73
votes
Accepted
What's wrong with constructions like "Dragons are big, green, and eat people."?
This pattern is called a series out of control (Bryson, 2004, p. 13) or bastard enumeration (Fowler, 1926, p. 22). It belongs to the broader class of failures of parallel structure such as "Mary ...
- 1,940
30
votes
but Ireland has ever been a shipwreck coast
The sense is "His Irish friends and neighbours must have wondered where he got his Roman nose from - but there have always been a lot of shipwrecks off the coast of Ireland." The speaker ...
- 26.6k
27
votes
Accepted
Is the use of "an" to mean "if" an invention of fantasy writers?
An with the meaning of “If” is rather like Schrödinger’s cat – it both exists and does not exist at the same time.
OED
Etymology: Variant of and conj.1 with loss of final d
An apparently isolated ...
- 45.2k
22
votes
but Ireland has ever been a shipwreck coast
"A shipwreck coast" is a slightly odd (and rather literary) way of saying "a coast where a lot of shipwrecks happen."
"Ever" means "always" here (compare German ...
- 7,210
21
votes
Is the use of "an" to mean "if" an invention of fantasy writers?
No, they didn't invent it; Shakespeare used it, which is undoubtedly where the fantasy writers got it:
Nay, an you be so tardy, come no more in my sight. I had
as lief be woo'd of a snail. — As You ...
- 89.5k
20
votes
"Whether or not" vs. "whether"
The New York Times' stylebook says or not is often redundant.
It is ordinarily omitted when the clause functions as a noun, e.g. it is the object of a verb or preposition, or subject of the sentence.
...
- 3,574
20
votes
Accepted
Can't make sense of a paragraph from Lovecraft
Yet makes an exception to the hopelessness: despite his grim fate, the narrator takes comfort in his lack of panic.
For introduces an explanation of why this would be comforting.
But contrasts what ...
- 986
19
votes
Can't make sense of a paragraph from Lovecraft
"my reason could no longer entertain the slightest unbelief" means "I could no longer doubt". He was convinced that he would never again see the light of day. He goes on to say that he was pleased ...
- 17.5k
14
votes
Has the conception of prepositions broadened?
This broadened conception of a preposition has a long history, but its recent popularity is thanks to its appearance in Huddleston & Pullum's The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002). ...
- 19.2k
13
votes
'For' is a coordinating conjunction, but 'because' is a subordinating conjunction. Is that right? Can someone explain why?
It's not surprising you're confused. There really isn't much difference in meaning between for and because here, but there's a difference in grammar, which is why for is traditionally classified as a ...
- 89.5k
13
votes
When do we need to use "to" here?
There are three to's in this sentence:
They seemed to understand each other
and to communicate without
having to exchange more than a few monosyllables.
And the question is about deleting the ...
- 108k
11
votes
The word ”time” as a conjunction
"Time" is used in the Norfolk dialect to mean "while" e.g. "I'll cook the breakfast, time you're milking the cows".
This conjunction use does have an entry in the OED. The examples are mostly ...
- 64.9k
11
votes
Can we drop repetitive conjunctions, such as in "if X and if Y"?
In English - as is the case with other languages - there are often multiple ways of saying essentially the same thing. However, each phrasing tends to project its own nuance, or flavour, that might be ...
- 38.9k
10
votes
Can "then" be used as a coordinating conjunction?
One of the best tests of a coordinating conjunction is its non-reversible order. We frequently place subordinate clauses beginning with the subordinating conjunction before the main clause, such as:
...
- 101
10
votes
Can "albeit" ever be followed by a complete sentence
Eoghan Ryan, at Scribbr {2022) essentially proscribes the usage you ask about:
Albeit is a conjunction meaning ‘even though’ or ‘although’....
It is used to introduce a subordinate clause that ...
- 85.8k
10
votes
What's wrong with constructions like "Dragons are big, green, and eat people."?
The break-down in parallelism can perhaps be more clearly seen if bullet points are used as follows:
• big
(a) Dragons are: • green
...
- 85.8k
8
votes
Accepted
The word ”time” as a conjunction
It is listed in the online OED, only it’s on the same page as the noun definitions. Even without a subscription you can see the older version which isn’t very complete here.
Here are the definitions ...
- 67.1k
8
votes
but Ireland has ever been a shipwreck coast
The historical context for this is the Spanish Armada of 1588, which was soundly defeated by Drake and ended up hightailing it for home around the top of Scotland and down the West coast of Ireland. A ...
- 3,674
7
votes
Accepted
Meaning of "Teaming"
When you see "teaming with", it is fairly often a misspelling of "teeming with", rather than a use of the verb "team (something) with (something)" that you mention in your question.
The sentence you ...
- 83.7k
7
votes
Accepted
How to analyze the trope "because NOUN" grammatically
By request, an elaboration of my comments above.
Because has usually been treated as a subordinating conjunction. It can introduce tensed clauses of all kinds, indicating that they are involved in ...
- 108k
7
votes
Accepted
Can all coordinating conjunctions be used to connect nouns, adjectives, etc. as well as clauses?
Why FANBOYS is nothing but a facile lie
To the best of my knowledge, there are seven coordinating conjunctions....
I’m afraid that your question is based on a false premise. That’s because
English ...
- 136k
7
votes
Can "albeit" ever be followed by a complete sentence
Can "albeit" ever be followed by a full sentence?
Yes
The journey was fun, albeit it was a short one
I decided to change my major, albeit the decision was made reluctantly
It was a fun ...
- 45.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Coordinating conjunctions in translation of Kafka
Conveniently, Patrick O'Neill, Transforming Kafka: Translation Effects
(2014) presents versions of this famous opening sentence as handled by twelve English translators of "The Metamorphosis"...
- 166k
6
votes
Accepted
"The Christmas ____ which we ate Turkey" What's the missing word?
It's simpler if you use when:
We eat goose every year at Christmas, except this year when we ate turkey.
because that's the wh-word related to time.
- 14.5k
6
votes
Accepted
If X or [if] Y - Should I extend conditional after "or"?
The first statement you suggested is fine, but as you noted, it isn't the shortest nor smoothest sentence.
Given that there are only two problems and only one suggested action, there is not a lot of ...
- 456
6
votes
Born - an adjective/verb/passive voice
I think it helps to look at the etymology of born.
Old English boren, alternative past participle of beran (see bear
(v.)). "In modern use the connexion with bear is no longer felt; the
phrase ...
- 6,109
6
votes
Accepted
Do you ever say "coffee with milk" or "coffee and milk"?
As you intimate latte is a specific type of coffee. The word is Italian which is why you frequently find it on the menu in an Italian coffee shop.
Latte - from Wikipedia
Caffe latte is a coffee ...
- 9,713
5
votes
When I am using bullet points where do I put the "or"?
Rephrase the introduction to the list so you don't need a conjunction.
The user can choose from one of the following options:
- 6,423
5
votes
When I am using bullet points where do I put the "or"?
If rephrasing gets awkward, you can bullet a complete sentence showing
this item here with an ending semi-colon;
this item, which ends in the same semi-colon followed by an "or"; or
this item, which ...
- 10.9k
5
votes
Is it “…to write to you and let…” or “…to write to you to let…”?
I think that you are trying avoid using the preposition to too many times. If this is the case then how about the following sentence:
I am writing to let you know...
This conveys the same ...
- 422
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