(no subject)

[liadnan]

Finished The Dante Club, highly enjoyable, mini-review when I find time. But the copy-editor needs to be taken out and shot for not catching the following, at the climax of the novel:
"Holmes [...] tried to unsuccessfully untie their hands."

Split infinitives, as Fowler pointed out long ago, are absolutely fine. But the positioning of a qualifier can radically change the meaning of the sentence. Not to mention turning it into gibberish. (Or an interesting psychological-semantic paradox, if you prefer.)

***

Do Hare Krishnas have choir practice?

Comments

[etherealfionna.livejournal.com]

Besides which, it can be rephrased without splitting the infinitive and still make sense:
"Holmes unsuccessfully tried to untie their hands"

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

I have never heard them, so I can't sy. Do they sound like they have choir practice?

Re:

[liadnan]

The one person who one would assume might be properly informed.... Or am I being iggerant here: do Hare Krishnas not happen in Delhi?

Re:

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

They *do* have a huge temple in Delhi, the ISKON temple or somesuch but I have never been there. I don't go to temples unless I am showing someone around and foreign tourists are not interested in Hare Krishna temples.

I am rather ignorant of the whole movement in any case. HK is the western take on bhakti and Krishna-avatar and I have never been exposed to it. It is a rather peripheral movement here in India - partly because it's foreign and partly because of the huge scandal they caused in the 60s and 70s[pot and orgies].
Erm, most Indian hindus tend to think of the HK people as religious nutcases....

They do run an excellent vegetarian vaishnav food restaurant in Hauz Khas though. :)
And that, sir, is the sum of my knowledge on this topic...

Re:

[liadnan]

In London too they run a restaurant, near Soho Square and known as Govindas. I believe it's ok, though I've never been. They are based above it, and as I was walking past last night I heard the start of their chant coming out of a window and then stopping. (So there was a reason for my query.)

In England too they are mainly thought of as religious nutcases.. I don't think I'd realised they were essentially a western thing. They spend most of their time wandering round Oxford St and Charing X Rd, so I bump into them quite a lot. I think their other main base is somewhere George Harrison gave them in Berkshire, but I'm more than a little hazy...

Re:

[rparvaaz.livejournal.com]

Ah, I can help with the chanting query. Twice a day, at sunrise and sunset, ritual vedic prayers are conducted., It involves fire and chants, flowers and incense, sweets, ghee and water. This practice is mandatory for any bhakti-based religious movement, so HK must be doing it too. What you overheard could either have been these daily prayers or somebody practising their chants. The rythmn, pitch, invocation - all have to be perfect. So practice is needed. :)

[fairymelusine.livejournal.com]

I remain ever satisfied with your level of pedantic criticism. Thank God for Marcus! I can feel satisfied that someone, somewhere, is keeping an eye on such things.

Now, wanna take a look at the pile of manuscripts I've got next to me and really have some fun with a red correcting pen?

Re:

[liadnan]

Are any of them any good?

Re:

[fairymelusine.livejournal.com]

Not usually.

But, oh, every once in a while one is. And then I feel justified for being here, you know??