It stayed gray and cloudy all day. Late in the evening, round about 10:30, I checked the forecast and it said “Occasional showers likely after midnight.”
If the showers will be “occasional,” can they also be “likely”? Doesn’t occasionality negate likelihood?
Just asking.
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Categories: Humor
W-O-R-K: THE FINAL 4-LETTER WORD 
MEDIA WAR STORIES – EPISODE 55 
HOLLYWOOD COULD CALL SOMEDAY 
WHAT WE DID IN OUR GENERATION 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
They wait, and wait, and wait, and wait……
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I’m forgetting the grammar behind it all. It is a matter of prediction and they are often wrong so CYA.
Leslie
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Sometimes, I think they are just wildly guessing. I’m better at predicting than they are — if I can see the map.
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I suspect that a lot of meteorologists don’t even look out the window.
Leslie
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I KNOW they don’t. Often, because (are you ready?): There are no windows in the newsroom. Really. There are no windows.
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I believe it!
Leslie
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I think in this case, meteorologically speaking, the use of both words is justified. “Occasional showers likely” means that the odds are good that it will rain off and on… the adverb “likely” modifies the whole phrase “occasional showers” rather than just try to negate the adjective “occasionally.” Then again, there may be a 50% chance of snow as well…. you never know, and TV weather is a huge CYA business.
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Well, me? I’d have said “occasional showers possible,” because I used to be a technical writer and I like to split hairs 🙂 Anyway, it rained. A little. Occasionally.
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In England weather forecasters seem to enjoy predicting “cloudy, overcast day with rare sunny intervals.” I guess that is more precise, but it’s so gloomy.
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At least it rains. Bright skies seem less lovely when your well is drying out.
It did, by the way, rain. Occasionally. Last night. After midnight.
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We also had an occasional shower yesterday, but it lasted all day. Today is sun again, but perhaps only an occasional sun. I often wonder who writes the scripts to some of the stuff they talk about on the news. I will now take an occasional walk with the vacuum cleaner around the place. Have fun on your occasional day.
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We are on our way to an occasional trip to my doctor, the one I see only occasionally. It rains. Occasionally. It looks like we might get more — at some point 🙂
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The thing that bugs me when watching TV weather forecasts is the continual use of the personal pronoun. “The weather will be lovely for your Saturday.” Saturday does not belong to anyone.
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Just ask the Norse gods whose days they symbolically are. They will explain who owns what!
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interesting use of words )
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It’s all because we’ve banned adverbs. You can’t amputate parts of speech without repercussions.
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I’ve always liked the concept of an occasional chair. What is it when it’s not a chair?
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A shower?
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