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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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 Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 10:34 pm Post subject: Psychologically convincing? |
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The following is an example from the entry on 'gapping' in Trask's Penguin Dictionary of English Grammar (NB: Trask describes the e's as representing "silent repetitions"):
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| It is possible to have more than one gap in a single sentence: Rod gave the museum a T-shirt and Elton e e a pair of glasses. Here the two gaps represent gave and the museum. |
Surely the most obvious reading of that sentence (without any "giveaway" e's, I mean) would be that Rod, in addition to giving the museum a T-shirt, furthermore gave Elton a pair of glasses.
Thoughts? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 12:23 am Post subject: |
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Darn those indirect objects.
Call me a taxi.
OK, you're a taxi.
Make me a ham sandwich.
Shazam, you're a ham sandwich.
I agree that your reading would almost certainly be my first one, too.
Regards,
John |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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