Well, that, but also--how is she pregnant with her husband? She and her husband are pregnant--fine. She is pregnant with a *baby*, not with her husband.
Well, now, I'm not sure it's as clear as all that. The word with can mean several things there. If we said she and her husband are pregant together, it's just acknowledging the male's role in whole process.
What I'm interested in is this machine stamps husbands out of large sheets of some sort of husbandy material.
If they had said that "she and her husband are pregnant together," it would be clear, though. They used a phrasing that certainly grammatically says what they mean, but that most American English speakers would use to imply something else. Think of it this way: if it were not physically impossible for her to be carrying a baby who is also her husband, would there not be a large amount of ambiguity in this sentence? As my father would say (usually after deliberately misinterpreting someone I have said in an annoying but technically correct sort of way) "looseness with language!" (he never finished the thought beyond that, but you get the point).
Man, if I have to explain it this much, it just isn't that funny. Also, though, it may be one of the worst-constructed yet grammatically-correct sentences in history.
It's actually pretty funny. I'm just being annoying. :)
Besides, c'mon. Husband minters! Picture the Federal Husband Reserve. How would you control husband inflation? Raise the beer rate? Maybe lower it. . .
5 comments:
Don't you apply fresh mint to your husband each day?
Well, that, but also--how is she pregnant with her husband? She and her husband are pregnant--fine. She is pregnant with a *baby*, not with her husband.
Well, now, I'm not sure it's as clear as all that. The word with can mean several things there. If we said she and her husband are pregant together, it's just acknowledging the male's role in whole process.
What I'm interested in is this machine stamps husbands out of large sheets of some sort of husbandy material.
If they had said that "she and her husband are pregnant together," it would be clear, though. They used a phrasing that certainly grammatically says what they mean, but that most American English speakers would use to imply something else. Think of it this way: if it were not physically impossible for her to be carrying a baby who is also her husband, would there not be a large amount of ambiguity in this sentence? As my father would say (usually after deliberately misinterpreting someone I have said in an annoying but technically correct sort of way) "looseness with language!" (he never finished the thought beyond that, but you get the point).
Man, if I have to explain it this much, it just isn't that funny. Also, though, it may be one of the worst-constructed yet grammatically-correct sentences in history.
Same anonymous.
It's actually pretty funny. I'm just being annoying. :)
Besides, c'mon. Husband minters! Picture the Federal Husband Reserve. How would you control husband inflation? Raise the beer rate? Maybe lower it. . .
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