How I say to fix it
"How the owner says the two men got away with his vehicle."
This leading W- word is so common in journalese, but it just annoys me. You're not describing how the owner/police/lawyer/witness/whoever says anything. They are saying how something happened. At the very least you need commas - how, the owner says, the two men got away. But really, dangit, move that w-word!
The owner says how the two men got away.
How Police Say Two Women Almost Got Away With Stealing at Least 6 Houses - Police say how two women...
A-Rod: How lawyers say team could avoid paying him. - Lawyers say how team could ...
2 Comments:
Do you think this is along the lines of "All [fill in the blank] are not [fill in the blank]" -- instead of what I consider to be the more precise "Not all [fill in the blank] are [fill in the blank]"?
Not really. The negative scope problem (if it is a problem) is very widespread and you hear it everywhere while this seems confined to journalism. I think it's a trade idiom.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]