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Discussion Groups / English Usage / April 2010commission
Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following sentences from a novel. Well, your dream subject did't do well suppressing interfering stimuli, made a huge number of errors by commission on the interference test. (Predator, P.Cornwell) context: they're examining a serious criminal's brain by MRI by letting him response to various pictures flashed. Benton is saying this to another researcher after the test. qeustion: about "commission" What I guesss is that by commission, it means: the state of the criminal being subjected to the interference test. > Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following > sentences [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > criminal being > subjected to the interference test. Could it be a typo for "omission"?  SignatureRay UK >Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following >sentences [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >criminal being >subjected to the interference test. It's part of a standard pair of phrases distinguishing two kinds of error: errors of omission : errors made by omitting to do something; errors of comission: errors made by doing something that shouldn't have been done (comitting an error). SignatureJohn >>Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following >>sentences [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >errors of comission: errors made by doing something that shouldn't >have been done (comitting an error). The phrases "sins of omission" and "sins of comission" are used in Christianity. For instance, from the Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm Division of sin ... Actual sin is committed by a free personal act of the individual will. It is divided into sins of commission and omission. A sin of commission is a positive act contrary to some prohibitory precept; a sin of omission is a failure to do what is commanded. .... SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following > sentences from a novel. > > Well, your dream subject did't do well suppressing interfering > stimuli, made a huge number of errors by commission on the interference test. > (Predator, P.Cornwell) This used to be standard English, from theological sources i.e. classifying sins as of two practical types: #1 = sins of commission, viz. actions, e.g. stealing; #2 = sins of omission, viz. failing to do right. This is adapted from a sentence in the General Confession of both the Catholic and Protestant churches: "We have done those things we ought not to have done, and we have not done those things we ought to have done," i.e. sins of commission and sins of commission. It is not clear what this means in Cornwell's context (a brain scan). SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) > Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following > sentences [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Benton is saying this to another researcher after the test. > qeustion: about "commission" > What I guesss is that by commission, it means: the state of the > criminal being > subjected to the interference test. You need to look at the phrase "made a huge number of errors by commission". It's a roundabout way of saying "committed a huge number of errors". In simpler words, "made a huge number of errors". You can ignore the following ramble. It reminds me of sin. Sins are traditionally of two classes. There are sins of commission, where you actively do wrong, and sins of omission, where you do wrong by failing to do something right. Sins of omission and commission wrap all sins up together. Not that I'm a gloomy Scots son of the manse, oh no. Signaturefranzi On 23 Apr 2010, franzi wrote > You need to look at the phrase "made a huge number of errors by > commission". It's a roundabout way of saying "committed a huge number of [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > where you do wrong by failing to do something right. Sins of omission > and commission wrap all sins up together. Hmm....that's the relevant point, methinks, rather than a ramble. If you rambled, it was in the bit about it being "a roundabout way of saying" -- from what (admittedly little) I know, Cornwell is fully conversant with religious omissions and commissions. SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed "Franzi": > > You can ignore the following ramble. > > > > It reminds me of sin. Sins are traditionally of two classes. There are > > sins of commission, where you actively do wrong, and sins of omission, > > where you do wrong by failing to do something right. ... Harvey Van Sickle: > Hmm....that's the relevant point, methinks, rather than a ramble. Huh. I never heard of that being said about sins, being a religious concept and therefore meaningless, but it's quite a familiar distinction in the context of errors, which is what the passage was about. SignatureMark Brader "You mean he made love to you?" Toronto "Well, he went through all the emotions." msb@vex.net -- EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY > On 23 Apr 2010, franzi wrote > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Hmm....that's the relevant point, methinks, rather than a ramble. "Ramble" wasn't a very good choice. I'd like "discursion" but it isn't in my dictionary. What is the noun for setting off discursively from a topic? > If you rambled, it was in the bit about it being "a roundabout way of > saying" -- from what (admittedly little) I know, Cornwell is fully conversant > with religious omissions and commissions. That I don't know. I read one of her books, once. She seemed to be trying to tell me a story that I didn't much care about. Signaturefranzi On 24 Apr 2010, franzi wrote >> On 23 Apr 2010, franzi wrote >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > in my dictionary. What is the noun for setting off discursively from a > topic? "Discursion" is in the OED (but not in Collins). They use "digression" as one definition (although that implies less connection to the original subject than a discursion to me). SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed > On 24 Apr 2010, franzi wrote > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > one definition (although that implies less connection to the original > subject than a discursion to me). The other argument against my use of "discursion" prevously was that it overwhelmingly spoke to me of Inspector Clouseau. But it's nice to know it's available. -- franzi >> Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following >> sentences [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Not that I'm a gloomy Scots son of the manse, oh no. No--just a rank heretic who doesn't believe in Original Sin (which is neither of omission nor of commission). SignatureRoland Hutchinson He calls himself "the Garden State's leading violist da gamba," ... comparable to being ruler of an exceptionally small duchy. --Newark (NJ) Star Ledger ( http://tinyurl.com/RolandIsNJ ) >>> Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following >>> sentences [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > No--just a rank heretic who doesn't believe in Original Sin (which is > neither of omission nor of commission). I'd forgotten that one. It's in a class of its own. There's not even provision for confessing it in the general confession of the Book of Common Prayer (which, in its favour, starts off strongly on the subject of sheep). Now I can't remember whose sins were scarlet, but his books were read. Signaturefranzi > Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following > sentences [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > criminal being > subjected to the interference test. It's in contrast to errors of omission. Commission requires actively doing something wrong rather than just failing to do something that should have been done. --Jeff SignatureLove consists of overestimating the differences between one woman and another. --George Bernard Shaw >Let me ask you about the meaning of commission in the following >sentences [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >criminal being >subjected to the interference test. It means errors actually committed by the subject of the test - in that case presumably describing pictures wrongly. For example saying that the picture had a cat in it when it was actually a dog, This is in contrast to errors of omission - such as failing to notice that there was a dog in the picture. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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