Pedants' Paradise

[Bryn]

Poly Toynbee in today's Guardian:

Scientists are not gods, nor robots.

Surely better as
Scientists are neither gods nor robots
Scientists are not gods; nor are they robots
or
Scientists are not gods or robots

Her 'nor' looks (and sounds) odd to me.
It might almost give the impression that robots aren't gods either.

Surely the "nor robots", in the challenged form of words, is equivalent to "neither are they robots", in which case, "nor robots" seems to me to be grammatically supportable. That's not to say I don't find it ugly.

[Serial_Apologist]

Surely the "nor robots", in the challenged form of words, is equivalent to "neither are they robots", in which case, "nor robots" seems to me to be grammatically supportable. That's not to say I don't find it ugly.

There's no way of knowing that robots aren't gods from what she writes there though - especially in these "fake news" times!

[LeMartinPecheur]

Should you?

Tricky word 'should'! A local estate agent needs lessons on its different uses and punctuation needs: "[We] wanted to offer our assistance should you be looking to purchase another property once you have found a buyer for your home?"

Now should I or shouldn't I, that is the question?

[Pulcinella]

Tricky word 'should'! A local estate agent needs lessons on its different uses and punctuation needs: "[We] wanted to offer our assistance should you be looking to purchase another property once you have found a buyer for your home?"

Now should I or shouldn't I, that is the question?

What am I missing here?
I see no problem either with should (though it is a bit dated, perhaps) or the punctuation.

The statement is potentially misleading in another way, though:
We wanted to offer our assistance if you happened to be in the position of looking to purchase....., but our new business manager wouldn't let us.

[french frank]

What am I missing here?

Is it the question mark?

[Pulcinella]

Is it the question mark?

Aha! I think you're right, and that's why LMP has 'emboldened' it.

My oversight.
I should have gone to Specsavers?

[LeMartinPecheur]

Aha! I think you're right, and that's why LMP has 'emboldened' it.

My oversight.
I should have gone to Specsavers?

The title to the posting could have been a clue?

Oops, done it myself now

[Pulcinella]

The title to the posting could have been a clue?

Oops, done it again

And I hadn't spotted that either!
(I don't actually know how you give a posting a specific 'title'; something else to investigate?)

[LeMartinPecheur]

(I don't actually know how you give a posting a specific 'title'; something else to investigate?)

You get a subtitle box if you 'Go Advanced'. Go on, be a ...

[LeMartinPecheur]

Somewhat of...

Just had a festival mailing - hurrah!

In it this sentence "Summertime has become somewhat of a timeless classic". Surely the rule is "something of a (plus noun)" or "somewhat (plus adjective/ adverb)". Or am I way behind the times, as usual?

Apologies if we've had this one before.

[Pulcinella]

I can envisage myself being in somewhat of a dilemma wondering if I should be in something of a dilemma instead.


'Somewhat of' sounds right in that context, to me.

[kernelbogey]

Just had a festival mailing - hurrah!

In it this sentence "Summertime has become somewhat of a timeless classic". Surely the rule is "something of a (plus noun)" or "somewhat (plus adjective/ adverb)". Or am I way behind the times, as usual?

Apologies if we've had this one before.

I think 'somewhat' must be an adjective or adverb, not a noun: so '...has become a somewhat timeless classic' works better.
(IMVHO)

[LeMartinPecheur]

I think 'somewhat' must be an adjective or adverb, not a noun: so '...has become a somewhat timeless classic' works better.
(IMVHO)

(up to a point!). But I feel your rewrite shifts the emphasis: Summertime is indeed a classic but only somewhat timeless. Not quite the intended meaning?

And can anything really be 'somewhat timeless'? Shades of 'fairly unique'?

[french frank]

a. With dependent genitive: Some part, portion, amount, etc., of something.

1876 E. C. Stedman Victorian Poets vi. 232 It must be acknowledged that somewhat of this applies to Tennyson's variations upon Theocritus.

b. Const. of with a positive adjective. Now rare.

1855 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 10 Sept. in Eng. Notebks. (1997) I. iii. 317 Except somewhat of fantastic in the shape of the clock-tower.

c. = something n. 2c.

1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1877) II. 88 He was also somewhat of a time-server.

[LMcD]

Poly Toynbee in today's Guardian:

Scientists are not gods, nor robots.

Surely better as
Scientists are neither gods nor robots
Scientists are not gods; nor are they robots
or
Scientists are not gods or robots

Her 'nor' looks (and sounds) odd to me.
It might almost give the impression that robots aren't gods either.

A(nother) pedant writes: It's Polly Toynbee, actually.