Perfectly good NS English 17:53 Aug 1, 2012
I really can't understand the comments from those who would seek to criticize this as poor or non-NS English. On the contrary, it is perfectly good EN, though unless indavertent, syllepsis like this is more likely to be used in a literary style than perhaps in everyday speech. And it's not even a question of being technically correct but sounding wrong; if you read it aloud in a natural way, it sounds perfectly fine and the syntax even adds slightly to the humour of the remark; there is really no doubt whatsoever about what the writer meant that might bring into question which other word(s) should have been added — it is perfect just the way it is, and shows that the writer was crafting their work skillfully.
It is not, however, something that learners of English will have covered until quite a long way on in their course. |