Wrong pronoun. Both have promised "his" son. --- On Fri, 7/20/12, Martha Galphin <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Martha Galphin <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Grammar question To: [log in to unmask] Date: Friday, July 20, 2012, 12:53 PM Found in a book on screenwriting: “In that film, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad [sic] battle to achieve the same goal--the acquisition of the last popular action figure for sale that Christmas season. Both of them have promised their son, and they must not fail.”   My question concerns the clause “both of them have promised their son . . . .”  Other than a rewriting of this sentence, is there any way to clarify the meaning? Now it reads as though Schwarzenegger and Sinbad have a son in common which is not the case. (Each has only one son; so, sons wouldn’t work.) If rewriting is the answer, what would you suggest? Thank you, Martha Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:34:53 -0400 From: [log in to unmask] Subject: politics on ATEG; instance of semantic broadening To: [log in to unmask] The  ATEG list is dedicated to discussion of teaching grammar and other language-related issues. Its members represent a range of political viewpoints, and even serious political discussion would take us far afield, resolving nothing, and engender rancor. There are many outlets for political screeds; ATEG is not one of them. Those who abuse this list should lose their privilege to participate in it. To change the topic back to language: it was jarring to hear a Denver newspaper reporter, interviewed on NPR this morning, describe the Colorado mass murderer as "the gentleman who did this." For the reporter and likely for some Americans as well, the word "gentleman" has broadened from its original meaning to denote simply a male person, with apparently neutral connotation. Dick 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/ 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/

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/