Quote:
Originally Posted by Karen
Some words get better used than others. You have your pick of sooooooo many, why get caught up in one work..i.e.'seems'?
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Maybe adjectives overall, and not the verb "to
be", has the flaw.
For example,
"I am Scottish" has many meanings.
My birth happened in Scotland.
My house stands in Scotland.
I feel at home in Scotland.
My forebears came from Scotland.
I vote in Scotland.
The society of Scotland influenced my personality.
Etc.
However,
"Scottish people look nice" has the precise same number of meanings.
People whose birth happened in Scotland look nice.
People whose house stands in Scotland look nice.
People who feel at home in Scotland look nice.
People whose forebears came from Scotland look nice.
People who vote in Scotland look nice.
People whose personality got influenced by the society of scotland look nice.
E-Prime
does improve the language, but mainly, it seems to me, because it lessens the use of some kinds of adjectives. E-Prime improves the first sentence, but does there also exist a formulaic way to improve the second sentence?
~Iain