conjunctive

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fyfpoon@gmail.com - 30 Jan 2008 13:23 GMT

Is there anything grammatically incorect with the following sentence?

"I think this is a racket, a rip-off."

Is there any need to add 'and' as a conjunctive between 'racket' and
'rip-off'?

Thanks

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Alan Jones - 30 Jan 2008 15:34 GMT

> Is there anything grammatically incorect with the following sentence?
>
> "I think this is a racket, a rip-off."
>
> Is there any need to add 'and' as a conjunctive between 'racket' and
> 'rip-off'?

A conjunctive would be inappropriate - the two nouns mean the same, though
"rip-off" is slightly angrier. The speaker says "I think this is a racket"
and then, as it were, withdraws his first choice of word and substitutes
another that expresses his feelings more strongly. If you need a grammatical
term, I think "in apposition" would do.

Alan Jones

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Skitt - 30 Jan 2008 17:47 GMT

>> Is there anything grammatically incorect with the following sentence?
>>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> and substitutes another that expresses his feelings more strongly. If
> you need a grammatical term, I think "in apposition" would do.

This is one of the cases where I might use a dash.

"I think this is a racket -- a rip-off."

That's just me, though.

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Skitt (AmE)
No NESsie, but oh, so close ...

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Adrian Bailey - 30 Jan 2008 20:40 GMT

No.

Adrian

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2008

conjunctive