Thy or Thine?

This is a comic that put bogus captions under legitimate art. What’s your answer to the question?

Well, the correct word is “thy,” an adjective. “Thine” is a noun (or pronoun).

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I usually don’t have trouble when I write poetry (okay, doggerel), but the comic is still me:

So what’s your experience with poetry?

I don’t really need to comment on these; they’re just language jokes.

Care to add to the list?

When you start a sentence with “I’m not sure,” don’t use “if”! If you don’t mention both choices, use “whether,” which lets you assume an “or not.” For example, say “I don’t know whether I’m really sick.” But you are more clear to use “whether” and the choices you’re uncertain about. “I’m not sure whether I’m sick or not.” Another example: “I’m not sure whether it’s day or night” is an okay sentence when you’re uncertain about what time of day it is.

First panel. He should say “see whether the bleeding has stopped.”

If you say “I’m not sure if I’m sick” can mean you can’t feel certain about something when you are sick. “If” regulates the existence of what you’re talking about, not the choice you have. But you can use “if” if you mention the choices with an “if” for each. See the comic:

Maybe I’m just being pedantic. Ikea is famous for its wordless instructions.

I’ve had pretty good luck with Ikea’s pcture-only instructions, but I’ve heard a fair number of folks complain about the lack of text.