|
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
She said she believes that the Pericue, who for unknown reasons went extinct in the 18th century, ...
For some reason, this construction offends my ears. I would have used "became" in place of "went".
What's your opinion?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 742 |
I find the use of "went" here very unbecoming.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
Well it's better than "up and died."
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Using the verb to go would seem to imply a willful ation on the part of the Pericue that to become avoids. Perhaps therein lies your dicomfort.
I would have thought that usage a Britishism.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
to imply a willful ation on the part of the Pericue Sorry, Faldage - I don't follow your meaning. Also, which do you think is the Britishism? I believe that most of my fellow-countrypeople would opt for "become" rather than "went" (excluding the vast majority, who would almost certainly prefer Alex's version!  )
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
To me, to go extinct (the one which seems to me, however mistakenly on my part, to be the Britishism) would imply the Pericue had exerted some effort. The verb is active. To become extinct implies a passivity inherent in the passive construction; the Pericue became extinct through no effort of its own.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
'...have been extinct since the eighteenth century' is the form that sits most comfortably with me.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
to go extinct..would imply the Pericue had exerted some effortHere I respectfully, yet strongly disagree: If someone goes mad, you would certainly not suspect a willful act, or would you?  The question is interesting for me, because in many texts which are nearly perfectly translated from German into English, become is improperly used. (possible alternatives to consider: turned, grew..)
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
in many texts which are nearly perfectly translated from German into English, become is improperly used
Well, if you're going to have a periphrastic future in werden..
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,027 |
periphrastic future in werden
Actually, I was not thinking of this type of - rather gross - error, but another habit of writing e.g. "..when he made this remark, she became red.." instead of .."turned red", or "blushed".
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,363
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
512
guests, and
0
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
