|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773 |
Off-duty county deputy...June 17, 2005:
COMPTON (AP)-- An off-duty sheriff's deputy shot at robbers who took his wallet and held up a store at gunpoint Wednesday, authorities said
dalehileman
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Would Dale be obliquely commenting on the subject(s) of the verbal phrases in the cited sentence?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773 |
He might indeed
He's a very oblique person
dalehileman
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773 |
I've been asked if there's a name for this kind of ambiguity, and I'd like to know too
dalehileman
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
What's the ambiguity? Whether it's the sheriff or the deputy that's off duty?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
if that's it, I never even considered that the sheriff is off duty. there'd have to be some convoluted context for that to have much significance in a report of an incident.
I guess I'm admitting to not seeing any ambiguity in place one..
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773
Pooh-Bah
|
|
OP
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,773 |
Another correspondent admitted that he had to read it a half-dozen times before it dawned. Unfortunately, it loses its impact when you explain it:
An off-duty sheriff's deputy shot at robbers...and held up a store...
dalehileman
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467 |
Were they alive, my antecedents would have no problem with this, and I don't either. Those protesters who seek an anaphoric "who" after the word and are being just a tad picky.
TEd
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Quote:
… robbers who took his wallet and held up a store at gunpoint …
Seems pretty straight forward to me. Gotta twist and turn perty tortuously to make it ambiguous.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 133
member
|
|
member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 133 |
All you need to do is diagram the sentence.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,809
Members9,187
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
465
guests, and
2
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
