Subject:
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Re: Grammar alert (was Re: Lego CNN article - 1000 loose job? Whats UP?)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.fun
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Date:
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Sat, 6 Feb 1999 00:23:17 GMT
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Viewed:
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406 times
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John Neal wrote in message <36BB5E5B.5B8F5EC9@uswest.net>...
> My understanding of the words lose and loosen are closer in meaning (in
> english) than you think. The greek word is ballo or "I loose" - I let go. • I
> loosed weight (let go of it). I lost weight is using a contracted form of • loose
> (you didn't really misplace it or give it up in a poker game). Although it • may
> sound funny, I think it is being used properly.
I don't know where you got this understanding, but you might want to put it
back. Lost is past tense of lose. Loosed is the past tense of loose. If
your weight goes down, you lose weight, unless you're talking about
literally detaching weight from your frame. A balloon can loose weight by
dropping sandbags, perhaps. A person loses weight.
I found no reference to the Greek word ballo in the entries for lose, loose,
loosen, and lost. All are derived from Middle English, Old English, or
German. The only reference to ballo I could find was in the present day
word ballistics, which came from ballista (a catapult), which came from
ballo ("to throw").
Some info from Merriam Webster:
"Lose: verb
11. To free oneself from: get rid of <dieting to lose some weight>
"Lost: adj. Past participle of lose.
1. Not made use of, won, or claimed
2. No longer possessed
3. Ruined or destroyed
4. Taken away or beyond reach"
"1Loose: adj.
1. Not rigidly fastened
2. Free from a state of confinement"
"2Loose: verb
1. To let loose, release
2. To make loose, untie
3. To cast loose, detach"
The sentence in question is "1000 loose job?" The subject is "1000
[people]," the object is "job" (should be jobs), and the verb is in
question. Since loose means "to let loose" or "to let fly" the sentence
"1000 loose job" would suggest that 1000 people were directly responsible
for releasing (not being released from) jobs. A company or an employer can
loose jobs, perhaps, but people can't. The sentence "1000 lose job" means
that 1000 people were deprived of or suffered the loss of their job.
The only correct use of loose in the sentence "1000 loose job" would mean
"there are 1000 open jobs at Lego that need to be filled." While this is
grammatically acceptable, it is not correct given the context of the
article.
Jesse
__________________________________________________________________
Jesse The Jolly Jingoist
Looking for answers?
Read the rec.toys.lego FAQ! http://www.multicon.de/fun/legofaq.html
Power-search in Deja News! http://www.dejanews.com/home_ps.shtml
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