This raises many questions:

How many sides can something be surrounded by?
Can we say, "Panama is surrounded by oceans on two sides"?
Can we say, "L.A. is surrounded by the Pacific on one side"?
Do we assume things have four sides? If so, why?
If a peninsula is bordered by water on three of four sides, is it surrounded
at all?

Here's a somewhat related question: If a squirrel is clinging to the side of
a large oak tree, and if you walk all the way around the tree trying to see
the squirrel, who keeps moving to stay on the opposite side of the tree from
you, then you have walked around the tree, but have you walked around the
squirrel?

Dick





On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 10:08 AM, Carol Morrison <[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Dear List Members:
>
> This morning in class, the students and I came across a sentence in their
> grammar handbook that apparently contains a misusage of some sort that we
> could not identify:
>
> The Keweenaw Peninsula is surrounded on three sides by Lake Superior.
>
> The only explanation we could some up with is that "three sides" should be
> replaced with "all sides" because a peninsula only has three sides and an
> isthmus. Or does it have two sides?
>
> Best-
>
> Carol
>

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/