Sunday, August 16, 2009

Agere sequitur esse ...

... Intransitive Verbs - How Ian Fleming Uses Them in His Novel Doctor No. (Hat tip, Paul Davis.)

2 comments:

  1. His verbs may be instransitive, but his English is frequently insensitive. Among the howlers in "Casino Royale" are these:
    “As a woman, he wanted to sleep with her,” Fleming writes, dangling his modifier. And, “‘Shtop,’ had said the voice, quietly,” which a backward manner of writing is.

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  2. I'm surprised his editor didn't catch the first. The second might be arguable, depending on context (I haven't read the book). At least I can imagine that it might work under certain circumstances.

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