- Joined
- Feb 10, 2018
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I've just read Andre Norton's Sorceress of the Witch World (Ace edition 1968) and came across a couple of examples
The first is a typo/misprint
"Her breasts were heavy and the nipples were painted yellow with petals radiating from them as if to stimulate flowers."
As this is a family-friendly forum I'll leave it there
The second is a bit of grammar I had to reread several times
"Placed on my two feet by his strength as if I had no will of my own, he gave me a push forward which would have sent me helplessly on into the wall had not the woman, with muscles to match his, not caught me by the shoulder."
It's the last part of the sentence that threw me. If we remove the clause we get
"...which would have sent me helplessly on into the wall had not the woman not caught me by the shoulder."
Surely that should be
"...had the woman not caught me by the shoulder."
or
"...had not the woman caught me by the shoulder."
Otherwise, doesn't it imply that by catching by the shoulder, the protagonist is sent helplessly into the wall?
Anybody have any other examples?
The first is a typo/misprint
"Her breasts were heavy and the nipples were painted yellow with petals radiating from them as if to stimulate flowers."
As this is a family-friendly forum I'll leave it there
The second is a bit of grammar I had to reread several times
"Placed on my two feet by his strength as if I had no will of my own, he gave me a push forward which would have sent me helplessly on into the wall had not the woman, with muscles to match his, not caught me by the shoulder."
It's the last part of the sentence that threw me. If we remove the clause we get
"...which would have sent me helplessly on into the wall had not the woman not caught me by the shoulder."
Surely that should be
"...had the woman not caught me by the shoulder."
or
"...had not the woman caught me by the shoulder."
Otherwise, doesn't it imply that by catching by the shoulder, the protagonist is sent helplessly into the wall?
Anybody have any other examples?