A little moderation and kindness, okay?

I just read this in Michael Quinion's World Wide Words newsletter:

"Forgive me if the quotation is not exact - I was driving at the time," e-mailed Chris Church. "But did I really hear a sports reporter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme say, 'In just one jump, he qualified for the triple jump'?"

Well, yes. He probably did, and there's nothing strange about it, unless you expect sports news to rid itself of all jargon. "Triple jump" is the name of an event (which used to be the "hop, step, and jump") and in one jump (that is, in one triple jump, or one attempt) the athlete qualified for the finals in the event.

You know, I get weary of all the pointing and laughing at sentences which are really quite clear. The same newsletter has this item:

Kelly went to a gynaecologist in Riverside County, California, for a routine examination, only to encounter this notice: "All pregnant women who expect to have a male baby can arrange for circumcision before delivery!!!" Intrauterine operations are a great medical advance, to be sure.

Oh, haha. I really thought they meant that. (Like I'm sure the triple exclamation points belong inside the quotes where Kelly put them. As the kids say... Not.)

It seems to me that all too often people willfully seek alternate "humorous" or confusing readings and force them onto sentences that no normal person would ever misunderstand. Some of these folks are just looking for humor, but a lot of them are so smug it's repellent. I've stopped reading a couple of blogs because of it.

English syntax permits structural ambiguity. It allows for wordplay and creativity and interesting sentences. Those who would deny us that - especially those who are self-righteous about their superior knowledge (yes, I'm thinking of those TEAL goons who go beyond laughing to outright vandalism) - make me think of this from the brilliant xkcd:

I've been known to point out errors and amusing constructions, and to speculate on what was going on behind the scenes, so to speak. I will take on people who are being deceptive through syntax. But I hope I don't sneer.

Feel free to call me on it if you think I am.

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