Post AabBb4pcirTsJSbhL6 by grammargirl@zirk.us
(DIR) More posts by grammargirl@zirk.us
(DIR) Post #Aab9XmBLPByNh945s8 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T15:49:35Z
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Do you ever deal with an edit that won't leave you alone?I have a sentence like this:The company that invented the device was *located* in the same building as ...I took out the word "located." It shouldn't be necessary. "In" means the same thing. But now it doesn't feel right to me, and I keep thinking about it.#AmEditing
(DIR) Post #Aab9jiPRG2wTT9LnZw by sjvn@mastodon.social
2023-10-09T15:51:42Z
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@grammargirl FWIW, I'd put "located." back in. It flows better to my ear.
(DIR) Post #Aab9kEUVyi14y9yIvw by goodthinking@beige.party
2023-10-09T15:51:50Z
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@grammargirl Give it a period of time…
(DIR) Post #Aab9yX2rn7wMZGrFU8 by WTL@mastodon.social
2023-10-09T15:54:22Z
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@grammargirl When an edit like this bugs me, I try to rewrite the sentence to avoid the problem. 🤷🏻 Words are weird.
(DIR) Post #Aab9z4lgPWOh9p50QC by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T15:54:30Z
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@sjvn I think I agree, but do you feel like it's a rhythm thing or does it actually subtly change the meaning?
(DIR) Post #AabA04yF8vHe4jQubg by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T15:54:39Z
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@goodthinking 🤣
(DIR) Post #AabA2KpZ99WnqMRxWC by icastico@c.im
2023-10-09T15:55:06Z
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@grammargirl The connotations are different - “located” feels permanent “in” more transient …was housed in……worked in/ out of…
(DIR) Post #AabA2mG5AfmWuQ4168 by eurobubba@mastodonczech.cz
2023-10-09T15:55:09Z
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@grammargirl “had offices in” IMO the issue, or part of it, is that a “company” is an abstraction that isn’t really located anywhere as such.
(DIR) Post #AabA85MrYBgvcilZqK by mittensmcsmithers@mastodon.world
2023-10-09T15:56:05Z
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@grammargirl "The location of the company that invented the device was in the same building as..."?
(DIR) Post #AabA8scUQsJ4NNSFVI by litherland@typo.social
2023-10-09T15:56:07Z
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@grammargirl Go with your gut!
(DIR) Post #AabAEKm5BIoV90XgNk by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T15:57:17Z
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@icastico Yes! I actually just changed it to "worked out of."
(DIR) Post #AabALbqy55hK8lIS6y by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T15:58:34Z
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@eurobubba Good point. Maybe the abstraction of a company is the problem.
(DIR) Post #AabATlC1EzbBQI1tXE by vincent@mastodon.coffee
2023-10-09T16:00:02Z
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@grammargirl I like *located* but you're right, it's unnecessary, though I feel the sentence is a tad naked without it.Another option is to rewrite it.The same building housed both *the name of the the company* and *the name of some other company*. The company that invented the device was at 123 N. 1st Street. At same address was ...Or leave it as is! Happy editing! (I genuinely love editing, so I mean that!)
(DIR) Post #AabAZwCHEyNRI060bw by SergKoren@writing.exchange
2023-10-09T16:01:03Z
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@grammargirl Maybe because it's in past tense?How about, “The device's parent company and ... are colocated in the same building”? You might not even need “in the same building”. Yes, colocated is a troublesome word.
(DIR) Post #AabAbToricgvrBsfRo by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:01:15Z
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@stancarey Yes! "Located" seems more specific. If there were a Venn diagram for "in," "located" would be a circle inside it.I changed it to "worked out of," which feels more active than "was located in," and now I'm happy with it.
(DIR) Post #AabAjywXsuy8hcWk5I by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:02:59Z
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@DataDrivenMD I considered "shared a building with" when I was doing the first edit, but I felt like that suggested information I didn't know. It kind of implies they owned it, and also kind of implies they were the only two in it.I've changed it to "worked out of," and ma happy with it now.
(DIR) Post #AabAlw4BYFyaMM23I8 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:03:21Z
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@vincent Thank you!
(DIR) Post #AabAxoDsXX33VYEBaC by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:05:29Z
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@SergKoren It's about a historical situation, so I have to stick with the past tense.Thanks though!
(DIR) Post #AabB6zOWNCeQlKaDfU by SergKoren@writing.exchange
2023-10-09T16:07:09Z
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@grammargirl Ah ok. Then, “The device’s parent company and … were located in the same building." :) Good luck.
(DIR) Post #AabBajBrBWC3C2q8wK by ewdocparris@writing.exchange
2023-10-09T16:12:29Z
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@grammargirl colocated might be worth a try?
(DIR) Post #AabBb4pcirTsJSbhL6 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:12:33Z
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@SergKoren You just reminded me of years ago when I worked at a fun startup, and the engineers would often say they had to go to the "CoLo" (the colocation facility) to check on something. We were pretty sure that sometimes they were just going to coffee or something instead, so "going to the CoLo" became a euphemism for skipping out on work. Good times!
(DIR) Post #AabBoLQwJBkRZEO6cq by JamesGleick@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:15:01Z
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@grammargirl “Located” is wrong. “Situated” is correct. (Happy to rise to the pedantic occasion.)
(DIR) Post #AabBu6qTSZIS3o52US by SergKoren@writing.exchange
2023-10-09T16:16:01Z
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@grammargirl Lol. Well, it seems like it was the right thing to do. I worked for a CEO who had a thick accent and who when talking to customers would say, “You have to f* us on the problem.” He could never properly pronounce "focus”. It made for a lot of raised eyebrows internally and externally.
