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Discussion Groups / British English / April 2005Smoking seriously
Sitting in the pub last night, I was shocked to read the following notice on my mate's pack of ciggies: "Smoking seriously harms you and others around you" So he started smoking frivolously and we all relaxed. > Sitting in the pub last night, I was shocked to read the following > notice on my mate's pack of ciggies: > > "Smoking seriously harms you and others around you" > > So he started smoking frivolously and we all relaxed. They must be standard texts. On the Dutch pack of Marlborough in my pocket, it says "Roken brengt u en anderen rondom u ernstige schade toe". A close translation could go as follows: "Smoking inflicts serious damage on you and others around you". No ambiguity once an adjective is used rather than an adverb. Giles  SignatureGorra light? On Friday, in article <m4ag61d54o43otnh2129g6fhjf8h7etfku@4ax.com> > > Sitting in the pub last night, I was shocked to read the following > > notice on my mate's pack of ciggies: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > serious damage on you and others around you". No ambiguity once an > adjective is used rather than an adverb. The Greeks [as ever] have a word for it: the definite article! Theirs reads "To kapnisma vlaptei sovara tyn ygeia sas" (THE smoking harms seriously the health your[pl]). The initial problem with the English version is that "smoking" is ambiguous as to its part of speech. SignatureBrian {Hamilton Kelly} bhk@dsl.co.uk "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte." Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657 > > Sitting in the pub last night, I was shocked to read the following > > notice on my mate's pack of ciggies: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Giles Neither warning seems to work very well... > Sitting in the pub last night, I was shocked to read the following > notice on my mate's pack of ciggies: > > "Smoking seriously harms you and others around you" > > So he started smoking frivolously and we all relaxed. Reminds me of when my Dad was a member of St. Cake's Old Boys RUFC. The constitution stated that "The president of SCRUFC shall be the Headmaster of St.Cake's Grammar School". My Dad, being merely a young teacher, tried to get elected as a short cut to a headship. No doubt there's a Silly Crime Squad too. Paul Burke |
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