Posted by Dr. Bob on July 21, 2002, at 22:55:10
In reply to Error in parallel construction » Dr. Bob, posted by beardedlady on July 19, 2002, at 18:13:15
> The longer sentence is not parallel, either, and it contains an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement.
>
> > Please don't be sarcastic, joke about death or suicide, suggest that ANYONE harm THEMSELVES or others, jump to conclusions about others or their experiences, post anything that others could take as accusatory, put others down, put pressure on others, use language that might offend others, exaggerate or overgeneralize -- et cetera.
>
> Your sentence should say:
> Please don't be sarcastic, joke about death or suicide, suggest that anyone harm himself or others, jump to conclusions about others or their experiences, pressure others, exaggerate or overgeneralize, use language that might offend others, or post anything that others could take as an accusation or an insult.
>
> Each lead word in a list must be the same part of speech: a verb if you start with a verb or a noun if you start with a noun.Thanks for the suggestions. Aren't all the lead words already verbs?
I agree with you about "themselves", sometimes I use that as shorthand for "himself or herself". I'll just make it all plural...
I like "pressure others" better, too.
IMO, putting others down is a little more general than insulting them, so I'd prefer to leave it that way.
I included the "et cetera" to make it clear this wasn't an exhaustive list.
The order and "accusatory" vs. "accusation" are just a matter of preference and not "errors", right?
Bob
poster:Dr. Bob
thread:6346
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020627/msgs/6473.html