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Abnormal Enumeration? 2

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Lunatic

Lunatic

Technical User
May 8, 2006
405
US

Being a sports nut I read a number of online columns and Dr. Z (not the BMW commerical guy) is one of the best. He also happens to be a stickler for grammar (which should make him a favorite on this board). However I'm having problems with one of his recent columns, he mentions "Abnormal Enumeration" as the mistaken grammar used in this line:

"The Eagles were outgained, outmuscled and nearly blew an 18-point lead."

I looked the phrase up in Google but didn't return a single hit. What is the grammar problem? Is it because eighteen as a number is mistakenly used as part of the enumeration?

***************************************
Have a problem with my spelling or grammar? Please refer all complaints to my English teacher:
Ralphy "Me fail English? That's unpossible." Wiggum
 
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The conjunction should link words or phrases that act as the same part of speech.

The sentence might be, "The Eagles were outgained and outmuscled, and nearly blew an 18-point lead."

Tom Morrison
 
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Our local FOX affiliate's tag line is:

Breaking News. Breaking Weather. Solving Problems.

Or, as those in our household like to say:

Gerund Noun. Gerund Noun. Verb Noun.

Not exactly abnormal enumeration, I know. :)


- Rod


IBM Certified Advanced Technical Expert pSeries and AIX 5L
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k5tm
Thanks!

RodKnowlton
Fox = NFC Football (or is it AFC now?), Simpsons and... Family guy? Beyond that its best to avoid at all costs ;-p

***************************************
Have a problem with my spelling or grammar? Please refer all complaints to my English teacher:
Ralphy "Me fail English? That's unpossible." Wiggum
 
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Ladyazh said:
Go Eagles?
Click to expand...

The team wasn't important (well it is, I just don't want to go too far off forum, let alone off topic), it was the grammar error that happened to mention the Eagles.

***************************************
Have a problem with my spelling or grammar? Please refer all complaints to my English teacher:
Ralphy "Me fail English? That's unpossible." Wiggum
 
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The Eagles were outgained, outmuscled and nearly blew an 18-point lead.
Click to expand...
The grammatical error in that sentence is "non-parallel structure". Items in a series, i.e. items to be enumerated, must be of a similar structure. k5tm is on the right track, but it's not about the conjunction; it's about the structure of items in a series.

==> The Eagles were outgained and outmuscled, and nearly blew an 18-point lead.
That sentence solves the "abnormal enumeration" issue by removing the enumeration, but unfortunately, it introduces a comma usage error. A comma and conjunction is only used to join two independent clauses, and "nearly blew an 18-point lead" is a dependent clause.
You could correctly say,
The Eagles were outgained and outmuscled, and they nearly blew an 18-point lead.
Adding 'they' turns the phrase into an independent clause thus making the comma plus conjunction usage valid.

You could also correctly enumerate:
The Eagles were outgained, were outmuscled, and nearly blew an 18-point lead.
By adding the 'were' to the middle item, you've turned all items in the series to verb phrases thus permitting enumeration.

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I plead guilty to using a comma improperly in the compound predicate. I claim the use is possible within the 'eliminate confusion' rule, given the multiple use of and. But it has been a while since seventh grade.
frown.gif


Tom Morrison
 
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Ladyaz

My appologies. I often fail to pick up on subtle nuances and usually take things on face value. I'm even less perceptive online where most, if not all, non-verbal cues are eliminated.

I once had a boss who, when introducing new employees to me, would actually say don't try to be sarcastic around me because I'll miss it. Which isn't entirely true, I love sarcastic humor, but if its subtle I'm very likely to miss it if I'm not ready for it.

***************************************
Have a problem with my spelling or grammar? Please refer all complaints to my English teacher:
Ralphy "Me fail English? That's unpossible." Wiggum
 
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