[extropy-chat] E-Prime (was: Transhumanism: Social Equality and Politics)

[David Lubkin]

I asked:

 > PS -- This posting marks my first conscious attempt to post in E-Prime.
 > In practicing, I already encountered one statement I found difficult to
 > express clearly in E-Prime: "Friday is John's birthday." I needed
 > untenable circumlocution. Any ideas?

and Don Dartfield replied:

>How about "John has a birthday Friday"?

That works, but I actually needed to express

"Today isn't John's birthday. It's Friday."

I suppose then

"John has a birthday not today but Friday." or
"John has a birthday on Friday not today."

I lack the experience to reliably invent graceful phrasings in E-Prime 
without multiple drafts.

Does anyone also omit forms of "to have", on grounds of imprecision?


-- David Lubkin.