achilles's in any case imo
― all i gotta do is akh nachivly (darraghmac), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:15 (thirteen years ago) link
push the boat out like
Stupid or clumsy metaphors and similes are not strictly matters for grammar fiends, but rather for arbiters of style.
― Aimless, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:24 (thirteen years ago) link
apostrophe with no additional "s" is AP style for proper names that end with "s"
but shouldn't it be "the Achilles heel" as in "the Fosbury flop"?
― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:40 (thirteen years ago) link
In my opinion one is referring to a particular heel that belonged to Achilles, so that using the possesive apostrophe is more appropriate than using no apostrophe. But that is just me talking, not an expert per se.
― Aimless, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:48 (thirteen years ago) link
get an expert on the per se phone
― all i gotta do is akh nachivly (darraghmac), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:50 (thirteen years ago) link
trolling for groans
― Aimless, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 01:50 (thirteen years ago) link
"achilles' heel" would be OK without the article
― max, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 02:31 (thirteen years ago) link
Weird that the thing that enables 3D is its weakness, but whatever.
― Solid Gold Danzas (Autumn Almanac), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 02:36 (thirteen years ago) link
Why don't we lead the revoltution and switch to "Achillean heel", thus saving future generations untold tears and heartache?
― Aimless, Tuesday, 18 January 2011 02:38 (thirteen years ago) link
'weakness'
― Solid Gold Danzas (Autumn Almanac), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 02:40 (thirteen years ago) link
In fact I can't think of an instance in which 'weakness' would not do.
havin that
― Achillean Heel (darraghmac), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 02:44 (thirteen years ago) link
Ah, beer, my one weakness. My Achilles Heel, if you will.
― Antoine Bugleboy (Merdeyeux), Tuesday, 18 January 2011 03:31 (thirteen years ago) link
In my opinion one is referring to a particular heel that belonged to Achilles
one is not! one is speaking metaphorically! otherwise:
would fly (so to speak): "achilles' heel always acted up when the storm clouds gathered over mount olympus"
― progressive cuts (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 20 January 2011 16:24 (thirteen years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVpPLDREuwc
― kkvgz, Thursday, 20 January 2011 17:13 (thirteen years ago) link
Pub near me has just rebranded to "Dr Ink's". The sign now reads:
Dr.Ink's ...and dining
― ledge, Thursday, 17 February 2011 12:22 (thirteen years ago) link
A subheading reads
"Exercise independently of weight loss"
This has got to be "independent." Some editors just cut & paste from body text.
― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 March 2011 22:52 (thirteen years ago) link
I think I'm changing it to
"Exercise effects independent of weight loss"
Is that comprehensible?
― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 March 2011 22:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Is the story about exercise that has nothing to do with losing weight? Cardio, etc?
― Pleasant Plains, Friday, 4 March 2011 22:58 (thirteen years ago) link
The section is about whether exercise can affect blood pressure ASIDE FROM a weight-loss element.
― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 March 2011 23:05 (thirteen years ago) link
probably "effects of exercise"? can you use a comma to set off the "independent of weight loss"?
― Secrets will not Block Justice (harbl), Friday, 4 March 2011 23:07 (thirteen years ago) link
Comma there not really our style... and you have no idea how much I wish this was a "story," instead of a pile of poo perpetrated by doctors in Texas and editors in India.
― kind of shrill and very self-righteous (Dr Morbius), Friday, 4 March 2011 23:23 (thirteen years ago) link
Exercise independently of weight loss
That's a perfectly good imperative sentence you have there, directing the reader to take exercise without regard to any weight loss they might experience as a result.
― Aimless, Saturday, 5 March 2011 01:17 (thirteen years ago) link
the NYT and some others will say
"increased to $1000 from $500"
rather than
"increased from $500 to $1000"
i trip over this every time. presumably that's just because it seems less common. but that notwithstanding, is it more correct/better?
― caek, Wednesday, 9 March 2011 16:14 (thirteen years ago) link
nope.
― Aimless, Wednesday, 9 March 2011 18:15 (thirteen years ago) link
"[NOUN] coupled with [NOUN] presumably explains [OBJECT]."
or "explain"?
― your generation appalls me (Dr Morbius), Friday, 8 April 2011 15:16 (thirteen years ago) link
Recast it. "The combination of NOUN and NOUN explains OBJECT."
― The Louvin Spoonful (WmC), Friday, 8 April 2011 15:19 (thirteen years ago) link
with the "presumably," of course.
You could even keep "coupling" as your subject. The coupling of x and y presumably explains etc etc
― The Louvin Spoonful (WmC), Friday, 8 April 2011 15:22 (thirteen years ago) link
i don't recast, too much to do
― your generation appalls me (Dr Morbius), Friday, 8 April 2011 15:24 (thirteen years ago) link
You asked for a fucking opinion, don't wave it away when it shows up.
