545 GG Read the Riot Act. The Changing English Language.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Mignon Fogarty, Inc.

Society & Culture, Education

4.5 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 December 2016

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

FOLLOW ALONG ON THE WEBSITE English Is Flexible http://bit.ly/EnglishIsFlexible Read the Riot Act http://bit.ly/ReadTheRiotAct SPONSORS http://sockclub.com/grammar and the code "grammar" http://blurb.com/grammar and the code "grammar" UPDATED AP STYLE INTERACTIVE WEB COURSE http://www.ragan.com/Z5AC03-MACMIL FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Snapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/thatgrammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl GET GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page AMAZON AFFILIATE CODE http://quickanddirtytips.com/amazon

Transcript

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0:00.0	Grammar Girl here, I'm in Yon Fogarty and this week I have a tidbit about this saying
0:11.0	to read someone the Riot Act, in a meaty middle about our flexible parts of speech in English.
0:18.4	And now on to the tidbit.
0:20.2	Has anyone ever read you the Riot Act?
0:22.9	If so, you were likely misbehaving.
0:25.8	To read the Riot Act means to put someone on notice that their behavior is unacceptable,
0:32.0	anti-social, just plain wrong.
0:35.6	When you were a kid your mom probably read you the Riot Act many times, maybe when you
0:40.4	sat on the couch with muddy clothes or showed up at 4 a.m. when you had a midnight curfew.
0:46.8	But is there an actual Riot Act?
0:50.0	And does it have to be read aloud?
0:52.2	Yes and yes.
0:54.8	The Riot Act is shorthand for a long law passed by the British Parliament in 1714.
1:02.4	Its official name is an act for preventing tumult and riotous assemblies and for the more
1:09.5	speedy and effectual punishing the rioters.
1:12.8	We owe that's a long name.
1:14.3	The law was passed at a time of political unrest in England.
1:19.2	George I of the House of Hanover ruled the land.
1:23.3	That he feared rebellion from the old pretender, the exiled James III of the House of Steward.
1:30.9	James's supporters in the words of the law had held, quote, many rebellious riots and
1:36.5	tumult in diverse parts of this kingdom to the disturbance of the public peace and the
1:43.1	endangering of his majesty's person and government.
	...

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