|
|
Article: Nouns?; And Where Would They Be?
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 28, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
Oh, they're clever. Fiendishly clever.
The first time I heard evidence of their crime, I mistook it
for a traffic report.
"Be on the alert if you're coming down 395," the reporter
droned. "There's a disabled in the left lane."
My toothbrush froze halfway to my mouth as I waited for the
radio to correct itself. Surely the announcer must know that
disabled is an adjective, incomplete by itself. Any minute now he
would tell me what person, place, or thing was disabled in the road.
As I waited for him to supply the missing noun, my mind conjured up
horrible images ... perhaps it was a disabled veteran.
But no. Three times in that traffic report, the announcer used
disabled without its ...