― The Louvin Spoonful (WmC), Friday, 8 April 2011 15:28 (thirteen years ago) link
you're basically saying "noun - coupled with noun - presumably explains ..." so it's singular.
― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Friday, 8 April 2011 16:50 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah, singular. Recasting averted.
― Pop is superior to all other genres (DL), Friday, 8 April 2011 16:50 (thirteen years ago) link
look I'm sorry, WmC, but I'm a proofreader, not an editor. So we all agree anyway.
― your generation appalls me (Dr Morbius), Friday, 8 April 2011 17:22 (thirteen years ago) link
I was not waving it away, I apprec the answer.
― your generation appalls me (Dr Morbius), Friday, 8 April 2011 17:25 (thirteen years ago) link
look I'm sorry, WmC, but I'm a proofreader, not an editor.
OK, I didn't know that until now. No worries.
― The Louvin Spoonful (WmC), Friday, 8 April 2011 17:26 (thirteen years ago) link
With Tracer here. The simple test is that you could replace "NOUN coupled with NOUN" with "this" and the acceptability of "explains" becomes crystal clear.
― Aimless, Friday, 8 April 2011 20:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Quotations inside quotations inside quotations. Single or double for the "What the hell are they doing" line
“It could be [called] a lot of different things, but it will take a while to get to that point,” Anderson said. “You’ve heard me say before, "It might be 25 minutes of hell and 15 minutes of ‘What The Hell are they doing?” Hopefully it will be the type of basketball that our fans can enjoy, our kids can enjoy. They’ll get a chance to showcase their God-given abilities. It’s fun for fans. And it’s winning basketball.”
― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:39 (twelve years ago) link
I think the rule is to go back and forth.
So: "You've heard me say it before, 'It might be 25 minutes of hell and 15 minutes of "What the hell are they doing?"' Hopefully it will..."
― jaymc, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:44 (twelve years ago) link
Thanks. That's from Arkansas basketball coach Mike Inception, btw.
― Pleasant Plains, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:45 (twelve years ago) link
xp
Yikes! I've never seen quotation-mark nesting to three levels before. The convention is single-quotes for the second level of quoting. There must be a convention for the third level, but I am at a loss what it might be. Italics?
― Aimless, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:45 (twelve years ago) link
is the same true for switching between parentheses and brackets? for example, if you have one level with parentheses (and then nest something else [in brackets, and then maybe (another level)])?
― hardcore oatmeal (Jordan), Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:51 (twelve years ago) link
It's back and forth for the quotation.
Don't do parentheses in parentheses! You think you're Raymond Roussel?
― bamcquern, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:56 (twelve years ago) link
I've seen parentheses nested wildly (just multiple sets of parentheses (like this, not alternating with another form of punctuation (the effect is especially dizzying when they all end together))).
I've also seen the convention (parentheses [brackets {braces}]). Not sure there is a ruling on this from a major style guide. A sensible person would probably try to figure out a way to restructure things so you don't have such a complicated sentence.
― Ye Mad Puffin, Tuesday, 28 June 2011 19:58 (twelve years ago) link
nested parentheses in maths go the other way around { [ ( ) ] }
― caek, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 09:49 (twelve years ago) link
Anything in parentheses should be banished to a footnote or eliminated with extreme prejudice
― 40% chill and 100% negative (Tracer Hand), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 13:30 (twelve years ago) link
(Tracer Hand)
― ledge, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 14:14 (twelve years ago) link
excelsior bait, that
― Aimless, Wednesday, 29 June 2011 16:39 (twelve years ago) link
I don't think you need the third level of quotes. If What the hell were a second level I'd leave them in, but your job is to aid the reader, and in this case you aid the reader by taking them out:“It could be [called] a lot of different things, but it will take a while to get to that point,” Anderson said. “You’ve heard me say before, 'It might be 25 minutes of hell and 15 minutes of what the hell are they doing?' Hopefully it will be the type of basketball that our fans can enjoy, our kids can enjoy. They’ll get a chance to showcase their God-given abilities. It’s fun for fans. And it’s winning basketball.”
― Trudi Styler, the Creator (ithappens), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 17:05 (twelve years ago) link
i think that's confusing, too!
one (my) solution would be to put it in italics:
“It could be [called] a lot of different things, but it will take a while to get to that point,” Anderson said. “You’ve heard me say before, 'It might be 25 minutes of hell and 15 minutes of What the hell are they doing?' Hopefully it will be the type of basketball that our fans can enjoy, our kids can enjoy. They’ll get a chance to showcase their God-given abilities. It’s fun for fans. And it’s winning basketball.”
― ☂ (max), Wednesday, 29 June 2011 21:01 (twelve years ago) link