Teacher Discussion Forums

This passage comes from another forum:

"Some friends and I were talking about English. Then a question came up:
'which is the largest word in English language?'

Firstly, someone said:
antidisestablishmentarianism.

'Wow- that's a good one!'- I replied.

'But I think there is another one longer than this...
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it is 'a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silica dust'.- a friend replied

'Hmmm... Even Mary Poppins'
supercalifragalisticexpialidosious
can't beat this one!'- another guy completed.

'I don't agree... a ‘word’is a group of letters/sounds that means an understood concept by people.'- the intelectual one argued.

'Ok, ok... Let's finish this discussion... 'Smiles" is the longest word. There is an entire mile between the first and last letters! '- the peacemaker WINS."


What do you say about this wins? If one placed won how would it change the meaning (if it did at all)?

José

The sentence "He wins!" is an example that you see a lot of in certain contexts. The first that comes to mind is that of a commentator at a hockey game: "He shoots! He scores!!"

The goal of a commentator is to tell his/her audience what is happening as the event takes place: details such as where the puck/ball/anything that moves is located, who has it, what they're doing with it, and when they score (or knock their opponent out, or hit a hole in one, etc)

ex. Moginly passes to Sundin. Sundin to Nolan. Nolan gets a clean check by Anderson. And its Nichol who ends up with the puck.

At sports events, the grammar used by most commentators at their jobs is not the same one they use outside of that context. They, and the spectators of the event, are announcing what goes on as it happens and must use shorter statements. Kind of like a soccer game: they usually say "Gooooaaaal!" and not "He has succeeded in making a goal"

Of course, he/she could just be stating a fact that "the peacemaker wins" in general, meaning he/she wins a lot.