is like wearing a tinfoil hat which blocks my internal GPS. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/painful-confession-time-things-you-ought-to-know-but-dont/537836.md?page=4)