(DIR) Post #AabBziM1QjiHq8VdL6 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:17:00Z
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@SergKoren 🤣
(DIR) Post #AabCKzI3epGkRnname by serpicojam@mas.to
2023-10-09T16:20:53Z
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@grammargirl @sjvn How about . . . “X and Y were both located in . . . “Or, in the active case . . . “X and Y shared an address in the Z building . . . “Or something like that?
(DIR) Post #AabCNfwC4C0ZILqzOC by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:21:25Z
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@JamesGleick Wow, even Garner's Modern English Usage doesn't cover that distinction, but I see what you mean.
(DIR) Post #AabCZz2crhVy1FjOqW by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:23:35Z
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@serpicojam @sjvn That could work, but I don't think we know the actual address or name of the building.I changed it to "worked out of," and now I'm happy with it.
(DIR) Post #AabCdqsJAZrhqkkY5I by serpicojam@mas.to
2023-10-09T16:24:16Z
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@grammargirl @sjvn 👍
(DIR) Post #AabCv2kiGLBjbtOXFA by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T16:27:24Z
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@DataDrivenMD Thanks! I never would have known English is your second language. Your writing isn't clunky in any of the posts I've seen.
(DIR) Post #AabDVev9pYKyPdjvg8 by estherschindler@hachyderm.io
2023-10-09T16:34:00Z
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@grammargirl I do like the "located in" or "worked out of" in the sentence. Not grammatically per se but puts reader's attention on _place_ more directly. @sjvn
(DIR) Post #AabDw8uYwvVcxI5dia by Gregnee@sfba.social
2023-10-09T16:38:48Z
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@grammargirl I think it’s more specific. “In” can imply a figurative state of being, e.g. “in transit” or “in a fugue”. “Located” makes it clear you’re talking about a physical state of being.
(DIR) Post #AabEJVPTSybzOTglvs by sjvn@mastodon.social
2023-10-09T16:43:00Z
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@grammargirl For me, it was the rhythm.
(DIR) Post #AabEaUaXm28lljxysa by leadore@toot.cafe
2023-10-09T16:46:05Z
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@grammargirl My unimportant thoughts: Does a company "work out of" a building? Saying a company "works" sounds kind of weird to me; "operates" sounds better.
(DIR) Post #AabEknFNFxtCX7yb68 by SeumanOtwal@social.vivaldi.net
2023-10-09T16:47:51Z
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@grammargirl — We use “located” because it is precise and reduces a mild ambiguity. Simply saying “was in” can be construed as an overstatement of something like “was formerly listed in the lobby directory of” or “held officers’ meetings in” or “had employees frequently present in”.
(DIR) Post #AabEscaOmFsxmmXjhg by bodhipaksa@mastodon.scot
2023-10-09T16:49:21Z
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@grammargirl @stancarey (Not an editor.) I would also have struck "located" from my own writing. I might have opted for "shared a building with...", although that might be interpreted that there were only two businesses in the building. If the type of building were known, I might say "was in the same office building as." I think that has the connotation of stability that Stan referred to, and "office* building" is just a tad more descriptive than the word "building" alone.*Or whatever it was.
(DIR) Post #AabGUYFNSScpHqMR9s by piratero@mastodon.world
2023-10-09T17:07:23Z
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@grammargirl not a fan of linking verbs. Too much passive voice.Located in the same building as …. the company that invented the device fought a Great War. They killed millions of innocents on their march to the sea. Their great havoc produced a great noise and this awakened a great monster from the great deep. Raising its great head above the great waves its great body produced, it hatched a great plan.
(DIR) Post #AabJ3FRzXDsR2AvwJc by marinaepelman@mastodon.social
2023-10-09T17:36:04Z
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@grammargirl @stancarey That feels iffy to me. A company doesn’t do work. It owns the means of production :-)
(DIR) Post #AabJTNBhOHQ6Yllnpg by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T17:40:51Z
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@Gregnee Yes! The "physically located" meaning is a subset of the many meanings of "in."
(DIR) Post #AabJgXCzRdJ1P4eM8O by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T17:43:13Z
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@leadore Hmm. I see what you're saying. I'm writing a plain language course right now, though, so I'm especially focused on using the simplest words that I can to convey the meaning.
(DIR) Post #AabJqTx2PU9kCGvpQm by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T17:44:59Z
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@bodhipaksa @stancarey Yes, I considered "shared a building with" too, but I felt like it suggested things we don't know, like as you say, that there were only two businesses in the building.
(DIR) Post #AabLDlZTALLBSUZfqy by paddyburton@mas.to
2023-10-09T18:00:26Z
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@grammargirl Hi Mignon how about 'situated in' or perhaps 'based in'?
(DIR) Post #AabLhRxWeBsZJvyro0 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-10-09T18:05:48Z
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@paddyburton @JamesGleick pointed out that "situated in" is actually more accurate.
(DIR) Post #AabMxnFtKtVxxOvcFk by paddyburton@mas.to
2023-10-09T18:19:56Z
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@grammargirl @JamesGleick great minds think a Gleick!
(DIR) Post #AabOJe3EKzXdjfzPou by pjaymac@mstdn.social
2023-10-09T18:35:04Z
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@grammargirl Glad you found a solution. I saw your post earlier. I am reading Amor Towles’s excellent novel “Lincoln Highway” and have just read a passage in which a hungry character sees “bread rolls” on the floor of a train’s dining car, calling to this editor’s mind your post. “Bread rolls” is redundant, but it doesn’t bother me much. I might have gone with “dinner rolls,” though.
(DIR) Post #AacLoes7EMTiYOqb9U by livcomp@hachyderm.io
2023-10-10T05:41:47Z
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@grammargirl fixed with a touch of E-Prime