In the immortal words of LL Cool J, "I don't think so."

[yendi]

A sentence from the Booklist review of Adverbs (review available on the Amazon website):

The 16 intersecting stories (each headed by an adverb modifying the noun love) display a cadre of couplings: gay, straight, platonic, perverse.

Anyone notice a slight problem there?

Comments

[silme.livejournal.com]

Um, ajectives maybe?

[mfree.livejournal.com]

"This word adverb you keep using, I do not think you know what it means"

Inconcievable.

[tattermuffin.livejournal.com]

LOL!

I just watched that movie again a couple of nights ago. Well some of it - it was on tv so when we got to commercials I gave up since I own the movie on DVD. I need to watch it all the way through again soon!

"I do not think it means what you think it mea --- "

[dustyskinandall.livejournal.com]

damnit you got there first.

[silme.livejournal.com]

Or even adjectives? :)

[trochee.livejournal.com]

sheesh. Send this to Language Log.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

never mind, I just sent it to Ben Zimmer over there. Linked to you. He'll find it funny.

[yendi]

Cool -- I just checked it out, and it looks like a nifty weblog.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

check it out: the tip is good and is now featured (http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002925.html)!

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

I guess _Adjectives_ just didn't have the right oomph to it.

[hookncrook.livejournal.com]

Didn't these people watch Grammar Rock?

Adverbs...there is an rootword in that word that should give it away.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

I am so glad they attributed that book review. My mother reviews for Booklist, and I would've been devastated if she'd written that, since she's, y'know, smart and stuff. *wry grin*

[yendi]

I hate the non-attributed Booklist reviews on Amazon in general. As with any other reviews, I want to know who's reviewing it, which lets me form an opinion the next time I encounter them.

[daoistraver.livejournal.com]

hahah!

I think the reviewer's tendency to "nounify" love is showing here. (in addition to the grammatical error)

[dindin.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna go with no.

[pkthunder.livejournal.com]

Well, the titles are still adverbs, but I think they mean the verb love, not the noun.

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Indubitably.

[lonesomenumber1]

Me love you long time.

Paging Lolly!

[jerel.livejournal.com]

Adverbs don't modify nouns. They modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They must mean adjectives modifying nouns, because those words all answer "what kind of love?" Adverbs don't answer what kind. "How, where or when, condition or reason, these questions are answered when you use an adverb (come and get it!)"

Re: Paging Lolly!

[auryn29a.livejournal.com]

"Say you're going nut-gathering. Your friend wants to know where and when. Use an adverb and tell him!"

(That still makes me giggle.)

[wakingdreaming.livejournal.com]

I see a problem here that no one else seems to be noticing. I'm tempted to reveal it but I want to see if anyone else will notice it sooner or later.

[trochee.livejournal.com]

the implied opposition between "platonic" and "perverse"?

[wakingdreaming.livejournal.com]

Well, I hadn't noticed any implied opposition. I was objecting to the term "perverse" flat out.

[thejunebug.livejournal.com]

Ahahahahahahaha

Sigh.

[mightywombat.livejournal.com]

Isn't it Ironic (http://alanismorissette.com/main.html)? Dontcha think?