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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary
Goes the argument
"As a framing device for what’s happening – with Trump, Brexit and Le Pen in France – the idea is seductive. When Reagan and Thatcher came to power, “authoritarian populism” was a term academics used to describe their politics. Now it’s a phenomenon, growing rapidly, cutting across old definitions of left and right, goes the argument." (The Guardian.)
Is "the argument" a subject, "goes" a verb, "Now it’s a phenomenon, growing rapidly, cutting across old definitions of left and right" a direct object in the last sentence in the paragraph above?
Is "the argument" a subject, "goes" a verb, "Now it’s a phenomenon, growing rapidly, cutting across old definitions of left and right" a direct object in the last sentence in the paragraph above?
Top answer
You have it about right: it is an inverted sentence. It seems ambiguous to me whether "Now" should be included within the "object " (whether it modifies "is" or "goes"), and I also quibble whether "goes" is truly transitive, and whether we should truly call the first part a "direct object".
- You have it about right: it is an inverted sentence.
- It seems ambiguous to me whether "Now" should be included within the "object " (whether it modifies "is" or "goes"), and I also quibble whether "goes" is truly transitive, and whether we should truly call the first part a "direct object".
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8 Answers
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You have it about right: it is an inverted sentence. It seems ambiguous to me whether "Now" should be included within the "object " (whether it modifies "is" or "goes"), and I also quibble whether "goes" is truly transitive, and whether we should truly call the first part a "direct object".
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AnonymousNow it’s a phenomenon, growing rapidly, cutting across old definitions of left and right, goes the argument.~ Now the argument goes (") it's a phenomenon ... left and right (").
This construction is remarkable. It may be the only case in which a "direct object" (if that's what it is) can be an entire independent clause without quotation mar
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CalifJim It may be the only case in which a direct object can be an entire independent clause without quotation marks.If you believe that it is a direct object.
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I usually depend on some lag-time before others have a chance to read and reply to my posts. I was still working on the edits when you posted.
CJ
CJ
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CalifJimLet me know if you know of other cases like it.I wonder whether the lyrics of the "The Girl From Ipanema" song has the same construction:
"Tall and tan and young and lovely
The girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, each one she passes goes - ah
When she walks, she's like a samba
That swings so cool and sways
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AnonymousI think that in both cases, i.e., goes the argument and goes - ah, the verb "goes" is used in the way the verb "says" is used.Right. And it occurs to me now that this usage is especially common when explaining the sounds that animals make (and especially commonly criticized by English teachers).
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