we do:

[notletrest]

Please help me with "we do:" in the quote:
"We may not brand the unemployed with a red-hot iron today, but sear their minds with criticism we do: the 'deserving' and 'not deserving' poor still exist."
Somebody says it is ...but we do sear ... But I don't think so,bedause: 1.I haven't come across such construction; 2. There is no need to use such a construction, for there is "we may not...,but..."which has the emphatic function.
I am all ears for yours!
thanks!

[Frank Antonson]

It can be read "we do sear". That is normal word order for English. I thought of the fancy (Greek) term for the use of unusual word order for style -- "anastrophe". Elsewhere on this forum I was groping for that word.

"We do sear" is the emphatic form of "we sear", at least in Reed-Kellogg terms.

Frank

[billmcd]

Please help me with "we do:" in the quote:
"We may not brand the unemployed with a red-hot iron today, but we do sear their minds with criticism we do: the 'deserving' and 'not deserving' poor still exist."
Somebody says it is ...but we do sear ... But I don't think so,bedause: 1.I haven't come across such construction; 2. There is no need to use such a construction, for there is "we may not...,but..."which has the emphatic function.
I am all ears for yours!
thanks!

I agree with "Somebody", but I also agree with 2. above.