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SuperESL Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Insurgency
Hello,
I've come across the following opening sentence in a NY Times article:
"The European Union is still reeling from the insurgency of this past week’s elections to its 751-member Parliament."
I am a bit uncertain about the usage of the word 'insurgency' here. My understanding is that the word can mean either 'a rebellion' or 'the act or state of rebelling.' Neither meaning fits perfectly in this sentence: surely strictly speaking an election can't rebel - voters rebel (perhaps "......the insurgency in this past week's elections......" would be better? In this case we are referring to an insurgency - of the voters - that took place in an election).
I understand what the author is trying to get across but I was wondering if the way 'insurgency' is used here is beyond reproach.
Thank you.
I've come across the following opening sentence in a NY Times article:
"The European Union is still reeling from the insurgency of this past week’s elections to its 751-member Parliament."
I am a bit uncertain about the usage of the word 'insurgency' here. My understanding is that the word can mean either 'a rebellion' or 'the act or state of rebelling.' Neither meaning fits perfectly in this sentence: surely strictly speaking an election can't rebel - voters rebel (perhaps "......the insurgency in this past week's elections......" would be better? In this case we are referring to an insurgency - of the voters - that took place in an election).
I understand what the author is trying to get across but I was wondering if the way 'insurgency' is used here is beyond reproach.
Thank you.
Top answer
Interpret the words 'the insurgency of this past week's elections' as 'the insurgency that took place in this past week's elections'. SuperESL I was wondering if the way 'insurgency' is used here is beyond reproach. Nothing anybody says or writes is beyond somebody's reproach.
- Interpret the words 'the insurgency of this past week's elections' as 'the insurgency that took place in this past week's elections'.
- SuperESL I was wondering if the way 'insurgency' is used here is beyond reproach.
- Nothing anybody says or writes is beyond somebody's reproach.
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3 Answers
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Interpret the words 'the insurgency of this past week's elections' as 'the insurgency that took place in this past week's elections'.
SuperESL I was wondering if the way 'insurgency' is used here is beyond reproach.Nothing anybody says or writes is beyond somebody's reproach.
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I suppose my problem is that for some reason I don't feel comfortable about interpreting "the sth of sth else" as "the sth that happened in sth else." For me 'of' always indicates an apostrophe s ('s), so "the insurgency of the elections" comes out as "the elections' insurgency". Am I being too rigid in my usage of 'of'? Please do instruct me on this.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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SuperESLAm I being too rigid in my usage of 'of'?Yes.
I still remember the hippy times of the 1960s.
The austerity of the immediate post-war years was followed by the optimism of what was referred to, briefly, as the new Elizabethan age.
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