The Lemon Fool

I found the following question on the internet, "Do you work at WhatsApp or Facebook, did you used to, or do you know anything else about the company?"

I feel that 'used to' is wrong but can't think what it should be - any suggestions please?

NomoneyNohoney wrote:any suggestions please?

"did you use to" ?
- or "have you done so"?

- sd

Just “did you”. The “used to” is redundant.
I’d also say that of the “else”

Are you, or have you ever been, ... [a Facebook team member]?

"...about either company."

Not "...about the company."

NomoneyNohoney wrote:I found the following question on the internet, "Do you work at WhatsApp or Facebook, did you used to, or do you know anything else about the company?"

Even ignoring the clumsy (to put it mildly) wording, what a strange question. Everybody who reads it knows that this question has been asked about the companies, so knows something else about the companies besides whether they personally have worked at either of them - so anyone who answers "No" is not telling the truth!

Gengulphus

Gengulphus wrote:Even ignoring the clumsy (to put it mildly) wording, what a strange question.

It's muddled, in a manner typical of conversational speech. The speaker is reformulating (or attempting to formulate) a question on-the-fly, with results as seen.

Dealing with this, and its accompanying ummms and aaahs, is one of the big AI problems that make it particularly hard for machines to understand spoken language.

Gengulphus wrote:

NomoneyNohoney wrote:I found the following question on the internet, "Do you work at WhatsApp or Facebook, did you used to, or do you know anything else about the company?"

Even ignoring the clumsy (to put it mildly) wording, what a strange question. Everybody who reads it knows that this question has been asked about the companies, so knows something else about the companies besides whether they personally have worked at either of them - so anyone who answers "No" is not telling the truth!

The context (found by Googling) is a journalistic exposé about the companies in question. The quote is in a separate section where the journalist is obviously "digging for dirt" to add to the story.

Scott.

The context (found by Googling) is a journalistic exposé about the companies in question. The quote is in a separate section where the journalist is obviously "digging for dirt" to add to the story.

It written by a journalist? Not some anonymous herbert but someone who writes for a living?

I fancy that pursed lips are definitely in order, and a perhaps a "tsk tsk".

madhatter wrote:

The context (found by Googling) is a journalistic exposé about the companies in question. The quote is in a separate section where the journalist is obviously "digging for dirt" to add to the story.

It written by a journalist? Not some anonymous herbert but someone who writes for a living?

Well I didn't look up their CV...

Scott.

NomoneyNohoney wrote:I found the following question on the internet, "Do you work at WhatsApp or Facebook, did you used to, or do you know anything else about the company?"

I feel that 'used to' is wrong but can't think what it should be - any suggestions please?

OMG, first answer correct and to the point followed by a bunch of OT/irrelevant stuff!

SD was correct, the proper usage is "... did you use to, ..."

I used to ... / Did you use to ...?
I liked to ... / Did you like to ...?
I wanted to .../ Did you want to ...?

etc.

GS

madhatter wrote:

The context (found by Googling) is a journalistic exposé about the companies in question. The quote is in a separate section where the journalist is obviously "digging for dirt" to add to the story.

It written by a journalist? Not some anonymous herbert but someone who writes for a living?

I doubt they earn very much!

UncleEbenezer wrote:

Gengulphus wrote:Even ignoring the clumsy (to put it mildly) wording, what a strange question.

It's muddled, in a manner typical of conversational speech. The speaker is reformulating (or attempting to formulate) a question on-the-fly, with results as seen.

Dealing with this, and its accompanying ummms and aaahs, is one of the big AI problems that make it particularly hard for machines to understand spoken language.

I know - but this is Pedants' Place, so I feel completely at liberty to comment pedantically on the question that was actually asked!

Gengulphus