Legal commercials

[Thadeus]

I saw this commercial yesterday for a law firm that is pursuing a pharmaceutical for a specific drug...

Wording: "Have you, or someone you know, attempted suicide or committed suicide after taking the prescription drug blah-blah"

Realizing the intent, I still question the structure? In strictly grammarian terms, are they really asking for someone who has committed suicide to contact them?

~Thadeus

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I'll defer to the hard core grammarians if I'm overruled, but I think the structure is fine:

"Have you, or someone you know, attempted suicide or committed suicide after taking the prescription drug blah-blah"
[tab]becomes
"[Has][red]Have you, or[/red] someone you know[red],[/red] attempted suicide or committed suicide after taking the prescription drug blah-blah"
[tab]which is equal to
"Has someone you know attempted suicide or committed suicide after taking the prescription drug blah-blah"

[tt]_____
[blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ181-2886 before posting.

 

[CRilliterate]

They still get your attention...this is what it's all about.
Funny though...

________________________________________
I am using Windows XP, Crystal Reports 9.0 with SQL Server

 

[2ffat]

But the way it is written it could also mean, "Have you attempted suicide or committed suicide or has someone you know attempted suicide or committed suicide...," which doesn't make sense.

I've also seen the ads say, "Have you, or someone you know, gotten sick or died as a result... ." Again, if you are dead, how can you even watch the ad let alone contact the lawyer.

Maybe it has to do with lawyers and their "alleged" English. ;-)

James P. Cottingham
-----------------------------------------
^{I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!}

 

[SamBones]

Well, if someone had committed suicide and was able to contact me, I would definitely want them to contact me. If I were a lawyer I would LOVE to have someone on the stand testifying that had come back from the dead to seek revenge on the company that made the drug that killed them. Seems to me that would leave quite an impression on the jury!

So, maybe it's correct the way it's worded.

 

[j0ckser]

if someone, preparing a message, needs to take a shortcut, then the wording as presented can be used. BUT they don't need shortcuts; there's no harm in expanding the sentence slightly to better accomodate the message:
have you ever attempted suicide, or has someone you know attempted or been successful in committing suicide...?

per ardua ad astra

 

[SkipVought]

Anyone who's not here, raise their hand.

Skip,

_{[red]Be Advised![/red] A chicken, who would drag a wagon across the road for 2 cents, is…
POULTRY in motion to PULLET for a PALTRY amount!}

 

[SkipVought]

"Anyone who's not here, raise your hand."

Skip,

_{[red]Be Advised![/red] A chicken, who would drag a wagon across the road for 2 cents, is…
POULTRY in motion to PULLET for a PALTRY amount!}