Re: "If you are a tall man, like I am, ..." -- facially nonsensical

From: Mike Girouard (foggytown_at_aol.com)
Date: 06/14/04 

Date: 14 Jun 2004 02:17:20 -0700

"Adrian Bailey" <dadge@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<xHwyc.5519$1R5.2237@nurse.blueyonder.net>...
> "T. Z." <Use-Author-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote in message
> news:20040611185924.97972.qmail@web52108.mail.yahoo.com...
> > A while ago, I found myself uttering to someone
> > the following sentence, and feeling a little confused
> > while saying it.
> >
> > "If you are a tall man, like I am, ..."
> > (you find yourself searching for clothes that fit.)
> > (I struggle to find clothes that fit.)
> > (it's hard to find clothes off the rack.)
> >
> > ____(I said this to a woman!)____
> >
> > (You'd understand my confusion if you actually say it
> > to someone who's not a tall man.)
>
> It's colloquial for "If one is a tall man, like I am, ..." We often use
> "you", rather than the stuffy "one", and it rarely leads to any confusion.
>
> It is bad style, of course, to use "one" when one means "I" - an upper-class
> shibboleth.
>
> Adrian

And anyway, shouldn't the conditional "if" phrase be using "were"
instead of "am"? If you were a tall man . . .

FoggyTown
"It may be only your humble opinion, sir, but it happens to clash with
my authoritative one."

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