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Posted by Rowan Hawthorn on April 2, 2008, 12:22 pm
Please log in for more thread options > On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:05:45 -0600, Oleg Lego
>
> > On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:07:35 -0700, Bob Cunningham posted:
>
> > >On Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:10:15 -0600, Oleg Lego
>
> > >[...]
>
> > >> I just love it when the idiot brigade drops by with a poorly
> > >> punctuated non-sequitur.
>
> > >The brigade doesn't drop by as a monolithic unit. =EF=BF=BDIt's
> > >composed of individuals, each presumably free to join in or
> > >not. =EF=BF=BDThe brigade drop by.
>
> > But then we'd say the brigade members drop by.
>
> We could say that, but it's easier to say correctly "The
> brigade drop by", if that's what we mean.
>
> An extreme example of hyperdevotion to apparent number could
> be
>
> =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BDThe barracks doors flew open. =EF=BF=BDA pair of irate
> =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BDsoldiers made its way to the center of the parade
> =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BDground, drew its pistols and shot each other dead.
>
> A usage that I see too often in our newspaper can be
> exemplified by "The couple was married and spent its
> honeymoon in Niagara Falls". =EF=BF=BDIt clearly should be "The
> couple were married and spent their honeymoon in ... ".
>
> Two people are married to each other. =EF=BF=BD"The couple was
> married" leaves me wondering what it was married to.
You are correct sir.
I invite you to join my blog.
http://rowanhawthorn.blogspot.com/
--
Rowan Hawthorn
"Occasionally, I'm callous and strange." - Willow Rosenberg, "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer"
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