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Usenet Posted 23 years ago
Usage
The Globe and Mail.
I followed a link to an article by Lynn Coady about Stephen King in the Globe and Mail and was struck by the sloppiness of the English. I'm not one of these decline-of-the-language people at all, but this was too down-homey for my taste. I don't know this paper; my guess is that it's a middlebrow tabloid, equivalent to Britain's Daily Mail or Express, in which case I should be grateful that literary issues are being discussed at all, I suppose.
Here's an example of the prose style:
King: Fess up. There is too a difference between popular and literary fiction, you write the former, not the latter, and you know it. Who cares? You worked your ass off, overcame poverty, alcoholism and some yahoo barrelling down the wrong side of the highway. You managed to get rich and entertain millions of people in the offering. Good for you, here's a lifetime achievement award. All we ask is that you don't go griping that the "snobs" are keeping poor little Johnny Grisham from his true props.
"There is too a difference": is that expression often found in written form?
And I can't quite understand "entertain millions of people in the offering", which could, I suppose, be an Americanism. Does that mean "in the process"?
Don't even get me started on the punctuation.
Peasemarch.
Here's an example of the prose style:
King: Fess up. There is too a difference between popular and literary fiction, you write the former, not the latter, and you know it. Who cares? You worked your ass off, overcame poverty, alcoholism and some yahoo barrelling down the wrong side of the highway. You managed to get rich and entertain millions of people in the offering. Good for you, here's a lifetime achievement award. All we ask is that you don't go griping that the "snobs" are keeping poor little Johnny Grisham from his true props.
"There is too a difference": is that expression often found in written form?
And I can't quite understand "entertain millions of people in the offering", which could, I suppose, be an Americanism. Does that mean "in the process"?
Don't even get me started on the punctuation.
Peasemarch.
Top answer
[nq:1]I followed a link to an article by Lynn Coady about Stephen King in the Globe and Mail and was ... [/nq] In terms of quality, I think it views itself as Canada's answer to The Times in its golden era. [nq:1]Here's an example of the prose style: King: Fess up.
- [nq:1]I followed a link to an article by Lynn Coady about Stephen King in the Globe and Mail and was ...
- [/nq] In terms of quality, I think it views itself as Canada's answer to The Times in its golden era.
- [nq:1]Here's an example of the prose style: King: Fess up.
- There is too a difference between popular and literary fiction, ...
- little Johnny Grisham from his true props.
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82 Answers
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[nq:1]I followed a link to an article by Lynn Coady about Stephen King in the Globe and Mail and was ... Mail or Express, in which case I should be grateful that literary issues are being discussed at all, I suppose.[/nq]
In terms of quality, I think it views itself as Canada's answer to The Times in its golden era.
[nq:1]Here's an example of the prose style: King: Fess up. There is too a
In terms of quality, I think it views itself as Canada's answer to The Times in its golden era.
[nq:1]Here's an example of the prose style: King: Fess up. There is too a
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[nq:1]I followed a link to an article by Lynn Coady about Stephen King in the Globe and Mail and was ... ask is that you don't go griping that the "snobs" are keeping poor little Johnny Grisham from his true props.[/nq]
I think it's what's known as 'homage'
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
I think it's what's known as 'homage'
John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply
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[nq:1]I followed a link to an article by Lynn Coady about Stephen King in the Globe and Mail and was ... little Johnny Grisham from his true props. "There is too a difference": is that expression often found in written form?[/nq]
It looks okay to me. Back in the days when people used commas, it would have been "There is, too, a difference."
Isn't there some US/UK difference regarding "too"
It looks okay to me. Back in the days when people used commas, it would have been "There is, too, a difference."
Isn't there some US/UK difference regarding "too"
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[nq:2]...I don't know this paper; my guess is that it's ... that literary issues are being discussed at all, I suppose.[/nq]
The Globe & Mail is a higher-end broadsheet, about the level of the (UK) Times or Telegraph.
