Re: E-Prime [was Hyper Cognitive Selectivity [Was Market efficiency and umbrellas]]

Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
08 Jul 1999 11:53:48 +0200

Christopher Maloney <dude@chrismaloney.com> writes:

> > I've used e-prime for a while myself, but it seems a bit of an
> > unnecessary hassle in at least the first case.
>
> Yes, and what about when is is being used to introduce an
> adjective, such as "she is beautiful"? I thought it was
> restricted to the "is of identity", but some of the examples
> seem to be these modification types of statements.

"I see her as beautiful" - in this case E-Prime makes sense, since her beauty is subjective and related to the interaction between me and her.

> I think it all depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is.

Overall, "is of identity" is likely the thing to watch out most for. Going "is-hunting" can improve a text, just as removing "quite" and passive forms.

> "Knowledge is good"
> -- Emil Faber

E-prime: Knowledge helps me?


Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
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