tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post6423153005389841244..comments2024-02-19T07:51:46.118-05:00Comments on Throw Grammar from the Train: Blowing smokeJanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173219179480606941noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-67321837618985691082010-09-02T21:26:51.879-04:002010-09-02T21:26:51.879-04:00I'm so happy that other people have noticed th...I'm so happy that other people have noticed this! It's extremely annoying, no matter what the reasoning is behind it. Next, they'll be talking about people who were smoke?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-481947681034389112010-05-04T10:49:32.705-04:002010-05-04T10:49:32.705-04:00"sould"? sounds …"sould"? sounds …Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703548364118364764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-23929399550845828092010-05-04T10:49:32.704-04:002010-05-04T10:49:32.704-04:00"Not because "were quit" is incorre...<i>"Not because "were quit" is incorrect - you'll run across it often in Brit lit"</i><br /><br />Not in any modern variety of Brit Lit from England, I suggest. "Be quit of" may be found still in Scots or Australian English, but it sould strange to me, a speaker of Southern England English.Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703548364118364764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-72772545907319856482010-04-17T19:24:32.564-04:002010-04-17T19:24:32.564-04:00Surely the correct form would be, '40% of user...Surely the correct form would be, '40% of users quit during weeks 9-12...'?Roshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669423378438380019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-30481947042223935442010-04-08T15:32:17.030-04:002010-04-08T15:32:17.030-04:00I looked into this when I heard the commercial, be...I looked into this when I heard the commercial, because I had the same reaction. As far as I could determine at the time, "were quit" seems to be extremely standard in the stop-smoking business (for whatever reason).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-85560091084569791572010-04-07T08:16:00.506-04:002010-04-07T08:16:00.506-04:00"were quits" seems to me correct[ish], w..."were quits" seems to me correct[ish], where "were quit" doesn't; albeit at the cost of acquiring a slangy tinge. It fails the assumption that the wording was intended to avoid suggestion of permanence, but I have to wonder at an explanation which assumes that ad-makers strive to avoid positive intimations in their copy.jhmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15024302748759726815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-11172925144980201152010-04-06T20:44:16.859-04:002010-04-06T20:44:16.859-04:00Were I not quit, which I was/have/were not, I woul...Were I not quit, which I was/have/were not, I wouldn't write about this. But I am not/have not/did not quit.<br /><br />Still a smoking grammar geek at heart.<br /><br />And i was among those who "were not quit" in the past 44 weeks, or whatever. "I weren't," seems only to add insult to injury!pdBerghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07865824423065333694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-6151619141832227132010-04-06T20:06:10.995-04:002010-04-06T20:06:10.995-04:00Those Chantix ads tickle me as well.
I've act...Those Chantix ads tickle me as well.<br /><br />I've actually tried it a couple times in an effort to be quit of my increasingly expensive habit. I regret reporting that I've remained in the majority.<br /><br />MelissaJane is entirely correct in her assessment of adspeak: the side effects are within the parameters.Amerlochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17001434250939119091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8811866763970314328.post-5283265738509828592010-04-06T19:49:38.770-04:002010-04-06T19:49:38.770-04:00OH, yes, I'm sure you're right - I had to ...OH, yes, I'm sure you're right - I had to think for a minute to get the right sense of were quit, but you are right on the money. Drug companies have had to pay some very serious fines for misleading advertising, and their legal departments are extraordinarily sensitive about the nuances of language. I did a little copywriting for a drug-company project, and oh my gosh, are they ever careful about their language. If they said "had quit," they'd have to back it up with research that I am sure does not support the claim.MelissaJanenoreply@blogger.com