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Tony Dawson's avatar

Grisly enough for those who enjoy the gruesome. I also like the embedded criticisms of the appalling Tory government and their ineffectual PM. The latest in a long line of incompetents. I have one minor niggle. While I know some Brits have picked up the use of ‘gotten’ as the past participle of ‘get’, I don’t think it’s widespread. Mind you, I’ve not lived there since 1989, thank heavens. I presume Carl is a Brit because he’s not worried about being forced to leave the UK.

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Jodie Beckford's avatar

Interestingly, (I'm an etymology geek and British English teacher/researcher) 'gotten' has been in use in English since before either British English or American English were separate English flavours. It started to fall out of fashion in the 1500s and by the time the 1700s rolled around, 'gotten' had been supplanted by 'got' (see the OED for a list of attestations). It owes its comeback to US English, and with the increasing borrowing of Americanisms into Modern British English. Thus, it is now perfectly acceptable to use it, especially if one is young and watches a lot of Netflix ;)

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Tony Dawson's avatar

Back to this old stuff are we? The growing use of ‘gotten’ among the young in the UK is probably down to the so-called social media or newspapers like the online Guardian, which caters for an American readership as well as its British one. All I can say is that if anyone of my generation were to use the participle ‘gotten’, I’d regard it as an affectation, or an excruciating attempt to sound hip.

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Tony Dawson's avatar

Perhaps I should add that as I've lived in Spain since 1989, what would I know about the current use of 'gotten' in Be.E.?

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A.C. Cargill, All-Human Author's avatar

As far as I know, "gotten" IS the past participle of "get" at least here in the U.S. Yes, Carl has no worries about being deported. And thanks for the observance about the UK immigration situation. I try not to let my writings get too political, but it seemed such a great justification for what was happening. As for being grisly, well, sigh, these things just happen sometimes. Poor Carl.

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Tony Dawson's avatar

In British English, the only words that end in -gotten, to my knowledge, nowadays are: begotten, misbegotten and forgotten.

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A.C. Cargill, All-Human Author's avatar

Hmmm.... "You could've got" sounds incorrect to me, even for British English. But thanks anyway for the info.

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Jodie Beckford's avatar

Well, that was a deliciously unexpected twist at the end!

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A.C. Cargill, All-Human Author's avatar

Yeah, I'm a Hitchcock fan.

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Tony Dawson's avatar

I actually like commenting politically, even in my poems, like the following that was published last year. I got the idea from Chaucer's Prologue to the Pardoner's Tale

Prologue to the Governor’s Tale

Given that friars are now so sparse,

who should be lodged in Satan’s arse?

The Tory government’s ship of fools

that’s utterly corrupt and breaks the rules.

The Tories equate to Chaucer’s friars,

venal and greedy and consummate liars.

They do what they can to milk the system.

How in hell’s name has Satan missed ’em?

Wherever you look the land’s in a mess:

the privatized railways, the NHS...

Five Tory Prime Ministers in a few years

have reduced the nation to sackcloth and tears.

All of the so-called Ministers of Health

spent all their time increasing their wealth

and the numbers who died in the pandemic,

for cruel Tories are clearly endemic.

The Defra Minister makes us wallow in shit

and that cheroot-smoker cares not a whit.

Satan’s arse awaits to quarter these Tories,

a mephitic home to match their lame stories

of Conservative financial competence,

on a par with Tories’ sexual incontinence.

As for cruelty, those in the Home Office top the list.

Once up Satan’s arse, they won’t be missed.

This parcel of rogues led the country to ruin,

so for Satan’s arse they’re an obvious shoo-in.

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A.C. Cargill, All-Human Author's avatar

Wow! Love it!

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Tony Dawson's avatar

Thank you kindly. It's a pity that you can't buy my twp books "Musings" and "Reflections in a Dirty Mirror" from Amazon because you don't buy online. I'm sure you'd enjoy them.

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A.C. Cargill, All-Human Author's avatar

I'm sure I would. Sigh. Best wishes!

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