Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

I was reading an apology letter of Shirley Hornestein and found it very interesting, honestly. But there are few points on my mind. Please help me to understand:

  • Is it sort out or sought out?

  • Regarding this-could-have-serious-consequences lies, is this the right structure for a sentence?

share|improve this question

1 Answer

up vote 3 down vote

Both are correct English, but they mean different things.

Sought is the past participle of seek, it means to search. So, if someone "sought help" then they were looking for help:

After many years of substance abuse, she finally sought professional help

Sort is a different verb altogether. "Sorting things out" means figuring something out or putting things in order:

I will sort out this mess later

As for "this-could-have-serious-consequences lies" no, it is not correct as such. Over hyphenation seems to be an affliction that is rapidly taking at least some parts of the English speaking word. It is, in my humble opinion, both cumbersome and ugly and should be avoided. A more elegant way of saying the same thing would be:

Lies that could have serious consequences.

share|improve this answer
On the other hand, the 'over-hyphenated' adjective can be used effectively as a rhetorical device in spoken English when timing and intonation can help separate it from other parts of the sentence. – vidget Jan 29 at 21:46
@vidget, fair enough, I just don't like it in writing. Hyphens are not as obvious when pronounced out loud. – terdon Jan 29 at 21:52
Agreed. Maybe only appropriate on mommy blogs. – vidget Jan 29 at 21:56
In this case the multi-hyphenated strings are purposefully "OTT" and are intended to create a desired effect. I think they do a good job of doing so in this sort of context. It's not so much as case of the writer belonging to the "hyphens-are-good-so-I'll-use-more" school as aiming at setting up encapsulated scenarios that are each visually and mentally identifiable as such by dint of the hyphens. Perhaps :-). – Russell McMahon Jan 29 at 22:21
@RussellMcMahon you are more generous than I. :) – terdon Jan 29 at 22:22

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.