Posted by beardedlady on June 3, 2002, at 5:53:03
In reply to Re: moving/removing posts}}Hey » beardedlady, posted by Phil on June 2, 2002, at 20:15:16
<People will continue to post med questions until they're taken away.>
Nope, that ain't no participle, hanging, dangling, dimpled, or otherwise.
It might be an awkward pronoun reference, as "they're" could refer to med questions or people. Alas, I used it to refer to posts, and so I am—you guessed it—wrong, at least in intention.
Still, until med questions are taken away, people will continue to post them, so I am partially correct in usage. The pronoun should be as close as possible to the antecedent it defines, which is not, in many cases, the subject of the sentence, and sometimes that makes a sentence awkward. (If you think about it, the sentence would work this way, too: Until they're taken away, people will continue to post med questions! But where shall the people be taken?)
Alas, you're not a good driver unless the passengers feel comfortable. So, my friend, points for you.
Thanks for playing. (It's easy to catch me on spelling and typos, if I catch get myself first.)
beardy : )>
P.S. I'm glad that a chance to taunt me has lured you out of your self-imposed exile, if only for a moment!
poster:beardedlady
thread:5449
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020510/msgs/5458.html