How about "infestation of editors". From: mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, January 13, 2012 11:04 AM To: mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? I should've called you over yesterday. :) Ben used to work here, so he knows the culture of using myself/yourself instead of I/me/you. Send myself an e-mail and I'll invite yourself to a meeting. It's harder to stamp out than a cockroach infestation! From: Ben Davies <bdavies@xxxxxxxxx> To: "mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 2012-01-13 11:01 AM Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Sent by: mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx _____ It scares me to think a writer is defending poor grammar on the basis of "understandability". Seems like a contradicting stance. Just because the writer understands it doesn't mean everyone else will. What about people who are ESL? I feel like a rant. From: mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx Sent: January-13-12 9:46 AM To: mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Yes, I do like that. So I take it there's nobody on the list who is ok with that construction? One of the folks in the "grammatical shortcut" discussion yesterday was a writer, and started going off about how editors miss the point that text is just meant to be understandable, and there's no good reason to be such sticklers for what's <insert scoff and air quotes> "correct". Oh, the horror. The Events folks have invited Jila Ghomeshi to present to us sometime in the spring and were asking what topics we're interested in. I was suggesting prescriptivism as a topic; what would everyone else like to hear about from Jila? From: Byron Rempel-Burkholder <brempelburkholder@xxxxxxxxx> To: <mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 2012-01-12 10:09 PM Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Sent by: mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx _____ Or: take out the "which": "Burke tore a vertebral artery, located." From: <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ben Davies Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 4:58 PM To: <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? I thought the exact same thing. I think using "a" leaves the door open for interpretation. When I say I tore a ligament in my ankle, it does not mean it's the only ligament in my ankle. It just means I tore one. I could have 100, but that is not the point of the statement. If the sentence said "Burke tore the vertebral artery, which is located." then it would obviously be incorrect.. J From: <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:[mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]> [mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of <mailto:cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx> cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx Sent: January-12-12 4:51 PM To: <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Grammatically correct, yes. But there are many vertebral arteries, so I have a problem with the accuracy of saying A vertebral artery which IS located... But could just be me being tired and listening to a crazy-making discussion about "grammatical shortcuts." I need a drink. From: Ben Davies < <mailto:bdavies@xxxxxxxxx> bdavies@xxxxxxxxx> To: " <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" < <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 2012-01-12 04:36 PM Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Sent by: <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx _____ How is it misleading? Burke tore a vertebral artery, which is located in the neck and supplies blood to the brainstem... Is that grammatically incorrect? To me it is perfectly clear. From: <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of <mailto:cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx> cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx Sent: January-12-12 4:31 PM To: <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? I agree with your first point but disagree with sentence #2, which is misleading. You could say that the one she tore is located... and supplies... but you couldn't say she tore "a vertebral artery" followed by "which is located...". Yes? No? From: Ben Davies < <mailto:bdavies@xxxxxxxxx> bdavies@xxxxxxxxx> To: " <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" < <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 2012-01-12 04:25 PM Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Sent by: <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx _____ For the context of the story, it is irrelevant that the body has more than one vertebral artery.. Burke tore a vertebral artery, which is located ... and supplies . Ben From: <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ <mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mailto:mea-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Peters Susan Sent: January-12-12 4:23 PM To: <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Re: Are you ok with this sentence? Burke tore one of his vertebral arteries, which are located... SP _____ To: <mailto:mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> mea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [mea] Are you ok with this sentence? From: <mailto:cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx> cheri.frazer@xxxxxxxxxx Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:32:53 -0600 "Burke tore a vertebral artery, which are located in the neck and supply blood to the brainstem - the back part of the brain which controls consciousness." (From <http://www.cbc.ca/sports/skiing/story/2012/01/12/sp-burke-skiing-injury.htm l> http://www.cbc.ca/sports/skiing/story/2012/01/12/sp-burke-skiing-injury.html ) Would you consider that construction perfectly ok, a colloquialism / grammatical shortcut, or would you consider it wrong no matter what? Just curious. -C. "PLEASE NOTE: The preceding information may be confidential or privileged. It only should be used or disseminated for the purpose of conducting business with Parker. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete the information from your system. Thank you for your cooperation." _______________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System. This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System "PLEASE NOTE: The preceding information may be confidential or privileged. It only should be used or disseminated for the purpose of conducting business with Parker. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete the information from your system. Thank you for your cooperation." _______________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System. This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System "PLEASE NOTE: The preceding information may be confidential or privileged. It only should be used or disseminated for the purpose of conducting business with Parker. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete the information from your system. Thank you for your cooperation." _______________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System. This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System "PLEASE NOTE: The preceding information may be confidential or privileged. It only should be used or disseminated for the purpose of conducting business with Parker. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete the information from your system. Thank you for your cooperation." _______________________________________________ This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System. This email has been scanned by the IMRIS Email Security System "PLEASE NOTE: The preceding information may be confidential or privileged. It only should be used or disseminated for the purpose of conducting business with Parker. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender by replying to this message and then delete the information from your system. Thank you for your cooperation."