Please do NOT post your answer, but do say if you think you have solved the puzzle and how long it took. Solution on Monday.
How quickly can you find out what is unusual about this paragraph? It looks so ordinary that you would think that nothing was wrong with it at all and, in fact, nothing is. But it is unusual. Why? If you study it and think about it you may find out, but I am not going to assist you in any way. You must do it without coaching.
Richard Wiseman 
Got it, in one quick read through.
Blind luck on my behalf.
Luck for me as well, was the first thing I looked for.
Took about a minut
Indeed it is quite different.
Immediately, as soon as I had read the first half of the paragraph.
Took about 10 s
You don’t want to write “10 seconds”?
Perhaps he doesn’t want to say “seconds” because of one of the letters in “seconds”
Just a hunch
Wouldn’t want to spoil anyone’s tun
Got it.
1 second. When you have seen it before, it is obvious.
Yes, that’s why I got it immediately or at least as I read the first sentence.
got it
It’s unusually English…
(Haven’t got a clue)
30 seconds. Georges Perec
I think I have it. I am slow this morning. I had to read through about 4-5 times before I got it. So it took several minutes.
Got this Friday’s in about 1/360th of an hour!
First reading, thought I’d got it. Second reading confirmed it. 30 seconds.
I got it in 1 minute
Took about 15 seconds
Finally, I got lucky! Saw what it was straightaway. I think I am a linguist and not a arithmatist.
Excellent depleted sentence here!
Straight away, the final word was confirmation. This acclamation follows a similar rubric.
Dan, I think you mean “that”, not “the”, right?
About 5/3600th of an hour.
Had a few ideas – none of which were right but then it suddenly jumped out at me 🙂
Got it with ease.
Haha 🙂 Or without.
Struggling with this one, will check with my mate Ebeneezer.
I got it fairly quickly. That is not to say that it wasn’t a fun conundrum.
I got it around this point: ‘It looks so ordinary’. Isn’t it fascinating how you can show you know it by writing in a similar way?
Not so fascinating when it’s about the sixth such example on this thread so far.
My aren’t we all so clever.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine.
My aren’t you just a joyous little ray of sunshine……would you like me to repeat it a few more time for you Idgy?
Bless.
About 15 Secs but liked it. Very good Jethro, your effort was not wasted on me !
I’m usually rubbish at this sort of quandary, but I think I got this sharpish! Shocking if right!
E by gum. Were it written by a Yorkshire Man?
I can see a specific trend but it may just be a coincidence. Reminds me of Mr Burns having a discussion with Lenny.
Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.
It doesn’t contain any plugs for your stuff?
i am so glad that i did not look at what you all said prior to trying to do it on my own. man, richard’s paragraph’s “trick” is hard to copy. it is difficult to go on writing in this way.
Seeking easy answer — yeeeeeees!
Richard isn’t talking about grammar, but that is an option. This post is odd. I think I’m missing it. What is it? What is wrong? I don’t know! 😉
Got it before finishing the paragraph.
Worth reading Gadsby by Ernest Vincent Wright. Similar use of English.
Obviously I am thick. I may as well admit it. I can’t see ANYTHING wrong or unusual about it!!! Nor can my daughter who has a degree and is very clever! What are we not seeing???? :-((
What aren’t you seeing in that paragraph which you’re seeing in this one? It’s easy when you read it out loud and find what’s missing.
I am with Alma and her daughter, I cannot see anything wrong.
A hunger for inclusion. Oh, joy of inclusion. I lust for inclusion. Why inclusion. You must obtain inclusion. Por favor, aid a lost soul who can’t join in without difficulty.
Can not find it.
Is it logical or rather linguistic puzzle?
Finally I got it. It took too long, but I saw it. It’s a difficult trick to pull off if you try to copy it, particularly if you don’t want to sound odd.
I had to googl it
I too.
Got it about one minute. I’ve this this type of word puzzle before.
Oooops. Posted my e-mail not my name.
About Half A Second. once I read Paragraph In The First Sentence, I Knew Very Well What Was Wrong With It. I Have Seen This Before.
Reminds me of a poem, with not quite the same quality:
Eden
The expressed geek never yells.
Yet, even elm trees need tenderness.
Gentle Eden sees every leer:weeds.
(Author unknown)
The thing that was is wrong with it (Friday’s paragraph) is similar thing wrong with what you can find with my writing submission.
I guess I’m the only one. I’m still searching for the answer LOL
I concur. You would not find what you look for if you do not look for what is “unusual”.
forgot to post my ID
Got it in about 15 seconds,
about 30 seconds, but I think I’ve seen this before, or something very similar.
Something was familiar about it, but still took a couple of minutes and a few read-throughs for the penny to drop.
Took a good long look until I saw it. But from that instant on, it was obvious.
Wow, that was aizy, but only today. Usually, I find it most difficult.
very well known, recognized it right away
And yah, what is wrong with “How quickly can you” is also wrong with this writing. You can not find what is not in what you look at.
It is an unusual construction….. I concur!!!
My grasp of it was almost instant. But I did it by a sham, of knowing and practicing a similar trick in my past. This skill is worthy of appraisal and acclaim. Also, Marmelade!
I took but a tiny duration to suss a solution. Not that difficult to be frank.
FAIL!
Excellent puzzle Mr Wiseman. More like this please.
It tooks us, both Antonios, a small fraction of an hour. Wait, this writting is as inusual as the paragraph. Wow.
got it! didn’t take too long, it was the first thing I checked for.
I think I know what it is and it took about 30 seconds, or three readings.
cheers,
😦
I got the anwser, if you have seen it before it’s obvious
didn’t get
Got it right away, but with all these hints, how could you not get it?
Guessed it with the first sentence, but I think I may have seen it before.