Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Is There Something Wrong with Writing I Should of Taken the Road Less Travelled?
Um. I am afraid so. Yes. The construct should of is completely and utterly meaningless. I know. You use it all the time in e-mails. Your colleagues and staff have never complained. They seem to understand what you mean. So what is my problem? Would of. Could of. Should of. What you are really doing is deforming the contraction 've into of because they sound the same. Would've. Could've. Should've. And what is the contraction 've short for? The verb have. Oh. Yeah. You knew that. Somewhere deep in that gray matter of yours, this makes sense. You should have known that all along. We would've come if only we could have left our other engagement earlier. It might help if you consider that would is a past tense of will , could, is the past tense of can and should is the past tense of shall. By the year 2015 we will have paid off our house. Would you ever say in a fit of sentimentality, "I shall of never loved so well as I have loved you" or would you say instead "I shall have never loved so well as I have loved you"?
Of, my well meaning friend, is a preposition that has a variety of meanings and functions none of which fulfill the requirements of being a verb.
I know your staff and peers are just being being polite. I have been there. I have had to endure this kind of grammar offence from my managers. Really. It is not worth embarrassing you over it. But just stop doing it. Please. Knowing readers will appreciate it and have new respect for you.
Note: Careful readers will notice that Mark Z. Danielewski uses the construction everywhere in his novel House of Leaves. This usage does not make the practice correct. If anybody can give me a reasonable explanation for why he would dare ticking off discerning lovers of literature like that, I would be most interested.
Of, my well meaning friend, is a preposition that has a variety of meanings and functions none of which fulfill the requirements of being a verb.
I know your staff and peers are just being being polite. I have been there. I have had to endure this kind of grammar offence from my managers. Really. It is not worth embarrassing you over it. But just stop doing it. Please. Knowing readers will appreciate it and have new respect for you.
Note: Careful readers will notice that Mark Z. Danielewski uses the construction everywhere in his novel House of Leaves. This usage does not make the practice correct. If anybody can give me a reasonable explanation for why he would dare ticking off discerning lovers of literature like that, I would be most interested.
# posted by Ninja @ 10:45 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
What does that mean, 'why he would dare ticking off'? Is it a typo? Should it be 'why he would risk'? 'Risk' is usually followed by a present participle, while 'dare' is usually followed by an infinitive.
What does 'ticking off' mean in this context? In my idiolect 'to tick off' means either 'to place ticks against (items on a list, etc.), which I think is not the meaning here, or it means 'to reprimand, tell off'.
What does 'ticking off' mean in this context? In my idiolect 'to tick off' means either 'to place ticks against (items on a list, etc.), which I think is not the meaning here, or it means 'to reprimand, tell off'.
# posted by 
: 5:04 PM
: 5:04 PM
Thanks for your comment dear reader.
Here is what "ticked off" or "ticking off" means from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Main Entry: ticked
Function: adjective
Etymology: tick off
: ANGRY, UPSET
I used it in the sense of "to make upset, angry or irritated". I suppose I could have used "pissed off" - Would that have been worked better for you? I imagine the further etymology may indeed be related to the small irritating creatures knowns as "ticks".
Perhaps this is an expression common only among speakers from the empire (the British empire that is). Is this by chance an expression unknown is certain parts of the English speaking world? Why are you in particular unaware of it? Can you shed some light?
Here is what "ticked off" or "ticking off" means from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Main Entry: ticked
Function: adjective
Etymology: tick off
: ANGRY, UPSET
I used it in the sense of "to make upset, angry or irritated". I suppose I could have used "pissed off" - Would that have been worked better for you? I imagine the further etymology may indeed be related to the small irritating creatures knowns as "ticks".
Perhaps this is an expression common only among speakers from the empire (the British empire that is). Is this by chance an expression unknown is certain parts of the English speaking world? Why are you in particular unaware of it? Can you shed some light?
In England, to 'tick off' can mean to tell off, eg. "I gave him a ticking off". It does of course also have the literal meaning of to 'check off'. We do not use the term (as in the USA) to mean 'pissed off'.
Derivation - here's a possibility:
http://www.takeourword.com/TOW184/page2.html
Derivation - here's a possibility:
http://www.takeourword.com/TOW184/page2.html
# posted by : 10:14 AM
: 10:14 AM
Thanks for clarifying the Queen's English Paul. I guess "ticked off" used in the sense that I did is strictly an American or North American usage.
Post a Comment
<< Home
