Will you please add the rampant omission of auxiliary verbs in TV/radio reporters' scripts? Maybe it's intended to sound immediate and add punch, but it's a sentence fragment, not normal speech and often confusing. It often involves a questioning, rising inflection for the first part of a sentence culminating in the subject, as though asking "and what became of x?" The remainder starts with a verb minus the auxiliary spoken as though to answer the question. "The bad guy - running down the street with the loot." This style used sparingly can add interest, but it's used for nearly every statement. With their microphone and wide reach, reporters are mangling the language.
Will you please add the rampant omission of auxiliary verbs in TV/radio reporters' scripts? Maybe it's intended to sound immediate and add punch, but it's a sentence fragment, not normal speech and often confusing. It often involves a questioning, rising inflection for the first part of a sentence culminating in the subject, as though asking "and what became of x?" The remainder starts with a verb minus the auxiliary spoken as though to answer the question. "The bad guy - running down the street with the loot." This style used sparingly can add interest, but it's used for nearly every statement. With their microphone and wide reach, reporters are mangling the language.
ReplyDeleteAlice, I can't say I'm familiar with this so can't really comment.
DeleteSurely it should be "casting nasturtiums" ;=)
ReplyDelete