3 ms·

I don't think this applies, particularly. Diagramming wasn't so much "this is how a sentence should be set up" as "this is the function of this word in this sen

• ggm 2y ago
  in the case of the fruit flies and the banana...
  • AlbertCory 2y ago
    There would be two possible diagrams for that sentence, depending on how you understand it.
    • eru 2y ago
      How about 'The soup that eats like a meal' or a 'pick-pocket'?
      • AlbertCory 2y ago
        You're trying to condemn prescriptivism? What's your point -- some things can't be diagrammed? Who said they could be? The first one is deliberately "wrong" for advertising effect, like "Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should." when the correct English is "Winston tastes good, as a cigarette should." The ad copywriters liked how it sounded.
        • eru 2y ago
          > You're trying to condemn prescriptivism? No, that's a separate discussion. You can use the diagrams for both description and prescription. > What's your point -- some things can't be diagrammed? Well, at most that some things can't be diagrammed naively, and perhaps need a more complicated diagram language. > The first one is deliberately "wrong" for advertising effect, [...] No, it's perfectly fine. It's called 'middle voice' and is a normal, if relatively rare, feature of English. Your Winston-ad example also seems like your correction makes it less grammatical.