we do:

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notletrest

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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

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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

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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 [STRIKE]we do[/STRIKE]: 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.
 
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