Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.8 $; site uicsl Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!rahmeh From: rahmeh@uicsl.UUCP Newsgroups: net.jokes Subject: Re: Ambigious newspaper line Message-ID: <6000006@uicsl> Date: Mon, 19-Aug-85 17:49:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uicsl.6000006 Posted: Mon Aug 19 17:49:00 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 26-Aug-85 01:17:47 EDT References: <2162@hcradm.UUCP> Lines: 46 Nf-ID: #R:hcradm.UUCP:-216200:uicsl:6000006:000:1951 Nf-From: uicsl.UUCP!rahmeh Aug 19 16:49:00 1985 >In article <2162@hcradm.UUCP> steve@hcradm.UUCP (Steve Pozgaj) writes: >>In reference to: >> >>> I was reading the newspaper and I read: >> >>> ". . . the shadowy Islamic Jihad terrorist group called >>> the Associated Press of Beirut, . . ." >> >>> . . . Hmm, strange name for a terrorist group! >> >>Let's just point out that *if* there were a comma after the >>word "group", then this would be witty, since it would infer a >>reflexive participle phrase (I think that's what they're called). >>This would come across as "the group, called AP of Beirut, ...". >> >>However, as it stands, the sentence makes perfect sense: "the >>group in question placed some form of call to the AP of Beirut". >> >> Steve "Grammar Vigilante" Pozgaj >> {decvax!watmath!utzoo}!hcr!steve > > >Flames on. > >Why do people insist on continually posting articles nit-picking about >grammar and spelling? I'm sure the poster of the original quote knew >what the sentence actually meant but felt that at a quick glance it >could be misinterpreted in an amusing way. We don't need an English >lesson everytime someone posts an article, at least not in net.jokes. >Why doesn't someone create net.highschool-english-teacher so that >all those people on the net who delight in posting follow ups with >spelling corrections have somewhere to go. >/* End of text from uicsl:net.jokes */ Flames on. Why do people insist on continually posting articles nit-picking about nit-picking about grammar and spelling? I'm sure the poster of the original nit-picking knew what the sentence actually meant but felt that after a long reflection the sentence could be interpreted in a boring way. We don't need a nit-picking-about-nit-picking lesson everytime someone posts an article, at least not in net.jokes. Why doesn't someone create net.nit-picking-nit-pickers so that all those people on the net who delight in posting follow ups nit-picking nit-pickers have somewhere to go.