Friday, October 26, 2007

Only second? C'mon! It's second only!


Headline and subhed in today's Knoxville News Sentinel:



Regal CEO says it's only second to cinema at Turkey Creek


What is it about the placement of "only" that trips up so many decent, hard-working Americans?


As fully discussed in our Oct. 4 GTOTD, the placement of "only" can completely change the meaning of a sentence.


The subhed above says that our lovely new Riviera 8 downtown cineplex is only second to the Pinnacle Stadium 18 at Turkey Creek -- that is, with a little effort it could be something loftier.


What the headline means to say is that the Riviera is second only to the Pinnacle Stadium -- that is, the Riviera has defied the odds and beaten out two mall-based cineplexes and the "artsy" Downtown West 8.

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