[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:	The Joy of Lex
Notice:	A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:	THEBAY::SYSTEM

Created:	Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:	Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1192
Total number of notes:	42769

789.0. "Equivoques" by WHEEL::DONHAM (Nothing up my sleeve...) Thu Apr 05 1990 23:03

The double-dactyls had me browsing through Espy's _An Almanac of Words
at Play_ today, and I ran across these interesting items, called
an equivoque. In an equivoque the meaning of a passage is radically
altered by changing only punctuation:

THE PESSIMIST

That deep red rose - I see its thorn.
I just ignore the scent that's borne.
To me it's nothing. I deplore
Those scratches that I got before.
I just complain about the pain.
A lot I think of beauty's gain!


THE OPTIMIST

That deep red rose I see;
Its thorn I just ignore.
The scent that's borne to me -
It's nothing I deplore!
Those scratches that I got -
Before I just complain
About the pain a lot,
I think of beauty's gain.

	-Mary Youngquist

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
789.1	A more prosaic example	JANUS::CWALSH	If it's wind, I'll call it Shaw	`Wed Apr 18 1990 18:01`	12
	As a more prosaic example, try some variations on the phrase: What is this thing called love? For example: What is this thing called, love? In fact, it's more fun if you vary emphasis rather than punctuation. Chris
789.2	or...	SKIVT::ROGERS	Damnadorum Multitudo	`Wed Apr 18 1990 19:25`	1
	What, is this thing called love?
789.3	Christmas	SSDEVO::EGGERS	Anybody can fly with an engine.	`Wed Apr 18 1990 23:54`	4
	"God rest ye merry gentlemen" can have the comma put in anywhere. Each version has a slightly different meaning.
789.4	Watch that comma!	SYSTMX::HACHE	Life is like an analogy	`Thu Apr 19 1990 23:44`	12
	>"God rest ye merry gentlemen" >can have the comma put in anywhere. Each version >has a slightly different meaning. Actually at Christmas a few years ago, we all arrived prepared with Christmas related trivia. My uncle pointed out that the song is named after the greeting "God rest ye merry, gentlemen". I never noticed the comma before that! dm
789.5	stress	MARVIN::KNOWLES	intentionally Rive Gauche	`Mon Apr 23 1990 16:05`	17
	I agree with .1, partly because when you start talking about how meaning depends on punctuation (which, of course, it often does) people usually start squabbling about The Right Punctuation. My favourite - which doesn't depend on punctuation, but on stress - is: "Tom hit Dick and then _Harry_ hit him" !Dick was hit twice vs "Tom hit Dick and then Harry hit _him_" !both Tom and Dick were hit You can stick in a comma after "Dick" if that's the way you want it, but what changes the meaning is the stress. b
789.6	Vote early and often	SHARE::SATOW		`Tue May 01 1990 15:43`	8
	Heard on the radio last night: . . . has won the award, which is voted by sportswriters, twice the announcer's intonation made it come out . . . has won the award, which is voted by sportswriters twice.