Duh...

lj-aaronwalker

Duh...

29th-Apr-2003 09:42 am

So, I was trying to read the paper this morning and I came across the following passage:

As the two cars headed south on Hwy. 169 on Sunday, the three adults inside them hurled insults, a scissors and a screwdriver, Brooklyn Park police said Monday.

Now, with the help of

monstersocks I've been trying to be less twitchy about language that I don't like, but this really bothered me. I expect a little more from the Star Tribune than the phrase "a scissors." Was one of the adults wearing "a pants?"

In my opinion, using the phrase "a scissors" is equivalent to starting every paragraph with "Duh..." or writing in all caps or using crayon. It makes the writer look uneducated and unprofessional.

Comments

29th-Apr-2003 07:59 am (UTC)

monstersocks

Gonna write them and complain?

29th-Apr-2003 08:30 am (UTC)

coprock

I haven't decided yet. I mostly wanted to vent so I'd stop thinking about it.

29th-Apr-2003 08:00 am (UTC)

monstersocks

I can't decide if I should be offended by the comment about me or not...

29th-Apr-2003 08:30 am (UTC)

coprock

You shouldn't be offended.

(Deleted comment)

29th-Apr-2003 09:24 am (UTC)

monstersocks

No one understands the classifiers.

29th-Apr-2003 10:53 am (UTC)

nicholay

I'm not sure that "a scissors" is incorrect. If they had just said "hurled scissors" it would be ambigious to how many pairs of scissors were hurled.

29th-Apr-2003 11:03 am (UTC)

monstersocks

Scissors is just like that, though. If I asked to borrow your scissors, I would say "May I borrow your scissors?" While it's ambiguous as to whether I'm asking for one pair of scissors, or all your scissors, it's usually safe to assume a pair.

Oh, hey. That's what the article should have said. Hurled "a pair of scissors".

29th-Apr-2003 04:40 pm (UTC)

vaxjo

But what if they didn't hurl a pair of scissors? What if they only hurled one (ie, "one scissor")?
Besides. I think scissors are more properly flung than hurled.

Please describe what it is to "scissor" for me, please.

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