| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Koli |
Posted - 03/09/2008 : 13:37:45
I don't know whether it is taught at police academy, but there's something odd about the way British coppers describe events. Take the following example, from today's news on AOL:
Acting Sergeant Mick Mills of Cumbria Police's road policing unit said: "There has been some erratic driving at Junction 43 on the roundabout and then he's gone southbound and travelled six or seven miles south and near Southwaite services he's had this collision with the oncoming car. He received serious injuries and died at the scene."
Sgt Mills said the car was not believed to have been stolen. He said toxicology and blood tests would be conducted on the dead man to establish whether he was drunk or on drugs.
I think I was asleep when my English teacher went through the various tenses, but I think this is called the historic present tense. Fowler says that the term historic present is applied to 'the present tense when it is used instead of the past in vivid narration' (OED)
Is this peculiar to the British police or do they do it elsewhere as well? |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 03/14/2008 : 08:13:20
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
Good language skills are not a prerequisite to playing sports.
And, thank goodness, sports are not requisite to speaking/writing properly! [or I'd be banned!!!  ]
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/14/2008 : 07:49:03
Good language skills are not a prerequisite to playing sports. |
| Sal[Au]pian |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 18:05:52
The people fondest of this practice are footballers. They seem to be absolutely incapable of placing events in the past. "He's passed wide and I'm running over to the ball..." No, you're not running: you're standing in the tunnel.  |
| w22dheartlivie |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 11:34:15
So would that be an oral taxi rape or something akin to the potato in the exhaust pipe thing? |
| Sean |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 08:09:32
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
quote:
Originally posted by Koli
Man held by police hunting taxi rapist
How does one rape a taxi?
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
Something to do with the exhaust pipe? |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/13/2008 : 07:25:18
quote:
Originally posted by Koli
Man held by police hunting taxi rapist
How does one rape a taxi?
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
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| Koli |
Posted - 03/12/2008 : 21:46:58
Meanwhile, back in Blighty the historic present tense is used to describe an alleged offender's modus operandi:
Man held by police hunting taxi rapist
Detectives hunting for a serial rapist who picks up victims in a London black cab have arrested a man, Scotland Yard have said.
The suspect, aged in his early 40s, was arrested at an address in south east London and is being questioned by officers.
The rapist is thought to have struck at least five times, picking up his victims on streets in central London before subjecting them to lengthy ordeals.
He pretends to be a lottery winner, before drugging and raping women passengers.
One police source described the arrest of the man as a "very positive development" in the police inquiry.
Detectives began trawling through their records of sex crimes since 2005 after an incident earlier this month led them to believe a serial attacker was on the loose.
Detective Chief Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane, who is leading the investigation, said he believed there may be many more victims who have not come forward.
He said the most recent attack took place on February 2 after a 28-year-old woman was picked up near London Bridge Station.
He said other victims were picked up in Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street and the Kings Road and that the first offence may have taken place in June 2005.
Mr Grattan-Kane said: "The women have been passengers in the cab. He (the driver) has engaged them in conversation and has suggested to each of them that he has been successful and had a win in some way - either gambling, casino or horses.
"He says he has won a considerable sum of money which varies from �1,000 to �50,000 depending on the person he is with.
"He has had the money in the cab with him and it has been visible. He asked the women to take part in celebrating his success.
"He has offered them a glass of champagne or wine or on one occasion some tablets when they have complained of a headache.
"He has then continued to drive the victim to their original location and on the way has stopped. He has got into the back of the cab and the women have been subjected to a sexual assault.
"The women were then taken towards their original address and have been dropped off."
Mr Grattan-Kane said the victims were aged between 17 and 33 and had all been out drinking with friends before the attack.
The officer said toxicology tests were under way to identify what kind of drug was used to incapacitate the women.
Mr Grattan-Kane said victims complained of feeling powerless and suffering memory loss. He said some of the attacks may have lasted up to three hours.
He said: "We are appealing for any other women who might have got into what they believed was a safe taxi cab in the London area over the last few years and have had a similar set of circumstances presented to them."
A helpline has been set up for anyone who suspects they may have been a victim. The number is 020 7321 7359.
Source MSN News UK 15.2.08 |
| Koli |
Posted - 03/12/2008 : 21:20:14
It's possible that in Romania the police are taught to use plain language. This is from a site called Ananova.com:
Police blame ghosts for damage
Romanian cops have closed a vandalism investigation that left local houses in ruins by concluding ghosts were to blame.
Families living in Lilieci reported windows broken, bicycles flying through the air, objects moving on tables and candles blown out when there is no wind.
When they complained they were being hounded by evil spirits to police they were laughed at.
But after officers saw the evidence with their own eyes they filed a report saying that ghosts were to blame.
Mircea Hadimbu, 68, who says his house has now been completely wrecked, said: "The windows started to break one by one. I saw two bicycles moving through the air on their own."
His sister Melentina Bocancea, 78, who lives nearby, added: "There were cups flying around the house and candles I lit were blown out as soon as I put a match to them even though there was not a breath of wind in the house."
A police spokesman said: "There were bottles and things flying around. I did not know what to dodge first. We can find nothing to suggest it was anything other than what the people claim."
A priest has been called in to perform exorcisms of houses in the town in the hope that the attacks will finally stop.
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/12/2008 : 06:07:31
I'd be willing to bet that this has happened, actually. |
| MguyXXVI |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 21:18:30
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
Well, saying "The Chicago Manual of Style is turning in its grave" just doesn't make sense, does it?
It was buried alive too?!!!??!?!
  |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/11/2008 : 06:01:05
Well, saying "The Chicago Manual of Style is turning in its grave" just doesn't make sense, does it?
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| MguyXXVI |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 20:15:52
quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
Strunk & White are turning in their graves!
They were buried alive?!!!??!?! |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 05:44:45
Strunk & White are turning in their graves! |
| w22dheartlivie |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 05:01:51
It's called the Rodney King Report Guideline. |
| MguyXXVI |
Posted - 03/10/2008 : 04:16:10
Judging from the police reports I've read, I'd say it's basically the same idiot trying-to-sound-objective-and-intelligent-while-omitting-the-part-where-the-cops-whip-the-crap-out-of-everyone who writes them all.
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