Comments on: Words you write, but sense you make not

By: sr

sr — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:53:04 +0000

Or “Times to Shop About.com”

By: sr

sr — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:52:06 +0000

Why not just “Times shopping About.com”? The word “said” is unnecessary and adds nothing.

By: ianbetteridge

ianbetteridge — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:59:14 +0000

Oh god, don't get me started on Variety. Possibly the worst-written publication in the world. Someone should tell them that "prexy" is not a word.

And maybe what they need is a few more superfluous Capital Letters, Too?

By: Wes

Wes — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:25:05 +0000

You must complain about Variety headlines, too...

Would "Times may Shop About.com" sound better? Or maybe "Times Said to Sell About.com"?

By: Crosbie Fitch

Crosbie Fitch — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:27:22 +0000

I will consider your rambling essay, no doubt interesting and agreeable, inserted.

Incidentally, a redundancy I wholeheartedly support the elimination of is the way gender infects the French language, even when applied to non-mating objects - something that makes learning French such a pain.

I can just about put up with ships being female in English.

By: ianbetteridge

ianbetteridge — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:35:31 +0000

Insert long rambling essay about the decline of the English language and how it wasn't like this in my day here

By: Crosbie Fitch

Crosbie Fitch — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:33:34 +0000

Maybe it's such a severe contraction that it only makes sense to Americans, i.e. it can no longer be parsed by Britons (except by prolonged study and elimination of nonsensical alternative expansions).

There's a lot of redundancy in English. It seems the Americans feel the language is improved by eliminating it, when, as most linguists know, the redundancy is actually an improvement.

By: ianbetteridge

ianbetteridge — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:27:34 +0000

It's too much of a contraction even for an American headline. With American headlines you often get contraction with inserted commas, and of course they regularly turn verbs into nouns (don't get me started on that...)

But in those cases, the meaning of the sentence is preserved. In this case, it's such a big contraction that it no longer makes sense even in US English.

By: Crosbie Fitch

Crosbie Fitch — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:21:12 +0000

erratum: its

By: Crosbie Fitch

Crosbie Fitch — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:19:53 +0000

It's American.

"I shall write to my MP" -> "I will write my congressman"
"I have a hundred and one reasons to do so" -> "I have hundred one reasons"
"The Times Newspaper has been said to be shopping it's company "About.com' around prospective purchasers" - > "Times said shopping About.com"