Agreement question

[Lisa O'Brien]

Hey there! Thanks for writing me back! You just made my day when I saw your
message! I had one of those days today  and I am not to thrilled about it. I
think I am going to go pamper myself for awhile. Ok well here are some more
pics of me, I would take the time to attach them, but come to think of
it...I don't really know how to do that.
http://www.hotphotopersonals.com/lisaspage/ Ok well I hope you think I am
still pretty!! Teehee!! Ok well I will check back on here a little later,
and see what we should do from here. Ok well, time for me to make my day
even better. See ya later babe!! xoxo Lisa








>From: "Joanne M. Despres" <jdespres at MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: Agreement question
>Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 13:44:42 -0400
>
> > I'm thinking that it might be the influence of the -s ending
> > of _press,_ which, though not a plural ending, might suggest
> > plurality enough that "The stories the press tell are shaped..."
> > doesn't seem obviously wrong.
> >
>The influence of the -s ending was exactly what ran through my head
>as I read through your post, though maybe it's the combination of the -s
>AND the notional plurality of the noun AND the grammatical plurality
>of the inverted direct object that do the trick; taken together, they
>throw my brain into enough confusion to let the solecism slip by
>unnoticed.  I suppose there must be a limit to one's linguistic short-
>term memory just as there is to one's mathematical memory (as,
>for example, when you're quoted too many numbers to remember).
>
>Joanne Despres
>Merriam-Webster


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