morality post of the day
I really object to this:
If I Did It?
How about "If I HAD Done It"?
Verb tense, folks, verb tense!
If I Did It?
How about "If I HAD Done It"?
Verb tense, folks, verb tense!
posted by JenIsFamous at 11/21/2006 11:48:00 AM
9 Comments:
Could this book be a subliminal way of OJ confessing his guilt and laughing all the way to the bank at the fools who didn't prosecute him!!! Either way, you have to admit it's a clever move on his part...
How about this. "If i done it, it wasn't me.
savvy1007: Except for the fact that this book and the TV special were cancelled yesterday, though no one is quite sure if he was paid ahead of time.
Also, I'd say we can move right on past 'clever' and deem this utterly reprehensible and nauseatingly tasteless. If that's all it takes to be clever...
However, Jen, thanks for making me not feel alone in being irked by the choice of tense.
my man the editor noticed this too. i am ashamed to say my knowledge of the pluperfect is imperfect and i wouldn't have noticed. points for you and for shame, me!
Well, yes, the title doesn't constitute a denial or a confession. I figured that was O.J.'s way of saying, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I'm not telling you!"
I think so, too, Gary. But it is NEVER correct to use the subjunctive mood with the regular past tense. The correct way to express the idea we agree O.J. likely intended is still "If I had done it."
I love this post. Very clever. I am so glad the whole deal fell through. Yay humanity!
Lisa
Jen: The subjunctive mood, according to what I learned in school, is used only for an expression that is contrary to fact. If O. J. were [correct use of subjunctive here] denying that he did it, then the subjunctive would be required. But if the expression is possibly true, then a simple tense, not a subjunctive, is used. Hence my comment that by using "did," O. J. is refraining from denying the murder.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home