[nq:1]... I found quite a few interposed "too"s in Cicero while looking for that one, such as: Then, too, those ... of men, There is extant, too, a letter of the elder Marcus
The Globe & Mail is a higher-end broadsheet, about the level of the (UK) Times or Telegraph.
[nq:1]... I found quite a few interposed "too"s in Cicero while looking for that one, such as: Then, too, those ... of men, There is extant, too, a letter of the elder Marcus
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[nq:1]To my ear, some of these 'too's have the sense of 'also', whereas the US 'too' earlier seems to be a (non-functioning) filler.[/nq]
No, it isn't, either.
That "too" means "contrary to what you or someone else has said, or to the opinion I impute to you or someone else".
No, it isn't, either.
That "too" means "contrary to what you or someone else has said, or to the opinion I impute to you or someone else".
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[nq:1]The Globe & Mail is a higher-end broadsheet, about the level of the (UK) Times or Telegraph.[/nq]
[nq:2]... I found quite a few interposed "too"s in Cicero ... elder Marcus Cato Do you find those jarring as well?[/nq]
[nq:1]To my ear, some of these 'too's have the sense of 'also', whereas the US 'too' earlier seems to be a (non-functioning) filler. (BTW I'm an ex-Brit)[/nq]
I don
[nq:2]... I found quite a few interposed "too"s in Cicero ... elder Marcus Cato Do you find those jarring as well?[/nq]
[nq:1]To my ear, some of these 'too's have the sense of 'also', whereas the US 'too' earlier seems to be a (non-functioning) filler. (BTW I'm an ex-Brit)[/nq]
I don
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{snipped}
[nq:2]And I can't quite understand "entertain millions of people in the offering", which could, I suppose, be an Americanism. Does that mean "in the process"?[/nq]
[nq:1]Maybe the writer was thinking of "in the offing"? But M-W defines that as "the near or foreseeable future" so ... So maybe she was just thinking it meant "books you've offered." Sounds odd, though.[/nq]
Well
[nq:2]And I can't quite understand "entertain millions of people in the offering", which could, I suppose, be an Americanism. Does that mean "in the process"?[/nq]
[nq:1]Maybe the writer was thinking of "in the offing"? But M-W defines that as "the near or foreseeable future" so ... So maybe she was just thinking it meant "books you've offered." Sounds odd, though.[/nq]
Well
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[nq:1] Isn't there some US/UK difference regarding "too"? I forget what it is, but there's something the UK is unlikely to say that the US finds commonplace. And I think it may be this contradictory "did so" use.[/nq]
"I didn't say she was an old witch!"
"You did too!"
We'd say "Oh yes you did*!", or "You certainly *did!"
Matti
"I didn't say she was an old witch!"
"You did too!"
We'd say "Oh yes you did*!", or "You certainly *did!"
Matti
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[nq:2] Isn't there some US/UK difference regarding "too"? I forget ... I think it may be this contradictory "did so" use.[/nq]
[nq:1]"I didn't say she was an old witch!" "You did too!" We'd say "Oh yes you did*!", or "You certainly *did!" Matti[/nq]
A traditional playground taunt is "Did too! Did too!" when the person denies some claim like "You kissed Sally!".
[nq:1]"I didn't say she was an old witch!" "You did too!" We'd say "Oh yes you did*!", or "You certainly *did!" Matti[/nq]
A traditional playground taunt is "Did too! Did too!" when the person denies some claim like "You kissed Sally!".
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[nq:1]The Globe & Mail is a higher-end broadsheet, about the level of the (UK) Times or Telegraph.[/nq]
You'd never find that kind of descriptive writing in "Lunch with the FT", though they might subtlety sneer over their target's choice of wine or appetizer.
[nq:1](BTW I'm an ex-Brit)[/nq]
I'm flabbergasted. There is such a thing? I thought there were only Brits, with the subclass of
You'd never find that kind of descriptive writing in "Lunch with the FT", though they might subtlety sneer over their target's choice of wine or appetizer.
[nq:1](BTW I'm an ex-Brit)[/nq]
I'm flabbergasted. There is such a thing? I thought there were only Brits, with the subclass of
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