Guardian Usage Column

Grant Barrett gbarrett at MONICKELS.COM
Fri Oct 27 17:23:17 UTC 2000


An interesting column from the Guardian regarding reader complaints about usage.

"Readers who believe that the Guardian should be written in decent English pursue their cause relentlessly... Readers who have this condition in its advanced stages not only notice the particular thing that annoys them whenever it occurs. They notice it, with a little leap of delight, when it does not occur but might have done."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/saturday_review/story/0,3605,385712,00.html

I should also say that, as usual, the "might have done" cries out to me as odd. I would either end the sentence at "have" or add suffix a "so."



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