Harry's B-day Re: Riddle and Grindelwald in 1945

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 109293

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "romulusmmcdougal" 
<romulus at h...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" 
> <gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> 
> > Geoff:
> > I think you actually mean "adverbial clauses" and "adjectival 
> > clauses"...
> > 
> > The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines a preposition as  
> > an "indeclinable word serving to mark relations between the noun 
or 
> > pronoun it governs and another word", i.s. words like for, on, by 
etc.
> 
> Yes thank you.  I mean "Adverb Prepositional Phrases" 
and "Adjective 
> Prepositional Phrases".  I guess I get lazy and do the shortcut 
> method.
> 
> 
> > > Therefore, based on grammar, the headline can indicate that the 
> > > investigations were continuing on 31 July instead of the break-
in 
> > > occurring on 31 July.
> > 
> > 
> > Geoff:
> > But that type of wording would never be used in a UK paper. A 
fairly 
> > standard layout would be "Investigations continue into the 
(recent) 
> > break-in at Gringotts (on Tuesday)/(on 31st July). The only 
possible 
> > structure which might use your heading wuold be if n 
investigation 
> > was re-opening with 31st July as the date ut was happening - not 
the 
> > date of the break-in.
> 
> I respectfully disagree.
> "never be used in a UK paper" is not a valid objection. I'm sorry, 
but 
> newspapers are some of the worst places to find good grammar!
> 
> A valid objection would be to show that adjective prepositional 
> phrases override adverb prepositional phrases in priority of 
> consideration when constructing a sentence in the English language.
> Secondly, whether the investigation is "continuing" or "re-opening" 
> does not change the fact that both are verbs and both can be 
modified 
> by adverb prepositional phrases.
> 
> And "on 31 July" can be considered an adverb prepositional phrase 
or, 
> I must admit an adjective prepositional phrase that modifies the 
noun 
> preceding it -- "Gringotts".  Therefore, it is ambiguous.

Geoff:
But you have avoided commenting on the fact that Harry states quite 
categorically that it occurred on his birthday, the 31st July, which 
removes any ambiguity. 

Harry's birthday was 31/07/80 which was, in the real world, a 
Wednesday but, in PS, reference is made to it being a Tuesday, 
therefore, there is a discrepancy - which isn't entirely surprising 
since JKR is a bit free and easy with days of the week in one or two 
other places.