Frank Antonson
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2009
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- English
- Home Country
- United States
- Current Location
- United States
I was paying little attention to a movie that my wife was watching, but then I heard and noticed an example of what I think is called zeugma.
A character was saying to a hitchhiker that she and her husband had picked up that "You look like...(and the viewers expected "our son"). But, instead, she said "You look like (after a pause) you need a ride".
How to diagram the second choice?
Any ideas? Treat is as "You appear as if you need a ride" vs "You appear as if you were our son"? Does "like" have to be a conjunction vs a preposition here?
In any case, I found it a clever bit of writing.
A character was saying to a hitchhiker that she and her husband had picked up that "You look like...(and the viewers expected "our son"). But, instead, she said "You look like (after a pause) you need a ride".
How to diagram the second choice?
Any ideas? Treat is as "You appear as if you need a ride" vs "You appear as if you were our son"? Does "like" have to be a conjunction vs a preposition here?
In any case, I found it a clever bit of writing.