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OK. Just read it. And there's a cool word problem that I can see going both ways.
First the name of the nefarious little beast:
irukandji jellyfish
Irukandji means "Match Head Two Times Over." Just kidding.
But here's the interesting sentence from the article to parse since this is a word board and even occasionally down here on the safari that only wwh and I read and write in with occasional visits by such dignitaries as the recent flight of the wingful Asp. Oh, I got sidetracked thinking about what a desolate place this safari is. Here's the sentence (wwh, I know you're with me):
"Peter Fenner, a jellyfish expert, said: "Of course, two patients doesn't make a whole solution but it's an extremely helpful tool for hospital treatment."
Two patients doesn't make? Now I understand that what jellyfish expert Fenner means: solution (singular) = whatever quantity is equivalent to the singular solution. But, sheesh, what's wrong with:
"Two patients don't make a whole solution"? I know, I know already! You're thinking, "Well, Jellyfish Fenner said it that way so we wouldn't think the two patients were actively engaged in making the solution themselves, Wordwind, you thick-headed lout!"
But I think that the "two patients doesn't make" is such an awkward construction that we (people like me) lose the whole story while trying to figure out why the plural subject is taking a singular verb, and, once we've figured it out, we've forgotten what the story was about in the first place.
Any thoughts on this, wwh?
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Lethal jellyfish wwh 02/01/03 01:02 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish Wordwind 02/01/03 01:40 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish agreement Wordwind 02/01/03 01:55 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish agreement doc_comfort 02/04/03 06:33 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish agreement Wordwind 02/04/03 10:28 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish agreement wwh 02/04/03 03:51 PM Re: Lethal jellyfish wwh 02/01/03 01:59 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish Wordwind 02/01/03 02:05 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish wwh 02/01/03 02:14 AM Re: Lethal jellyfish consuelo 02/03/03 09:52 PM Re: Lethal jellyfish wwh 02/03/03 10:31 PM
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