EdFred and the Dangling Modifier

Teller1900

Teller1900

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I am a dad!
So I noticed that EdFred's new signature line is

Aircraft Owner
Certified Flight Instructor
Worthless Airport Manager
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So...is the airport worthless, or is he worthless as a manager??? :dunno::dunno::D
 
Remember the movie Clue?

Mrs. White: "He threatened to kill me in public."
Miss Scarlet: "Why would he want to kill you in public?"
Wadsworth: "I think she meant that he threatened, in public, to kill her."
Miss Scarlet: "Ah."

:)
 
Ask a member of the management council.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
No, just one who said that airport managers without a degree in airport management are worthless (OK, worthless is Ed's word.)
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So then why does Ed have that he is the manager of a worthless airport in his signature?

Oh wait...I get it...He is trying to say the he is a worthless manager of an airport.

I guess he should have taken English in college.

:D:D:D:D
 
Would a hyphen solve the problem?
 
I have a whole list of newspaper headlines that this reminds me of.

My favorite is:

Court to Try Shooting Juvenile

Is "shooting" a verb or a modifier? :)
 
Obi Heed Kenobi said:
I have a whole list of newspaper headlines that this reminds me of.

My favorite is:

Court to Try Shooting Juvenile

Is "shooting" a verb or a modifier? :)
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Perhaps the court should work on their aim first? ;) But other than that, I am ok with the idea behind the sentence. Especially if that was the kid kicking my seat in the movie theater not too long ago. :D:D
 
Seems to me Ed, that you have to say one of the following to be clear:

Worthless manager at 6Y9
Manager at Worthless (6Y9) Airport
Manager at 6Y9 which is worthless
 
saw a book a while back "Eats shoots and leaves" ... with a panda on the front
 
we need Nick, he is PoA grammar police
 
smigaldi said:
Comma

Worthless, Airport Manager

Worthless Airport-Manager

Let us now hear from the grammarians?
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Amazing. There's actually no way to fix the confusion other than by adding words.

"Worthless Manager of an Airport."

The problem is the implied meaning. You can imply wrong.

I could diagram it for you, but the diagram would depend on which meaning is implied. :dunno:
 
smigaldi said:
So then why does Ed have that he is the manager of a worthless airport in his signature?

Oh wait...I get it...He is trying to say the he is a worthless manager of an airport.

I guess he should have taken English in college.

:D:D:D:D
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Maybe remedial english is part of the curriculum for certification as an airport manager.
 
mikea said:
Amazing. There's actually no way to fix the confusion other than by adding words.

"Worthless Manager of an Airport."

The problem is the implied meaning. You can imply wrong.

I could diagram it for you, but the diagram would depend on which meaning is implied. :dunno:
Click to expand...

One can imply incorrectly. When it comes to using the word "you" in english, I refer you to the master, Marine Gunnery Sgt Foley in "An Officer and a Gentleman".
 
... and later, Ed can give me some instruction about Certified Flight. :)

--Kath
 
You could say "Airport Worthless Manager"
Then the adjective precedes the correct noun.
 
RotaryWingBob said:
Excellent point. I wonder who teaches Uncertified Flight, though...
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gee I just heard a story about uncertified flight instruction form a guy.

I cannot remember who it was but it was a story about how he and a couple of his friends bought a plane a long time ago. Only one guy could afford lessons. He would take a lesson and then teach the others what he had just learned. He then said he finally was able to take real lesson and was signed off for solo in under 5 hours with the CFI wondering how the heck he could fly so well with so few hours.
 
tonycondon said:
we need Nick, he is PoA grammar police
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LOL - grammar nazi checking in. I noticed the signature too. Depending on what the original point was, which I assume is that he is worthless as an airport manager, a good way to word it would be:

"Worthless manager of an airport."

Dangling Modifiers are technically correct, though, just ambiguous.
 
smigaldi said:
gee I just heard a story about uncertified flight instruction form a guy.

I cannot remember who it was but it was a story about how he and a couple of his friends bought a plane a long time ago. Only one guy could afford lessons. He would take a lesson and then teach the others what he had just learned. He then said he finally was able to take real lesson and was signed off for solo in under 5 hours with the CFI wondering how the heck he could fly so well with so few hours.
Click to expand...

I believe that story is from the book about Merle "Mudhole" Smith.
 
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