Language Complaints
When a soup product is advertised as “eats like a meal”, we know the phrase doesn’t mean the soup, itself, eats, although, strictly speaking, that’s what the phrase says.
Does soup eat? No, it doesn’t, but this clever little observation works because we instantly understand that the advertisement is meant to mean soup fills us up, ‘like a meal’; or, soup could be a full meal; it can satisfy ‘like a meal’.
We know that truth, yet the language usage is incorrect. You wouldn’t say in your novel that he said, “Thank you. The soup ate like a meal.” Or would you?
“Thank you. The soup was greatly satisfying.”
“Thank you. The soup filled me up.”
“Thank you. The soup was very filling.”
“Thank you. The soup was as good as a meal.”
Which dialogue is your favorite? Or does, “Thank you. The soup ate like a meal” still grab you as the most descriptive?
Language and rules are a tricky combination.
Advertising has its creative license on top of its game on this one! But it’s still incorrect grammar.
Soup “satisfies like a meal”.
Soup “fills us up like a meal”.
Soup “could be a full meal”.
Those three choices just don’t advertise the product like the original “eats like a meal” phrase, do they? That’s only because in advertising, time is of the essence and jingles and key words are king in the attempt to speedily sell products.
When you write your novel, let only your dialogue use incorrect grammar, because that can be correct.
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Images Credit:
Photos from the personal and copyrighted collection of Barbara Anne Helberg
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